Race Week Bellingham: A Pacific Northwest Institution at a Crossroads
Since 1983, what began as Whidbey Island Race Week has been one of the Pacific Northwest's most beloved sailing events, earning the nickname "adult summer camp" for its combination of serious racing and legendary parties ashore. This year, Race Week Bellingham took place July 20 through 24 on Bellingham Bay, now in its second year at the new venue after decades on Whidbey Island and a stint in Anacortes.
But there is a bigger story behind the racing. Schelleen Rathkopf, the event's longtime race producer who has been at the helm for 25 years, recently announced that 2026 will be her last Race Week. And her candid words are worth paying attention to.
Like many racing events and yacht clubs, Race Week has seen a steady decline in participation over the past five years. Longtime competitors are aging out of the sport, there hasn't been an influx of young competitors who can afford the big boat and all that maintaining one requires, and skippers are having trouble finding crew willing to commit to a full week off in the summer when vacation time is limited and families aren't sailors.
The move to Bellingham in 2025 was partly an attempt to draw more fleets from Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia — but that coincided with political tensions that led Canadian sailors to boycott travel to the US altogether, and that trend has continued into 2026.
Rathkopf's hope is that someone steps up and takes the torch, perhaps with fresh ideas — including possibly shortening the event to a three-day weekend format to lower the barrier to participation.
This hits close to home. The challenges Race Week is facing are the same ones our own community thinks about — how do we grow the next generation of sailors, how do we keep racing accessible, and how do we make sure the sport we love is still thriving in ten years?
So here is the question for the group — what do you think it takes to keep events like Race Week alive? And what can MSA do to be part of the solution?
Sail World — Interview with Schelleen Rathkopf, Race Week Bellingham Race Producer:
https://www.sail-world.com/news/297781/Schelleen-Rathkopf-on-Race-Week-Bellingham
My Bellingham Now — Race Week Bellingham 2026 preview:
https://mybellinghamnow.com/news/297792-race-week-aims-to-make-waves-in-return-to-bellingham-this-summer/
Race Week Bellingham Official Results:
https://www.raceweekpnw.com/results
Race Week Bellingham Official NOR:
https://ys-uploads-prod2.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/event_documents/50251/outside-results/NOR%20Race%20Week%20Bellingham%202026.pdf
