The 2019 Barefoot Raid took place from August 19-26 2019 and was led and organized by Quill Goldman near and around Cortes Island, BC, Canada. Fed by “Poor Man’s Rock”, 20 sailors on 10 boats raced for honor, glory, and a splendiferous trophy.
Results (least points wins)
10. Further In Time (Heidi and Tor) – 103 points 09. Pirate Urchin (Red & the Dread: Elhe “Red” Black and Tobi “The Dread” Elliot) – 92 points 08. Luna (Dale and Chris Simonson) – 82 points 07. Costal Express (Heather and Dan Drugge) – 63 points 06. TriHardr (Eric Tirion) – 59 points 05. Loobern (Lucas Christopher and Mitch Burns) – 49 points 04. Cheese Balls (Robin Slieker and Tim Santon) – 35 points 03. Sea Runners (Scott Veirs and Cora Reese) – 30 points 02. Ballpoint Buccaneers (Quill Goldman, Chris Wyche, and Dylan Davenport) – 24 points 01. Gaspe Cured (Thomas Soucy and Troy Jungen) – 21 points
Route
The route in 2019 pioneered an awesome circumnavigation of Cortes Island in the northern Strait of Georgia, skirting the western edges of Desolation Sound. The race began in Hariot Bay. Click on legs (orange = AM; purple = PM) for more details, including date and destinations. Click upper right corner icon to view full-size chart.
Pre-raid schedule: Full-moon Regatta (optional)
A few days before the Raid, a fair portion of us will begin to socialize and warm up our racing muscles by participating in the Full Moon Regatta on August 15. This self-organized sailing race (no human power allowed!) runs in a triangle course (~9 nautical miles) with a start and finish along the northeast side of Marina Island. The route map above includes a rough estimate of the course and the start time is around noon. Before and after the race, there will probably be some camping on Shark Spit and trips to Gorge Harbour!
Raid schedule
On most days of the Raid, the fleet will race (or cruise) through two legs: one in the morning; one in the afternoon. Boats will typically raft together for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and will either raft up at anchor for the night with the motherships or go ashore to camp.
Here’s the daily itinerary for 2019:
Day 0: Sun Aug 18
Transit to Rebecca Spit boat ramp, launch, park in adjacent lots and overnight at anchor, with Poor Man’s Rock in Drew Harbour, or ashore (e.g. local camping, lodging, etc.). All racers self-supported (i.e. feed yourself).
Day 1: Mon Aug 19
Drew Harbour –> Lake Bay –> Carrington Bay
Day 2: Tue Aug 20 (possible rowing leg in Von Donop)
Carrington Bay –> Von Donop Inlet –> Penn Island (N)
Day 3: Fri Aug 21 (Longest continuous day)
Penn Island (N) –> Teakarne Arm vicinity –> Squirrel Cove
Day 4: Thu Aug 22
Squirrel Cove –> Kinghorn Island –> Cortes Bay
Day 5: Fri Aug 23
Cortes Bay –> Hernando Island (north) –> Manson’s Landing
Day 6: Sat Aug 24
Manson’s Landing –> Gorge Harbour –> Shark Spit
Day 7: Sun Aug 25
Shark Spit –> Open Bay (award ceremony and celebrations in PM)
Day 8: Mon Aug 26
Transit from Open Bay to boat ramps of convenience (Rebecca Spit and/or Heriot Bay)
The daily cycle of Salish Sea glee
07:00 boats and crews raft together for breakfast
08:00 skippers meeting
09:00 start the morning leg
Boats race under oar, or sail, or pedal or paddle, until the designated spot
Lunch served on the motherships
Afternoon leg starts shortly after the slowest boats arrive
Crews then race to the pre-determined spot for the evening
Spend the night either:
at anchor, alone with their thoughts and blisters
rafted with the motherships, sharing stories of the days triumphs and losses
camped on the beach, communing with B.C’s rugged wilderness, and the intertidal zone
Come raft up to the Poor Man’s Rock for coffee and a hot breakfast!
The days will dawn bright and full of promise, and the cycle will be repeated. A score will be awarded for each leg according to the order of finish (1 for first, 2 for second…) The boat with the lowest score at the end of the Raid receives eternal glory and a nifty prize…
Details
The raid will feature:
7 days of racing
15 legs
102 nautical mile course
A mothership providing 3 meals a day and other support
Sponsors supplying some great prizes for the racers!
Eligibility requires:
A boat no smaller than 12ft and no larger than what can legally be transported on a highway.
Complete application with deposit must be received no later than June 20th, with full amount due by July 20th.
Carrying the safety gear required under Canadian maritime law.
Courses and classes:
As the whole fleet can only move as fast as the slowest boats, an effort has been made to keep course lengths to that which can be done by slowest of our group. While many small boat sailors prefer to just meander about, taking in the sights, others prefer to fly at blinding speed. In an effort to appeal to as many of the small boat types as is practical, this event will have classes. Also, in an effort to balance the spectrum of small boat types, some legs will be sailing only, while others will be rowing/paddling/pedaling (human-powered) only, and most will be whatever combination you prefer.
Racing class:
This will be a hard fought, bitterly contested, no holds barred, battle for supremacy. To maintain this level of focus, racers will want light, empty boats, and minimal equipment. That is why our motherships will be here: to relieve us of that burden of gear (and feed us). The ultimate glory of this adventure will belong to those of the racing class.
Cruising class:
This will be the best time out sailing and camping with your friends. Ever. Be totally self-sufficient. Fill your boat with all the favourite, non-perishable, food items that you usually bring on every week-long sailing trip. Laugh at the antics of the racers, battling for every fraction of a knot of boat speed. Enjoy the spectacle, while basking in the glow of your own, self-reliant, non-competitive accomplishments.
The long course:
This course will be for an elite few, who find the modest course distances outlined to be an insufficient challenge, and wish to demonstrate their superior speed by sailing circles around the fleet. Literally. Upon reaching a pre-determined waypoint, long course challengers will then double back and round the race boat at the back of the fleet, before continuing on to the finish. This will promote safety, by keeping the fastest boats in touch with the slowest, and will add entertainment value for those in the back of the fleet, giving them a chance to see what fast boats look like under sail. Those who achieve victory in the long course will receive their own even-faster-than-the-regular-racers trophy.
Getting there and away
The 2019 race will start and end at Heriot Bay, in the south part of Quadra Island, B.C. There is a boat ramp there that we will be using. The ferry schedule to get to Quadra from Campbell River are here. The rest of the camping and trailer storage details are TBD.
Costs
A 50% deposit is required upon registration, with the balance being due by June 20th.
Payment may be made by etransfer or PayPal to barefootwoodenboats@shaw.ca
If paying by PayPal, please add 4% for service fees.
Payment can also be made by check to Barefoot Wooden Boats, and can be mailed to 2925 North Rd, Gabriola Island, B.C. V0R1X7
What you will need :
Besides your winning attitude, there are a few things you will need to bring with you on the Raid. Some, are required under Canadian Maritime law. Others are just things you should never go to sea without, and are required under Raid law.
The following is a list of things you MUST bring:
Life jacket for each person on your boat
50’ buoyant heaving line
Noise making device
Flares
Compass
VHF radio
Paper Charts of all the area travelled on the Raid.
Anchor sufficient to hold your boat in strong winds, 20’ chain, and 200’ anchor rode. (minimum)
Three, 20’ lines for mooring boat.
GPS device (e.g. handheld GPS, Navionics on a smart phone, in a waterproof case…)
Spare batteries and charge cords for devices
Knife
Headlamp
Fire (lighter, matches…)
Personal cutlery kit (plate, bowl, cup, knife, spoon, fork…)
Sleeping gear
Shelter (tent, tarp…)
Waterproof bag with a dry change of warm clothes
Spare oar or paddle
4 good fenders.
Basic first aid kit
These are some things you might want:
300’ or more, of line, with pulleys sufficient to rig a clothesline mooring system
Sleeping pad
Beach chair
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Lip chap
Basic spares kit
Dry bags for everything
Blankey…
Cookship
All our meals will be prepared aboard our Cookship, the “Poor Mans Rock.” Her home port is Lasqueti Island.
Skipper Peter Lironi will graciously be taking a break from supplying essential items to hard to reach places, and will be providing the platform for feeding this army of Raiders. The talented galley crew will be led by Pat Gibson with Amy Jane assisting.
