Renaissance (163), skippered by Dave Steckman, crosses the fleet during Race Week. (Photo by Jan Anderson/Jan’s Marine Photography) Coupeville skipper Dave Steckman defended his home waters by guiding Renaissance to first place in its class in the 36th running of Whidbey Island Race Week. In all, 68 boats spread over three divisions and nine classes participated in this year’s regatta hosted by the Oak Harbor Yacht Club Thursday through Sunday, July 19-22. Steckman and Renais

Oak Harbor’s Dave Steckman and crew guide Renaissance around a buoy. (Photo by Jan Anderson/Jan’s Marine Photography) The Oak Harbor Yacht Club may want to get ahead of the game and engrave Ryan Forbes’ name on the first-place trophy of the 2019 North American San Juan 24 Championship regatta. Forbes, from Orcas Island, skippered Ekona Juan to its fourth North American title in five years during the 2018 championship event last weekend in Oak Harbor. The one year Forbes didn’

The San Juan 24s, shown here competing in last year’s regatta, return to Oak Harbor this weekend for the North American Championships. (Photo by Ryan Nowicki) The 2018 San Juan 24 North American Championship, hosted by the Oak Harbor Yacht Club since 2011, returns to the waters off Whidbey Island this weekend. Races begin at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15, and finish around 5 p.m. The boats will race in the areas of Penn Cove and Saratoga Passage, depending on wi