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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. The article is about racing in the south half of English Bay 10km (6 miles) to the west of downtown Vancouver.
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 5m (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. Vancouver is typically a flat water sailing venue. The average wave height seldom exceeds 1m (3 ft). In a strong westerly wind, wave height can reach up to 2m (6 ft). In bad weather, in an offshore breeze the water is always flat. Even if the offshore wind picks up to as much as 20 knots, wave height is still typically less that 1m (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 winte! The renowned Whistler/Blackcomb is tucked ino the mountains 100km (60 miles) further to the north. To the east, beyond the City of Vancuver, the Fraser River Valley extends 160km (100 miles). The low lands of the Fraser River Delta extend 56 km (35 miles) southward to the USA/Canada border. 65k (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 aroubnd 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 throught he 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 a few geographical hazards. A very large drying sandbank located on the south shore, named Spanish Banks, just west of RVYC extends 3.2km (2 miles) east to west and approximately 0.6km (0.4 miles) 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 off floating log.
Site designed by Jenn Grierson © 2005