The One Constant in Sailing

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt
Both my boys went to school in Washington (Go Zags!), and the youngest now works in the city where I met my wife… Seattle. I have a fondness for this corner of the country and the enthusiasm of its sailors. Photographer Jan Anderson does too as she shares her latest gallery from one of the region’s iconic events.

And so, the era ends … 37 years of Whidbey Island Race Week in Oak Harbor, WA. Each year different, each year the same, and 2019 was no different.

Nature provided the variances (sun, rain, and wind conditions, plus sea state); we humans provided the similarities: fun, relationship, competition, hospitality, teamwork, camping, drinking, dancing, revelry…all essentially celebrating our wonderful sport.

End of an era? Yes. End of this highly relevant and eternal celebration for Pacific Northwest sailors? NEFC (Not Even … Close). Now … onward to the north for the 2020 NG (Next Generation) Race Week in Point Roberts, WA. May the next 37 years be as engaging as the last.

Event “owners” will change, participants will come and go, fleets will grow and shrink, yet no matter the ebb or flood of participation, the one constant remaining, connecting all Race Weeks through Eternity, will be Love of Sailing.

Enjoy these photos, for as much as you and your crew love your sport, Skip and I enjoy documenting your love. Impossible to resist. To see the gallery… click here.