The 80th Swiftsure Lightship Classic got off to a gentle start on Saturday as crews sought out the right combination of tide and wind to give them the edge in the largest competitive yachting event on North America’s west coast.
There was only a light breeze off Clover Point to help boats along when the race got underway at 9:05 a.m.
But the wind shifted south and began picking up slightly about half an hour later, just in time for a later group of vessels to make use of their colourful spinnaker sails.
The slow winds led to delays at the start for the Cape Flattery and Juan de Fuca races.
It very different from last year’s 25-knot, gear-busting winds that caused several skippers to call it quits shortly after the start of the race.
But light conditions come with challenges of their own.
Ged McLean, who is skippering the 43-feet Hanah Mari in the Lightship Classic race this year, said the complex currents, tides and conditions of Swiftsure means that it’s common even for experienced teams with a well-tuned boat to fail to finish the race.
People often drop out of the competition when they find out that there won’t be enough wind to get back to Ogden Point by the race deadline of midnight on Sunday, he said.
“Anyone who goes out and sails across the Strait is worthy of respect,” he said. “You’re racing against weather, you’re racing against the tide, you’re racing against other boats and you’re racing against yourself — because you’ve got to overcome your own fears and your prejudices.”
Out of the 98 competing vessels this year, seven are taking in the 138.2-nautical-mile Lightship Classic, Swiftsure’s marquee race.
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