SHAG 2014 – Wind!

Vancouver certainly delivered for VRC’s Single Handed Anything Goes regatta, commonly known as “SHAG” this past Sunday. And so did the skippers!

Twenty-one “armies of one” made it to the race area in what started off as a challenging day for a regatta: the day was nice but there was absolutely no wind.

The postponement flag was hoisted, a dollop of sunscreen was applied and the committee boat was moved further west to get closer to the Straight’s air. Finally, shortly after noon, English Bay filled up with its trademark thermal and pressure built.

With boats rating from 21 to 292, the fleet was split into two groups around the PHRF 160 rating mark. Two different courses were set to ensure everyone would get a chance to finish the race before the wind would clock off for the day.

While showing up fashionably late, the wind did not disappoint. On the committee boat, the race courses kept getting longer in light of the increasing pressure, eventually settling on the following:

• Div 1 (>= 160): Start – Point Grey bell buoy – Kits barge buoy – Finish
• Div 2 (< 160): Start – anchored freighter Venus Horizon – Kits barge buoy – Finish

Great, clean start for Div 1 with Mako right at the line for the horn. You could tell some of the competitors were missing their crews as the start line wasn’t quite as disputed as it normally is. All the boats eventually started and made their way out towards Point Grey at steady paces.

Division 1 Start

Division 2 had an equally clean start, which was given about ten minutes after Div 1’s in order to give skippers a chance to organize themselves, grab an extra drink from the area known as “down below” and a last chance to have a civilized chat with their imaginary crews. Remember Wilson in “Cast Away”? The horn went off and Slingshot lived true to her name, covering half the distance to the windward mark before the last boat to start actually crossed the start line.

Division 2 Start

The Div 1 boats had no problems reaching the Point Grey bell buoy. Once sails were trimmed, it was an easy upwind leg to the mark, which gave everyone time to get ready for the long downwind to the Kits barge buoy aka “The Hamburger”. Of course, you can imagine the difference between sailing a boat where everything runs aft and a self-tacking jib such as Dilligaf and Raven where the skipper is completing a single handed race and a full marathon running back and forth between the winches. And that’s with his legs constantly caught in a macramé of lines!

Div 2 boats made it around the freighter, which in a twist of the weather spun 90 degrees, turning into a gigantic, wall-like mark. Spinnakers quickly popped up amidst a few white sailed boats. The race progressed quickly in the good breeze.

After both fleets rounded their respective windward marks, things got a little different between the two groups. Div 2 boats were blessed with a steady breeze from the aft quarter while Div 1 boats experienced more challenging conditions as the path of least resistance involved going dead downwind. They had to rub elbows with Spanish Bank and to duke it out with Jericho’s dinghies. A number of spinnakers adopted shapes commonly known as the hourglass, the wine glass, the rag doll and other shapes that have yet to be named because they don’t resemble anything. Everyone soldiered on and eventually reached the Kits “Burger” to the sounds of “No no no no noooo!” and “Man I wish there was someone on board to pass me a cold one”.

Mako

Dilligaf

Krikkit

Spinnakers were doused and the barge buoy was rounded with boats launching themselves upwind for the final leg. Slingshot quickly appeared by the Finish line. She dutifully crossed it and parked right on it in the gloating position. Silik crossed the line quickly thereafter, followed by Pura Vida and Pinnical. Lark and Salus duelled it to the Finish. Lark crossed first but Salus corrected ahead.

In Div 1, Mañana and her skipper to be forever known as “The Guy in a Purple PFD on Big Red Boat” took line honours in under an hour and 35 minutes. She was followed by Excalibur and Mako relatively close together as well as Raven and Krikkit, also in formation.

Manana crossing the finish line

Trevor Salmon on Mañana took first place for Division 1, followed by Jason Vandergaag on Excalibur and a very happy Simon Hill on Krikkitt.

Kevin Dempsey on Slingshot took first place for Division 2, followed by Ted Sharplin on Pinnical and Wade Harrogate on Silik.

Congratulations to all the racers! A special mention goes out to those for whom this was their first attempt at single handed racing. The realization comes as you leave the dock on your own that this is exactly it: you are on your own.

Note the strong showing by VRC racers: 11 boats, out of 21 participants.

Thanks to our sponsors, Evolution Sails and Coal Harbour Brewing Company, for their help in getting the event running.

Thanks to those who volunteered to make it happen:

• Shane Alfreds (Talisman) for organizing the event;
• Pieter Smits for offering his boat, Avalon, as a Race Committee platform;
• Benj Rummen (Thursday’s Child) for offering Igor, his inflatable mechanical bull as a mark set boat;
• Pieter Smits (Avalon), Maeve Lalor (Jasmina & Rubato), Alan Ip (Godzilla) and Benoit Sonrel (XS) for the RC work.

SHAG Race Committee

Benoit Sonrel

Skipper S/V XS