Whidbey Island Race Week News Saturday, July 21, 2018 Saturday, July 21, 2018 Whidbey Island Race Week News

Left, like mussels? This is where

they come from. The Penn Cove

Shellfish farms also happened to

be the site of Friday’s leeward

marks. Note, Penn Cove Shell-

fish is not yet a U-Pick operation

so get your fill at the annual Oak

Harbor Yacht Club mussel feed

Saturday night. Psst, they sell

out so plan a breakaway from the

dance floor before it’s too late.

Left, post-race partiers support the Pink Boat

Regatta while posing in front of the surprisingly

challenging (and innovative) Bra Pong game.

Right, Michael Poole’s crew aboard his J/80,

Jolly Green, is all smiles.

Below, speaking of posing, there’s no denying the

J/105 fleet is picture-perfect.

Above, Stuart Burnell’s J/109, Tantivy,

gallops down Penn Cove on its way

Friday to third place. Sandwiched in

second with 5 points halfway through

the regatta, the size of PHRF Class 2

(11 boats, including three J/109s)

make the math tricky and mistakes

particularly unforgiving.

Right, the Kids Camp Opti fleet plots

strategy and tactics for future Race

Week domination.

Left, with two second place finishes,

Simon Miles’ Port Townsend-based

Thunderbird, Raven, has Dave Steck-

man’s local San Juan 24, Renaissance,

in the crosshairs.

Photo: L. Tewell

Above, with a matching pair of

bullets, Lek Dimarucot sits firmly

atop the J/80 One-Design Class.

Not that he needs the help, but his

“Underdog”, right, has benefited

this week from the wily wisdom of

Richard Demmler, who knows the

secrets to J-Boat sailing better

than most. However, with the

J-Boat whisperer now off on a

walkabout, we’ll see how Under-

dog fares Saturday and Sunday...

Photo: L. Tewell

Whidbey Island Race Week News Saturday, July 21, 2018 Saturday, July 21, 2018 Whidbey Island Race Week News

A fter 36 years you might think you’ve seen it all at Whidbey Island Race Week. Charley Rathkopf’s race committee set a

bizarro course that sent the fleet into the mussel beds at the west end of Penn Cove, which they’ve done before, but for

the first time ever, they finished the race. Sure there were a few classes that saw their courses shortened (the prudent

thing to do) but it still qualifies as a WIRW first. Winds had been forecast oh, somewhere between 5 and 12, and with the

RC calling for a start one hour later than usual, Friday was NOT a lay day. Yay! Adding to the challenge of playing chess with

Mother Nature, the ebb tide saw nearly 2 knots at various places on the course, causing some boats to overrun their sails. Unfortu-

nately, a couple of the classes did see some DNFs (so here’s hoping for a throwout). Regardless, it was a fun day under the sun

and on the water, with a stop at the Coupeville dock for a crew or three, so in the grand scheme of things, who’s complaining?

Back at the marina, it was Pink Boat Regatta night, with donations gladly given for the chance to play Bra Pong next to the

refreshment station, then dancing to crowd favorite Gertrude’s Hearse. They get better each year, and it’s always fun to see fellow

sailors out of their foulies and into their top hats. After tucking into burgers or ribs (yours truly got the last of ’em), the good-natured

revelers continued into the wee hours back at Tent City, though the laughter did eventually die down, only to be replaced by the

constant clanging of the porta-pottie doors and the plaintive hoo, hoo-hoo of a lonely owl.

Whidbey Island

Race Week

News © 2018

Editorial:

Vicky MacFeidh,

Liza Tewell

Photography:

Jan Anderson

pix.smugmug.com

WIRW News is sponsored by

www.CoriWhitakerHomes.com

coriwhitaker@windermere.com | 206.795.4361

Presented by

EXCUSE ME, THIS IS THE LIFE

Right, just out of high school, Jennifer Hoag skippered the

friends-and-family 1D35, Shrek, to third place in PHRF 1

for Friday’s race. Below right, representing West Van YC,

Bruce Chan’s Red Roses, one of three Farr 30s in the

class, is in the lead after two days of racing.

Left, boats from BC, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii (by way of

California), make the Sport Class a party. Saturday morning’s

protest hearing keeps things interesting.

WIRW NEWS 2018

Volume 36, Issue 2