Round Portland/Moresby, Third (and final) Attempt

Sunday September 12, 2010

Sunday dawned grey, damp and uninviting. The forecast was not good- low wind and rain, so all crews were told to go counter-clockwise around the islands and take their times at the Celia Reef buoy on the far side of Portland Island in case a short course was required.

Five boats were able to make it to the start line: Empezar, Caliente, Electra, Soul Thyme, and Imp. However, Caliente was "disqualified" before the start for failing to be fashionable, as each of the other 4 boats were single-handed, while Ole had gathered a cast of thousands for his crew.

There was a decent southeast breeze all the way to Beaver Point, which took the edge off the solid rain which began not long after we took off. On the way up Ganges Harbour, Caliente edged out into a lead over Electra and Imp, while Soul Thyme and Empezar were not far back in the initially light winds. Past the Sisters, where the wind piped up to perhaps 8 knots, the leading group elected to go left and they were rewarded with a nice ebb tide when they got to Horda Shoal.

Electra and Imp stuck together and headed straight over to the Salt Spring shore and up to Beaver Point, each taking turns crossing one another. Caliente elected to go to the North of the Channel Islands which did not work, and she relenquished her lead. Soul Thyme was still in touch, but the fog had obscured Empezar by this point.

Imp had managed to eke out a lead at Beaver Point, and not long after, the wind started to go light. Luckily, the tide was ebbing strongly -; over 1 knot -; and the boats were game to continue. The wind really became a problem at some point, and Soul Thyme and Caliente decided to pack it in. Empezar called in on the VHF to notify us that the boat was drifting into some kelp, and that it was time to turn the engine on and head home, which left Electra and Imp to drift further.

Imp found a little bit of breeze (1.5 knots?) at Kanaka Bluff on Portland Island and was able to slide around the corner and drift past the Buoy at Celia Reef, which was destined to be the finish line. At this time, the ebb current started to abate, and the wind remained pathetic. Electra eventually managed to get past the buoy, and the two die-hards motored home together. After starting the race at 10:00, we got back to the dock around 18:30!

Greg Slakov on Imp.