NORPAC Race Days

“You F-ing Sea Cow!!!

This (and many other unprintable things), is what Skipper Jeff yells during tense moments at our beloved boat – named “Heron” – because she’s a big girl, after all, hefty and beamy.  While she’s a lovely cruising cutter, 52,000 pounds of teak (before carrying water and fuel, and a dinghy, and two sea kayaks, and two folding camp chairs, plus five weeks of provisions and the first-mate’s herb garden), a sleek racing rig she is NOT. 

So gorgeous it's worth it!!!

This we learned over four days of racing in Barkley Sound’s Broken Group Islands – a spectacular way to see this part of B.C.'s Pacific Rim National Park -- if your fingernails can handle the stress.

Short-tacking Heron is a little like trying to race a Cadillac around a dirt-bike course.  On Race Day 2, the two of us actually tack Heron (by now feeling more like a schooner), TWENTY TWO TIMES!  

Our reward for all this hard work?  We do manage to find her sweet spot on several terrific long reaches (when the soft breeze fills in with 18-23 knots). On Race Day 3, we hit 10 knots boat speed, have a great ride with Heron barreling along like a runaway freight train, and even roll over a few of the more agile boats. “Now we’re shakin’ and bakin’!” Skipper Jeff hollers as we blow by, cheering up considerably. 

Skipper J, Shakin' and Bakin'

We place 3^rd in our class, a miracle, and in four days of racing learn a ton.  Mostly, what a privilege to be able to explore this part of the world in the company of such accomplished sailors – while making some great new friends!

Unbelievable! Third Place Caps!!

And post-race gold...

NORPAC 2014

Rafting up at the charming and funky Port Alberni Yacht Club, we meet the rest of the fleet; everyone seems pretty chill.  There will be four days of racing, the first day’s course is mapped out:  start near Adamson ROCK, round ROCKY Folger Island to starboard; round Swale ROCK, proceed to the easternmost island of the Alma Russell Islands, (all ROCKS), finish.  Course length:  13.5 miles.

Barkley Sound...

Charting the first day's course.

This should be interesting.  With Heron’s Furler stuck in the shop all spring, we’ve had only one sail raised so far this season. (That would be the jib, yesterday, for approx 10 minutes.)  Also, we have no crew to speak of – just the two of us -- manning all 54 feet.

I notice with alarm once we receive our fleet books that our new friends might act chill but they’re actually way-proficient sailors: Steve on Peregrine has Swiftsure, Oregon Offshore, Van Isle 360, and part of Transpac 2011 under his belt.  Innomorata, a Peterson 40, is an old racing warhorse, manned by “old sailors who act badly, and their rock star wives.” And then there are Neil and Susan, on a lovely Hinckley (heavy, we note hopefully).  Neil is a former member of the USNA sailing team – yikes! Thankfully the race doesn’t start ‘til noon, so we can all sleep in. 

Typical Mark:  killer rocks, relaxed audience.

Juan de Fuca Strait to Barkley Sound

Well… so much for spectacular weather! After our two-day transit up and around the south coast we can see why Sir Frances Drake had this to say about Vancouver Island in 1579:

“from whose high and snow-covered mountains the north and north-west winds send abroad their frozen nimphes to the infecting of the whole air… in the middest of their summer, the snow hardly departeth from these hills at all; hence come those thicke mists and most stinking fogges.”

 Thicke mists, stinking fogges

Global warming nothwithstanding, we can attest that more than 400 years later those same stinking fogges are still hanging around.  We’ve had thicke mists and stinking fogges most mornings, exacerbated by this year’s warmer inland temps.

After a 3:30 AM DEPARTURE we made our long run up to Barkley Sound. This was a tricky passage:  steep chop, lumpy seas, and thick fog all the way – with less than a quarter mile visibility.  But as soon as we turned into Barkley Sound – presto! – the fog burned off, and we raised the jib for a short sail into the clear blue sound backed by towering peaks.

Team Heron nearing entrance to Strait of Juan de Fuca. Chilly!

“Look at these bad-ass rocks!” Skipper Jeff, said, eyeing Barkley Sound’s hundreds of rocky islands and reefs.  Little did we know these would be our course marks in the next days’ NORPAC race series, eek.

Sailing into Barkley Sound...

Rafting up, Alberni Yacht Club...

Up the Outside...

Furler fixed: A Miracle!!

Heron Adventures got off to an exciting start this year:  our Furler broke in May, was hauled off for repairs in South Carolina, and didn’t make it back to Seattle until the day before our first NORPAC race cruise up the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  Crazy.

Who knew that Vancouver Island was the largest island on the western edge of North America? Well it is: 300 miles from tip to toe, but by some miracle we made it to the start…   

After a beautiful cruise up Puget Sound, overnight in Port Townsend, and great time in Victoria where we met some of our fellow NORPACers docked in front of the Empress Hotel, all the stresses of our down-to-the-wire departure were soon left behind.

Pulling into Port Townsend... 

Ghost boat, ghost mountain... Puget Sound.

July 10^th is the earliest Heron has ever set sail.  Fingers crossed our weather holds.  Stops along the way for 2014: a week with the NORPAC fleet racing in Barkley Sound; meet crew in Ucleulet for trip up and around the top of Vancouver Island; then Broughton Islands before heading back down Johnstone Strait to Desolation Sound, late August.  Excited to be headed “outside” this year!