Every Dog Gets Their Day

The Van Isle 360 is a biennial (odd year) race circumnavigating wild and rugged Vancouver Island, B.C. Sailed in nine legs that total 524 nm, the course provides inshore, offshore and overnight legs through some of the most stunning and challenging waters on the planet.

Twenty-nine teams recently took on the two week challenge, one of which was ‘OxoMoxo’, the never-winning, always last in fleet, Swan 391. But this time they won.

‘OxoMoxo’ owner Doug Frazer and his team stunned the northwest sailing community by winning Division 3. Frazer, a Van Isle 360 first timer, attributed his improbable success to the law of averages. “We’ve never won anything before, so basically, it was our turn,” he concluded.

Frazer continued, “There are plenty of stories. You might look into the videos by the Olsson 30 ‘Beats per Minute’ on YouTube. ’65 Red Roses’ (J/111) lost a rudder outside Port Hardy (We saw it floating by as we passed near where they had the mishap). ‘Vela Volta’ (Bavaria Match 35) went on the rocks of a submerged reef near the last leg and had to retire to Oak Bay. For us, we were surprised by our first ever victory in any type of regatta, ever. Thanks to ORC for recognizing that we are not the world’s worst sailors.

“I was completely exhausted and sort of fell apart after the finish. All things considered, this really was a hero’s journey, complete with a passage through Scylla and Charybdis (Dodd’s Narrows) on the delivery, winds of hell barking down Johnstone Straits, fog, calm, incredible downpours, squalls, thirst, seasickness and sea monsters (the pinniped and cetacean variety).

“I recommend the race to anyone who has the time, the nerve and a boat that is up to the journey. I have a new respect for the R2AK racers who we saw along the way.”

Race details – Sailing Instructions – Entry list – Results

The crew included: Owner and newbie to racing, Doug Frazer (one-a-day customer at Fisheries Supply) and his 10 year old son, Bob; Rick Poulin (J-105 racer on Delirium), Kevin McMurray (Fire Dept. medic also new to sailing) and Canadian Jed McLean, skipper and owner of Hana Mari, Victoria BC. Joining the crew for half the race at various stages were: Stefan Damstrom, Tre Nabstedt, Russ Caldwell, Marc-Andrea Klimaschewski, Michelle Samples, and Justin Beals.

Originally published in Sailish.com by Kurt Hoehne.