While the crews of about 200 boats race for glory on the water, thousands of spectators are expected to catch the excitement on land as the Swiftsure International Yacht Race takes place off Victoria at the weekend.
This is the 75th year of the nautical competition, which attracts sailors from Puget Sound, Vancouver, Oregon and across Vancouver Island.
The excitement begins to build today, as boats start to arrive at the Causeway Docks in the Inner Harbour.
On Friday, visitors are invited to walk the docks and have a picture taken with a swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow and his partner, Scarlett.
Start Saturday with a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. at Clover Point.
Stick around after you eat, or line Dallas Road (up to Cook Street is ideal) to watch the start of the five races that are part of the event: the Swiftsure Lightship Classic (138.2 nautical miles), Hein Bank Race (118.1 nautical miles), Cape Flattery Race (101.9 nautical miles), Juan de Fuca Race (78.7 nautical miles) and the Swiftsure Inshore Classic (24.3 to 40.5 nautical miles) day race.
A gun blast from the bow of HMCS Nanaimo will announce the start of each race, which begins at 9 a.m. and continue every 10 minutes until all the boats are off.
At about 10 a.m., once all the competitors are on their way, the Royal Canadian Air Force 442 Squadron and the Canadian Coast Guard will stage a search-and-rescue demonstration. An 82-kilogram rescue dummy will be recovered from the water with the assistance of a Cormorant helicopter.
You can follow the progress of the boats via the Swiftsure Racer Tracker.
Transponders fitted to every boat in the long races broadcast their position every 10 minutes. People can watch the race play out live online, tracking one or more boats, from the comfort of their own home or on their favourite electronic device.
Boats competing in the inshore race will cross the finish line in Cadboro Bay between 3 and 5 p.m. Saturday.
Yachts in the long-distance races typically start crossing the finish line off the end of the Ogden Point breakwater as early as midnight on Saturday night.
They will continue throughout Sunday and can be back as late as 6 a.m. Monday.
All events are free to watch. The first of the races start at 9 a.m. Saturday at Clover Point, off Dallas Road.
The boats can be tracked at tracker.swiftsure.org.
For more information, go to swiftsure.org.
Land at flying club to discover wonders of flight
Peer into the cockpits of modern and vintage airplanes, tour a historic facility, talk to pilots, take a Discovery Flight, maybe even consider a career in aviation, at the Victoria Flying Club Community Day and Open House, Saturday at Victoria International Airport in Sidney.
Aviation enthusiasts young and old to are invited to tour the club’s historic 80-year-old facility to learn about its rich history and the planes that are kept there.
Vintage and modern planes will be on view, some even for sale. Flight instructors will share the joy of flight with visitors in a flight simulator or during a Discovery Flight.
People can meet members of the Civil Air Search and Rescue, NavCanada, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, the University of Victoria Diploma in Business Administration Aviation Option program and the Vancouver Island Chapter of Women in Aviation.
Career-minded individuals can attend an information session about the club’s student programs, including the recently updated Commercial Pilot Licence program.
The open house runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The club is at 101-1852 Canso Rd., Sidney. It is located beside the control tower on the southeastern side of Victoria International Airport.
The parking lot is at the base of the control tower.
For more information, go to flyvfc.com.
Enjoy a good walk and help others at the same time
Lace up your shoes to take part in one of two charity walks that take place on Sunday.
• Bring along your two- or four-legged best friend to the Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History, Sunday from the Esquimalt Gorge Park, a family-friendly, two-kilometre walk.
Supporters will join more than 10,000 volunteers, donors, partners and participants from 65 cities across Canada to raise funds and imagine a world without the disease.
Money raised will be used to fund research, support sufferers and to advocate for high-quality individualized care.
Join the walk by donation. Registration starts at 9:30, opening ceremonies are at 10 and the walk starts at 10:15 a.m. Pets on a leash are welcome. The walk should finish at 11:30 a.m., with closing ceremonies at noon. There will be food and drink at the end. The event takes place at Esquimalt Gorge Park, 1070 Tillicum Rd. For information, go to cysticfibrosis.ca/walk/2018.
• Walk to raise funds to support research, support programs, information, advocacy, awareness and hope at the Victoria Brain Tumour Walk 2018, Sunday at the University of Victoria.
May is Brain Tumour Awareness Month and the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is hosting the fundraiser. You can register as an individual walker, start a team, join a team or donate to a walker.
Registration is free and starts at 8:30 a.m. The walk starts at 10 a.m. Sunday from parking lot 10 at the University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd.
Go to braintumourevents.ca or Facebook.
Learn how to play the ukulele
The Esquimalt Ukulele Festival takes place from today until Sunday at various venues.
This is the eighth year of the annual event — it was previously Larsen Music Ukulele Week — and the first year it has been hosted by Esquimalt Recreation.
Visitors can strum along with a performer, enjoy at a gala concert, take part in workshops, attend an open house or revel in a love-in community event.
An all-inclusive festival pass is $60. The gala concert is $10 and starts at 7 p.m. Friday at Esquimalt United Church.
The workshop series are open only to festival access pass holders and run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre.
The open house is free and runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre.
The Ukulele Love-In, the festival’s closing concert, starts at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in Memorial Park in Esquimalt. For more information, go to esquimalt.ca.
Tweed Ride for charity takes stylish turn through Fairfield
Cyclists and lovers of a bygone era are encouraged to dress up to take part in the Tweed Ride, which meanders through Fairfield on Saturday.
This is the eighth year of the event, hosted by the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition.
Proceeds will be donated to Bicycles for Humanity Victoria to assist in its effort to send a container-load of bicycles to Namibia.
Tweed Rides are a worldwide phenomenon.
They started in London in the fall of 2009 when organizers thought that it would be fun to have a “cosmopolitan ride with a bit of style,” so they dressed in tweed and rode their bikes through the streets of the British capital.
Since 2010, the family-friendly event has attracted participants biking through Victoria, dressed in tweed (or smart-looking outfits), culminating with a tea and picnic.
Any and all bicycles are acceptable to take part. Pre-registration is required. Registration is $15.
The ride starts at 11 a.m. at the legislature grounds, 501 Belleville St. The ride ends at 12:30 p.m. with tea at Craigdarroch Castle, 1050 Joan Cres.
Tickets are available at tweedridevictoria.ca/tickets. For more information, go to tweedridevictoria.ca.
Model-train enthusiasts offer tips on building a railway
If you listen close, you might just hear the “All Aboard” call as model-train enthusiasts show off their hobby at the 28th Victoria Model Railway Show on Sunday.
Nearly 1,500 visitors will have an opportunity to see rolling history in miniature, featuring almost 1,700 square metres of layouts. There will be operating displays of N, HO (the most popular scale of model railway), Lionel O and Garden-scale trains.
More than 50 enthusiasts will be on hand to answer questions on how to lay track, create realistic scenery, smoke, sound and digital-command controls. Younger children can start with train-themed Lego and Brio displays.
Along with commercial vendors who will have the latest offerings, there will be hobbyists offering to trade swap tables.
Proceeds from the show support the Times Colonist Christmas Fund and C-FAX’s Santa’s Anonymous. The event is supported by B.C. Shaver and Hobbies.
Admission is $14 for a family, $7 for adults, $3 for children 11 to 16 and free for children under eight when accompanied by an adult.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Curling Rink of the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, 1767 Island Hwy., Colwood. There is free parking or you can take B.C. Transit No. 50.
For details, call 250-595-4070 or email m_talexis@shaw.ca.
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