Double Take Wins Victoria-Maui 2012 Yacht Race

The crew of the Double-Take celebrates after coming in first last night in the Victoria-Maui Yacht Race 2012. Photo courtesy of Vic-Maui.

By Sonia Isotov

“Double-Take” won the 2012 Victoria-Maui 2012 Yacht Race between Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and Lahaina Harbor last night at approximately 9 p.m.

Tom Huseby’s J-145 “Double-Take”  is from the Seattle Yacht Club of Seattle, Washington.

“She finished in on a hot, muggy evening in Lahaina after enduring 10.5 days of overcast conditions with plenty of wind. Tom wore a wide grin as he guided the boat into the dock after finishing an hour earlier off Ka’anapali Shores,” wrote Richard Ballantyne, in the daily position report.

The Double Take’s unofficial time to complete was 10 days, 12 hours, 34 minutes, followed by the Terremoto with an unofficial elapsed time of 11 days, 3 hours, 43 minutes.

The crew of the Terremoto came in second crossing the fi9nish line shortly after noon today. Photo courtesy of Vic-Maui.

Bill Weinstein’s Terremoto, hailing out of Seattle’s Corinthian Yacht Club, crossed the finish line today at 12:37 p.m. This was a full 12 hours faster than her time in 2010, which was thought quite fast.

“With only four persons aboard Bill Weinstein’s Riptide 35 hailing out of Seattle’s Corinthian Yacht Club, it was tough sledding for 11 days in high winds and high adventure, with lots of time planing at high speeds, tons of water flowing through the cockpit and the occasional knockdown while pushing the envelope,” wrote Richard Ballantyne, in the daily position report.

“Mark Brink, the nominal skipper, was overheard to say “it was so cool going so fast, the first breach was OK as we were ready, the second one I nearly crapped my pants.” Bill Weinstein said that it was extremely fun trying to match wits with Double Take, but after a gybe onto port, there was something wrong with the boat that allowed them to slip away.”

In 2010, the last year the race was run, the Kinetic won the race with David Sutcliffe as captain out of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club with a time of 10 days, 23 hours, 1 minutes, and 19 seconds.

The Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race, first contested in 1968, is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing. Vic-Maui runs every second year, starting in June or July off Victoria, British Columbia and finishing near Lahaina, Maui, a distance of approximately 2308 nautical miles.