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Regatta to feature yachts from Mainland and Vancouver Island

Annual event staged by Schooner Cove Yacht Club is celebrating its 30th anniversary
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Schooner Cove Yacht Club is set to stage the BMW Lasquetti Island Regatta from June 2. It’s a NM Salish Sea Challenge. - SCYC photo

Schooner Cove Yacht Club will be celebrating its 30th annual inter-club regatta this coming weekend.

The race, which features BMW as its presenting sponsor, will be held June 2-4 and expects 35 sail boats and about 200 sailors. They will be coming from yacht clubs on the Mainland and on Vancouver Island from Campbell River to Victoria.

The race is a 41 NM Salish Sea Challenge, circumnavigating Lasqueti Island, with the start and finish at Fairwinds Marina in Nanoose Bay.

The yachts of varying sizes will sail off at Schooner Cove, with the first of four starts at 9 a.m. The other starts follow quickly thereafter.

For those wanting to catch a glimpse of the yachts, they can be viewed from various points along Outrigger Road, just east of Fairwinds Marina. The fleet can be easily seen as it passes by Reef Road, Madrona Drive, and Rathtrevor Beach.

Depending on wind conditions, boats may return to Fairwinds Marina as early as 3 p.m. or as late as midnight, passing the same viewing points while daylight holds.

The yacht to watch out for this year is perennial favourite Lawn Dart from the Nanaimo Yacht Club. Skipped by Bill Allen, it has won this event in the last three years and Allen is hoping for a four-peat.

The other yachts to watch out for as they have consistently placed in the past races are Synergy, skipped last year by Elaine Wade of the Nanaimo Yacht Club, Blue Shift skipped by Ron Turner of the Sydney North Saanich Yacht Club and Shingebiss skipped by Neal Berger of the Schooner Cove Yacht Club.

Schooner Cove Yacht Club is open to boating enthusiasts in the area, offering racing, cruising and social activities year-round. For further information, check out their website at www.scyc.ca.