54th Shaw Island Classic Yacht Race Sails Through Varied Conditions

Sunshine, variable winds and channel fog set the stage for the 54th annual Shaw Island Classic yacht race, hosted by the San Juan Island Yacht Club (SJIYC) on August 10. This race is unique in that Shaw Island is the only mark and can be rounded in either direction. It is only a 13-mile course, but shifting winds, variable currents, narrow, rocky channels, and ferry traffic often turn it into a nautical chess game.

“It was a drag race to Wasp Passage,” said Ken Machtley, skipper of Treachery, a Martin 242, and first-place winner in the PHRF-C division and first overall. “Four Orcas Island boats (a Soling 27 and three Martin 242s) and the venerable Wild Rumpus, a Santa Cruz 27, were in a dead heat up San Juan Channel. Wasp Passage provided its normal ‘wind from every direction’ challenges, though the ebb helped to push us along and make quicker work of this tricky section than [in] most years.”

Two-thirds of the fleet of 39 boats took a clockwise course, betting there was enough wind at the start to overcome an ebb current in the San Juan Channel. This course would allow riding the ebb through the notoriously narrow and windless Wasp Passage. That bet paid off with all but one clockwise boat finishing the race. While clockwise dominated, most of the counterclockwise racers also finished, with 36 boats crossing the line before the 6:00 p.m. cutoff.

“It was one of the best sails in recent memory!” said Nigel Oswald, singlehanded skipper of Makika, an F25C trimaran, placing first in the multihull division and first to finish on elapsed time in 2:28:36.

“More wind than expected and we had a close battle with Mist (a Transpac 52) all the way around. The holes were much shorter than normal, just a couple of dead spots for a couple of minutes and the rest of the time we were always moving.”

The clockwise boats made short work of reaching the midway point in Cayou Channel on the northeast side of Shaw Island, where the winds usually turn light and fluky. Still riding the ebb, racers floating past Hankin Point met up with the unusual combination of channel fog and 9- to 12-knot winds.

“We didn’t have the modern navigation aids,” said Michael Durland, skipper of Challenge, a 6-Meter and first-place finisher in the PHRF-B division, “so had to pick a boat ahead of us in the fog who looked like they were headed home and then once we passed them find someone else to tail until the fog lifted and the finish line was in sight. Always a treat to pass up these modern go-fast boats with a 90-year-old classic.”

Thank you to the Washington State Ferry captains of the Samish, Tillikum, Chelan, and Yakima who carefully maneuvered through the racing fleet. A particular shout-out goes to the captain of the Samish, who edged north through the narrow waterway between Flat Point and Canoe Island in Upright Channel, in a bank of fog with the racing fleet beating to windward south.

Spirits were high and spirits were enjoyed as racers once again gathered at the lovely SJIYC clubhouse overlooking the harbor for post-race banter and a hearty lasagna dinner served by the first mates.

“Overall, we had an exceptional day on the water, with enough wind to make it a fast race, spotty fog to add an interesting twist to navigation at times, and a nice-size fleet of exceptional competitors to sail against,” added Ken Machtley.

The Perseverance Award, in honor of Wally Lum, who skippered his Seabird yawl Marquita in the first Shaw and has competed in every race since, goes to the last boat to cross the finish before the deadline. This year’s winner was Nisku, a Crealock 34 skippered by Luis Zappelli. Most winners get a brag flag and an inscription on a perpetual trophy, but the lucky winner of this award gets a bottle of champagne!

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

Thanks to Peg Gerlock for sharing this fun report on the Shaw Island Classic. If you have a sailing story or photos to share, email us at [email protected].