June 04, 2015

10th Edition

VAN ISLE 360

°

INTERNATIONAL YACHT RACE

2015

Leg Start Dates: • June 6 Nanaimo to Comox • June 7 Inshore Race, Comox • June 8 Comox to Campbell River • June 9 Deepwater Bay to Hardwicke Island • June 10 Hardwicke Island to Telegraph Cove • June 11 Telegraph Cove to Port Hardy • June 12 Port Hardy to Winter Harbour • June 14 Winter Harbour to Ucluelet JUNE 6-20, 2015 • June 17 Ucluelet to Victoria • June 19 Victoria to Nanaimo www.vanisle360.com • June 20 Nanaimo Finish

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Van Isle 360 sets sail for 2015

World-class yacht race expects favourable winds

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a t e r s surrounding Va nc o u v e r Island can be calm and flat as glass or raging torrents depending on Mother Nature’s day-to-day mood.

Organizer’s expect no less for the 2015 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race.

The Van Isle 360 sets sail from Nanaimo Harbour on June 6 at 10:30 a.m. A record number of 52 boats and their crews will

chart a course for Chrome Island, located off the southern tip of Denman Island on the fi rst leg of a 15-day circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.

In the years since the fi rst Van Isle 360, the event continues to draw more competitors and improvements to the competition, but it has long been considered one of the world’s must-do adventure yacht races that attracts skippers and crews from around the world.

In 2011 Blast Performance Sailing, owned Continued on page 4

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Van Isle 360° International Yacht Race 2015

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Continued from page 3

by Jeff and Sylvia Motley, purchased the event rights and have incorporated innovation to enhance safety to make competitive yachting more fun and engage more spectators.

This year brings fresh ideas to the 580-nautical mile event. The fi rst leg of the race now stretches to Chrome Island bypassing French Creek, which was unable to assure moorage for all of the competitors. Finishing there also avoids yachts attempting to navigate across the Comox Bar in darkness.

“This way they can fi nish between Denman and Vancouver Island and the motor up the channel right into Comox Bay and it’s a good, safe route,” Motley said.

The change also drops the race from 10 legs to nine. To ensure continuance as a 15-day event and give spectators a great view from shore, competitors will enjoy a fun “Inshore Race” in Comox on June 7th around 11 am followed by a beer garden and barbecue open to the public.

As always, each leg’s goal is fi xed, but

each skipper can choose the course to get there according to the skills and abilities of the craft and crew and, of course, weather conditions.

“In this part of the Island, generally speaking for this time of year, when the sun goes down the wind goes down,” Motley said.

For 2015, each leg of the race will adjust to a shortened course for windless conditions, meaning competitors won’t have to stay out until the wee hours waiting for a breath of breeze and can come into port under auxiliary power after crossing shortened course fi nish lines.

The 700 members of the yacht and support crews can look forward to a big sendoff hosted by the Royal Victoria Yacht Club on June 18 for the fi nal leg through the Gulf Islands from Victoria to Nanaimo. With numerous routes, strong tides and hazards, the last leg is one of the most challenging of the Van Isle 360.

Enthusiasts anywhere in the world can follow the online race tracker at www. vanisle360.com.

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START

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Nanaimo Nanaimo offers activities for shore leave

Whether visitors stick to the shoreline or are willing to venture inland, there’s a lot to see and do in Nanaimo.

Canada’s only floating pub lies across Nanaimo Harbour on Protection Island.

The Dinghy Dock Pub offers great views of the city and harbour, not to mention fantastic food and laid-back atmosphere just a 10-minute boat ride from Nanaimo.

Follow the Nanaimo Bar Trail. Nanaimo

is home to the world famous Canadian dessert and folks around here are so bully on the bar they created a self-guided tour through the city so visitors can sample no less than 34 variations on the original, including a deep-fried version and a Nanaimo bar martini.

Take the plunge into the Nanaimo River canyon at WildPlay Element Parks, located about a 15-minute drive south of Continued on page 6

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downtown Nanaimo. Dive from the park’s 30-metre tall bridge, fly high above the canyon on a zip line or venture through the treetops on the Monkido adventure.

Downtown Nanaimo and the Old City Quarter also offer live music venues, theatre, pubs, art galleries, shopping and food just a short walk from the city’s Boat Basin Marina.

To find out more, please visit the Tourism Nanaimo website at www. tourismnanaimo. com/things-todo. •

Comox

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Yachts spend an extra day in Comox port This year, the Van Isle 360 Fleet is spending an extra day in Comox which means a brand new inshore race and beer garden with live entertainment for residents and visitors to the Comox Valley following the sleek racing vessels.

Organizers have dropped the French Creek stop on this year’s race, so when the race starts at 10 a.m. June 6 in Nanaimo the fleet will be coming directly to Comox.

As the ships will be arriving late Saturday night, the fi nish line has been changed from the Comox Harbour to just south of Denman Island.

Comox Bay Sailing Club Commodore Andrew Walther notes there will be no practical spectator viewpoint there. Jeff Motley of Blast Performance Sailing, which organizes the race, notes the change was made out of safety concerns as the narrow channel and sandbar in Comox are difficult to navigate, even in daylight.

Continued on page 8

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Spectators will have ample opportunity to view the fleet on Sunday as Motley says the Comox sailing club “has really stepped up” and organized an in-port race with all 52 boats expected to participate.

“We’ll start the boats off the tip of Goose Spit and sail them towards Denman Island, keeping inside the Comox bar, so along the Union Bay and Royston shore,” Walther said.

The race should start around 11 a.m. or

Just say

noon and fi nish around 2 or 3 p.m. The fi nish line will be in the bay, but the boats will continue toward the pier and spectators can get a good look from the breakwater.

The Rotary Club of Strathcona will have a beer tent at the lower gazebo at Marina Park and awards will be handed out around 5 p.m.

“It will be an exciting day for the people of Comox,” Walther said.

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PORT PORT

PORT

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Campbell River/ 4 Hardwicke Island

Race means sailing into home port for one competitor

Campbell Riverites will be gearing up for the arrival of the Van Isle 360 yacht race on June 8.

But for one local sailor, the arrival in Campbell River means a stop at home. Chris Fletcher and the crew of Northern Lights VI will be greeted by friends and family when they sail past the Discovery Pier, the fi nish line for the Comox-to-Campbell River leg of the race. His Northern Lights crew is also local, made up of sailors from Campbell River and the Comox Valley. They include Dave Dakin, Drew Hadfield, Wade Major, John North, Glen Rumley and Dave Shaw.

So, Campbell Riverites have a “horse in the race” and will undoubtedly be cheering them on.

What racers will be sailing into is a seaside community long known as the Salmon Capital of the World where the ocean plays a large part of everyday life. Besides nature, Campbell River also provides a cultural experience through its widely acclaimed

Museum at Campbell River, the Maritime Heritage Centre, the Campbell River and District Art Gallery, the Pier Street Farmers’ Market and Spirit Square.

The best place to view the race as it arrives is Discovery Pier which offers a front seat view of the race as well as delicious fish and chips and many flavours of ice cream.

Van Isle 360 racers will get a change of pace as they set off on June 9 to Hardwicke Island on the next leg.

A change of pace, but not an easy one.

They will have to negotiate the strong tides of Discovery Passage, as well as heavy marine traffic in this narrow route through the maze of islands at the northern end of Georgia Strait between Vancouver island and the mainland.

The destination on this short leg will be Hardwicke Island and a gala feast hosted by a fish farm owned and operated by Marine Harvest Canada. The feast will be co-hosted by the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association.

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PORT PORT

PORT PORT

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The Van Isle 360 fleet will arrive in Telegraph Cove June 10.

Established in 1912 as a one-man communications centre and later home to a salmon saltery and Canadian Air Force base, Telegraph Cove is a leading North Island tourism destination with its restored boardwalk, resort hotel, campgrounds and two marinas. The fleet will depart Telegraph Cove at 10:30 a.m. on June 11 on its way to Port Hardy.

Port Hardy, located on northern Vancouver Island, serves as the crossroads for air, ferry and marine transportation networks, and is Vancouver Island’s gateway to Prince Rupert, Northern British Columbia and Alaska.

Telegraph Cove Port Hardy Winter Harbour Organizers never know exactly when the fleet will arrive, but if there is a decent breeze the fi rst boats should arrive around 3 p.m. with the rest following over the next two to three hours. The boats tie up at the summer floats in front of Carrot Park. The fleet is available for viewing by the public on the summer floats.

There will be a barbecue organized by the Port Hardy and District Chamber of Commerce.

Awards will happen in the tent at Carrot Park when the last boat is in, likely around 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.

The fleet anticipates gliding over the Nahwhitti Bar for the next leg of the race from Port Hardy to Winter Harbour on June 12 at 10 a.m. The start is between the government dock and the fish plant.

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PORT

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Ucluelet

Island’s west coast offers stunning vistas to watch Van Isle 360

Hikers explore the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet.

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Perched on the cusp of a Pacific Rim paradise, Ucluelet is a fishing village with world-class charms all its own – one that’s happy to be an engaging stop on the Van Isle 360.

Pronounced “Yew-Kloo-Let,” which means “safe harbour” in the aboriginal Nuu-chah-nulth, it is also affectionately known as Ukee.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary will escort the ships into the harbour on June 14.

That night, Creative Salmon and Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce hosts a barbecue for all crews at the Ucluelet community

centre, 400 Matterson Dr. Ucluelet Elementary school children will visit the dock and will prepare Ukee bags for crews and will participate in an Adopt-a-Boat program.

The Westerly News and Solidarity Snacks will hold a sail watch with coffee and snacks at the Amphitrite Lighthouse on Thursday morning to watch the ships sail past on the next leg of the race.

A magnet for visitors from around the world, the town at the edge of the Barkley Sound offers stunning vistas from the Wild Continued on page 12

Port Hardy Welcomes Participants of the 2015 VAN ISLE 360

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Van Isle 360° International Yacht Race 2015

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Pacific Trail that winds through ancient massive cedars and along windswept shores. The scenic Amphitrite Lighthouse, perched solidly on the Wild Pacific Trail, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Wildlife watching is an art for local tour operators, who take visitors to the places whales, bears, sea lions and eagles aren’t uncommon sights – or to where the fish are nibbling. Getting around with a rental here could mean electric bicycles, or kayaks to explore the Broken Group Islands with a guide or on your own.

The Ucluelet Aquarium lets families get up close and personal with sea stars, octopi and all manner of sea creatures – with a beautiful twist. The 2012 facility’s unique catch-and-release program means animals are returned to their ocean home after spending the season educating visitors about the ocean’s depths. It’s part of a growing network of local resources forming a regional centre for learning and research around the ecologically important UNESCO Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve.

From comfort food to luscious bakery fare, succulent fish and chips and oysters cooked myriad ways, the catch of the day and sophisticated and award-winning fi ne dining, Ucluelet offers something for almost every palate.

If you’re game for a drive, nearby sites that attract a million visits annually include Tofi no and the pristine beaches of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, and you can walk on to golf at the Long Beach Golf Club or experience exhilaration at the West Coast Wild zipline that soars over the Kennedy River canyon.

For travel information about Ucluelet, please visit www.ucluelet.ca.

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Victoria

Juan de Fuca Strait unpredictable for sailors

On a clear, sunny day, if you’re standing on the Inner Harbour in Victoria and look south you can see the Olympic Mountains in the United States and Port Angeles in the distance.

In between Victoria and the Olympic National Park lies the Strait of Juan De Fuca, a 152-kilometre-long body of water that is the Salish Sea’s outlet to the Pacific Ocean.

Continued on page 14

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“Juan De Fuca has a nature of its own,” said Dunnery Best, vice commodore with the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

Best, who has been sailing for the past 52 years and has sailed on the Juan De Fuca several times, said the wind and tide is what makes the strait so unpredictable.

“It’s a treacherous piece of water, but spectacular,” he said. “Very often in June, if you have a clear day . . . it’s not unusual to get 30 knots or 35-mile-an-hour winds.”

As part of Van Isle 360, a nautical race around Vancouver Island, roughly 52 boats of all sizes will make their way from Ucluelet to Victoria, the second-to-last stop of the nine-leg race, by way of Juan De Fuca.

Racers will depart from Ucluelet on the outskirts of the Barcley Sound on June 17 before turning the corner from the Pacific Ocean. Then they will go across the mouth of the sound before heading into Juan De Fuca.

After sailing through the strait, the boats will be welcomed for the fi rst time ever by the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, one of the oldest yacht clubs in Western Canada, and spectators at Cadboro Bay in the evening.

“It’s a big decision for us. Part of our mandate, the way we see our responsibility as a sailing club is to promote the sport and we will do anything to promote the sport,” said Best.

“When we get an opportunity to support something like this Van Isle 360, which is becoming a very important race, we’re happy to pitch in.”

The club will host an awards ceremony and dinner and Best said he expects roughly 400-500 people will attend.

Cadboro Bay Village, where racers will be welcomed in the evening of June 17, is a 15-minute drive from downtown Victoria. The shoreline was originally home to the Shongees First Nations and a number of archaeological sites have been identified along it. Then racers will depart on June 19 for the last leg to Nanaimo.

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Nanaimo

Inaugural race lets more sailors participate

Competing craft in the 2015 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race won’t be sailing the last leg of the this year’s race alone.

Sailing enthusiasts who want to get in on the action can participate in the inaugural Gulf Islands to Nanaimo race on June 19.

“We have quite a few boats who want to race with the fleet, but obviously can’t commit to sailing all around the Island or we can’t get them in the race because they’re just not fast enough,” said Jeffrey Motley, Van Isle 360 lead organizer.

Royal Victoria Yacht Club will be the host yacht club for the GIN, which will run annually, as part of the Van Isle 360 and a stand-alone race as part of the Vancouver

Island Racing Series.

Up to 80 boats from the Island compete in the series, which runs from late March until early October.

Like the Van Isle 360, skippers can choose any course from Victoria to Nanaimo. The only restriction is boats cannot pass through False Narrows, between Mudge and Gabriola islands.

“The reason for that is all competitors have to be able to transit a passage,” Motley said. “The challenge that you run into in False Narrows is that it can be very shallow, so therefore some boats couldn’t get through there.

“But other than that, they can choose any route they want.”

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CELEBRATING THE 10TH RACE AROUND THE ROCK! 10th Edition ° VAN ISLE 360 RACE INTERNATIONAL YACHT

2015

Leg Start Dates: to Comox • June 6 Nanaimo Campbell River • June 8 Comox to Bay to Hardwicke Island Cove • June 9 Deepwater Island to Telegraph • June 10 Hardwicke Cove to Port Hardy • June 11 Telegraph to Winter Harbour • June 12 Port Hardy to Ucluelet • June 14 Winter Harbour JUNE 6-20, 2015 to Victoria • June 17 Ucluelet to Nanaimo nisle360.com • June 19 Victoria www.va Finish • June 20 Nanaimo

ENJOY THE RACE! Black Press C O M M U N I T Y

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M E D I A

Van Isle 360° International Yacht Race 2015

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