Introducing the Vic-Maui International Yacht Race

by Vic-Maui YR on 24 Mar 2012 The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the Lahaina Yacht Club are pleased to announce the 2012 Vic-Maui International Yacht Race. This year will mark the twenty-third edition of th ocean racing classic that will start from Victoria, British Columbia. Class starts will be staggered, with starts commencing as early as June 28, 2012. The race will finish near Lahaina, Maui, a great circle route distance of 2308 nautical miles.

Vic-Maui, first contested in 1968 and run every second year since, is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing. The Vic-Maui race challenges sailors to demonstrate their skills by beating out of the Juan De Fuca Strait, reaching around the Pacific High Pressure zone and running the trades to Hawaii. The 2010 Vic-Maui enjoyed excellent wind conditions, with line honors captured by a thirty-five foot high performance boat which finished in just eleven days and fifteen hours, and the overall win earned by a forty-eight foot performance cruiser which finished in twelve days and twelve hours. Vic-Maui records are waiting to be broken in 2012!

The adventure begins during the long days of mid-summer and each day of the passage South towards the tropics brings warmer temperatures. The days pass quickly with the fleet surrounded by dolphins and albatross, spectacular sunrises, sunsets and brilliant starlit nights. Teamwork gets the boats to the finish line near Lahaina, where day or night each arriving boat is greeted with an outstanding Hawaiian welcoming party.

Family and friends see the racers off from Victoria and meet the racers in Lahaina to celebrate their arrival with hugs, leis and mai-tais. The whole fleet attends the awards banquet, another fantastic Hawaiian gathering. Many crew stay on to spend more time enjoying Maui with their families. Some boats continue on to the South Pacific while others return to their home ports.

Preparing a yacht and crew for a major ocean race is a significant undertaking. Vic-Maui fosters a spirit of cooperation among competitors, with past competitors acting as mentors to first time entrants. Many successful teams start their boat preparation and crew training a year or more in advance. They also establish an early relationship with a marine insurer who underwrites ocean racing.

Race after race, participants describe the Vic-Maui as their most memorable sailing experience and as the adventure of a lifetime. It is our sincere hope that you will be among the sailors who share in the challenge, adventure and teamwork of competing in this world-class event.

See vicmaui.org for more information.