Rowers and paddlers can register now for the Sequim Bay Yacht Club (SBYC) race on Saturday, Sept. 17, that raises funds for Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County’s respite care fund.

Any human-powered craft — canoe, kayak, paddleboard, rowboat, shell — and any individual or team of at least high school age are eligible for the 8-kilometer out-and-back race. Held on Sequim Bay, it will start at Pitship Point and go south to a turnaround just past Schoolhouse Point. Check-in is in the John Wayne Marina parking lot and launch is from Mud Bay. To preregister, visit webscorer.com/sbyc.

Fees, paid at check-in, are $25 per person preregistered ($20 for SBYC members) and $50 per person race day registration ($40 for club members).

Started in 2018 to complement the “Reach for Hospice” sailing race that SBYC established in 1991, the rowing and paddling race last year drew competitors from Sequim, Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Port Orchard. Their donations and pledges from their supporters helped the yacht club raise more than $30,000 for VHOCC in 2021, bringing its total donations in 30 years to almost $434,000.

All registration fees and all pledges go directly to VHOCC and may be tax-deductible.

All expenses for the rowing and paddling race, as well as for the sailing race scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18, are paid by Sequim Bay Yacht Club.

VHOCC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides compassionate care to the terminally ill, their caregivers and families. It does not bill any patient, insurance plan or government agency. All services are supported by local donations and grants. When inventory permits, it also provides no-charge short-term loans of medical equipment to otherwise healthy residents recovering from such procedures as joint replacements.