The Tacoma Yacht Club will host the 49th Annual Winter Vashon on Saturday, December 5, 2026, kicking off the Southern Sound Series with one of Puget Sound’s most challenging and anticipated winter sailboat races.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m., competitors will start just off Dune Peninsula adjacent to the Tacoma Yacht Club (TYC). The 33-nautical-mile course takes racers clockwise around Vashon Island, with the first boats expected to finish near the TYC clubhouse beginning around 3:00 p.m. 

Open to sailboats from approximately 25 to 55 feet in length and a variety of racing classes, Winter Vashon regularly attracts 60 to 70 boats from throughout Puget Sound. Competitors face winter weather, limited daylight, and often varying wind and current conditions. 

“Although racers have 13 hours from the start to complete the race, the goal is to finish in daylight. Regardless of when you finish, there is a sense of accomplishment in getting around the island in early  December!” said Robert Nettleton, Sailboat Chair for the Tacoma Yacht Club. For those viewing the finish, “the real excitement comes when boats cross the finish line tied or within seconds of each other.” 

Registration is currently open through Regatta Network. The event is governed by the rules defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing. 

Spectators can enjoy excellent viewing opportunities from Dune Peninsula and the Tacoma waterfront during the morning start, and from the Tacoma Yacht Club shoreline as racers finish throughout the afternoon. Will Tacoma Yacht Club Skipper Roger Deitz aboard White Squall repeat as First to Finish? 

The Winter Vashon is the first of four races comprising the Southern Sound Series:

Winter Vashon | Tacoma Yacht Club | December 5, 2026 

Duwamish Head | Three Tree Point Yacht Club | January 9, 2027 

Toliva Shoal | South Sound Sailing Society / Olympia Yacht Club | February 13, 2027

Islands Race | Corinthian Yacht Club Tacoma | March 20, 2027

Registration and additional event information.

Feature image by Mike Milligan.