Salty Dips Episode 9: Racing, Sailing and the Sea with Christina Wolfe
In Salty Dips Episode 9, Orcas Island sailor Christina “Chris” Wolfe talks with Chris Maier about leading a team, doublehanded offshore racing, and the people who make sailing stronger. The conversation moves from Newport’s inaugural Women’s International Championship to the Pacific Northwest and the Norwegian coast.
Wolfe is the 2023 US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. She earned the honour after winning the Rolex Middle Sea Race with her husband, Justin Wolfe, taking first overall under ORC and doublehanded line honours on the Sun Fast 3300 Red Ruby. Her latest stories offer a close look at racing preparation, teamwork, and the decisions that shape an offshore campaign.
Key Navigational Marks
[00:04:52] Building Cascadia: The team, its Pacific Northwest roots, and the work behind the campaign.
[00:12:30] A remarkable room: Wolfe reflects on the women sailors gathered at the championship.
[00:14:39] Race 6: Cascadia’s first bullet and the teamwork behind the win.
[00:17:35] Leading eleven sailors: Wolfe compares the demands of team leadership with doublehanding.
[00:23:59] The 30/30 watch: A practical approach to rest and workload during longer races.
[00:30:21] Van Isle 360: Doublehanding a demanding island circumnavigation and racing under ORC.
[00:34:49] Developing offshore sailors: Why Wolfe sees a gap in North American opportunities.
[00:37:40] Red Ruby and the Arctic: A class-winning offshore campaign, followed by plans for Malta.
[00:40:23] The Salty Dip: A spinnaker recovery in the 2025 Southern Straits.
[00:48:31] Clean Regattas: Practical steps to protect the sea and make events more sustainable.
Transcript / Links
The online accessible transcript accompanies the episode: Episode 9 transcript
Explore the races, people, and organisations discussed in the conversation:
Cascadia’s Race 6 Breakthrough
Cascadia Sailing brought eleven sailors to Newport for the inaugural NYYC Women’s International Championship in September 2026. The team was spearheaded by Joy Dahlgren and brought together sailors from the United States and Canada, including members of Royal Victoria Yacht Club, Seattle Yacht Club, Orcas Island Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle, and Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.
The campaign took shape through regular training on an IC37 purchased by Joy and Stuart Dahlgren. The team trained about once a month, increasing to twice a month in summer, and raced the Safe Harbor Race Weekend in Newport ahead of the championship. A group of experienced coaches supported the programme: Richard Clarke, Ben Mumford, Fraser McMillan, Jonathan McKee, Carl Buchan, Ben Glass, and Steve Erickson.
Race 6 brought the team its first bullet. A strong start and good light-air modes kept Cascadia in touch, while clean mark roundings and a layline call from tactician Jen Glass helped set up the decisive moments. The team navigated a port-starboard cross with eventual overall winner Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick of Team Vigilant, then established a controlling position against Katie Spithill. Cascadia finished 16th overall in the 10-race series, with a race win to remember.
Wolfe also recalls looking around the event and seeing the depth of experience gathered there: around 30 Olympians, 15 women with America’s Cup experience, and 15 who had raced around the world. That mix speaks to the championship’s scale, and to the opportunity it created for the sailors on the water.
Leading Eleven and Sailing Doublehanded
Wolfe describes leading eleven people as one of the hardest things she has done. Doublehanding asks something different: each sailor takes on the full job, from helming and trimming to navigation. That all-round responsibility is a key reason she enjoys it.
For races lasting four or five days, she and Justin use a 30-minutes-on, 30-minutes-off watch system. The short rotation helps avoid waking from deep sleep feeling groggy. Rest also serves a purpose for the person on deck: a rested crewmate can return ready to take on the work. Maneuvers happen outside the rotation, and the watch clock starts again afterward.
Wolfe’s 30/30 system is the approach she and Justin use; it sounds challenging, and it's not a universal prescription, but it clearly works because it is built around the people, the boat, and has a trackrecord of success.
Red Ruby, the Arctic, and a Bigger Offshore World
Red Ruby is a Sun Fast 3300 designed with shorthanded racing in mind. Its tiller and winches within reach suit a crew that must manage many jobs with few hands. Wolfe and Justin previously raced their J/111 Raku, which has a wheel, in a doublehanded Hawaii race.
In 2026, Justin Wolfe and Jonathan McKee sailed Red Ruby in the roughly 750-nautical-mile Race to the Arctic. The pair won their class and swept all three stages in a fleet of 66 doublehanded boats. From there, the boat was due to be delivered to Malta for the Rolex Middle Sea Race, with Wolfe, Justin, McKee, and Carl Buchan planning to race together as a four-person crew.
Wolfe sees a contrast between the opportunities available to offshore sailors in Europe and North America. In France, she says, sailors can develop through programmes such as Figaro sailing, racing hard in 30–35 knots with spinnakers. She argues that North America needs more stepping-stone opportunities for sailors to build experience. In her view, the limited pathway is one reason US and Canadian doublehanded offshore teams did not reach the final round of the current Doublehanded Offshore Worlds.
The Pacific Northwest has strong examples of its own. Wolfe calls Race to the Straits one of the region’s best doublehanded races, with about 100 boats and demand strong enough for a wait list. She has also raced the Van Isle 360 three times: twice doublehanded on Raku and once with five crew.
ORC’s crew-weight scoring can make competition between doublehanded and fully crewed boats more balanced. A team declares its crew weight, and doublehanded certificates account for the smaller crew. Wolfe describes racing Raku against the fully crewed J/111 65_RedRoses 2: on a light downwind leg, Raku owed time; on heavier upwind legs, 65_RedRoses 2 owed time.
The Deep Dive: “Flagging Is Better Than Shrimping”
Wolfe’s Salty Dip comes from the 2025 Southern Straits, racing on the Riptide 35 Ripple. The start was light. Later, as the boat rounded Entrance Island at night, the wind filled in hard while the team had its spinnaker up.
They saw 30 knots and shrimped the kite. The last time they did so. In the recovery, the team bent the stern pulpit. They finished under reefed main alone, still making 12–13 knots; some boats finishing later saw conditions close to 40 knots.
The story’s lesson is direct: prudence is always a good decision. For night-time kite takedowns, Wolfe points to letterbox drops and pre-leading the windward sheet as ways to manage the sail. Her memorable summary: “Flagging is better than shrimping.”
Clean Regattas and Care for the Sea
Wolfe has supported Sailors for the Sea for more than a decade and joined its skippers programme around 2017–18. The organisation, which operates under Oceana, helps events adopt practical measures to reduce their impact on the marine environment.
At the Women’s International Championship, Wolfe joined Maya Hoffman, Emma Janssen, and Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick in helping the event achieve Platinum-level Clean Regattas certification. The process begins with an application outlining intended practices; after the event, organisers report on what they carried out.
Wolfe’s examples are practical: eliminate single-use plastics, source food locally, use refillable bottles, avoid anchoring in shallow water where eelgrass grows, and alert other boaters when orcas are nearby. These actions connect the racing community to the waters it depends on.
Disclaimer: The safety information and advice shared in this article are for general guidance and information only. Every skipper and vessel operator is solely and ultimately responsible for the safety of their crew, boat, and decisions made on the water. All skippers must ensure they are fully informed, exercise their own judgment, and comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and race rules. Readers should do their own research and consult with qualified professionals as needed, as situations on the water can vary widely and may require different actions.
Comments