Cut Me Some Slack!

Even though the tidal flood has ended, there are still a couple of hours of slack tide before the ebb; that should give our last competitor Lady Eileen ample time to finish the race - assuming the evening breeze holds.

Make haste, Lady Eileen, make haste! Your berth awaits!

One To Go!

Our last finisher of the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race will be the Baba 30 Lady Eileen. She's trucking through Race Passage at the time of this writing... heading for the finish line and the wrap-up of this year's race!

These guys should get some sort of endurance award!

Great job, Lady Eileen. We'll be waiting for you at the finish line!

Thirsty Has Finished!

Stay Thirsty my friends... Welcome to Victoria!


Photo credit: Dena Kent

Lady Eileen Is Leanin' On It! Bring It On Home!

Race Tracker has Lady Eileen closing in on Race Passage doing 7.3 knots! At that pace, they'll also finish before midnight and before the foreboding ebb tide creeps in...

If the wind holds, Lady Eileen should be in Victoria with the rest of the fleet long before the 10 am Sunday deadline.

This is our last finisher folks, let's all root them on to a fast finish!





Thirsty Finishing Strong!

Alan Bergen and the Thirsty crew have had good luck today... winds and boat speeds have been the best this crew has seen so far during the race and they've made up a lot of distance since the breeze filled in.....

As sunset on Day 3 approaches, Thirsty is approximately 5 miles from the finish, currently steaming at about 6 & 1/2 knots, with winds holding at around 15 knots. If the wind holds just a little bit longer for Thirsty, they'll be in Victoria Harbour in time for a late supper and a milkshake at Belthazar's.. Sunset's just minutes away.....Pour it on Thirsty!

Oops, Cantata Appears To Have Finished - Tracker Error!

The last position reading we have for Cantata is from one hour ago... Most likely Cantata has finished the race; we'll look for confirmation from the finishing team and report back.

We blogged earlier about "ghosts" on the Race Tracker course... Night Runner and Cantata have both finished, but still show as "on course."

That leaves two remaining competitors, Thirsty & Lady Eileen...Thirsty still has about an hour of daylight but should reach the finish - regardless - sometime before midnight.

Lady Eileen has been making good time in the last few hours... Let's hope the wind holds!

As always, we'll see.

Passepartout & Aja Slip Between The Finishing Marks!

Passepartout and Aja have finished the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race.

Welcome to Victoria!

Like Music To Our Ears! Aja & Passepartout Ready To Finish!

Aja and Passepartout are close to finishing... They'll be in port just before sunset on a Saturday night.

It probably feels like they've been around the world in 80 days, but they've just completed another CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race!

(That's a vague yacht name reference... I had to look it up!)

Blue Martini Finishes Her First Oregon Offshore!

Blue Martini has arrived. Welcome to Victoria!

This is the first year that Blue Martini entered the race; we hope they'll come back again next year!

Only five boats remain on the race course with just one hour remaining until sunset.

Time to "win the day,"as we like to say here in Oregon...



Get 'Er Done! It's Last Call For Blue Martini!

Blue Martini is minutes away from closing time. It's a blast to the finish for these boats with 17 knot westerlies and a flood tide... Timing is everything!

And here come Aja, Cantata, and Passepartout, right on Blue Martini's tail! It won't be long now before these boats are done with the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race!



Cha-Ching! Cool Change Crosses The Finish Line!

Cool Change just finished. Blue Martini is next.

Welcome to Victoria, Cool Change!

Makai Finished! Cool Change & Blue Martini Are Close Behind!

It's a blast to the finish when the wind is up! I really feel bad for Kinetic V after watching all these fast finishes today. It's all a matter of timing I guess (and wind....and tide!).

For those that don't know, Kinetic V was leading Rage to the finish line early this morning, but sailed into a hole that, eventually, cost them the race.

Maybe next year!

They'll Be Comin' around The Corner When They Come!

The last few remaining boats in the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race are closing in fast on the finish!

First in line will be C fleeter Makai, now just a few miles away from the finish at Victoria Harbour.
Makai is making great time, 7+ knots, and should be across the line within the hour.

Following close behind Makai is Cool Change and Blue Martini, who have both passed Race Rocks and are heading for the finish at speeds between 6 & 7 knots. It won't be long now!

At the turn, passing through Race Passage, are Cantata and Passepartout, making great time with lots of daylight left.

Around the corner, close behind, is the C & C 35 Mark III Thirsty... Alan Bergen and crew are probably pretty thirsty right now for a dockside beverage after 2 & 1/2 days at sea!

We'll keep you posted as the last boats cross the line and more pictures and videos from the racing come in!



Watch The Race Live From The Race Rocks Remote Controlled Video Cam!

This is pretty cool... It looks rainy out there!

http://www.racerocks.ca/video-cameras/

Riding The Tides Towards The Finish

We've focused quite a bit in this race on tides, currents, and their effects on the racing fleet and tactics.

First, we saw a huge tidal ebb flow out of the Columbia River "mushroom" for much of the start of the race.

This allowed the boats on the northern edge of the fleet to benefit early with a lee bow push upwind, northwesterly, and out to sea.

Then, last night, we saw the brutal effects of the tide and current change at Race Rocks, and how devastating the effects of combined light winds and strong currents can be, even on the biggest, toughest competitors.

Today, it's a different story. We've got the last few remaining boats riding in on a nice gentle flood, or incoming tidal current. Today, the flood tide will help push the fleet towards the finish line until about 9:30 pm tonight, and won't turn to an ebb tide until after midnight.

Given that there are still three hours of daylight left today, it's safe to assume that we should see most of the boats finish before midnight tonight.

Then again... You never know. Lady Eileen better start leanin' a little more.

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: The time limit for this year's race expires at 1000 hours PDT (10 am), Sunday, May 15th.

C Fleet Standout Makai Blasts Past B Fleet & Heads For The Final Turn

Makai, an Ericson 32 owned by Jack Coulter of Portland, has distanced itself from much of B fleet and is now closing in on Race Passage and the finish.

Cool Change is nearby, taking a wide turn around Race Rocks... We'll see which strategy pays off.

Behind the remaining leaders are Blue Martini, Aja, Cantata, Passepartout, Thirsty, and Lady Eileen.

The time limit for the race expires tomorrow at 10 am; it looks like everyone is on track to finish well within the time limit.

Well, except for Lady Eileen - it might be close for them - she better start leaning a little more!

The Souffle Is Done!

Souffle has finished the race!

There are eight boats remaining on the course.

Congratulations, Souffle!

Here's their course:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov5P8_56yOg

No Chance This Souffle Will Collapse At The Finish!

Souffle, a Cal 34 Mark I skippered by Philip Lewis, is close to finishing this year's 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race.

Moving along at over 5 knots, and less than a mile from the finish line, it's time to turn up the heat for a few more minutes, then voila! You're done! And just in time for dinner, too!



Yahtzee!

Yahtzee has crossed the finish line first in cruising division in the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race!

Congratulations on finishing your first Oregon Offshore Race!