Results of 56th annual Shaw Island Classic race

||| FROM PEG GERLOCK for SAN JUAN ISLAND YACHT CLUB |||

The Shaw Island Classic, hosted by the San Juan Island Yacht Club, is notorious for light winds, strong currents and avoiding obstacles such as rocks, reefs and ferries. Luckily the scenery is gorgeous, and racers love a challenge, which makes this race a fun day on the water.

Saturday, August 8 was another glorious summer day in the Pacific Northwest for this unique race that starts and ends in Friday Harbor rounding Shaw Island in either direction with a mid-course boat recording times in case no one finishes the full course.

Light southerly winds at noon made for a pile-up at the start with some boats drifting backwards over the line. “The start was pretty drifty, but out past Turn Island the sailing was great, allowing us to carry the chute all the way into Wasp Passage,” said Bill Symes, skipper of Starfire, a Blanchard Senior Knockabout placing first in the PHRF-D division.

After clearing the harbor, most of the 38 boats in the fleet attempted a counterclockwise course betting there was enough wind to make it to Turn Rock, through the roiling currents there, and catch the flood in Upright Channel.

This bet paid off and the counterclockwise boats stretched out in Upright Channel on a flood tide with spinnakers swelling like giant, colorful balloons on a steady southerly blow until reaching the “hole” at Hankin Point.

Stephanie Campbell, skipper of Wild Rumpus, a Santa Cruz 27 placing first in the PHRF-B division and first overall on corrected time described the “…high of escaping the starting area mayhem and breaking free into great breeze, and then the low of getting stuck in a hole on the Shaw Island shore [Hankin Point] before… a nice easy kite run down Cayou Channel.”

Campbell added that, after making it through narrow, rocky Wasp Passage, “…we turned the corner and saw that the lead clockwise boat, Boomer, was coming in hot with their kite up, and giving it everything they had at the finish! We really just wanted to cross the line in front of them, regardless of how the numbers worked out.” Boomer, a Martin 242 skippered by Chris White placed first in the PHRF-C division.

The Shaw Island Classic uses ratings to allow different models and sizes of boats to compete fairly against each other. A slower boat can win on “corrected time” even if a faster boat crosses the finish line first, meaning the racing advantage can shift quickly.

This dynamic played out dramatically in the Multihull division with Sunrise, a Hobie Cat 16 racing against Kelòna, a F-32SR. Kelòna, skippered by Nige Oswald finished first on elapsed time in 02:48:05, but second in the Multihull division on corrected time.

The Shaw Island racers know their competition as most have entered this race for many years and in some cases, over multiple generations. Our younger sailors were showing their skills this year, particularly in the Multihull division, with crew from the Friday Harbor High School Sailing Team rising to the challenge of a tricky course with variable winds.

“Around Shaw was the last time I sailed Sunrise before I leave to start my first year of college, and though I am very sad, it also feels like almost the perfect send off. So many of the boats I sailed against consisted of my friends, coaches, teammates, mentors, and competitors from previous races,” said Else Ranker, skipper of Sunrise, placing first in the Multihull division on corrected time.

The Perseverance Award in honor of Wally Lum, who has sailed in every Shaw Island Classic, goes to the last boat to cross the finish line before the deadline and comes with a bottle of champagne. This year’s winner was Juans 2B, a San Juan 21 skippered by Paul Von Stubbe.

Spirits were high as racers gathered at the SJIYC clubhouse overlooking the harbor for post-race banter and a hearty lasagna dinner served by the First Mates. “It was a great fun day with friends and sunshine, and we were really grateful that it worked out in our favor at the end,” added Stephanie Campbell.

Complete results and photos are posted at the Club’s website at http://sjiyc.com/shaw.