Fastest Elapsed Time Record Holders – ICON, WESTERLY and SMOKE
Van Isle 360 – Course History & Record Context
As Sylvia and I prepare to hand over race‑management duties in the coming weeks, we wanted to leave Christa and Chris with a clear record of how the course has evolved over the years—and why the race has three separate elapsed‑time record holders.
Why Three Record Holders?
Because the race course has changed significantly since the first running in 1999, elapsed‑time records must be understood in the context of the course distance and configuration for each era.
Course Evolution
1999–2013: The Original Course
- The race was run eight times with the same 10‑leg configuration.
- No boat ever completed a fully sailed circumnavigation during this period—at least one leg each year lacked wind.
2015: Loss of French Creek Moorage
The Harbour Authority informed us that French Creek could no longer accommodate the fleet. This forced a major change to Leg 1.
We considered combining:
- Leg 1: Nanaimo → French Creek
- Leg 2: French Creek → Comox with a finish at the traditional Comox Bar.
However, deep‑keel boats risked being unable to cross the bar at low tide. To eliminate this uncertainty, Leg 1 was changed to:
- Nanaimo → Chrome Island, finishing at the lighthouse.
This allowed all boats to reach Comox via the inside of Denman Island without tide‑related restrictions.
This course configuration remained in place until 2023.
2023: Loss of Fish Farm Moorage
The government’s refusal to renew the fish farm licence at Chancellor Channel removed the moorage at the Fush Farm.
This required two adjustments:
- Leg finish change:
- Deepwater Bay → Tyee Point (Thurlow Island)
- Extended to the pier in Sayward
- Next‑leg start change:
- The fleet now anchors in Port Neville (7 nm from Sayward).
- To avoid motoring back against adverse current, the next start was moved to Random Point, just outside Port Neville.
Net effect: The overall course was shortened by 7 nautical miles.
2025: Nanaimo Start Relocated
The start moved from Nanaimo Harbour to the outside of Protection Island.
Net effect: The course shortened by another mile.
Summary of Course Length Changes
Since 1999, the race has undergone:
- Removal of French Creek finish
- Chrome Island finish added
- Sayward finish added
- Ransom Point start added
- Protection Island start added
These changes have materially altered the total course distance, making elapsed‑time records non‑comparable across eras.
Elapsed‑Time Record Holders
Monohulls
There are three legitimate record holders, each corresponding to a different course era.
1. ICON — 2013 Record
- Elapsed time: 93:20:20
- Course: Original full course including French Creek
- Note: First year the fleet sailed the entire course.
2. Westerly — 2015 Record
- Elapsed time: 70:35:58
- Course distance: 524.0 nm
- Average pace: 8.083 minutes per mile
3. Smoke — 2025 Record
- Elapsed time: 67:10:42
- Course distance: 519.5 nm
- Average pace: 7.705 minutes per mile
- Performance: 4.676% faster than Westerly’s record pace
Multihulls
Although Dragonfly is often assumed to be a contender, she never sailed a complete course and therefore does not hold a record.
