The Flip of the Switch in Berkeley Yacht Club’s December Midwinters
Predictably Stormy Saturday, December 14
Go or no go? It’s always good times deciding to go or cancel a race due to weather conditions. No matter what decision is made, one can be sure that someone will be unhappy about it. The weather forecast for Saturday, December 14, predicted wind in the mid-30s to mid-40s with rain. That is a no-go for sure. The only question is whether the forecast is reliable, as we at Berkeley Yacht Club prefer to cancel the evening before the race to save the racers and committee crew having to waste half a day only to cancel anyway. This is especially true for crews who travel longer distances.
For midwinters, nobody signs up for big-weather racing. This is not offshore. The boats and crews may or may not be equipped for heavy weather. Also, it’s about the racing, not who is willing to show up in dangerous conditions. Safety first. As it turned out, the forecast was accurate. The wind was dangerously high, and nearly all races were canceled that day.
Unexpectedly Awesome Sunday, December 15
Sunday’s weather, on the other hand, turned out to be kind of awesome. It did not start out that way. The awesomeness was not promised or foreseen. With the wind out of the NNW, the BYC race committee set up the starting line near the south side of the Berkeley Circle.
The wind at the start was steady at around 7 knots, enough to go twice around on a windward/leeward course.Once the race started, however, the wind began to build to the mid-teens, making for a very nice day of sailing. Forty boats competed across six divisions in what can only be described as bloodthirsty exuberance.
And the Winners Were …
In the Most Bloodthirsty Division (PHRF <126) it was Takeoff, the Melges 24 skippered by Andrew Picel, taking first. Next up, in the Funny Boat Name Division (PHRF>= 159) Richard vonEhrenkrook piloted his Cal 20 Can O’ Whoopass to a win. In the Buddies Are the Best Doublehanded Division, Ron Tostenson and Bart Hackworth skippered their Santa Cruz 27 Pacifico equally and equitably across the line first. In the Do I Smell? Singlehanded Division, Surprise!, the Alerion Express 38 driven by Bob Johnston, took first place. In the Express 27 Division Steven Katzman sailed Dianne to victory. Finally, in the Which Boat is That? Alerion 28 Division Fred Paxton and Arnie Quan took first place on Zenaida.
Many thanks to the racers for their support and words of appreciation and encouragement to the committee crew. We listen to you guys.
The next BYC Midwinters races will be this coming weekend on January 11-12. Sign up or check standings on Jibeset. The forecast calls for no storms (or even drizzle) this week, so it’s all systems go! (Remember the sunscreen.)
January Caption Contest(!) — Starting the Year Right
How many hiked-out sailors does it take to balance a boat? Welcome to our first Caption Contest(!) of 2025. This month’s photo was sent in by Latitude friend and reader Chris Boome — Thanks, Chris! The image has been floating around the internet, appearing in various stories and articles for more than 10 years; finding its true origin could take a lot of time. If you happen to know something, please share.
In the meantime, give us your best caption …
Check out December’s Caption Contest(!) winners in this month’s Latitude 38. Read the story behind last month’s photo of the damaged Mona here.
Free Haulout With Bottom Package at KKMI
Get the best bottom on the Bay! Come take advantage of our special deal. Now through 01-31-2025. Offer not valid with any other painting discounts.
Revving Up for the Pacific Puddle Jump to French Polynesia
Along the West Coast of the Americas from California to Panama, it’s that time of year again, when sailors of all stripes are getting revved up with excitement in anticipation of making the famous Pacific Puddle Jump passage to French Polynesia — a nonstop bluewater voyage of 3,000 to 4,000 miles, depending on your point of departure.
As longtime Latitude 38 readers know, the magazine has been reporting on this “annual westward migration” since 1997, when Latitude editors gave the event its lighthearted name — a play on the time-honored Atlantic reference “crossing the pond.”
Having spent most of the past five years in French Polynesia, this writer is happy to report that most of the islanders we meet these days are as warm and friendly as those we got to know on our first visit years ago. And still today, much of this French Overseas Territory’s vast collection of islands, atolls and lagoons remains essentially the same as when we took our first eye-popping look at them several decades ago.
Among circumnavigators and other well-traveled sailors, Tahiti and her sister isles enjoy a stellar reputation as one of the most truly exotic, physically unspoiled and culturally rich cruising grounds on Earth. Yet, much like its Central South Pacific neighbors, French Polynesia faces a variety of serious threats to its delicate marine ecosystems. So Puddle Jump rally organizers implore all visiting sailors to proactively embrace a commitment to do no harm, and always “leave a clean wake,” wherever they sail.
As reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign-flag vessels were given emergency refuge in Tahitian anchorages while their owners took free repatriation flights home. The so-called logjam of foreign boats that this policy created forced local government agencies to take a thorough look at all aspects of the territory’s marine sector — resulting in the likelihood of establishing new anchoring and mooring regulations in the most popular destinations within the next year or so, to be administered with the help of an online reservation system that is already being tested.
The Pacific Puddle Jump is set to launch this spring. At the time of this writing,17 boats from across the US, Canada and the UK have signed up to make the jump. Want to join them? You can find all info at PacificPuddleJump.com.
Continue reading in the January issue.
Kicking Off a Happy New Year With Sunny Sunday Sailing
After the mostly rainy, gray, foggy holidays, we went down to the boat on Sunday to dry it out and head over to top up the fuel tank at Clipper Yacht Harbor. We’re told a low diesel fuel tank in the winter can let water condense inside, so it’s better to keep it full. Is that right?
We weren’t the only ones taking advantage of a sunny January day. The Bay had many patient, determined racers trying to finish the popular YRA Doublehanded Midwinters #3, and others trying to finish up the Sausalito Chili Midwinters #3. The day delivered it all — except wind. But flat water in warm sunshine is welcome in the middle of winter.
The Sausalito Yacht Club has 30 boats competing on the Knox course for their five-race midwinters starting in November and ending in March. You can see Sausalito YC Chili Midwinter results here.
The Alerion 41 Ilaria was one of 34 boats signed up for this year’s YRA Doublehanded Series racing on the San Francisco Cityfront. It was flat water and light air, so just nine boats managed to finish. Unfortunately, Ilaria wasn’t one that made it to the finish line, but they did make it out onto the Bay for a beautiful day.
Jeff Berman caught the intensity of yesterday’s Bay racing in the photo above. It looks calm, but you can bet that onboard there was intense effort and concentration.
Everyone who started the Sausalito Chili Midwinters managed to finish. But it did take persistence. National Biscuit kept the chute aloft long enough to round the last mark and head to the finish line.
While fueling up at Clipper Yacht Harbor, we noticed these three Spaulding-built Pelicans looking nice and awaiting their next chance to sail.
Sailing in the new year started on a sunny note, with many good days of racing and sailing ahead. The Singlehanded Sailing Society’s Three Bridge Fiasco on January 25 is always a good one for single- and doublehanders and already has 185 boats signed up. San Diego is preparing for Etchells mania, starting with the Bill Bennett Cup on January 18-19. (More on the Etchells later.) If you’re looking to find the next event or series to join, check Latitude 38’s 2025 racing calendar, where you’ll find enough events to fill your sails for the entire year.
Note — for some very odd reason we managed to get 11 out of 12 months labeled right — October ended up being October 2024! It’s so often the big print that gets missed in proofreading. We trust by the time we get to October, everyone will know that it’s a typo and they haven’t suddenly traveled back in time.
But for now, the weather looks sunny for all of next weekend’s midwinters. We just need to pray for enough wind.
Westwind Yacht Management — Washing, Waxing and Varnishing
Westwind Yacht Management: Premiere Yacht & Fleet services for the San Francisco Bay Area.