2022 Vic-Maui International Yacht Race planning begins

Vic-Maui International Yacht Race © Vic-Maui

The 2022 Vic-Maui International Yacht Race planning has begun. James (Jim) Innes has been appointed as the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club's Vic-Maui Event Chair, taking over from David Sutcliffe who served in the role for the past twelve years and who was recently appointed to a four year term as a Vic-Maui trustee.

Jim, skipper of Red Sheilla, is an RVYC member, a veteran of several Vic-Maui's, the son of Vic-Maui's founder (the late Jim Innes, also an RVYC member), and has served as Mentor Coordinator for several event cycles. Jim has represented Vic-Maui at boat shows and promotional talks, as an ambassador with sailors on both sides of the border, and by facilitating the donation by Beneteau of a cup for the cruising class which will commemorate Travis McGregor's passion for racing and living sustainably.

The Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race is hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the Lahaina Yacht Club. First contested in 1965 and sailed every second year since 1968, Vic-Maui is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing. Vic-Maui starts in July off Victoria, British Columbia and finishes near Lahaina, Maui, a distance of approximately 2308 nautical miles.

Vic-Maui challenges navigators to demonstrate their weather routing and navigational skills and sailors to hone their cooperation and competition skills.

The adventure includes sailing around the Pacific High and surfing downwind in the trades. 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 each arriving boat is greeted with an outstanding Hawaiian welcoming party. Family and friends meet the racers to celebrate the accomplishment with hugs, leis and mai-tais. Many crew stay to spend more time enjoying Maui with their families before heading home.

Preliminary dates:

• Start dates July 2-8, 2022
• Finish Time Limit July 22, 2022
• Awards Banquet July 23, 2022

Find us on Facebook '@vmiyr', Instagram 'vmiyr', and Twitter '@vicmaui'. Visit www.vicmaui.org for Challenge - Adventure - Teamwork!