The 26th running of the Schooner Cove Yacht Club’s Race Around the Rocks regatta will take place off Schooner Cove, June 1 and 2.
Richard Hudson reports that approximately 20 sail boats from other Vancouver Island and mainland yacht clubs will join 10 boats from Schooner Cove Yacht Club to compete in the marquee Lasqueti Island race or a program of Inshore Racing.
“Initiated for the 2012 regatta, the Lasqueti Island race has grown in popularity,” Hudson said. “Advance registrations show that some 20 boats will compete in the 45-nautical mile Lasqueti Island distance race, which will start at Schooner Cove on the morning of Saturday, June 1, circumnavigate Lasqueti Island and some local islets, returning to Schooner Cove for a finish by midnight.”
Hudson said the race may be characterized by light airs and strong currents, often prevalent in the area, making it a challenging event for competitors.
Local competitors will include Tim Rann’s 45 foot Amazing Grace, Ken Lott’s 33 foot Sea Lion and Neal Berger’s 36- foot Shingebiss.
The inshore racing program will include two or more races on Saturday and one on Sunday. Starting and finishing outside Schooner Cove Marina in Nanoose Bay, these races will be around sponsored marks and local islands and will encourage more tactical racing among 10 closely matched boats, including several light and fast sport boats.
An equal number of local and visiting boats are expected to compete in the Inshore Racing program.
• Local members of the Navy League of Canada and the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps will strut their stuff on Saturday, June 16 at the Qualicum Beach Curling Rink. The event is the 28th annual Ceremonial Review, which will see the cadets and Navy League members demonstrating some of the skills they’ve learned to date.
• Central Island residents could soon be seeing a lot more coal barges passing by if a proposal to ship coal to a handling facility on Texada Island goes through.
The proposal, by Fraser Surrey Docks, would see Wyoming coal barged to Texada through the Sabine Channel between Lasqueti and Texada Islands before being off-loaded at an existing facility owned by Texada Quarrying Ltd. and loaded again onto deep-sea ships for export to Asia.
The facility would handle an estimated two million metric tons this year, which would double in 2014.
