The Round Saltspring 2012 sailing race is presented by the Saltspring Island Sailing club. And has been since 1974. The 42 nautical mile voyage (as the crow flies) around Salt Spring can be a mixture of close competition, blazing sun and wind — a little or a lot. Or a mixture of the two.

This year seemed to be mostly a light air affair with two light speedsters out front: Mischief, a Melges 32 (handicap 27) and the big dollar Braveheart, a TP 52 (handicap -72).

This year’s audience included a few locals in the Beddis Road area:

*update Monday morning

MY-TAI won the wind challenged RSI 2012. She was third over the line at 8:40 pm and corrected to first.

MY-TAI is an interesting boat. A 10 metre light displacement, open transom sportboat with carbon fibre mast, boom and bowsprit designed as a ‘low cost’ one-design race boat. Built in China, she was designed to fit in a 40 foot shipping container and has a retractable keel so she can be trailered. The boat was designed in 2005 by Bob Perry with much heated debate and guidance from the on-line forum sailinganarchy.com.

Here’s MY-TAI and her crew of eight between Fernwood and Batt Rock at 6:50 pm Saturday evening:

And one more as the gleaming Flying Tiger 10 arrives at Saltspring Island Sailing Club for the 2011 race: