what a CHALLENGE ~ friends who won't head out on the water with you ~

it may be possible to convert them ~ a worthy cause for certain, but just in case, you might consider a different strategy ~



even WORSE ~ friends who say they will join you on a charter (& share the expenses) ~ only to back out & leave you holding the tab ~

while the OBVIOUS SOLUTION could be finding new friends, that can be easier said than done  ~

there is a better way ~ our CREW club has some great people & we assign the boats based on who's going - taking out a big pile of risk (especially the risk of needing new friends) ~ sail & power boat club in VANCOUVER, SIDNEY & POWELL RIVER



~ browse the events now

it’s all about having fun, but ~ alas ~ fun comes in different flavours



we organize some great chances to cruise together inshore & there’s room for ‘newbies’ & old salts alike

true, any time a couple boats head in the same direction, a bit of competition turns on, but there’s no official flavour of racing in these events ~ ~ we call these adventures FLOTILLAS




as the competition comes more front & centre, we have a combination race & flotilla known as a RALLY ~ two very substantial rallies that people may know about from our region (but not in our region) are the BAJA HA HA from SAN DIEGO to CABO SAN LUCAS, held each fall for the last 20 years, & the ARC or ATLANTIC RALLY FOR CRUISERS - heading across the ATLANTIC from LAS PALMAS to ST LUCIA

a little known fact is one of our fleet boats was in the ARC a few years back on its way to join our BC fleet

the HAHA also mentions that power boats are welcome participants

rallies provide flotilla camaradarie & safety with a little friendly competition to boot ~ look for some in BC including our ROUND VANCOUVER ISLAND RALLY in JUNE



then, at some point, a few people lose their minds completely & make their foray into the world of RACING & REGATTAS

sailboat RACING is really where the line "SLOWLY GOING NOWHERE AT GREAT EXPENSE" really comes into its own

premium sails can cost thousands, be competitive at high levels for times measured in hours & you need an "inventory" of them

organizing crew & the like becomes a lot like another job, but in the end, the satisfaction of getting a boat around a course as a team ~ working to squeeze another 1/10th of a knot out of the boat is all worth it
         
for one of the legendary regattas in our region (also known as "adult day camp") check out WHIDBEY ISLAND RACE WEEK

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ALAS ~ it need not be so ~ our low key FRIDAY NIGHT RACING & some of our new TEAM events  are INCLUDED for members, who also enjoy unlimited sailing through the JIB SET sailing club for $149/month

that's right, when those moderately insane people on big boats talk about their $4,000 spinnaker, realize that that could be over TWO YEARS boat access with EVERYBODY'S SAILING CLUB - the JIB SET

TWO YEARS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE SAIL (that is competitive part of the inventory for less than that)?  you can see how certain people can call the insanity