The 2021 Barefoot Raid took place from August 21-28, 2021, and was led and organized by Quill Goldman near and around Cortes Island, BC, Canada. Fed by “Dame Gracie”, ~20 Canadian sailors on 11 boats raced through COVID clouds to clear skies, health, and in-person hilarity.
Results (least points wins)
- Cheese
- Dick Smiley
- Muther
- Hejira
- Mirror
- Champ
- Gartside
- Luna
- Goldeneye
- Barracuda
- Jean Claude
Route
This was the approximate route for 2021 (same chart of circumnavigating Cortes Island as in 2019). Click on legs (orange = AM; purple = PM) for more details, including date and destinations. Click upper right corner icon to view full-size chart.
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 2021:
Day 1 (Aug 21, Sat): 12 miles
Degnan Bay, Gabriola Island > BlackBerry Point, Valdes Island. 7 mi
Blackberry Point > Dionisio Point, Galliano Island. 5 mi
Day 2. (22, Sun): 12 miles
Dionisio Point > Wallace Island. 6 mi
Wallace Island > Montague Harbour, Galliano Island. 8 mi
Day 3 (23, Mon): 17 miles
Montague > Glennthorne Passage, Prevost Island. 6 mi
Glennthorne > Portland Island. 9 mi
Day 4 (24, Tue): 15 miles
Portland > Bedwell Harbour, South Pender Island. 8 mi
Bedwell > Winter Cove, Saturna Island. 7 mi
Day 5 (25, Wed): 5 miles
Winter Cove > Cabbage Island. 5 mi
Day 6 (26 Thu): 20 miles
Cabbage Island > Davidson Bay, North Pender. 10 mi
Davidson Bay > Walker Hook, Saltspring Island. 10 mi
Day 7 (27 Fri): 19 miles
Walker Hook > Penlauket Spit, Kuper Island. 10 mi
Penlauket Spit > Herring Bay, Ruxton Island. 9 mi
Our starting point, the boat ramp in Degnan bay, is 3 miles from Herring bay. As in previous years, boats will have the option of continuing to the boat ramp on the seventh day in the evening after the concluding feast or the next morning after a proper rest.
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
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…
