Darren Campbell
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 06/99) - It's race that is not for the faint of heart.

Yes, the Commissioner's Cup Sailing Race attracted only three boats in 1999. That might not seem like much of a turnout for a sailing race but then the Commissioner's Cup is not just any race.

"It's certainly not recommended for people with little sailing experience," said Barry Lange, who along with wife Anne, won the race this year with their 7.5-metre Catalina yacht, Cirrus.

That is an understatement. For those who do not know what the Commissioner's Cup is all about, it is a 240-nautical mile race from Yellowknife to Hay River and back. The race has been around since 1982.

Crossing Great Slave Lake is not easy. It's huge (with a surface area of 28,570 square kilometres, it is the fifth largest lake in North America and 10th largest in the world), it's deep (at 615 metres, it is the deepest lake in North America) and it's cold. Lange said one of the buoys out in the middle of lake reported water temperatures of 13 C. Brrrrr.

With the crossing taking anywhere from 18 to 24 hours and with weather conditions often being unpredictable, a nice day for sailing on the lake can turn into a nasty day on the water with waves getting 2 to 3 metres high. When the water is that rough, sailers agree it can make even the biggest of boats seem very small.

"I think no matter how big the boat is, if the weather is rough it feels pretty small out there," said Lange. "It's Mother Nature showing her power."

And it is that knowledge that gives the Commissioner's Cup competitors a great respect for the lake and its power. Ian Girvan, who raced in this year's cup with the 9.6-metre Contessa yacht, Nighttide, has crossed the lake 10 times now. Despite his experience, he said he sails cautiously out of respect for the big lake.

So if the race is no cakewalk, why does Girvan keep doing it? He said he likes the challenge the crossing presents to him.

"It's a bit of a test and I feel you have to test yourself in one way or another at some points in your life," said Girvan.

Jim Bourns, who skipped the 7.8-metre Tanzer, Misty II, agreed with Girvan that crossing the lake is a challenge. It seems to be what keeps him coming back to the Cup, which he has won four times.

"It's a challenge. It's an experience and it's an endurance event to a certain extent," said Bourns.