Open The Barn Door! Kinetic V Approaches The Finish of the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race!

Well, it looks as if Kinetic V has overcome the challenges of light air, currents, fluky winds and choppy seas to become the first finisher in the 40th running of the CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race! We'll have a finish time - and start the clock on the remaining finishers - as soon as we can.

Rage will be next, not far behind Kinetic V (we think)!

Rockin' & Rollin' Down The Strait

Many of the racing boats in the Strait of Juan de Fuca are now recording consistent speeds in the 8's and 9's.

After a windless first two days, the second night of the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race has turned into a middle of the night roller coaster ride. With breezes in the teens from the SSW, you can bet these boats are all working hard to adjust to the new westerly breeze. No doubt, there will be some great spinnaker-ride, Orca-whale, and under-the-stars stories to be told after this night is through.

Fleet A2 is coming up fast behind the leaders at Race Rocks; it looks like they might have gotten through the transition better than Kinetic V and Rage. It will be a close race on adjusted time.

Another couple of boats that are steaming fast towards the finish are B fleeters Raindrop and Blade Runner. We've been commenting all race how well these old salts have sailed up the course in this year's race... The payoff may not be too far away!

The Good News Is, There's Only Six More Hours of Ebb Tide Remaining!

Bucking an ebb tide is never fun, especially one that is moving against you at 4.4 knots.

At Race Rocks:

2016-05-14 Sat  3:55 AM PDT   -4.4 knots  Max Ebb
2016-05-14 Sat  5:34 AM PDT   Sunrise
2016-05-14 Sat  8:00 AM PDT    0.0 knots  Slack, Flood Begins

Wy'East Makes The Turn Into The Strait!

The venerable Cascade 36 was made for the NW. Wy'East is the first C class boat to enter the Strait, and they're doing it at over 8 knots! Way to bring it home on the night train, Wy'East!

Back On Track

It looks like we might now have a path towards finishing for both Kinetic V and Rage. The fleet has tightened significantly with the night breeze!

2 Ships Passing In The Night... Or, On Second Thought... Let's Go This Way!

Loving the Race Tracker!
Check out the unusual course of the two lead boats!
Will they ever finish?
How will they get past Race Rocks?
Will Rage pass Kinetic V?
Will the rest of the fleet catch the leaders at the finish?
We'll see!

The Big Flush

If you've been following this blog, enough said... The pictures here say it all.... It could be a tough rest of the night for these two lead boats unless the westerly breeze reaches Race Rocks.

Even then, it may kick up the seas pretty well in the Strait, creating a whole new set of challenges. What's wrong with these pictures?

Canard Coming Around the Corner at Warp Speed!

Winds have built significantly since sunset at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca; they are now SSW at 21 knots.

The boats at the turn are coming in fast, and the conditions are changing rapidly. After two days of light air complacency, these crews will have to re-energize themselves in order to get to the finish in good form. It looks like it might turn into a rough and tumble ride down the Strait. It's no surprise, really.

That Can't Be Good!

Cinderella's carriage turned back into a pumpkin at midnight. What's Rage going to do?
Hopefully, not get squashed.

Class A2 Divergence - This Could Get Interesting!

After several miles of grinding it out in a tight pack boat for boat, it appears the A2 fleet leaders all have their own unique plan. What would you do? Follow Time Bandit on a southerly track, follow Panama Red's middle of the road course, or swing high like Anam Cara to close the door on the Soup?

Interesting tactical dilemma: you can only go one way!

Turnagain Turns The Corner At Cape Flattery (Again)!

Turnagain, an old favorite on Oregon Offshore, is truckin' around the corner at Cape Flattery at nearly 8 knots!

Strong SSW breezes have developed. After two days of racing they are welcome.

Bum's Rush and Canard are following close behind Turnagain, and are also close to making the easterly turn towards the finish.

Westerly Breeze Building In The Strait

We're seeing some interesting developments in this stage of the race; the lead boats are stalled just miles from the finish while a fresh westerly breeze builds, bringing up some of the rest of A and B fleets.

This is a long race with a big time adjustment in some cases. It will be interesting to see if the westerly holds in the Strait.

Kites up!

The wind speed at Swiftsure Bank just swung to SSW at 11 knots. Interesting!

You're Rage, You're Running Out Of Race Course, What Would You Do?

Given this information, what would you do if you were the skipper/tactician on Rage right now?
Follow Kinetic V through Race Passage, or take the long route? Tough call...

Cinderella! Beware, Midnight Approaches!

What the heck does that mean?

At this crucial time in the race?!?

You think I've gone crazy watching this race for two days, right?

Well, Cinderella's life changed at midnight; right? ...Kinetic V, Rage, and the rest of the fleet inside the Strait will have their worlds change at (close to) midnight, also... 11:43 pm to be exact.

What happens at 11:43 you ask?

If you've been reading along, you know that the tide will change from slack to ebb, and continue to build throughout the night. AND, the wind tends to die at the most inconvenient times in this race.

If that happens, Kinetic V and/or Rage and the rest of the fleet will be "bucking the ebb tide" in light air all the way to the finish, or until the tide changes!

Not a great place to be, but they (Kinetic V and Rage) are SO close! We'll see...

Decision Time...Inside or Outside?

Race Rocks is a pivotal point in this race's final miles. Previous Oregon Offshores have been won - and lost - at this crucial point on the course, where the fleet turns north towards the race finish outside of Victoria Harbour.

There is plenty of depth to take a shorter, inside route through Race Passage. However, at night, in the dark, with an ebb tide, it's not always as easy as it may seem or look on a navigation chart.

In a race like the one we have now, there is little doubt that both lead boats will try to shave as much distance as possible, and may likely take the shorter route through Race Passage. Rage is riding up fast behind Kinetic V, but Kinetic V is still leading... We could have a very exciting finish for line and fleet honors!

B Fleet Leader Raindrop Is In The Strait!

With a noticeable course change, turning tight around the corner, Raindrop has now entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca!

Blade Runner's not far behind, and they definitely run fast at night in lighter breezes. It will be interesting to see where these two B fleet leaders are positioned at sun-up.

All Of A Fleet Enters The Strait! Heads For The Finish!

Night Runner, the last A class boat to enter the Strait, has now joined the rest of the fleet in their easterly turn to the finish. Now, all of the eight boats in Fleets A1 and A2 are in the home stretch! B Fleet leaders Raindrop and Blade Runner look like they're next to turn the corner at Cape Flattery.

Watch, As The Soup Heats Up!

As night time sets in, and the tide slowly changes from flood to ebb, Free Bowl of Soup seems to be making a calculated move north of the leaders in the fleet. Despite some considerable distance to make up, Soup is gambling on playing the coastline of Canada on a northerly track relative to Panama, Anam Cara, and Time Bandit as a hedge against the imminent ebb tide running until about 4:30 am. Sometimes this strategy pays off like the HOV lane on the freeway; but sometimes it can be a parking lot.

We love this boat name......here's a great video about the "provenance" of the name!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phagxOal7_A

Pushing North: All Boats In The Fleet Have Now Passed Destruction Island!

The southernmost boats in the fleet are all now either abeam of or past Destruction Island, and continuing to head north towards Cape Flattery as a second night at sea appears imminent.
There are still 37 hours left before the time limit for the race expires. That's a lot of time... Let's hope the wind fills in tonight and tomorrow and pushes everyone to a successful finish in the 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race!

Hana Mari Is In The Strait!

Hana Mari appears to have entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca at approximately sunset, and is now altering course easterly. Raindrop appears to be next to come around the cape, followed by Night Runner and Blade Runner.

There is still A LOT of time left in this long distance endurance race! Anything can happen!