Posts under ‘Swiftsure 2010’

 
I take care of marine operations and radio communications for the Swiftsure International Yacht Race and I’m interested in hearing from racers, past and present, on a possible change we might make to our communications protocols.
 
Under our current protocols, yachts on the offshore courses are required to report their position at various times during the [...]

SWIFTSURE WEATHER
 
The Strait of Juan de Fuca lies between Cape Flattery and the North coast of Washington State, and the Southern portion of Vancouver Island. It is about 12 miles wide and 50 miles long. The weather in the Strait dictates the conditions for Swiftsure.  Wind usually blows into the Strait from the Pacific Ocean, [...]

I felt good as we motored out to the start of the 58th Swiftsure Classic Yacht race. It was a warm, sunny morning and I was with three experienced crewmates on Bad Kitty, a 34 foot “one-off Uthoff” catamaran in full ”racing” trim.

I have completed more than 15 Swiftsure races in the Cape Flattery multihull division, and apprehension of the unknown has long since been replaced with anticipation of the familiar. This is a challenging race with strong, complex tidal currents and bedeviling wind patterns. This year looked to be even more challenging than usual, with light winds and a large adverse current kicking in right from the start.

My name is John and I have been chosen to be your blogmaster for the upcoming 2010 Swiftsure International Yacht Race. I am so new to this that I had to look it up in Wikipedia to see what a blog is supposed to do. I have decided I will present news and ideas [...]