At 9:30 AM sharp about 30 sailboats gathered for the start of the Vernon Yacht Club Charity Regatta in Lake Okanagan. At 9:50 AM we were still sitting there waiting for some wind.
Soon after, a little breeze picked-up and the race began timidly. The first fleet of boats headed south and soon another followed.
Suddenly, the wind whipped up and in no time everyone was flying down the lake. Two boats almost lost their spinnakers in the sudden gust of wind.
The calm before the storm was over; the rest of the two hours of racing was a blur of speeding canvas and boats heeled too far over for their own good. I felt like an observer on a speedway–and witnessed some near collisions.
I was quite impressed by the way these sailors handled their vessels in the high winds and rain. I just tried to keep my camera dry and steady in the choppy surf.
A big thanks to Conner who ferried me around in the life boat during the race. And to Carol who got me a ride in the boat and lent me her jacket to keep me warm and dry in the rain.
Check out all the new photos (almost 200 new pictures) in the Straight From the Camera section of my site. More stories to come in this week’s newsletter…
