Van Isle 360 Race! - photo © Linda Vermeulen / www.beyondtheseastudio.com
Dear Recipient Name
There's that famous line in Pink Floyd's "Time" that goes, "And then one day you find ten years have got behind you." As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race (May 30 to June 14), which is where I'll be when you're reading these words, I'm realizing that a full eighteen years have slipped astern since the last time that I participated in this amazing race-cum-rally, which circumnavigates Vancouver Island as a series of stage races.
You see, 2007 found me working as a desk editor at SAIL magazine, where I was presented with the opportunity to cover about half of this race as part of my job.
So, I did what any scallywag sailor would do: I read the descriptions of each leg that I'd be sailing, cross referenced these with the entry list, and then begged the race organizers to help set me up with certain rides on certain days. Let's just say that it was no coincidence that I found myself on the two fastest boats in the fleet for the two longest legs, and that here was a reason that I elected to sail down Vancouver's desolate and stunningly beautiful west coast.
The tactic worked well, thanks in huge measure to the race organizers' efforts and to the extraordinary generosity of the fleet that accepted me—plus a photographer—as sight-unseen guests for these legs.
It also worked out well in another way. While my then-fiancé (now wife) is from the Pacific Northwest, this was my first big sailing adventure on these waters, and the experience had a massive impact. Not only did I get to enjoy some ripping good sailing, but I also got to experience small coastal villages, drippy temperate rainforests, tidal-driven whirlpools, and the sight of distant snow-covered mountains.
I knew before I even left Vancouver Island that we would be moving to the Pacific Northwest as soon as possible.
Now, eighteen years and a transcontinental move later, I still find myself writing about sailing, of course, but this trip will be much different than my previous experience. For starters, I'm lucky enough to be sailing aboard Jonathan and Libby McKee's Riptide 44, Dark Star, for the race's first five legs, which start in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island's southeastern flank, and will take the fleet up the inside passage to Port Hardy, near the island's northern tip.
(Sadly, work obligations dictate that I won't get to sail down Vancouver's west coast this year, but this trip will [more or less] complete my second full (but not continuous) circumnavigation of Vancouver, so I'm certainly not complaining.)
This trip has also taught me a lot about preparing for a big adventure.
In 2007, I just showed up at the dock each day with my sailing jacket, lunch, and a pleased-to-meet-you smile.
This time, our crew started Zoom meetings in January and divided and conquered the preparations and boat work (with the bulk of the latter falling to Jonathan and Dark Star's Seattle-based crewmembers).
While I'm not the world's best cook (I've been known to burn water), I was tasked with sorting out provisions (and—thankfully— a few dinner reservations) for our crew of six. This job initially felt intimidating, but my amazing wife gave me a huge amount of help organizing, preparing grocery lists, shopping, pre-cooking (or pre-assembling) a few meals, and organizing part-two grocery lists for Canada (N.B., some foods can cross borders, others cannot).
This task also gave me much deeper appreciation for all the hard work that goes into organizing a boat for an ocean race or a bluewater passage. For this, I tip my hat to anyone who has ever done this for a race, cruise, or delivery.
Then there's the sailing.
Every year is different, of course, but the inside legs are typically uphill affairs that can be massively influenced by current and tide. This can make for some interesting sailing, especially when huge tide changes, big whirlpools and localized weather conditions are involved.
While it was fun hitchhiking around Vancouver in 2007, the part that I'm looking forward to the most this year is sailing through some of the most beautiful coastal waters imaginable aboard an awesome boat and with a wonderful group of people whom I've known and sailed with for years.
If 2007 was about meeting new friends, this year's adventure will be a great opportunity to spend some concentrated time with longtime friends, and to build the kind of memories that we'll be laughing about eighteen years from now.
May the four winds blow you safely home.
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor
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