This year marked the 25th Anniversary of the Round The County sailboat race.
A total of 81 boats signed up for the two days of sailing around San Juan County. From the amazing speedster “Dragonfly” to the family sailed Islander 30 “Emoyeni” from the mighty 80-foot “Martha” to the crazy Santa Cruz 27’s, boats came from all over the Puget Sound Region to participate in the race.
Orcas Islanders, San Juan Islanders, and this year the Lopezians even got in on the preparation and running of this popular regatta.
Bob and Barb Brunius’ “Time Bandit” finished second in Division 0. “Ptolemy” won Division 1 with skipper Eric Moulton and four young men who grew up sailing on Orcas: Angus Brackett, Taylor Smith, Sam Parish and Alex Waldron. The remainder of the crew were Sarah Drues, Michele Rogalin, Stefan Bittner, and another local, Betsy Wareham.
The race was started in 25 knots at Lydia Shoal in Rosario Strait. Hardy members of Orcas Island Yacht Club manned the starting line aboard “Northern Light,” vice commodore Wes Heinmiller’s motor yacht. The wind lightened as boats moved down the Strait under colorful spinnakers, then went quite light on the douth side of San Juan.
A tough beat against a changing tide concluded at Mosquito Pass, with the team from Friday Harbor Sailing Club manning the finish. After the first day, “Dragonfly,” “Braveheart,” “Nafarious,” “Ptolemy,” “Here and Now,” and “Martha” were leading their divisions.
Sunday’s start went off flawlessly, aboard Dennis Pratt’s “Strongbow” This time with a light southeast wind. That breeze died out, and then built from the northeast. (It was a long beat all the way up Boundary Pass to Patos Island. Boats stayed hard on the wind until Clark Island, then close reached almost to the finish line where a few boats were finally able to fly spinnakers.
Other boats from San Juan County were: “Adalgisa,” “Alcyone,” Terry Jones, Lynn Adkins, “Sabra,” John Miller, “Madam Pele,” Tom and Ian Andrewes, “Chinook,” Jimmy Roser and Robin Hirsch, “Dolce Domum,” Bruce Coffey and Ian Wareham.
