Leg Eight Updates
LEG 8 - CADILLAC VAN ISLE 360 - Winter Harbour to Ucluelet
Kinetic III wins leg 8 - Photo Sean Trew
June 27, 2007 - Ucluelet - Though the 'building westerlies' never materialized on the 140 mile leg from Winter Harbour to Ucluelet it was definitely a challenging race. The boats who sailed down the rhumb line did the best, those who headed off shore did not do as well. The first 1/2 of the race was sailed in a light 10 knot westerly which shut down at dawn leaving the fleet searching for air and playing every puff and shift. Though the leg took longer than most sailors anticipated it was a beautiful night with a bright moon and clear skies. Those who hadn't provisioned well were envious of Atalanta with her built in refrigerators and full-on galley.
The town of Ucluelet is a big supporter of the Cadillac Van Isle 360 and the grade 5 and 6 school kids adopted individual boats and presented them with decorated bags and welcome letters. They were then given tours of their favorite boats. The children had been following the results of the race over the past week and had been given a math assignment to calculate the points according to PHRF and the Van Isle scoring system.
This leg of the race had been dedicated to the memory of Mark Livingstone, who passed away earlier this year. Mark was a member of Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit 38 and was very involved with the event. A race battle flag bearing his name, and signed by each skipper, was presented to his wife, Doris, and to his co-workers from the CGA. The Coast Guard Auxiliary in Ucluelet remain very dedicated to the event and provided safety escorts to the boats as they entered Ucluelet's rocky entrance.
As this was a layday, many of the sailors participated in a "closest to the pin" golf tee off at the new Wyndansea Jack Nichlaus signature hole in Ucluelet. Denise Hamilton, from the New York 36, Promises, won the contest and then turned around and donated her prize to the Ucluelet Coast Guard Auxiliary. Marine Drive Properties who sponsored the contest matched the donation, which combined with the contributions from the rest of the sailors in the fleet raised more than $13,000.00.
More than 400 people crammed into Ucluelet's community hall where the awards presentations and dinner were held. David Lynch, skipper of White Cloud, who struck a rock at the start of this leg, gave a speech thanking those in the race and the Coast Guard who had assisted their stricken vessel. David will be sailing aboard Flash tomorrow. The crew from Red Heather, who withdrew during leg 7 due to a broken shroud were also in the crowd. Red Heather will be joining the event for the last leg, from Victoria to Nanaimo.
Today's winners were Div. 1: Occam's Razor, Flash, Capricorno - Div. 2: Kinetic III, Mad Max, Kairos - Div. 3: Betty Boop, Tryst, Karina 11 and Div. 4 Makika. Flash currently leads overall in Div. 1, Mad Max is the Div 2 leader and Betty Boop has a firm hold on Division 3. Makika is leading the multihulls.
Occams Razor - Photo Sean Trew
LEG 8 - ALL BOATS FINISHED IN UCLUELET
June 26, 2007 - Ucluelet - 1000 hrs. - All boats are tied up in the Ucluelet Boat Basin. The last boat crossed the line at 1230 hrs this morning.
Sailors are enjoying a layday in 'Ukee' and looking forward to the "closest to the pin" contest offered by Wyndansea.
FIRST FINISHES IN UCLUELET - Leg 8
Capricorno closing in on the finish line
June 25, 2007 - Amphitrite Point - 1730 hrs. - The following boats have finished: Icon, Flash, Capricorno, Occam's Razor, Kairos, Kinetic III, Time Bandit, Mad Max, Makika and Blue Lightning. Spiny Norman , Atalanta and Tinette are approaching the finish line.
June 25, 2007 - Amphitrite Point - 1300 hrs. - The first boats, Icon and Flash, have crossed the finish line in Ucluelet. Both Capricorno and Occam's Razor have called in their hour outs.
Dilligaf owned by Keith Climenhaga of Nanaimo has retired from this leg due to a broken halyard.
Click on the link at the top of this page for a grid report of the rest of the fleet.
WYNDANSEA OCEANFRONT GOLF RESORT OFFERS CONTEST TO CADILLAC VAN ISLE 360 SKIPPERS
June 25, 2007 - 1030 hrs - Ucluelet - Once the sailors arrive in Ucluelet, Marine Drive Properties Ltd., has invited them to play a game of "closest to the pin" at the beautiful new WYNDANSEA Oceanfront Golf Resort. The winner of the contest and three friends will win a trip to Dublin, Ohio where they are invited to play at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Tournament.
DRAMA AT THE START OF LEG 8
June 25, 2007 - 0900 hrs. - Ucluelet - The mighty Atalanta just reported in stating they were making 7 1/2 knots in a light SE headwind with 43 miles to go. They were enjoying a beauiful morning on the water watching whales and expect to be in in the early afternoon. The wind had shut down through the night but a light SE is now filling in. Icon is expected to cross the finish line at Amphitrite Point in few hours.
June 24, 2007 - 2330 hrs. - Though the wind remains light Ucluelet has been sunny and clear. The sailors should be having a nice night on the sea, though it may be a long one.
June 24, 2007 - 1645 hrs - Ucluelet - Update on White Cloud. The boat is currently motoring to Port Hardy, not to Ucluelet as was reported earlier.
Winds are pretty light on the course, 8 - 10 knots. More information soon.
Race Committee at Kains Island Lighthouse - Winter Harbour - photo Sean TrewJune 24, 2007 - 1224 HRS. - White Cloud, the Cookson 40, from Seattle Wa. hit a rock at the start of this leg off Kains Island. The impact was hard and the boat sustained enough damage to start taking on water. Many of crew sustained minor injuries but all are safe. Two coast guard vessels, the Tanu and Vector, who were in the vicinity were on the scene immediately and offered assistance.
White Cloud motored back into Winter Harbour, where Trent Gumley, shore support crew for another race boat dove on the vessel to assess the damage. Minor repairs were made and White Cloud is currently motoring to Ucluelet.
The wind at the start was a light south west breeze of approximately 5 knots. Three boats were over early but all returned to restart.
The fleet is currently making their way to Ucluelet....More news to follow....
