It was a perfect storm of climate, conditions and camaraderie at Swiftsure Central on Thursday evening.
The sun was shining and an easterly breeze set the mood as sailors, many sporting shades and perma-tans, padded about the Ship Point docks and onto eye-catching yachts of every shape, size and vintage packed like sardines into the harbour.
The Midnights would soon take to the stage in a large white tent for the first in a weekend of Swiftsure-themed parties.
It kicked off the 2013 Swiftsure International Yacht Race that climaxes today with the colourful spectacle of returning boats (192 in all) best viewed from Dallas Road or the Ogden Point Breakwater.
One boat you won’t be able to miss is Dragonfly, Richard Ackrill’s lightning-fast Formula 40 catamaran.
The Victoria sailor says the reason he’s competing in Swiftsure for the 29th time is a no-brainer.
“It’s a fabulous event, with wonderful warm comradeship,” he said. “Out there on the water maybe you’ll call a guy a few names for tacking in front of you, but back here you’ll pat him on the back and say, ‘Great race!’ ”
Paul LaMarche, helming Neptune’s Car, the sleek turbo Santa Cruz 70-footer he uses for his Seattle boat charter business, agreed camaraderie is a big draw. But there’s another reason he keeps participating in Swiftsure.
“Coming through Race Rocks at 20-plus knots is one of the greatest things in the world,” he said.
Another Swiftsure regular is back for the 56th time — the Royal Canadian Navy’s venerable HMCS Oriole.
“She’s known many different crews,” says Lt.-Cmdr. Jeff Kibble, captain of the 102-foot, 92-year-old steel hulled ketch.
As well as its navy crew that also includes cook, cockswain, engineer and sail master, sailors include 15 Canadian army ammunition technicians stationed in Borden, Ont., who got a crash course in sailing as part of an adventure experience here.
“They’re fast learners. I’m not worried about sailing with them,” said Kibble. “They got 30 days of training in three days.”
While there’s much dock talk about sailing being a “gentleman’s sport,” there are six female skippers this year.
“I’ve got a number of women on my boat,” said Seattle sailor Marda Phelps, back with her 53-foot Marda Gras.
“The title’s my husband’s idea, not mine — believe me,” laughs Phelps, who has been sailing since she was a girl.
“This could be close to my 30th time here. It’s the No. 1 international race for American skippers.”
A beaming Vern Burkhardt, wearing a day-glo green Swiftsure T-shirt, said safety is of paramount importance.
“We take it very seriously and work closely with the U.S. and Canadian coast guards,” the lanky Swiftsure chairman said, noting a Cormorant search-and resuce helicopter from 442 Squadron Comox has been redeployed to Victoria. To monitor potential hazards such as large, fast-moving commercial boats, Swiftsure organizers planned to frequently radio their positions on a dedicated VHF channel.
While Burkhardt knows better than to try and second guess Mother Nature, he shared his personal expectations. “We don’t expect really strong winds, but I think we could see a very lively finish with spinnakers flying.”
Online: swiftsure.org
