Racing-class entries in 23rd annual Victoria-to-Maui International Yacht Race left the starting line in British Columbia on Saturday, with the leader, Double Take, approaching the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca by 4 p.m. HST.
Double Take, skippered by Tom Huseby out of Seattle, had sailed more than 34 nautical miles. In a virtual tie for second in the class were two defending champions in the biennial race - Terremoto, the first to finish in 2010, and Kinetic, which won on corrected time two years ago.
Kinetic, skippered by David Sutcliffe out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Terremoto, skippered by Bill Weinstein out of Seattle, were both about a third of a nautical mile behind Double Take, which will concede corrected time to each.
Article Photos
Kinetic, the reigning corrected-time champion in the Victoria-to-Maui International Yacht Race, sails in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Saturday.
ANDREW MADDING photo
Ballymark retained the overall lead - the boat skippered by Mike Cormack out of Vancouver, British Columbia, was 2,020 nautical miles from the finish line off Honokowai, and has been in front since the slower cruising class left on Thursday.
In second place was Radiance, 2,085 nautical miles from the finish. Radiance, skippered by Mark Ward out of Seward, Alaska, was less than a quarter-degree north of Ballymark, but more than a full degree east.
A nautical mile is slightly more than 6,076 feet. The race requires sailing a minimum of 2,308 nautical miles, and the first finishers are expected on approximately July 20.
