By the look of the three lonely camper-trailers in the “train wreck” parking lot on the Seaplane Base Friday morning, it was hard to believe that the same desolate place will be transformed over the next few days into a small city of up to 800 sunburnt, party-loving sailors.
Today, July 17, marks the beginning of the 28th annual Race Week, a nine-day action-packed event in which sailing teams from all over the west coast travel to Oak Harbor to compete, have fun and stay up as late as they can.
“The slogan is sail all day, party all night, and sleep when you get home,” laughed Butch Amort, of Corvallis, Ore.
Amort and his wife, J. Amort, have been coming to Race Week since 2003. Besides a healthy collection of event flags, they’ve also racked up a third-place win in the Performance 30 division.
“That’s actually pretty good,” J. Amort said.
The Amorts, who will be sailing on the 28-foot Imzadi under Captain Doug Ullmer, are just two of about 800 to 1,000 people expected to attend this year’s event, according to Race Week director Gary Stuntz.
This year should be particularly exciting, he said, as a new event has been added. Beginning today and running through Sunday will be the first ever DWI event. That stands for “Dingy Whidbey Island.” Stuntz said the name was catchy and fit perfectly with Race Week’s reputation for partying late and drinking lots of beer.
“It’s an event name that people can remember,” he said.
While there is a welcome party that will take place Sunday evening, the main event runs from Monday to Sunday, July 25. About 90 teams or boats are expected to compete in nine different divisions, ranging from boats as small as 22-feet to goliaths 48-feet in length. Each boat will typically race between two and three races a day.
“We race from noon. to 5 p.m. and then come back and party,” Stuntz said.
The on-going party is closed to the public but an all-is-welcome event will be held at on the Seaplane Place near the commissary Thursday evening. The event begins at 6 p.m. and will feature live music from the reggae band Andy-O.
According to Jill Johnson, director of the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce, the event is a nice boost for the local economy. While some speculate Race Week brings in up to $2 million, Johnson said the figure is probably closer to about $500,000.
The exposure may be much more valuable, she said. All the sailors that spend the week in Oak Harbor inevitably go home and tell their friends about charming Whidbey Island.
“That’s where it really pays dividends,” Johnson said. “It’s a unique branding opportunity for the town.”
But for sailors such as the Amorts, how much money or publicity Race Week brings in is the last thing on their mind. They look forward to the event all year because it’s a chance to get away from their three kids, reconnect with sailing buddies from years past and have a whole lot of fun.
“The kids refer to it as adult summer camp, and that’s what it is,” Butch Amort said.
A race schedule is available online at www.whidbeyislandraceweek.com.
