Race, Dress Up, Party and Shop

The Great Pumpkin Regatta really does have something for everyone.

As usual, Richmond YC’s Great Pumpkin Regatta falls on the last weekend of October, but it’s not too early to start planning for it now. For one thing, if you register by this Wednesday, October 10, you get a coveted parking pass to the club lot, which fills up during Great Pumpkin. Even the street parking fills up.

Plus, you need to start planning your Halloween costume! This year’s theme is Dead Man’s Party — remember the song by Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo in the 1980s?

Before the costume party on Saturday night, buoy racing will be offered for Alerion 28, Antrim 27, Beneteau 36.7, Cal 20, Express 27, Express 37, Hawkfarm, J/105, J/109, J/20 (since there’s no such beast, they probably meant J/22), J/24, J/29, J/35, any other J boat, Melges 24, Moore 24, Olson 25, Olson 30, Open 5.70, Santana 20, Santana 22, SF Bay 30, TP52, Ultimate 20, Wyliecat 30, Wylie Wabbit, 1D35, 99er, 18-ft skiff, and PHRFclasses. According to the notice of race, "Each class, invited explicitly or not, with five or more boats registered by 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 25, will be given starts with no other classes on the starting line. Each class with three or four boats registered by 5 p.m. on October 25 will be scored as a class. Other boats will be put into PHRF divisions." They usually get in three races on each of three courses.

Sunday’s pursuit race, around Angel and Alcatraz Islands, is open to all classes and boats with PHRF or BAMA certificates, starting with the slowest rated boat at noon. "In the interest of fun and family racing, spinnaker-rated boats sailing without a spinnaker have a 10-second per mile allowance," states the NOR.

Coinciding with the Great Pumpkin Regatta, the Richmond YC Foundation will hold their annual Gear Sale on Friday, October 26, starting at 6 p.m., and on the weekend starting at 9 a.m. You can buy spinnaker sheets, sails, or a whole boat (we’ve bought all of the above at ridiculous prices). They’ll also accept donations of clean, useable, non-toxic boating gear. The Foundation is a California 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. "All proceeds go to Bay Area sailors," says volunteer Dick Loomis.

For more info on all of the above activities, see www.richmondyc.org.