Sailors who are in the know make a point to heave to off the spectacular beach at Shark Spit on Marina Island whenever there’s a full moon in August for the annual full moon regatta.
This year however was a little special, as there were not one, but two full moons in the month. Because of this, organizers declared August 31 as the Blue Moon Regatta, with over 50 boats participating.
The regatta is a casual affair, with no yacht club organizing it and no publicity. Sailors hear about it by word of mouth only. Captains just show up, attend a skippers meeting on the beach and get the course instructions before, at the sound of a whistle, they race down the beach into a canoe, kayak, rowboat or they simply plunge into the water and swim to their boat, raise sail and sail around Marina Island in whichever direction they feel gives them an advantage.
The regatta was won by Cortes Island dentist Dale Anderson in his boat, Sail La Vie.
• Sailing fans might want to drop anchor at Schooner Cove this weekend as the Schooner Cove Yacht Club holds their second annual fleet regatta on Sunday, followed by a barbecue on the afterdeck.
Following this, the club plans to hold a Jazz Festival Cruise to Pender Harbour, from Sept. 14 to 16.
• Officials with BC Ferries this week denied they have plans to close the Duke Point ferry terminal for the winter. However, plans to eliminate 48 round trip sailings from the Duke Point facility between mid-October and the end of March are still on track.
• Want to get out on the water next year but don’t have the certification to do so?
The Canadian Power and Sail Ballenas Squadron can help.
Starting this week, the squadron is offering a 13-week boating course at Kwalikum Secondary School in Qualicum Beach. The course covers boating safety information and navigation skills and will allow successful students to obtain their operator competency certificate, which will allow them to get out on the water once the weather warms up in the spring. Visit www.cpsballenas.com/index.htm for more information.