When Peter Wealick looks out at English Bay, he sees things that few other people would ever notice, let alone compute with a mathematician鈥檚 accuracy.
That trail of flat water winding its way through the ripples on the water鈥檚 surface? That鈥檚 a tidal stream. Changes in the ripples themselves tell him where there is a puff of wind on the horizon. He doesn鈥檛 have to look to know which direction the wind is coming from 鈥� he feels it on his face.
If he鈥檚 to win the upcoming World Cup sailing race in these very same waters, he鈥檒l have to process all that information in the blink of an eye and respond just as quickly.
鈥淚f you have to think about it, it鈥檚 too late 鈥� someone has passed you by,鈥� he says, sitting on the patio of the Royal 麻豆传媒映画Yacht Club, which is hosting Vancouver鈥檚 first sailing race of this magnitude September 15 to 21.
To him, it鈥檚 instinctual. 鈥淚 can look at the water and say, 鈥楾here鈥檚 a plus-two knot puff coming towards us.鈥� I鈥檓 figuring out the shortest course and best wind.鈥�
Nevertheless, Wealick knows he鈥檒l be nervous competing against the likes of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, who will be racing with 麻豆传媒映画Olympian Ross MacDonald, as well as four-time America鈥檚 Cup yacht race winner, Dennis Conner from the United States.
There will be 45 participating yachts from 11 countries competing in the Six Metre Class World Championship yacht race.
The sailboats are smaller than you鈥檇 think, especially if your main exposure to racing is the prestigious America鈥檚 Cup with its foiling catamarans. (Popular Mechanics calls them 鈥渓ess a boat than a collection of knives racing over water.鈥�) Sleek and single-hulled, the six-metre boats in Vancouver鈥檚 event are like the ones you see racing in English Bay on a Wednesday night, which is when we joined Wealick at the RVYC club house on Jericho Beach.
Wealick鈥檚 boat is one of 20 owned by sailboat aficionado and North Shore businessman Rainer Muller. And it鈥檚 one of nine of Muller鈥檚 boats that will compete in the World Cup.
Just before the race, Wealick鈥檚 boat is getting a new name: Maxi鈥檔ux, which means killer whale in the language of the Kwakwa鈥檞akw people.
Wealick鈥檚 father is from the Sto:Lo Territory and is a member of the Tzeachten First Nation. His mother is from the Kwakwa鈥檞akw territory and is a member of Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River. She鈥檚 of the Killer Whale Clan and, with its ties to the ocean, the inspiration for the boat鈥檚 name.
Wealick will be the first-ever First Nations yachtsman to compete in a 6mR world championship. To mark such an honour, he鈥檚 designed a logo for his spinnaker 鈥� the large, billowing front sail that capitalizes on all those puffs of wind.
鈥淭he dorsal fin is traditional in design while the body is non-traditional,鈥� he says of his creative process. 鈥淭he sweeping links of the body are representative of a killer whale breaching the surface of the water.
鈥淚t is said that when the killer whale disappears from the surface that he has gone to his village at the bottom of the ocean. The image I have created represents the killer whale breaching the surface after visiting his village.鈥�
Killer whales also travel in pods, and so do the Wealicks. His brother Richard is also a sailor based out of RVYC; his boat is called Marhenurh, which also means killer whale but in the Halkomelem language of their father.
Their sister, Laura Wee Lay Laq, is a world-renown clay artist whose work is in the Smithsonian and Museum of Anthropology at UBC. She has a degree in linguistics from SFU and is also helping RVYC honour First Nations during the event.
鈥淭he First Nations theme will be following us throughout our world championship for various reasons,鈥� RVYC鈥檚 blog post says, 鈥渙ne being that the RVYC is on First Nations land but also [because] First Nations people made Canada become what the country is known and loved for today. We are happy that we will be able to have a Chief, dancers and drummers at our event, and can show even more culture and history during our social evening at the Museum of Anthropology. Last but not least, one of the prizes is done by First Nations artist Xwakacktun (Rick Harry).鈥�
Wealick鈥檚 initial goal was to have an all-First Nations crew but it was hard to find enough people to commit to the rigorous three-day-a-week training schedule they鈥檝e had for the past 10 weeks.
As Wealick says, as much as he will be relying on instinct, his four-person crew 鈥� daughter Alea, Elizabeth Dier, Cameron Walker, Dennis LeFeaux and spare Carissa Block 鈥� is also an essential component to a winning team.
鈥淭he first thing you look for in a crew is a combination of skills, personality and agility,鈥� he says.
The RVYC is thrilled to be hosting an event of this size and prestige.
Chris Freimond, who is helping with communications, says the race began as a world championship event and, as the number of competitors increased, became a World Cup event.
The six-metre class, he says, 鈥渨as once the most important international yacht racing class and was an Olympic event from 1908 until 1952. A Canadian crew won a bronze medal at the 1932 games in Los Angeles.鈥�
He encourages people to come out to watch the race, with vantage points along the shoreline, especially at Spanish Banks. The RVYC also plans to have a viewing platform.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a great event for Vancouver, we want to stretch it beyond the sailing world. If you get some good winds there will be 47 boats out there with their spinnakers up.鈥�
Anyone interested in a close up view of the 2017 International 6 Metre World Championship on English Bay from September 17 to 20 can register to go on board a spectator boat. There is no charge, but space is limited so early registration is encouraged. For details visit
For race details go to .
