Sailors Choose Their Own Course in Inaugural Navigator’s Race
Frank van Diggelen of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club competed in the first-ever Navigator’s Race, organized by Evan McDonald of the Berkeley Yacht Club, aboard Frank’s Sunfast 3300 Sun Dragon. He sent us the following commentary on his experience.
Think Three Bridge Fiasco on acid. On Saturday, August 9, the inaugural Navigator’s Race provided a mind-boggling format, with different start points and choice of routes. The format, copied from a similar race in Narragansett Bay, was described fully in the July 21 ‘Lectronic Latitude.
As a summary, just look at the chart. Sail from your chosen start location (A,B,C, or D) past as many of the listed marks as you like, but using only the red lines as routes, and traveling no red line more than twice. Finish at Berkeley Yacht Club between 1500 and 1530, or face time penalties or DQ. Longest distance (adjusted for handicap) wins.
Ten adventurous crews set out early on Saturday to play this game. Adding to the fun, the start is from anchor with sails furled, and there’s a five-minute motoring allowance to help at the start, although it may be used, incrementally, anytime.
I was sailing Sun Dragon singlehanded, so I chose start location C, Aquatic Cove, for the easy anchorage. This turned out great because the sandy bottom meant the anchor came up perfectly clean — no sticky mud to clean off! Caliente joined me in Aquatic Cove while most others chose Angel Island (B).
My pre-race strategy was to reach as much as possible to maximize VMC, such as routes, and loops, in the North Bay. As it turned out, reality changed this plan very quickly into a much better approach: Sail where the wind is. As soon as I ventured close to Sausalito, or north of Angel Island, the wind shut off. The beauty of this race is that you can decide, “Let’s not go to that mark,” turn around, and choose something easier. Also, a couple of minutes of saved engine allowance really helped in getting around Mark 19 in current and little wind.
Little wind was not a problem as soon as we were in the Slot. The classic summer conditions built and built to the high 20s. All finishers found the target time window of 1500 to 1530. Sun Dragon squeezed a few more miles out of the course in the last hour, taking a chance at bagging an extra couple of legs, and finishing with exactly one second to spare.
If you’ve enjoyed the chaotic adventure of the Three Bridge Fiasco, and want 10 times more of the same, with wind, come and do the second Navigator’s Race next year. The race was excellently planned and run by Berkeley Yacht Club PRO Evan McDonald. They successfully communicated the fiendishly unusual race rules so that we all (kinda) knew what to do, and when.
Results:
Monohulls: 1. Sun Dragon, Sunfast 3300, 34.30 NM; 2. Elise, C&C 40-2, 28.64 NM; 3. Arch Angel, Antrim 27, 28.60 NM (handicap-adjusted distances).
Multihull: 1. Caliente, Explorer 44, 29.34 NM.
What to Expect at the Third Annual Sausalito Boat Show
The Sausalito Boat Show is more than a weekend by the water — it’s a grassroots celebration of sailing culture and the Bay Area’s maritime spirit. Built by people in the marine industry right here in our own backyard, the show is driven by a passion for growing boating, expanding access, and strengthening community both in the Bay and beyond. This September, Clipper Yacht Harbor will again come alive with boats, live music, and the hum of conversations between people who live for life on the water.
Inside the show sailors can stop by the PICYA Yacht Club Lounge, which will be a gathering place to enjoy the atmosphere of a yacht club, meet members from around the region, or connect with their club in a relaxed waterfront setting. On Sunday morning, the Women in Yachting Breakfast will bring together women who share a passion for the water, creating space to network, exchange stories, and spark new adventures. Those curious about sailing can take part in Club Nautique’s Intro to Sailing ticket, which includes both a day pass to the show and a hands-on lesson on the Bay. For those looking to make a weekend of it, in style, Friday Evenings VIP Dockside Dining ticket offers a progressive culinary journey across three luxury yachts, complete with wine tasting, plus a weekend pass to the show.
The seminar program is set to deliver practical, relevant knowledge: yacht ownership as a business with Stephanie from Club Nautique; safe rigging with Tom Relya of South Beach Riggers; electric propulsion with Mike Gunning and Berkeley Marine Center; fiberglass repair at Spaulding Marine Center; navigation and safety with Ben Rifkin; cruising Mexico with Rich Brazil; cruising essentials with Brady Trautman of Cruisers Academy; marine electronics and mechanical systems with Shane McCormack of H&M Marine; and marine electronics with Wesley from Reliable Marine Electronics.
On the docks, there’s plenty to explore — power, sail, trailerable, and electric boats, local food and drink, marine gear, and live music from Moderately Handsome, The Cruz Boys, and others. The free Sausalito Harbor Hop Tour by Bae Boats will be running throughout the weekend giving guests a tour of the Sausalito waterfront. Add in the kids’ zone and a luxury yacht charter sweepstakes, and you’ve got a weekend that’s equal parts education, exploration, and enjoyment for all.
Show hours:
Friday, September 19 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, September 20 – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, September 21 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Purchase tickets here and use code L3825 at checkout for $5 off any ticket type.
One Month Free at Alameda Marina
Pink Sailing at the Vallejo Yacht Club Beer Can Race
Wednesdays at the Vallejo Yacht Club are for beer can races — wind, food and beer included. Last Wednesday was the VYC’s annual Pink Sail race, a fundraiser for breast cancer that the club has done every year since 2010. Everyone was wearing pink shirts, but since it was overcast, you wouldn’t know it until the race was over and everybody was getting in line for their chili dinner. As part of the Pink Sail, only women were at the helm of the 10 competing sailboats.
I’ve sailed in fewer than a dozen of these races, always aboard Lean Times, co-owned by retirees Dale and Denny. While they take turns steering the boat, every race turns into an exercise in micromanaging and backseat driving. This time, there was a third voice: our captain, Valerie, who called Dale and Denny “the echoes of mansplaining.”
My experience with the sport so far has led me to describe beer can racing as the slowest form of racing with the highest amount of relative stress available. The race was eventful.
As we were preparing to cast off, we realized that the batteries were dead. Since diesel motors don’t come with kick-starters, we spent the next 10 minutes charging the batteries while exchanging conspiracy theories and subtle accusations of why they hadn’t been charged. The gossip lasted long enough to get us running. As we left the harbor, the first of many sighs of, “Jesus!” was heard. With little time before the starting horn, we tacked once and crossed the start line within a minute of entering the strait.
The wind was around 20 knots, while we made a modest six. The day’s course sent us to the Carquinez Bridge, around its buoy, and back. This is Vallejo Yacht Club; you won’t find any modern racers here. We were just relieved to be sailing. “Things are way better than they were 10 minutes ago,” someone said.
The wind was gusty, heeling us over and to leeward. “We’ve got good wind till the eye can see,” our captain said, while I wondered what she was looking at. Mostly we just kept our eyes on the rival behind us, Adventure, who was gaining fast as we remained stuck in the middle of the pack. “We’re all killing each other in the wind and they’re just catching up,” said someone.
Exiting the strait, we passed the abandoned Sperry Mills factory and half-sunken paddlewheeler Grand Romance on one side, the old Navy bunkers on the other.
As I listened to the crew’s jabber, I was brought back to the linguistics class I’d taken in college, wondering where the meaning was in all of the jargon around me. “Is our vane kind of loose, can we spill off more? Seems like there’s a lot of spillage,” someone said. I questioned at what point in history boats became women: “Keep her up, keep her up,” said one retiree. “I’m going to harden up and turn right,” captain Valerie responded.
I realized tardily that they were also speaking to me. “Seriously, dude, put the pen down,” the starboard grinder grumbled. I did my duty pulling in lines for a couple of tacks and went back to scribbling.
We picked up a knot of speed as we streamlined toward the bridge. Looking back, we saw one of the boats had spun out 180 degrees and wondered what kind of nonsense was going on. “Did a man fall overboard?” Turns out one vessel had snagged and ripped out another’s lifelines. The guilty captain was a woman who usually sails with us but had been “requisitioned” by another crew short on women for today’s Pink Sail. She confessed to me it was more mortal embarrassment than actual damage.
We headed back without issue. Once we passed the jetty we cracked open the beers. IPAs were today’s refreshment. Regardless of what kind, it’s “the best beer of the week,” Denny said. As we dropped back down to five knots, the conversation veered to hot dogs.
After we crossed the finish line, to our amazement, the engine started. As we pulled into the harbor, another 10 minutes were spent practicing communication skills while yelling, as club volunteers got busy rafting all the boats together in preparation for August’s marina dredging. This was the last race of July.
We sat down, had dinner, drank more beer, and waited for the result. We came first in our division. And thankfully we weren’t disqualified for crashing into someone. Sorry, Marie. It was my favorite race yet. “Nothing quite like the sound of the wind in my hearing aids,” Denny concluded.
The race raised $2,600, to be donated to the American Cancer Society, and the yacht club invites other sailors to come over and join the festivities next year.
Transpac 2025 — Unplugged No More
“Elon Musk dominates 2025 Transpac.” Well, that is not exactly what it sounds like, but rumor has it that all but one vessel had the Starlink system aboard. This essentially gives you high-speed internet capability no matter where you are in the world.
Define “high speed” and where in the world you are, and maybe there’s more to the story. I can tell you this: Internet accessibility changes the ocean racing game. The Transpac YC committee puts strict limits on what can be accessed. If it provides you with information that will help you win the yacht race and it costs money, then it is off limits. If the information is free and publicly available, have at it. This access brings with it another layer of concern from the captains. Would their crew simply play on their phones, take pictures of sunsets, and surf internet dating sites while racing, or would they concentrate on sail trim and push their vessel onto the podium? Of course, the fast boats were able to find their way out front even with this distraction. Elon was not able to create havoc on the race course, intended or not.
In fact, maybe that was some of the allure of being offshore, to get a break from the it-can-absolutely-positively-be there-overnight world we live in. A typical watch lasts four hours (not on TikTok) on the trip across the pond, and the flight home can be less than six hours. In the ancient history of yacht racing, i.e., the 1980s, many ocean races banned integrated electronics that calculated things like VMG, COG and SOG. LORAN and RDF were allowed, but any kind of satellite communication was strictly forbidden. Now vessels are required to carry tracking devices, and even crew members have personal satellite location devices in case they fall overboard.
Navigation is now perceived to be less daunting. Folks who never would have dared to head offshore with a sextant in one hand and a paper chart in the other are now emboldened by computer screens and the ability to call in the cavalry if they get their butt in a sling.
Historically, we would spread out pilot charts and use historical data from race-winning boats to try to divine trends and tendencies. Ocean Station November and Point Most were the critical areas where it seemed as if most boats did well. Old platitudes like, “Go south till the butter melts, then turn right …” were a guiding principle. Who still brings butter?
The 2025 fleet started on three separate days, slow boats on Tuesday, July 1; these vessels typically take 11–13 days for the passage. Two days later, vessels expecting a 9- or 10-day passage crossed the line, and finally, two days after that, and after taking in the Los Angeles Fourth of July fireworks, the turbo rocket sleds. They started on July 5 and can cover the course in five days or less, given the correct conditions.
This year, the Pacific High pressure system squatted down on the fleet, making for lighter breezes in general and eliminating opportunities for course records. A crescent-shaped piece of the High broke off and drifted down onto the fleet. Some drove north to cross into a better breeze; other vessels dove south to avoid this soft-breeze area, while others held to the rhumb line, hoping the shortest course was the fastest.
Don’t Miss the Latitude 38 Fall Crew Party
Don’t miss the Latitude 38 Fall Crew List Party in Sausalito Thursday, September 4, 2025 at Spaulding Marine Center. Whether you’re cruising to Mexico, racing this winter, or just want to meet local sailors, this is your chance to find a boat, find a ride, or find crew. Tickets and more info here.