The Strait of Juan de Fuca was filled with sailboats of all shapes and sizes Saturday (May 27) morning as the 78th Swiftsure International Yacht Race got underway.
As the warning horns sounded, more than 100 vessels gathered off Clover Point for the start, with sails of all colours hoisted as the final countdown began in front of a crowd gathered at the point to take in the spectacle.
From shore, conditions seemed perfect for a race on the water, with a consistent breeze to fill sails, warm sunshine, and the Olympic Mountains serving as a backdrop.
The race features multiple courses and distances, with the longest stretching over 200 km from Saturday to Sunday. Some of the race categories see the finish line in Victoria Harbour, making for an exciting, spectator-friendly conclusion.
Throughout the race, each competing vessel can be tracked live at tracker.swiftsure.org to see where they are, how fast they are travelling, and how much of the course they have completed. The complete history of the event – one of the largest and oldest of its kind in the world – can be found at swiftsure.org.
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@JSamanski
justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com
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