Welcome to Vancouver Area Racing Circuit
Your source for regatta schedules, results and other racing resources.
VARC Official Charity
Fraser Riverkeeper is a non-profit registered Canadian charity and a licensed member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance, and international grassroots advocacy organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We are dedicated to the protection, conservation, and improvement of the water quality and habitat of the Fraser River and its surrounding watershed. Fraser Riverkeeper works to ensure the right of all citizens to safely swim, drink and fish in BC waters.
The BMW Story
BMW Canada is in its second year of sponsoring the VARC Championship Series. Read about BMW’s commitment to our community and sport here.
Next VARC Event
VARC Opener Regatta
April 5 -6 2014
Host: Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
Sailing Instructions
Latest News
ORC Seminar
Read about the upcoming seminar about ORC. Registration is here. VARC ORC Seminar Attendees as of February 14th
Read MoreVARC Scoring Rationale
Read about how the VARC scoring was decided. Click this link to read
Read MoreOnLine Registration Open
VARC Online Registration is now open after a short delay to implement a new rating look-up feature. This feature will automatically populate the registration form with your current rating and other info when you select your boat name from the drop-down menu – you will need to enter the first two or three letters of ... Read More
2013 NOR Posted.
The 2013 Notice of Race, including Races by Division Schedule and Fee Structure are now posted on the web site under the Racing tab.
Read More2013 VARC Schedule
The 2013 proposed VARC schedule is now posted here. The distance and inshore regatta series are as follows: Distance, 6 events Southern Straights, March 29-30, WVYC, Collingwood Channel, May 4th, WVYC, Round Bowen Island, June 8th, BIYC, SOAR, Aug 9th 10th 11th, SYC, English Bay Scramble, Aug 17th, TCYC Fraser River Lightship, Oct 5th, RVYC Inshore Regatta, 5 events Opener Regatta, April 13/14, RVYC Summer ... Read More
VARC 2012 Championship Series
The VARC 2012 Championship Series wrapped up in October and year-end awards were presented on 21 November at the Steveston Marine Awards Banquet. Complete results are posted here: http://www.varc.bc.ca/results/. Note that the Division 6 results have changed since the presentation of awards following a recalculation of the regatta scores: L'Aristo has earned the championship and ... Read More
Safety at Sea Course, January 25-26 2013
This BC Sailing Offshore Personal Survival Course (Safety at Sea) is for experienced sailors who are participating in distance and offshore races and passages. The course includes classroom and practical sessions. Topics covered include safety equipment, storm sails, weather forecasts, heavy weather, man overboard, emergency signals and communications. Practical sessions include inflating and using lifejackets, ... Read More
VARC Awards Dinner, 21 November
The Steveston Marine 2012 VARC Awards Dinner will be held on Wednesday, 21 November, at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Details are as follows: Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner at 7:00 pm Cash Bar Tickets: $29.65 per person Register Online Tickets include a plated chicken dinner, dessert, and the chance to win numerous raffle prizes donated by Steveston Marine. ... Read More
Van Isle 360 Application Deadline: 16 November
The next running of the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race will be 8 - 22 June 2013. Registration closes 16 November 2012. The organizer of this race is a VARC Championship Series Event Sponsor, Blast Performance Sailing. Visit the Van Isle 360 website for more information about this two-week 580 nautical mile race around ... Read More
FCYC/VRC Remembrance Day Pursuit Race, 11 November
This year FCYC and VRC have joined forces to co-host the Remembrance Day Pursuit race on Sunday, 11 November. The race will be scored by FCYC as a separate regatta; it will also be scored by VRC as one of nine races in the Polar Bear Series. There will be 2 minutes of silence at 11:00am, ... Read More
Call for Nominations by 29 Oct: 2013 Committee, Club / Division Reps
VARC is currently seeking nominations for the following committee positions: Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations and Web Manager, Sponsorship. The VARC Constitution specifies that Secretary and Treasurer are to be appointed from the VARC Committee; however, since none of the present Committee Members wish to stand, VARC is seeking nominations for all positions listed above from the ... Read More
Safety at Sea, ISAF Certified Course
Registration is now open for the upcoming BC Sailing Safety at Sea class, to be held November 3-4, 2012 in West Vancouver. The BC Sailing Offshore Personal Survival Course (Safety at Sea) is for experienced sailors who are participating in distance and offshore races and passages. The course includes classroom and practical sessions. Topics covered include ... Read More
Match Up Monday Seminar Series
90 Minute Seminars - 5 Part Series Rick Hatch (CAN-NU) will be teaching a new Rules and Strategy Seminar Series, hosted by Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Everyone is welcome to attend. Come out and up your game! Full details available here. - Monday July 23 - Monday Aug 13 - Monday Aug 27 - Monday Sep 17 - Monday Oct 1 5:45pm to 7:15pm RVYC LOWER BOARDROOM COST - ... Read More
Marine Offshore First Aid Course
Last chance for OSR Cat 1 compliant Marine Offshore First Aid course in time for Vic-Maui 2012. The course will be held in Squamish on June 2nd and 3rd. This course is open to all boaters! See details here.
Read More2012 Update: BMW Decals FAQ
VARC is excited to have BMW sign on as our Title Sponsor for the second year running! Once again, every boat racing in a VARC event must now display the official BMW decal on both sides of their bow for every event. Note that this comes into effect beginning with the Southern Straights Race on ... Read More
Judging, Umpiring & Match Racing Clincs Coming Up
For those looking to expand their horizons, a number of clinics are scheduled over the next several weeks on judging, umpiring and match racing: Judges Clinic - for Racers West Vancouver Yacht Club Saturday, Feb 25, 2012 9 to 5 pm. Registration required. Details at www.race-ready.com Umpires Clinic - for Match Racers* Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Sunday, March 4, 2012 9 to 5 pm. Registration required. Details ... Read More
BMW Sponsors Racing Seminars with VARC
BMW's ongoing sponsorship of VARC is bringing another round of excellent seminars to increase the level of competition amongst Vancouver sailors. Upwind & Downwind Sail Trim & Steering in all wind and wave conditions. Host: Deep Cove Yacht Club Date:Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 Time: 7 to 9:30 pm. No charge, sponsored by BMW courtesy of VARC. Get Racing! - Tips for ... Read More
BMW VARC Mentor Program Launch
The VARC Mentor Program is an exciting new initiative designed to fill two needs in the Vancouver area sailing community. The first objective is to introduce neophyte or prospective racers to the art of racing competitively in an environment that is less competitive than the typical VARC regatta with aid from VARC Mentors. The second ... Read More
Month of May: Race Training Seminar Series
In May, VARC is introducing a new seminar series from Race-Ready to provide Vancouver area sailors with additional training on many aspects of racing technique, tactics and rules. Participation in these seminars is free for VARC sailors, thanks to our title sponsorship from BMW. Registration is mandatory (but free!), and can be done online here. ... Read More
First Round of Safety at Sea Successful!
The BC Sailing Safety at Sea program offered its inaugural course this past weekend, April 2-3. The two day course started Saturday, at the West Vancouver Yacht Club, where the sold-out class of twenty-four experienced sailors were immersed in topics including care and maintenance of safety equipment, storm sail, heavy weather, damage control, hypothermia and man ... Read More
Notice of Race Amended
Please note that the 2011 NOR has been formally amended as of March 16th. The new NOR can be viewed and downloaded here: http://www.varc.bc.ca/2011-notice-of-race/
Read MoreSouthern Straits Seminars
The countdown to the 43rd Annual Southern Straits Classic is on! With the race date coming up quickly on April 23rd, it’s time to get tuned up and ready with WVYC’s series of Tech Talks & Straits Seminars: Thursday, February 24th 7:30pm: Tech Talk hosted by Stewart Jones. Topics will include Snowflake Strategy tips and everyone’s ... Read More
