Nov. 1 — Daylight Saving Time ends.

Nov. 1-29 — Free sailing at Pier 40 every Sunday courtesy of BAADS. Info, (415) 281-0212 or www.baads.org.

Nov. 2 — Howl at the full moon on a Monday night.

Nov. 4 — Club Nautique's Winter Wednesdays Seminar Series kicks off with 'Cruising Central America' by CN instructor Joe Brandt at Club Nautique in Alameda, 6-8 p.m. Seminars run every other Wednesday at the same time and location, and are free unless noted. 11/18: 'Cooking Aboard' with Lynn Orloff Jones, author of Can to Pan Cookery ($15); 12/2: 'Decorative Knots' with West Marine Rigging's Ryan Nelson. Info, (510) 865-4700 or www.clubnautique.net/winter-wednesdays.

Nov. 4-25 — Wednesday Yachting Luncheon Series at St. Francis YC, 12-2 p.m., $13.50. Enjoy lunch and a dynamic speaker every Wednesday. All YCs' members welcome. More info under the 'Events' tab at www.stfyc.com.

Nov. 5 — Downwind Marine's Cruisers' Seminar Series continues with 'AIS: The Best Collision Avoidance System' by Steven Gloor at Downwind Marine at 7:30 p.m., $3. More seminars at the same time and location. 11/9: 'Pressure Cooking for Cruisers' (Steve Ford); 11/10: 'Outfitting for Safety at Sea' (Bruce Brown); 11/11: 'Cruising on 12 Volts' (Barry Kessler); 11/12: 'Outboard Motor Needs for Cruising in Mexico' (Tom Teevin). Info, www.downwindmarine.com.

Nov. 7 — GPS for Mariners by USCGA Flotilla 17 on Yerba Buena. $55. Info, email or (415) 285-1100.

Nov. 7 — Free 12-Volt Charging Systems seminar at Sausalito Marine Electrical Shop, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Space limited — email or call (415) 332-9030.

Nov. 7, 14, 21 — Sail aboard SF Maritime National Historic Park's scow schooner Alma. Learn the Bay's history on this 3-hour voyage, leaving Hyde St. Pier at 1 p.m. $35 adult, $20 kids 6 & up. Info, www.nps.gov/safr.

Nov. 8 — Cal Sailing Club's free introductory sail at Berkeley Marina, 1-4 p.m. Info, www.cal-sailing.org.

Nov. 8 — Downwind Cruisers' Kick-Off Potluck BBQ at Downwind Marine in San Diego, noon-4 p.m. Info, www.downwindmarine.com.

Nov. 11 — Take a veteran sailing today.

Nov. 12 — Single sailors of all skill levels are invited to the Single Sailors Association monthly meeting at Ballena Bay YC, 7:30 p.m. Featuring Jim Connolly's Moroccan Adventure presentation. Info, www.singlesailors.org or (510) 233-1064.

Nov. 14 — Boater's Blast at Sausalito West Marine, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Get your hands on some of the newest gear for your boat — demos, special pricing and seminars. Free BBQ! Contact Mike Cole at (415) 332-0202 for details.

Nov. 14 — SF Maritime Park's Sea Music Concert Series finale aboard Balclutha at Hyde St. Pier, 8-10 p.m. Featuring The Johnson Girls. $14 each. Info, (415) 561-6662, ext. 33.

Nov. 14-15 — Victorian Christmas Celebration at Angel Island's Civil War-era Camp Reynolds, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Demos, kids' crafts, unique holiday gifts, sweets and drinks. Info, www.angelisland.org.

Nov. 16 — 'Autopilots, Vanes and Emergency Steering' seminar for the Singlehanded TransPac at Oakland YC in Alameda, 7:30-10 p.m. Info, www.sfbaysss.org.

Nov. 21 — 'Hot Spots for Cruising in the Bay' presentation by Rod Witel at Berkeley YC, 6 p.m., $15 ($25 at door). Evening includes dinner, music and an update on The Pegasus Project's 'No Child Left Ashore' initiative. Info, (510) 205-1069 or www.pegasusproject.org/celebration.

Nov. 26 — Work off the pumpkin pie with a daysail.

Dec. 5 — 33rd Annual Lighted Yacht Parade on the Oakland/Alameda Estuary. Starts at 5:30 p.m. Presented by Encinal YC, Oakland YC and Marina Village Yacht Harbor, this year's theme is 'Christmas Carols'. Find out more and enter your boat at www.lightedyachtparade.com.

Dec. 5 — South Beach YC Lighted Boat Parade from McCovey Cove to the Ferry Building, 5-7 p.m. Chili and hot buttered rum at the YC after. Info, www.southbeachyc.org.

Dec. 5 — Petaluma YC Lighted Boat Parade, 5:30 p.m. Info, (707) 753-1590 or www.petalumayachtclub.com.

Dec. 5 — Vallejo YC Harbor Lighted Boat Parade. Info, www.vyc.org or (707) 643-1254.

Dec. 5 — Stockton SC Lighted Boat Parade. Info, www.stocktonsc.org.

Dec. 5 — Santa Cruz YC Lighted Boat Parade in the south harbor, 5:30 p.m. Info, www.scyc.org/lbp.

Dec. 12 — Marina Bay Lighted Boat Parade, 6-8 p.m. Details, email or (510) 236-1013.

Dec. 12 — Sausalito Lighted Yacht Parade along the waterfront, 6 p.m. Info, www.syconline.org.

Dec. 12 — Holiday celebration at Hyde St. Pier with live music, activities and a visit from the Big Guy himself, 3-4:45 p.m. Tour historic vessels from 6-9 p.m. RSVP for tour. Kids 15 & under free, adults $5. Info, (415) 447-5000.

Jan. 4-Mar. 26 — Full-Time Sailmaking & Rigging Course at Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Hadlock, WA. Info, www.nwboatschool.org or (360) 385-4948.

Jan. 6 — Registration at Santa Cruz Harbor for three USCGA classes, 7-8:30 p.m.: Coastal Navigation (starts 1/11), Boating Skills & Seamanship (starts 1/13), and Sailing Skills & Seamanship (starts 1/14). Email for info.

Jan. 12-Feb. 2 — America's Boating Class by Marin Power & Sail Squadron in Novato on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-9 p.m. Textbook, $40. Info, (415) 924-2712.

	Race
November, 1979 — It Was Thirty Years Ago from a Sightings article titled 'Notice to Mariners Gets Style': If you read the Notices to Mariners that the Coast Guard regularly puts out, you know it's pretty dry reading. It's all facts and business or blank white space. It's for this reason that we were rather shocked by the lyrical nature of some parts of a recent Notice. In it was the following information, probably written by some young recruit who hopes to be a novelist.

"One well-known twin light was located at Cape Ann, Massachusetts, where both light towers are still standing, although only one is still in use. In some cases, three lighthouses were built together to provide a 'triple light'. One of the most famous triple lights was at Nauset Beach on Cape Cod."

That little piece of information is certainly more satisfying than the normal blank space, and we hope they keep up with the reading goodies.

Nov. 1 — Jack & Jill +1, the woman-skippered triplehanded race on the Estuary. IYC, www.iyc.org.

Nov. 7 — Fall Series #3. SSC, www.stocktonsc.org.

Nov. 7-8 — Perry Cup for Mercs. MPYC, www.mpyc.org.

Nov. 8 — NorCal #3 Appleton Youth Regatta for FJs. Info, www.pcisa.org or call SFYC Youth office at (415) 435-9525.

Nov. 8 — Lake Washington's annual Turkey Shoot Regatta. Info, www.lwsailing.org.

Nov. 14 — The Running of the Bulls (El Toros) at Moss Landing. Elkhorn YC, www.elkhornyc.com.

Nov. 14 — Commodore's Cup. CPYC, (650) 347-6730.

Nov. 17 — The Big Sail: Stanford vs. Cal in J/105s. More fun than football! StFYC, www.stfyc.com.

Nov. 17 — YRA Year-End Awards Party at Sausalito YC. Info, www.yra.org.

Nov. 27 — Wild Turkey Race. TYC, (415) 883-6339.

Dec. 5 — Fall Series #4. SSC, www.stocktonsc.org.

Jan. 18-22 — Key West Race Week by Nautica, the best regatta in the country. Info, www.premiere-racing.com.

ISLAND YC — Estuary Midwinters: 11/8, 12/13, 1/10, 2/14, 3/14. John, (510) 521-2980 or email.

BERKELEY YC — Midwinters: 11/14-15, 12/12-13, 1/9-10, 2/13-14. Bobbi, (925) 939-9885.

BERKELEY YC — Chowder Races: Sundays through March except when it conflicts with above.

CAL SAILING CLUB — Year-round Sunday morning dinghy races, intraclub only, typically in Laser Bahias and JY15s. Email Gary and Alistair.

CORINTHIAN YC — Midwinters: 1/16-17 & 2/20-21. Donal Botkin.

ENCINAL YC — Jack Frost Series: 11/14, 1/23, 2/27, 3/27. Matthew Dean.

GOLDEN GATE YC — Seaweed Soup Series: 11/7, 12/5, 1/9, 2/6, 3/6. Mont, email or (209) 481-5158.

OAKLAND YC — Sunday Brunch Series: TBA. John Tuma, (510) 522-6868 or email.

REGATTAPRO — Winter One Design: 11/14, 12/12, 1/9, 2/13. Jeff, (415) 595-8364 or email.

RICHMOND YC — Small Boat Midwinters: 12/6, 1/3, 2/7, 3/7. Tony, email or (925) 426-0686.

SANTA CRUZ YC — Midwinters: 11/21, 12/19, 1/16, 2/20, 3/20. Info, (831) 425-0690.

SAUSALITO YC — Sunday Midwinters: 11/1, 12/6, 1/3, 2/7, 3/7. John Mount.

SEQUOIA YC — Winter Series: 11/7, 12/5, 1/16, 2/6, 3/13. Redwood Cup: 11/22, 12/20, 1/24, 2/28, 3/28. Alex Huang.

SOUTH BAY YRA — Midwinters: 11/7, 12/5, remaining TBA. Jocelyn Swanson, regatta@cpyc.com

SOUTH BEACH YC — Island Fever Midwinters: 11/21. 12/19, 1/16, 2/20, 3/20. Info, www.southbeachyc.org.

TIBURON YC — Midwinters: 1/23, 2/13, 3/13. Ian Matthew, email or (415) 883-6339.

VALLEJO YC — Tiny Robbins Midwinters: 11/7, 12/5, 1/9, 2/13, March TBA. Info, (707) 643-1254.

Click here for the complete 2009 Northern California Sailing Calendar and YRA Master Schedule.

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