Van Isle 360 Race Report

J/Crews Leading Sweeps in PHRF 1 & 2!
(Victoria/ Nanaimo, BC)- The biennial Van Isle 360 Race has been going on for well over a week now. The race is actually a series of nine individual legs that circumnavigate the outrageously picturesque Vancouver Island off the Pacific coastline of British Columbia.

The combination of the nine legs determines the class winners as well as the overall winner.  The legs are:

1. Nanaimo to Comox- 36.9nm
2. Comox to Campbell River- 27.6nm
3. Deepwater Bay to Hardwicke Island- 24.2nm
4. Hardwicke Island to Telegraph Cove- 41.0nm
5. Telegraph Cove to Port Hardy- 28.7nm
6. Port Hardy to Winter Harbour- 69.1nm
7. Winter Harbour to Ucluelet- 138.1nm
8. Ucluelet to Victoria Harbour- 98.2nm
9. Victoria Harbour to Nanaimo- 59.9nm

That makes for a total course length of at least 486.8nm as the crow flies down the rhumbline. However, as all sailors know, it could be almost 30% more than that depending on weather conditions. This year it has been quite windy at times and there were reports of 40 to 50 kt blasts (more like microbursts) tripping down off the mountains peaks on Vancouver Island while racers were in the notorious Johnstone Straits.

At this time, J/Teams are leading sweeps in the two largest big boat divisions.  In the PHRF Division 1, leading is B. Chan and A. Smyth’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II with 15 pts and they are also sitting in 1st PHRF Overall (six classes). Tied for second place on 22 pts each are Bill Fox’s J/160 JAM and Scott Campbell’s J/121 RIVA.

Then, in PHRF Division 2, leading is T. Sitar’s J/109 SERENDIPITY with 21 pts, Mark Hansen’s J/109 MOJO is second with 22 pts, third is C & J Wolfe’s J/120 SHEARWATER with 25 pts and fifth is Tolga Cezik’s J/109 LODOS with 38 pts.

With just one race left, the approx. 60.0nm leg from Vancouver Harbour to the finish line off Nanaimo Harbour, anything goes for 2nd and 3rd spots on the podium in PHRF 1 and no question it will be one heck of a battle in PHRF 2 class for all three spots on the podium as the three boats are only separated by 3 pts!  For more Van Isle 360 Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.