Roger Shaffer thinks sailing Boru, his 34-foot yacht, is akin to flying an airplane.

"Sailing is simply flying with a vertical wing," explained the retired Navy and airline pilot.

"Navigating a sailboat is also like navigating a plane.  It's challenging but fun."

Come this Saturday morning, he and approximately 75 to 85 other yachters will participate in the annual Toliva Shoal Race.

The race is co-hosted by the Olympia Yacht Club (OYC) and the South Sound Sailing Society (SSSS).  

The Toliva Shoal event is the third in a series of a four-race series sponsored by the SSSS. It is considered a challenge to the participants, as there are several current gates to navigate and numerous markers to sail around over the 38-nautical-mile course.

"But it is great; the race is an escape, a chance to get off the dock, into the boat and leave everything behind," commented Clark McPherson, who sails a 34-footer christened McSwoosh.

In 1971, the newly formed SSSS began the race; a year later the OYC enlisted as a co-sponsor, providing the clubhouse, dock space and volunteer help.

"It's a good race; I've been sailing in it since 1973," continued Shaffer.

Over the years, the race has attracted a significant number of area veterans as both crewmembers and boat owners.

"There will be a good number of veterans here," added McPherson.

Besides Shaffer, two other military veterans familiar with the race are Alex Bromen and Jack Knowlton.

"I first observed the race in 1988 while flying a CH-47 helicopter in preparation for deployment," wrote Bromen in an email.

As a child and with his dad's help, he had turned a fishing boat into a sailboat. While stationed in Germany years later, Bromen enrolled in a sailing course and decided sailing was for him.

"I got my first sailboat after being assigned to Fort Lewis, and finally connected with the South Sound Sailing Society."

In a humorous vein, he related how during one sailing he had anchored off an island in Puget Sound to go ashore to have dinner.  Once there, Bromen happened to look back out into the harbor and noticed his boat was dragging its anchor and drifting out toward open water.  Alarmed, he quickly jumped back into his dinghy and madly rowed to catch his sailboat.

"All that Army fitness training paid off, and I finally grabbed the boat and hauled myself up to the deck," he continued.

"Gathering my wits, I pulled an Army MRE from the galley for my lunch, weighed the errant anchor, raised the sails, and was soon sailing away to further adventure."

For Knowlton, who captains the Koosah, the sequence to sailing began when he returned from his second tour of duty in Vietnam.

"My wife and I had been married for seven years and apart for three of those years," he recalled.  "To spend time together, she said we should learn to sail."

For more information about the Toliva Shoal Race or the June 11th Soldier Sailing event, visit www.ssssclub.com.