Countdown to Swiftsure

News

Swiftsure 2024 Registration’s Open March 8, 2024

Registration for the 79th running of the Swiftsure International Yacht Race is OPEN! With already 20 boats registered, there’s great enthusiasm including the race host Royal Victoria Yacht Club’s Commodore Marc Owen-Flood’s Discernment, and the 2023 Swiftsure Lightship Classic winner, Zvi racing for Seattle Yacht Club. Check the ‘Registered Yachts’ page often to see who your competition will be or your favourite boat to follow.

With a race for almost everyone; Swiftsure Lightship Classic through Inshore Races you can

register here

It takes many folks pulling together to create the race environment – from the Inner Harbour’s Victoria Causeway, to Clover Point and the Finish Line. We invite volunteers to help sustain Swiftsure, a Victoria maritime tradition. Swiftsure’s Volunteer Coordinator Gillian Manson has created a great Swiftsure Handbook to familiarize us with the variety of volunteer options, whether setting up the race sites or serving soup to cold & hungry sailors. When ready, you may register at any time to ‘Become a Volunteer’ and join Swiftsure’s excitement. If you have questions about volunteering, Gillian would love to hear from you and find a fun position.

We’re glad to have ‘Platinum’ sponsor ‘The Butchart Gardens – a National Historic Site’ join the suite of fine Swiftsure sponsors.

Swiftsure – Always A Challenge

Swiftsure 2024 Notices of Race are now posted! January 22, 2024

In response to Swiftsure racers, we have exciting information:

  • Hein Bank Race has been retired – yachts may choose the original legendary Swiftsure Lightship Classic (PHRF) or Cape Flattery Race where an ORC class has been added along with PHRF
  • Start time for Swiftsure 2024 is 10 AM – a better alignment with arrival of winds
  • No longer SPOT transponders for the Three Long Courses; the Kwindoo Race Tracking application for Racers will be employed on a designated smartphone
  • Three Long Courses distances: Swiftsure Lightship Classic = 138.2 nm (PHRF NW rating 100 or faster), Cape Flattery Races = 101.9 nm (ORC/PHRF NW), Juan de Fuca Races = 75.2 nm (PHRF NW 60 and slower)
  • Updated World Sailing Category 3 Offshore Special Regulations(OSR) and specific 2024 Swiftsure Amendments to the OSRs for the Three Long Courses are posted in Swiftsure’s Notices of Race and Official Notice Board
  • Here’s the link to the 2024 Swiftsure Notices of Race

Haytor’s Redemption – The Inshore Swiftsure June 27, 2023

Pacific Yachting, a longtime Swiftsure sponsor, granted permission to Swiftsure to share this article from their July 2023 edition written by Alex Fox in his ‘The Favoured Tack’ column.

A story of the little boat that did. From trials and tribulations to triumph read about the Hotfoot 27 Haytor that was destined for destruction until a few members of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, host of the Swiftsure International Yacht Race, decided to recover her broken body and not only restored Haytor to racing trim but improved her to become a winner.

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2023 Results

 

Find out more about our sponsors