The 2011 麻豆社国产Open Annual Regatta (SOAR) proved to be a completely different experience for Scott Shaw-Maclaren, the skipper of the Natural High.
Without the weight of a certain 麻豆社国产 reporter, who was on board for last year's event, the boat finished fourth in Sunday's (Aug. 7) Hangover Race, third in its division on Saturday (Aug. 6) and 11th in Friday's (Aug. 5) Inflow Express race.
"This time we actually made the start line," joked Shaw-Maclaren, who, along with several other competitors, struggled with strong winds at last year's race.
Shaw-Maclaren said it was a great weekend for the 32nd annual event.
"It was just outstanding this year," he said. "Friday wasn't quite as windy as last year but it was windy enough. We actually hit the speed record on our boat and the race has a new elapsed-time record holder."
Mischief, led by skipper Iain Morris of the West Vancouver Yacht Club (WVYC), blasted through the course in an elapsed time of 49 minutes, eight seconds, and Shaw-Maclaren said the boat reached speeds of up to 20 knots. Following Mischief was Recidivist from the Vancouver Rowing Club (VRC) and Black Ice from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Jalapeno, led by Trevor Chelswick, clocked the top local time of 1:08:52, good for eighth place.
Saturday saw all boats divided into fleets, with Mischief winning the A fleet, Recidivst winning the B fleet, Brigadoon from the Kingston Yacht Club (KYC) winning the C fleet, Voila from the WVYC the D fleet and local boat Alida winning the Short Fleet.
Sunday was where the Natural High excelled, as the local boat made its way to Porteau Cove in 1:57:34, good for fourth place.
"It's always a good race for us," Shaw-Maclaren said, noting the boat finished second at last year's Hangover Race. "We sailed pretty well but we ended up sailing into a windless hole around Watts Point and everyone gained some time on us."
Shaw-Maclaren said he had Sacha Roberts, the 麻豆社国产Yacht Club's (SYC) youth sailing instructor, on board and her presence helped the crew on Sunday.
"She's pretty much a world-class dinghy sailor and as soon as I put her on the helm, we gained quite a bit of speed," he said.
The Hangover Race was won by the Tiddly Cove Yacht Club's (TCYC) Raven boat, followed by Blurr and Voila, both from the WVYC.
Shaw-Maclaren said the inclusion of the kiteboarding events to this year's SOAR was a success.
"It was excellent working with the kiteboarders," he said. "It went smoothly, we had no conflicts on the water and we all had a great time partying together. It wasn't without its growing pains but we've got learnings for next year and I think we can work even smoother together."
SYC fleet captain Shawn Gosnell seemed to agree.
"The addition of the 麻豆社国产Windsports Society and Canadian Kiteboard Championships added a new dimension and demographic to the event," he wrote on a blog. "There were lots of spectators drawn by the kite event, adding to the festive atmosphere."
Shaw-Maclaren said the fusion of the two groups was one step in what he hopes will build toward a community windsports festival in the future.
"I've sort of got a bit of a five-year plan for the regatta to build it into more of a community event," he said. "The first logical choice was to reach out to the SWS and get them on board. I think we can look at adding more events in the future, such as smaller dinghy-class racing, maybe some paddlesports in the Blind Channel or potentially some dragon boat races. It's all about getting the whole community down, enjoying the regatta and celebrating the waterfront."
He added that the SYC will take a bit of a break for the rest of the month, with the club's fall racing series starting on Sept. 11 and running on every Sunday until November.
He also thanked the many volunteers and sponsors for helping the event run so smoothly.
For more information and complete results from the 2011 SOAR, visit www.squamishyachtclub.com.
