RACE WEEK 2021
by Genevieve Fisher Photo by Jan Anderson
R
ace Week 2021 in Anacortes had so many unbelievably good parts — it is a grand Pacific Northwest tradition in a great new venue and lots of us sailors agreed… we had some of the best racing conditions ever. And still, from the racer’s perspective, I must admit that it is difficult to sum up the week after the unimaginable tragedy our fleet experienced at Race Week this year (more details on page 44). From talking with our crew and many others, I felt it was important to begin by honoring Greg Mueller’s memory, and by doing what many of us did as we processed such sad news: reflect on what sailing means to all of us. Sailing is about teammates who become your family and seeking out the good times. It’s about experiencing all that the ocean has to offer and challenging yourself race after race.
The author's class (PHRF 3) had tight starts, and the smaller Farr 30s had to work for clean air. Photo by Jan Anderson. 48º NORTH
Losing one of our own was a sobering reminder of how quickly things can go sideways. Something that struck me is that, for most of my friends, this was not their first regatta where the unthinkable had happened. With heavy hearts, we’ve been going over our safety drills and briefings much more often. My heart goes out to the family and crew of With Grace, and I know the entire community echoes my heartfelt condolences in this difficult time. Greg will not be forgotten. Anacortes was a strikingly beautiful venue, and sailors will surely be talking about this inaugural year there for years to come. With the San Juan Islands in view and a prevailing westerly, this course absolutely delivered. Every afternoon, almost without fail, it turned warm and windy. Monday and Friday more so than the rest, but every day offered a different challenge and something new to learn about the racing area northeast of Guemes Island. It was all about getting to the favored side first — in constantly shifting conditions, it could be either side — and clean roundings. The windward and leeward marks were guaranteed to be busy with almost 70 boats registered across 11 different classes. We were so excited to be exploring a brand new racing area, and I think we had all been looking forward to being a part of the very first Anacortes Race Week. Like so many others, Race Week had taken a year off last year, so it was wonderful to see some of the stalwart Race Week boats and fleets back for this regatta. There were four one design classes: Melges 24s, J/105s, J/80s, and the growing fleet of J/70s from the San Juans area — each of which had very close racing. The PHRF classes had a predictably wide range of boats and ratings. The cruising class returned this year with two boats. And new this year was an ORC class that drew three TP52s and the Riptide 41, Blue. I’m the bow person on the Farr 30 Nefarious and our class (PHRF 3) was super competitive this year. We were in fun
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AUGUST 2021
