First of all I would like to thank OYC and SSSS for affording me the opportunity to chair the Toliva Shoal Race. It is hard to believe that it was a short two months ago that I was promoted to Toliva Race Chair. I had a brief moment of anxiety after I was promoted. I had originally been asked to be Vice-Chair. I had agreed, thinking that I would be helping out the club that I had been racing with the past eight years. All of a sudden I was the guy that was ultimately responsible for how the race would be run.
Dave Knowlton took me aside and assured me that everything would be alright. He told me that the people that would be volunteering had done so in the past and knew what they were doing. Before you knew it, we were setting up a Race Committee. Joel Rett volunteered to be Vice-Chair and Primary Race Officer. He, Past Chair Suzie Shaffer, and OYC Representative Bob Connolly went about setting up the on water crew needed to put the race. Steve Worcester kept me on task with getting things in on time with the various entities that need to be notified. Susan McRae graciously agreed to be the scorer and keep track of all of the data generated. Rod Tharp availed himself to be Protest Chair. Thom Abbott said that he would be House Chair and head up the Mark Boat. Eric Bishop volunteered to make banners, even though he and his family were going to out of town on race day. Thera Black asked to take care of publicity and to help with the banquet. I had heard of the banquets that Jan Visser had put on to raise money for youth sailing, but I had never experienced one. Everything said about Jan and crew for the banquet and pre-race breakfast is true. Those I have named here and those that help them make up the Race Committee are the people that make the race what it is. I give my appreciation and heartfelt gratitude for all their dedication and hard work.
That brings us to race day. The prediction was for sunny with 10-15 kts. of wind. The previous day was cold with winds in the 20’s with gusts in the 40’s. I awoke to a nice Northerly at 7. With clear skies and a sunny but cool forecast the fleet took off for the start. I wrapped things at OYC and headed for Dofflemeyer Point. I got there about 1020 and the first boats were already headed into Dana Passage with wind at 18 kts! I decided to get to Johnson Point as fast as I could. I got there about 1100 and missed the first boats! I stayed and took photos of the rest of the fleet. By 1300 the Mark Boat reported that 10 boats had rounded and that the wind was 22 kts. I went back to Dofflemeyer Point to get photos of spinnakers. About 1415 Artemis was in sight with Jam not far behind. All I got was one photo before I realized that I had to get back to OYC and get things ready for the returning crews.
I got things ready behind the bar while Jan was ready in the kitchen. Then I got a report from the RC Boat the Artemis had finished just before 1500. Before I knew crews were coming in and eating the good soup and snacks that Jan had prepared and quaffing their beverages, telling the tells that come with such a great race day. I could tell that everyone out on the course had quite the ride. Time and time again, I was told what a good race and party we throw.
The compliments that all of the racers had, were directed to all those named and not named that give their time and dedication and hard work to make this race the great time that it is. Without them this would not be possible. I give thanks and my gratitude to those that made my job as Race Chair the easy and fun ride that it was.
Toliva ‘06. What a ride!
Don Waterhouse, McSwoosh
I want to thank Don for stepping in at the last minute and doing a fine job as Race Chair. It was not what he signed up for, but it needed doing, and he did it well. He did particularly well getting the wind to show up on time and not a day late, as it has made a habit of doing. Ed.
This year’s Race was a fast Race, but is far from the fastest Race on record. The fastest time for a mono hull was recorded in 1979. We have photos of that Race. That was the last year there was an IOR class. The OA PHRF winner was a T-bird with a time of 6 hours and 17 minutes. First to finish was the former 12 Meter, Weatherly. She finished about 1432 hrs., averaging a little better better than 8 kts.
And Tri Dreamin’ has gotten around faster still. Ed.
The best one ever! That could be heard around the race course, the clubhouse and the Internet after Saturday’s Toliva Shoal Race.
For about twenty boats, the race actually began on Friday with their delivery to Olympia. Watching Toliva Shoal from our house in Steilacoom the 30-40 knot winds, with a few gusts into the 50’s, one could see that the waves were HUGE! You know things are bad when the Anderson Island ferry takes out the a portion of the pilings while attempting to dock and the McNeil Island prison ferry has to go to the north of the island to land in Still Harbor. (The Anderson Island ferry dock should be repaired in five days ... meanwhile Pierce County provided a passenger ferry departing every two hours from a yacht club outstation in Oro Bay.)
Cherokee and Farr-ari from the Three Tree Point Yacht Club departed at 0600 and at around 0830 could be seen motor-surfing past Toliva. The crews reported that they were doing 9 and 10 knots under power and that it was a rough ride. Later in the morning Sidewinder, Mike/Brad Jones, an Olson 30, had their main up and were surfing towards Olympia. They made it from the Tacoma Yacht Club in less than four hours! The strangest sight of all was Jam, a J160 from the Gig Harbor Yacht Club, towing Frolic an Olson 25! Every so often the smaller boat would surf and pass Jam, then to be brought up abruptly by the tow rope when Frolic came off the surf. Kelly Busey, skipper of Frolic, said that was the most horrifying time he has had on a sail boat!
The Friday night party and Saturday breakfast were outstanding. Race Chair Don Waterhouse and his committee are to be commended. His article is also on the Internet and in the Ship-to-Shore.
Bang! The Cruising Class was off at 0930! Northerly winds in the teens along with a wind-chill factor below freezing made for a great start. The remainder of the starts went well until 1015 when most of the boats in F & G classes tried to barge the committee boat end of the line! No collisions, but a lot of yelling! Ian Christopher on Uproar was seen performing a 720 for some rule infraction.
The fleet beat north up Budd Inlet. You could hear boats discussing the merits of reducing the headsail size or putting in a reef. As the fleet rounded Dofflemeyer Point the waves increased. The current was ebbing and the wind was against it. As boats reached Johnson Point, they could crack off and hold a close reach to Lyle Point on Anderson Island. All could see the muddy brown water from the Nisqually River form a sharp line in the grey-green water of Puget Sound. Upon rounding Lyle Point it was a beat to the mark at Toliva Shoal. It appeared that boats who short tacked to stay more in the ebbing current did better that the ones who long tacked to the mark.
The mark rounding for almost all boats was done while the current was still ebbing. The winds were still in the high teens, gusting into the 20’s. Spinnakers were set on a starboard tack and the fleet headed towards the green buoy in Balch Passage. The faster boats could hold their spinnakers through the passage while the boats in the back of the fleet had to douse and hoist a headsail. All boats could hold a spinnaker down Drayton Passage until rounding Devil’s Head.
At Devil’s Head the headsails went up for a close reach to Johnson Point. Again spinnakers at Johnson point and a jibe at Boston Harbor with a port run to the finish line.
What a race! Results are on the web. Kudos to Time Warp, Peter Nelson, Isabella C, Steve Sischo, and Aeolian, Ian Timms, of SSSS who placed first in their classes.
Oh, did I mention that on Sunday around noon we could see Jam towing Frolic near Toliva Shoal! It was a mill pond out there ... you could see reflections on the water! I think Kelly Busey had tied the tiller and was sleeping on Frolic!
Dave Knowlton, Koosah