Blackline Patos Island Race from Sydney, organized by the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club, is an extraordinary long distance race down Haro Strait, back up the length of Boundary Pass (between the southern Gulf Islands of BC and the western and northern edge of the San Juan Islands in Washington State.)
This is a long standing sailboat racing event with 2023 being the 40th edition of The Patos Island Race.
The very light wind at the start turned to heavy breeze in the 16-18 kts range, which was not in any forecast, and led to us being overpowered and shifting to the #2 jib from the big genoa, followed by a long and glorious spinnaker run with the two brand new asymmetrical kites aboard. The wind softened around Turn Point on Stuart Island...but we prevailed with diligence and patience, finishing around 4:30 am back to Sidney for chili and beer at the yacht club followed by a long nap for all before returning Time Bandit to her berth in West Sound, Orcas Island. It was challenging to round the far mark, Patos Island in essentially no wind and current bringing Time Bandit along with the returning sea north toward Vancouver as we waited for the wind to return and enable us to catch the new breeze and complete the race.
This was my first time on Time Bandit, or any J120, and with 4 crew total (including the accomplished and versatile Bob Brunius as skipper) we kept busy.
The Long Course (which Time Bandit completed) is a Van Isle 360 qualifier and the event counts towards the Vancouver Island Racing Series (VIRS).