Almost 200 boats, crewed by up to 1,800 sailors, will gather Saturday off Clover Point on Dallas Road waiting for the starting gun to sound for the 72nd Swiftsure International Yacht Race.
Boats from yacht clubs from all over the Puget Sound, Vancouver, Oregon and Vancouver Island are set to gather for the event.
Hosted by the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, the event features five races held concurrently. There are four long-course events — Swiftsure Lightship Classic (138.2-nautical miles), Hein Bank Race (118.1-nautical miles), Cape Flattery Race (101.9-nautical miles) and Juan de Fuca Race (78.7-nautical miles). There is also the shorter Swiftsure Inshore Classic designed to finish in Cadboro Bay before dinner on Saturday.
Of the four long races, the one to watch is the Hein Bank, which is new this year.
“With the right wind, those boats will be going fast — smokin’ fast,” said Gary Davis, a member of the Swiftsure race committee. “These are the hard-core racers, with large 50 to 70-foot boats going up to 23 knots.”
He said the new route, which takes place mainly in the Juan de Fuca Strait, was the result of input from past years on making the race more appealing to participants. Because nobody has ever raced the course before, it’s anybody’s guess as to the outcome.
Competitors start arriving in the Inner Harbour on Wednesday. For the first time in race history, race headquarters the Swiftsure Centre will be inside, at the Steamship Grill and Bar restaurant.
Take a stroll through the Night Market at Ship Point on Friday and marvel at the mass of race yachts tightly packed into the docks.
Just prior to the race on Saturday morning, elders from the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations will bless the fleet at 8:30 a.m. at Clover Point.
Yachts in the long-distance races typically cross the finish line, off the end of the Ogden Point breakwater, sometime during the night on Saturday and all day Sunday.
Transponders fitted on boats in the long races communicate their position every 10 minutes. A digital map at the Swiftsure Centre on Saturday will provide live updates showing the positions of the competitors as they race. Fans can also track their favourite boats at tracker.swiftsure.org.
Clover Point and along Dallas Road from Clover Point to Cook Street are the best locations for viewing. Seeing the yachts jockeying for the best starting position is a highlight. The races start with the first wave at 9 a.m., followed by a group every 10 minutes, with the last of the boats off by 9:40 For details, go to swiftsure.org.
Indulge your love of model trains and help the needy
All aboard for the Model Railway Show on Sunday. If you miss this train, the next one isn’t for a year.
This year is the event’s 25th anniversary, which features almost 1,700 square metres of displays, with N, HO (the most popular scale of model railway in the world, representing 65 per cent of the hobby), Lionel O and Garden-scale trains.
Visitors to the event, which attracts up to 1,500 people, will be able to meet with members representing seven local train clubs.
Volunteers from the clubs have all contributed to creating nine modular layouts to showcase the various components that go into a rolling display.
The show is an opportunity to expose the younger generation to the hobby. There will also be Lego and Brio displays for the younger set.
The industry recognizes model railroading can be an expensive hobby.
“To soften the blow, vendors at the event, both commercial and private, will have used trains for sale,” said Ted Alexis, show co-ordinator. “This will ease entry into the hobby.”
Many current hobbyists, like Alexis, can trace their interest in the hobby back to finding a train set under the Christmas tree. In his case, he was seven years old when he received his gift.
The show supports the Times Colonist Christmas Fund and C-FAX Santa’s Anonymous. The event is sponsored by the National Model Railway Association and the Pacific Northwest Region 7th Division. The show is supported by B.C. Shaver and Hobbies.
Admission is $7 adults, free for children 8 and under, $14 family. The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Curling Rink at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, 1767 Island Hwy. Free parking or B.C. Transit No. 50. For details, call 250-595-4070.
Get those legs moving for Bike to Work Week
More than 8,000 people from southern Vancouver Island are expected to park their cars next week and head out using pedal power for Greater Victoria Bike to Work Week, starting on Monday.
The event, in its 21st year, is one of the cycling community’s most supported celebrations.
More than 8,000 people participated last year, including more than 1,200 first-time commuters.
Collectively, they left their cars at home and cycled a total of 330,000 kilometres instead.
Week-long events include free food and drink, a bicycle triage, gatherings and prizes at any of 17 celebration stations throughout Greater Victoria. There will be $30,000 in prizes this year. Last year, 260 prizes were awarded, worth between $50 and $800.
The week ends with a closing barbecue featuring gluten-free products and veggie options.
Kids and grownups can register for a bike-skills course. Lunch-hour mini-workshops at workplaces or in the evening can also be arranged.
Registration is freee. The event runs May 25-31. For details, go to biketowork.ca/victoria.
A village ‘trade show for your life’
The Oak Bay Village Talk to an Expert Day and Sidewalk Sale returns for a second year on Saturday.
The popular event, started just last year, has expanded to include more hands-on activities to introduce people to a range of experts found in the community.
Vendors are offering deals to go with their expertise, making the event an opportunity to try new things as well.
“Talk to an Expert Day is like a village-wide trade show for your life,” said Elizabeth Smith, president, Oak Bay Business Improvement Association. “It’s an opportunity to showcase local knowledge and remind people of the benefits of shopping local and the connections that can be made in your community.
Activities include free beginner yoga classes, a test drive of electric assist bicycles, heritage experts, a paint-along, beginner magic lessons, fire safety, financial planning, up-cycling, gardening advice, olive oil sampling, matcha tastings, free coffee seminars, advice on updating a wardrobe on a budget and custom-made children’s clothing.
Oak Bay Kiwanis will have their hot dog barbecue and Canada Kettle Corn will be making fresh kettle corn all day. Live music by Los Gringos Locos.
The events take place 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at various businesses found in the Oak Bay Village.
For details, go to visitoakbayvillage.ca or facebook.com/oakbaybia.
The Gorge comes alive for family fun day
Have a fun-filled family day at the Selkirk Waterfront Festival on Saturday.
The annual festival, hosted by the Burnside Gorge Community Association, features live entertainment, carnival style rides, games and face painting. There will also be a vendor’s market.
Local bands Caleb and the Colts, the Lebeau-Petersen Band and the Soul Shakers will perform. Salsa Caliente Dance will heat up the stage with a salsa performance.
Food lovers will have their appetites sated by goodies from food trucks including Langos by Louie, Hungry Rooster, Puerto Vallarta Amigos, Mama Rosie’s and Red Wagon Espresso.
The event is free. It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Selkirk Green Park and Waterfront Crescent (steps from the Jutland and Gorge Road intersection). Festival goers are encouraged to walk, cycle or take public transit to the event, with an on-site bike lockup available.
Author and historian Dennis Minaker will offer a free Gorge Historical Walking Tour on Saturday.
On the tour, he will talk about the oldtimers he met in doing research for his book The Gorge of Summers Gone.
Attendees will hear about how the Gorge Waterway was alive with sailors in heavy cutters and whalers and First Nation paddlers from along the Coast racing in 15-metre war canoes.
In its heyday, summer on the Gorge meant picnics, camping, swimming galas, high diving, amusement rides, a Japanese garden, taverns and moonlight cruises.
Please note: The tour includes some stairs.
The event is free. It starts at 2 p.m. Meet in the parking lot at 355 Gorge Road West. For details, call 250-385-8884.
.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
