Vic-Maui International Yacht Race, starts July 1-7, 2010

[Kinetic]

The next Vic-Maui race starts July 1-7, 2010. Start near Victoria, BC, leave Cape Flattery (Tatoosh) and Maui to port, finish near Lahaina, Maui. 2308 rhumbline miles to the Lahain 'rumline'.

The official race website is at www.vicmaui.org. A race announcement and the Notice of Race are posted there. Race entry packages are also available. Regional distance races including the Van Isle 360 and Swiftsure have been designated as Vic-Maui Qualifying Races for crew. The 2010 crew bank is up and running.

Three early entrants have been announced, well ahead of the January 31, 2010 race entry deadline:

Red Sheilla
Sailing for the Waikiki Yacht Club and skippered by Jim Innes, the first entrant for the 2010 Vic-Maui race is Red Sheilla, a Beneteau 49. Jim hails out of Surrey, BC and is the son of Vic-Maui's founder Jim Innes. Filing Red Sheilla's entry papers early, Jim says that "I've sailed on blue water passages between BC, Hawaii and the South Pacific several times. This will be my second Vic-Maui race and I'm very much looking forward to continuing the family tradition in 2010".

Black Watch
Sailing for the Vancouver Rowing Club and skippered by Dan Matthieu, the second entrant for the 2010 Vic-Maui race is Black Watch, a C&C 39. Dan hails from Coquitlam, BC and his team is returning to the Vic-Maui race after competing in the 2006 and 2008 races. Filing Black Watch's entry papers three months ahead of the January 31st entry deadline, Dan says that "This will be our third race to Hawaii and we're definitely looking forward to the whole journey, from the pre-race party in Victoria to the finish in Maui, with the tropical trade winds sailing in between!"

Kinetic
Sailing for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and skippered by David Sutcliffe, the third entrant for the 2010 Vic-Maui race is Kinetic, a Beneteau First 47.7. David hails from North Vancouver, BC and the Kinetic team is returning to the Vic-Maui race after participating in the 2004 and 2006 races. Following the 2006 Vic-Maui race, Kinetic sailed onward to Australia, competed in the 2006 Sydney Hobart race and then sailed home, a round trip of over 17,000 nautical miles. Filing Kinetic's entry papers early, David comments "This will be our third ocean race to Hawaii and we're in it for the challenge, adventure and teamwork, and the great parties in Lahaina!"

[The Dude]

Now...I am not "Blasting" this race. I've never done it. But the big question here is. Is this the final nail in the coffin? There are no more Sled's or Maxi's willing to come this far north, plus you have the PacCup & Transpac to compete with. Adding to this is the negitive publicity, see boats having to power the last 1000 miles, because of no wind & the time limit running out. Only 3 boats entered, shouldn't there be more by now?

[Kinetic]

Originally Posted by The Dude

Now...I am not "Blasting" this race. I've never done it. But the big question here is. Is this the final nail in the coffin? There are no more Sled's or Maxi's willing to come this far north, plus you have the PacCup & Transpac to compete with. Adding to this is the negitive publicity, see boats having to power the last 1000 miles, because of no wind & the time limit running out. Only 3 boats entered, shouldn't there be more by now?

Dude, you're getting mellow.

The last race wasn't the final nail in the coffin, so why would this one be?

Have early entrants announced three months before the entry deadline is a good sign, not a bad one.

Bonus questions: What's the smallest fleet size in Transpac history, not counting the initial race years? And did Transpac die or bounce back after that?

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by Kinetic

Dude, you're getting mellow.

The last race wasn't the final nail in the coffin, so why would this one be?

Have early entrants announced three months before the entry deadline is a good sign, not a bad one.

Bonus questions: What's the smallest fleet size in Transpac history, not counting the initial race years? And did Transpac die or bounce back after that?

1932? 2 boats? Don't you think that you would have a far better race from San Francisco? where there are more boats rated closer to your boat? Or would you rather try to beat Flash or Strum on corrected when they finish day's ahead of you? Again just a question..I am not trying to get anyone upset.

[Kinetic]

Originally Posted by The Dude

1932? 2 boats? Don't you think that you would have a far better race from San Francisco? where there are more boats rated closer to your boat? Or would you rather try to beat Flash or Strum on corrected when they finish day's ahead of you? Again just a question..I am not trying to get anyone upset.

Hey that's correct, and fast too!

But you didn't answer the second question, so that is still up for grabs.

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by Kinetic

Hey that's correct, and fast too!

But you didn't answer the second question, so that is still up for grabs.

Yes it did bounce back.....perhaps I am just bitter because, the planets have never lined up for me & have yet to experience this crossing....

[CaptIAN]

The sleds are sexy and fast but the world of Ocean races has been turning to smaller boats. I think that its great to see the more average boats making the run. That may be the angle to increase the participation.

It is unfortunate the way last year ended but as we all know sailors forget that stuff fast when faced with the challenge of trying again.

Who knows for sure. Its hard to compete with the sexy big sleds and the media machine south of the boarder but this race has a lot of history and will survive a while longer I think.

Hopefully long enough for me to give it a try too!

[mischief]

Hopefully long enough for me too - this one is definitely on my list for when time allows

[97879]

It is unfortunate that the First Aid course recommended for the race is scheduled (Jan 8 & 9) conflicting with the Race Preparation seminar (Jan 9).

I chose the 1st Aid.