January 2020

This third installment of our annual Season Champs series shines the spotlight onto the divisions of the Singlehanded Sailing Society, Bay Area Multihull Association, Yacht Racing Association and even the Master Mariners Benevolent Association.

I should have been giddy with excitement the day we untied our dock lines and set sail to embark on our cruising life, but instead I was being smothered by my biggest fears: losing someone overboard and bombing at homeschooling.

Twenty-five years later, the jury is still out as to whether five pounds of candy (a large bag of Costco Halloween candy, to be precise) and chocolate espresso beans were the secret weapon that swept Bill and Melinda Erkelens across the Pacific to victory on their first doublehanded Pacific Cup.

As we bid farewell to the 20-teens, we find that our 2020 dance cards are filling up fast with plenty of regattas and events to keep us busy on waters near and far. (Some of these events even conclude with actual post-sail dancing!)

In 1990, Max and Lee time traveled 20 years into the future, to a dystopian 2010 in which only sailors with corporate sponsorship could race YRA, and the new and very popular high-speed powerboat racing circuit had right of way over the few remaining amateur sailing events.

December 7's GGYC Seaweed Soup, EYC Jack Frost and SDYC Hot Rum Series provided contrast. Both Cal and Stanford won the Big Sail, we glimpse the Transpac through the lens of an onboard reporter, and we take a peek at the Leukemia Cup Fantasy Sail. Race Notes draws 2019 to a close.