Get
Ready!! The 2005 Cadillac Van Isle 360 Is Sold
Out
Jan.
11, 2005 - Nanaimo, B.C. - Get ready for another
exciting race around Vancouver Island!!!! Race
Organizers have announced that the 2005 Cadillac
Van Isle 360 is officially sold out. 40 boats
have been accepted making 2005 the largest fleet
in the history of the event. Boats ranging from
the 102 foot steel ketch, "HMCS Oriole",
to the 21.5 foot Mini Transat "Komera"
will be vying for space on the start line on June
11.
"We
had so many qualified boats wanting to participate
this year that we increased the number of accepted
entries to 40 up from the usual 35. Even at that
we still had to leave boats behind, stated Race
Director Wayne Gorrie," ....and that was
a very difficult decision to make." The bigger
boats & bigger crews this year are set to
stretch the facilities in the smaller stops to
the limit. But Nanaimo and the nine other host
communities say "bring 'em on" and look
forward to welcoming the fleet to their town.
While the larger monohulls and ultra-light multihulls
tend to steal the limelight it may be the smallest
boat in the fleet that gets the most attention.
Duncan Gladman's Mini Transat "Komera",
at a diminutive 21.5 feet, sailing for the Global
Hunger Foundation, could put a lot of the big
boats in her wake especially if the wind blows
on the outside legs. Though small in size the
Mini Transats are designed to race single handed
across the Atlantic Ocean.
The 40 skippers who have accepted the challenge
to race around Vancouver Island this year are
all pumped. Matt Wagstaff, skipper of "Lordelpus",
the Beneateau 43 that cleaned up in Div. 2 in
2003, summed it up when he stated, "Thank
you so much for having us. We are all very excited,
apprehensive and scared of that big rock and what
it has to give us."
The list of competitors and other information
will be available on the race website at www.vanisle360.com
or telephone the race office at 250-754-9236 or
email info@vanisle360.com
Cadillac Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race
www.vanisle360.com
info@vanisle360.com
250-754-9236
