I’m sure most 48° North readers are already aware of Race To the Straits (RTTS). In short, RTTS is an annual doublehanded or singlehanded event organized by Sloop Tavern Yacht Club (STYC). This event is one of my favorite races in the Pacific Northwest; and it appears the sentiment holds true for many other local sailors. One could argue the race really started at 8:00 am on March 13 when the race registration opened and all 90 initial spots sold out in under 22 minutes, leading to a waitlist that was reportedly 45+ boats strong. Thanks to the STYC volunteers that worked to secure additional moorage, the total registered boats grew beyond the initial cap. This year had 107 registered boats at the time of the Friday skippers meeting. The nice weather made it all the better, with warm sunshine and wind making for two days of amazing sailing.
Saturday’s course was from Shilshole Bay Marina to Port Townsend, with Double Bluff buoy just beyond halfway to be kept to port. Sunday was the reverse, keeping Double Bluff buoy to starboard. In total, it’s approximately 30 miles each way. RTTS uses a rating adjusted, time-specific chase start, meaning each boat’s handicap determines their specific start time and then whoever crosses the finish line first wins.
To be competitive on this course, boats need to factor in currents, wind, water depths, clean air, and always have a good look out for other competitors as well as commercial traffic. From our perspective, the fleet did a good job avoiding commercial traffic and I hope that was the case across the whole fleet. Races in Puget Sound often cross the shipping lanes, and this weekend crossed twice each day; we need to be good partners following COLREGS so event organizers like STYC and other clubs can keep securing race permits from the USCG. Unfortunately, the record wasn’t quite so clean for competitor traffic, with one collision between competitors. At least one boat sustained major damage, but thankfully I heard all sailors are ok.
When we arrived at my J/109 Eclipse on Saturday, there was zero wind with no signs of immediate change. Chatter on P-Dock turned to start delay concerns and laughing about how much work there was for the skipper without the full crew there. To all of our relief and excitement, the wind quickly built to about 10 knots in the marina just prior to the first boat’s start at 8:03 am.
We favored the west side of the course for presumed better wind pressure and expected shifts to the left as we made our way to Port Townsend. I later heard some boats that stayed east, sailing up to Edmonds before crossing, made out extremely well bucking the typical wisdom. As the day went on, wind increased to a sustained 18 to 20 knots before reaching Point No Point. The higher wind with only one crew for the rail made it hard work to keep the boat flat and point well. We discussed reefing a couple times, but it always seemed like the wind was going to ease back, and we were able to maintain control. Each tack was hard work for the jib trimmer, especially for the boats using overlapping genoas.
By the time we approached Marrowstone Point, the flood tide had started running against us and the wind began to ease. Taking some tacks into the beach before reaching the point delivered some nice eddies that paid off relative to the boats who were farther out. After rounding Marrowstone Point, the wind got lighter with the current still on the nose, making the next challenge loosening things up to keep the boat moving. Staying in race mode, we tried to pick off the J/105 Moose Unknown on the final leg, but they stayed ahead of us across the finish. In the end we finished around 3:30 Saturday and were first to cross the line in our class.
Spending the afternoon in Port Townsend is part of the magic of this weekend. We switched to the other assigned channel for docking assignments, took our slip, and ended up chatting with a handful of other sailors before finally getting the boat put away and officially switching to social mode. Unlike the fully crewed races where you might stay circled up with your existing boat’s crew, the shorthanded element of this race lends to a great mix of re-connecting with old friends from other boats and meeting many other sailors for the first time. The party at the Northwest Maritime Center was as good as always, from standing outside on the deck with a cold beverage to sitting down to the catered BBQ dinner sharing stories of the day or life off the water. The STYC Race Committee thanked sponsors and provided a quick update on results, including “halfway hat” awards to the first boat to finish in each class.
Sunday dawned with more sunshine and offered the fleet a 30-mile spinnaker ride from Port Townsend back to Ballard. The current was against us from the beginning, which traditionally can make it very hard to get around Marrowstone Point in the often-light morning wind. Thankfully, the day started with a good wind—about 10 knots at our start time—and held through the finish, building to 14-18 knots for most of the race.
We set up for outside jibes, which worked well shorthanded as the wind gained strength. We did our best to stay in the wind and avoid current until the course required us to cross to the halfway mark. That turned out to be a good call, as we saw 4 knots of adverse current crossing the center of Admiralty inlet.
Our day wasn’t without its mistakes. We found ourselves too deep in Skunk Bay and the current relief did not outweigh the light wind we got stuck in while we were there. I know better and didn’t listen to prior lessons. Then south of Kingston, as we focused on staying ahead of the boats closest to us in our class, the J/99 One Life and Wauquiez Centurion 40s Different Drummer, we overstood the finish mark not anticipating the last shift. Ending the day with a tight spinnaker reach in 16-18 knots was a fun fast sail to the finish, but we put in more distance than we needed. We did not know one boat evaded us Sunday until seeing the posted results. The J/100 Selah started before us, and we never caught up enough to realize they were ahead of us. Congrats Selah, well sailed! In the end, we were happy to secure the first in class for the weekend, and even happier to have had such splendid sailing conditions for the entirety of both days.
The two of us on Eclipse enjoyed the weekend thoroughly. It was a blast to sail doublehanded with a friend I’ve known my whole life, having grown up together in local sailing families. Sailing to Port Townsend is always a great adventure, enhanced by hanging out and partying with fellow sailors. Getting to do it all again the next day makes it a memorably fun weekend, no matter your finishing position. Adding a bit of competition to the camaraderie creates a goal and inspires focus, and our good fortune to secure a first in our class for the weekend was icing on the cake. Hope you get out sailing often, for Race to the Straits 2027 or any of the other great opportunities on Puget Sound and beyond!
Full results at www.styc.org
Title background photo by Sean Trew.
