Record Setting Sail Racers

August 10, 2016

In July of 2016, two intrepid Robert Allan Ltd. sailors challenged the North Pacific Ocean in one of the world’s more demanding ocean races. The 2300 NM Vic-Maui International Yacht Race celebrated its 50th anniversary with a 22 boat fleet lining up for the start. Jim Hyslop (Manager, Project Development) sailed aboard the TP52 Valkyrie while Phil Barron (Manager, Naval Architecture) sailed Kinetic V, also a TP52. With office bragging rights at stake, the fleet headed into the Pacific.

The first day was relatively calm but by day two the wind had settled in and the boats were off for an epic ride to Hawaii. Valkyrie was the first boat in and smashed the 16-year-old course record by 17 hours, setting a new mark of 8 days, 9 hours, 18 minutes. Kinetic V completed the course a few hours later and finished as the overall winner on corrected time.

Both boats were comprised of great teams, and both come home as winners. Thankfully, there were no serious incidents aboard either boat and both Jim and Phil are back in Vancouver enjoying some more relaxing sailing in Vancouver’s English Bay. No doubt, there will be more racing in the future, as both Phil and Jim are keen sailors, along with many other Robert Allan Ltd. employees.

photo by Kyla Sanderson