SIDNEY — Walkers along the Sidney waterfront on Sept. 17 and 18 were treated to ships putting to sea in the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club’s fall racing regatta.
This year the race was dubbed CRASH — meaning Challenging Racing And Social Events. While the weather was definitely a challenge, it appears there were no crashes.
Some 35 sailboats and 150 racers — a 50 per cent increase over past regattas — came from Vancouver, Nanaimo, Orcas Island and Vancouver Island to compete. They experienced a variety of weather conditions, from pouring rain and calm seas, to strong or variable winds.
Many sailors felt it was the best regatta this year. Paul Shaw, past commodore at SNSYC who organized the race, attributes its success to the volunteers who helped out and particularly to the Race Officer, John Abel, from BC Sailing. Abel was calm and well organized, providing the racers with a satisfying weekend.
There were five divisions each having five different races. Full coverage is listed on the regatta’s website: crashregatta.com.
On the whole, its was a good weekend for racing. The club thanks the volunteers and sponsors and particularly John Philion, SNSYC’s club photographer, for the fine photos.
— Courtesy Jackie Brien/Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club