Monday was no wind, no worries for Sunny Kerr.

Despite traveling from Victoria, B.C. to compete in this year’s Whidbey Island Race Week, Kerr shrugged off the lack of wind that prevented any races from being held the first day of the regatta.

Undaunted, Kerr and her crewmates on the J/109, Astral Plane, headed out of Oak Bay Harbor Monday morning with the Lumberjack Song—”we call it our battle song”— cranked up on the boat’s stereo, then danced to Michael Jackson tunes, encouraging other racers to get their groove on.

“Today was a really good chance for us to show off our dancing skills,” said Kerr, smiling. “It’s an open dance party on our boat all the time.”

Most of the 500 or so racers gathered in Oak Harbor for Race Week were similarly chill, knowing all too well the capriciousness of the sailing gods. Race organizers called it a day around 3:00, after several hours of winds hovering around 2 to 3 knots.

Despite the disappointing conditions, the mood on the docks was festive as boats returned in the late afternoon after tooling around Penn Cove to test out the race courses.

Crews sat in their cockpits drinking, socializing and listening to music. Annie Johnson, sitting on the Anderson 30, Gardyloo, with her crewmates and a cold beer, took it in stride.

“It’s part of sailing—you show up and sometimes there’s a breeze, sometimes there’s not,” said Johnson, who lives in Seattle. “It’s just part of the game, I guess. At least it’s not raining.”

Steve Meyers, also crewing on Gardyloo, came from San Francisco for his inaugural Race Week and was undaunted by its snoozer of a start.

“I like racing, I like camping, I like partying,” he said. “This is all those things mixed into one. There are going to be more days of sailing. Five days of sailing is a lot. If one gets blown off, it’s not the end of the world.”

Rum and high spirits were plentiful at Monday's Race Week party.

A few hours later, sailors gathered on the lawn of the Oak Bay Yacht Club for live music and a party. The rum flowed freely while sailors noshed on barbecue and mussels, played volleyball and caught up with friends they hadn’t seen since last year’s Race Week.

The regatta, considered the largest buoy racing event on the West Coast, drew at least 500 sailors on 94 boats. Race Week is also known for the hospitality extended by the town of Oak Harbor, the marina, the yacht club and the Navy, which is throwing a Thursday night fete for the racers.

Malcolm Orendurff, who came from Portland to race on the Melges 24, Myst, said he appreciates the welcoming atmosphere, along with the regatta’s unique mix of fierce competition and camaraderie.

“There’s a strange juxtaposition,” he said during Monday evening’s party. “On the race course, everyone’s your enemy. And then when you get back here, everybody is your friend.

“A lot of people travel to get here. People put in lot of effort to get here and everybody’s here to have a great time.”

Orendurff’s buddy Jeff Jaeger traveled from Honolulu for Race Week. Aside from finding the weather too cold for his liking, Jaeger was enjoying himself.

“This is my first time here and I’m loving it. I’ve met people from all over,” he said.

For Sky Cunningham, commodore of Portland State University’s sailing team, the appeal was largely about the boats. Cunningham, who’s used to sailing on smaller boats such as Martin 242s, Lasers and Flying Juniors, was stoked about crewing for the first time on a Flying Tiger, Firecracker.

“It’s awesome boats and free booze,” Cunningham said of Race Week. “I’m on a Flying Tiger—where do I go up from here?”