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Winds and Tides : Racing Area RVYC club racing normally takes place immediately outside of the 500 boat RVYC Jericho Marina. Longer distance races extend beyond English Bay into the Straight of Georgia. This article is about racing in the south half of English Bay 10 km (6 miles) to the west of downtown Vancouver. English Bay is a U-shaped body of water 8 km (5 miles) long, 6.5 km (4 miles) wide and open to the west. The north/western most point is Point Atkinson (B) and the south/western most point is Point Grey (F). The eastern end of the Bay narrows through First Narrows (D) and empties into a 65 km (40 mile) inlet named Burrard Inlet (Figure 1).
The year round average wind speed is 8 knots. Be aware that as with all averages this value can be deceiving. Typical current speed is between 1/2 - 3/4 knot and will at times reach 2 knots. The tidal range is 5 m (15 ft). This is a salt water port where the salinity is greatly influenced by the Fraser River. The Fraser River is one of the largest melt-fed, fresh water rivers of the BC coast. You will often be able to see a definite line between the clear salt water and the silty coloured fresh water (see Figure 1). Vancouver is typically a flat water sailing venue. The average wave height seldom exceeds 1 m (3 ft). In a strong westerly wind wave height can reach up to 2 m (6 ft). In bad weather, in an off shore breeze the water is always flat. Even if the off shore wind picks up to as much as 20 knots, wave height is still typically less than 1 m (3 ft). To the north, the Bay is bound by Coast Range Mountains which rise to 1070 metres (3500 ft). These mountains are a popular spot for local night skiing in the winter! The renowned Whistler/Blackcomb is tucked into the mountains 100 km (60 miles) further to the north. To the east, beyond the City of Vancouver, the Fraser River Valley extends 160 km (100 miles). The low lands of the Fraser River Delta extend 56 km (35 miles) southward to the USA/Canada border. 64 km (40 miles) to the west of English Bay lies Vancouver Island which prevents large ocean swells. The commercial nature of our bay brings some interesting racing features. There are 23 freighter anchorages of which 8 are located in the typical racing area. These 'iron islands' can help as indicators to the current direction but also provide for large obstructions and wind shadows on the race course. It is important to pay attention to their infrequent comings and goings. Crab traps, identified by small floats, scattered around the Bay can bring your boat to a complete stop and can be difficult to remove so keep an eye open for these as well! Finally, a tug followed by its tow may pass through the race course which will have a submerged tow line...never sail between them! While it seems that English Bay is riddled with many commercial hazards, we make up for it with few geographical hazards. A very large drying sandbank located on the south shore, named Spanish Banks, just west of RVYC extends 3.2 km (2 miles) east to west and approximately 0.6 km (.4 mile) out into the Bay. It is marked with large pylons but it is always important to be aware of the state of the tide when sailing close to that shore. The only other concern is the odd floating log.
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