The Youbou Regatta is usually held in sweltering sunshine but this year, the skies opened and dropped rain on the fun at Arbutus Park.
No one really complained. The entire area has been bone dry for weeks, with temperatures nearing 40 degrees, so the combination of mist and rain went down well. On top of that, the Regatta is all about getting wet anyway.
It all kicked off with the traditional pancake breakfast at the Youbou firehall, and then the parade, before moving down to the park for the rest of the day.
The Youbou Community Association lifeguard won the Best Homemade Float category in the parade, with Ty and Elijah finishing second. The best commercial floats were Country Grocer and Lady of the Lake.
The best pet was Sugar, followed by Benson. The best group was Catch of the Day, followed by the Condiments, and the Mexicans. Salt and Papper won Best Couple, with Claire and William next followed by Violet and Jackson.
The best individual was Katie Bowers with her “jellyfish” umbrella, followed by Tristan Da Cunha, the Mexican.
The quarter mile swim took place in somewhat choppy seas, with Jill Ranstead coming in first, followed by Elliot Cove, and Laurie McKenzie.
The youngest to finish was Tyler Hamilton, and the oldest, Bernard Hewitt, with Jack Luchtmeyer, the speediest swimmer from the local swim program.
In the swimming races, the first place winners included Winnie Bibbs, Winona Wang, Jack Stevens, Roselyn Baird, Jack Luchtmeyer, Anne Stedman, Nicholas Goble, Philippe Caron, Gabriel Kozlau, Kayla Smith, Winona Wang, Bella Robinson, and Ty Porter.
Cameron Scott won both categories of the bellyflop contest, with Justin Hawthorne, Odin Rowe, Miriam Stewart, and Corey Hart putting in good efforts while the 14 and under cannonball contest was won by Jack Luchtmeyer, followed by Emma Porter and William Scott and the 14 and over cannonball was won by Marie Roy, with Geoff Hobson and Corey Hart also doing well.
In the canoe races, the top three teams were Jack and Chris Luchtmeyer, El Hobios, and The Scott Boys. The kayak races were won by Josh Ketch, with Richard Goble and Kaari Porter, second and third.
Goonies Never Say Die won the volleyball tourney, with Stedman Spikers second, and Holla Ballers, third.
The Whistle, Splash & Flip Triathlon was won by the Hawthornes, followed by E.A.T, and Georgia, Jack, and Joe.
Kaari Porter won the Chalk Art Contest with ‘Lake Sunset’, followed by Chad Kervin with ‘Tents’, and Lara Court with ‘Under the Sea’.
Chris, Natalie, Duane, and Lisa won the Lifeguard Relay, with Jackson, Ben, Lena, and Gabriel finishing second.
ORKA (Outdoor Recreation & Kayaking Adventures), a Lake Cowichan company who have been very supportive of the day-long celebration in Youbou, loaned the Regatta five paddleboards and six kayaks for the day’s events.
Finally, Adrian Miguez won the paddle board race with a time of one minute, 34 seconds, followed by Geoff Hobson (one minute, 36 seconds), and Elijah Vaughan (two minutes, six seconds).
Linda Sked, one of the organizers, said, “Despite mist and rain, Youbou Regatta 2018 was a great success, with many races having to be run in heats. The culmination was stellar performances in the bellyflop and cannonball events. Thanks to all who came.”
