STYC Race Your House

Photo by Kristina Southard.

by Ryan Helling

Photo by Nadine Anderson.

Sloop Tavern Yacht Club’s Race Your House is an annual race for liveaboard sailboats, and a much awaited event on the calendar for many local sailors. It’s certainly not that it’s the most competitive racing, but a great chance for liveaboards to get off the dock and show what their houses can do. Grab some friends, put a lasagna in the oven and let’s go racing!

In 2022, 23 boats participated across four classes, ranging from the fast Outremer 51 Spice in the multihull division; to full keel “crab crusher” cruisers; to the scratch boat, a turbo Santa Cruz 52 ULDB (ultralight displacement boat) rating an astonishing -21 in PHRF. That’s a fast house! I was happy to be out sailing our house, the Farr 44, Coho, with family and friends.

We could not have asked for better conditions, with a dry break in the weather and 10-15 knots from the south. The race started off the Shilshole breakwater with a short weather leg around one of the marks at the entrance to the ship canal. From there, it was a reach across the Sound to Jefferson Head. It was a great sight seeing many boats under spinnaker.

Way out in front of the fleet, the Sweden 36, Breeze, in the No Flying Sails division was wing-and-wing and sailing fast. Those guys had to be feeling pretty good.

After the Jefferson Head mark, it was a beat back to Meadow Point. For most boats, it was a long starboard tack across the Sound with a few tacks along the eastern shore to make the mark in front of Golden Gardens. The breeze lightened on the last leg to the finish and it paid to hit the beach where there was current relief and a little more wind. Big gains were made here by boats that played it right.

Breeze handily won the No Flying Sails class. Spice, the Outremer 51 catamaran was the winner in the one-boat multihull division. Class 2, the slower of the Flying Sails group, saw only two seconds separating winner Two Hip to Quit!, a C&C 30-2, and the well sailed Altair, a Sceptre 41. In Class 3, the faster Flying Sails division, the Santa Cruz 52 Escargot took the class win as well as the overall title as the Fastest House for 2022.

Thanks to all the liveaboard participants and the STYC volunteers for putting on such a fun and unique event!