St. Francis Yacht Club California Dreamin’ Series Through the Lens
In March 2025, our cover photo was an image of Jacob Rosenberg wing foiling underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, taken by Bay Area sailor, swimmer, outrigger paddler and all-around water guy, Bryan McDonald. Well, Bryan’s been at it again, taking some amazing photos, this time at the recent St. Francis Yacht Club California Dreamin’ Series. Bryan was on the water on official business, shooting the action as sailors made their way around the course. When we came across some of Bryan’s photos on his social media pages, we knew we had to share them. A big thanks to Bryan for allowing us to republish the following photos of the J/22s and their crews and his commentary that accompanied each shot.
First regatta of the season, and she started out with a nor’easter blowing down the course. Spectacularly sunny conditions and warm weather invited shorts and T-shirts on the race course.
Photo 1: In celebration of International Women’s Day, I love this shot of Hailey Thompson and her crew of Renee Lehto, Allie Shand and Lana Coomes, all barefoot, except for the foredeck (which was a good call). In windier conditions, sailing barefoot can be hazardous to one’s health, as wet, slippery decks and bare aluminum travelers tend to not mix well with unprotected feet. But these ladies had everything firmly under control when it came to expert boat handling and getting around the course competitively. Hailey was part of the crew that won the US Sailing Women’s Match Racing Championship.
Photo 2: This is a rare shot of Olympian Russ Silvestri and his crew Mario Yovkov, Tyler Baeder and Juniper Spinelli flying their spinnaker TOWARD the Golden Gate Bridge. Normally, the prevailing west-southwest breeze has the orientation the other way around. A rare sight to see, to be sure. But Russ on top of any regatta results is the norm as his team placed third for the event.
Photo 3: The StFYC team of Shawn Bennett, Melissa Feagin (formerly Melissa Purdy), Ben Loutit, and Connor Bennett. Continuing the International Women’s Day theme, Melissa is quite the accomplished sailor: Olympic trialist, former world champion in the Yngling class, twice all-American sailor, America’s Cup sailor, and many more amazing achievements. Always such a delight to run into Melissa. But this shot paints a Southern California-esque vision of warm-weather sailing with Ben Loutit hiking hard with shorts on, with the background distorted by heat waves emanating from the streets, confusing the native San Franciscans with the uncharacteristically warmer air temps. Karl the Fog was nowhere to be seen; neither was the prevailing westerly sea breeze and steep chop that would, normally, instantly give Ben a cold San Francisco Bay shower on his bare legs to make him think twice about wearing shorts on the race course (They ended up fourth for the weekend.)
The invitational regatta was held March 7–8. Overall winners were the crew of Cameron Feves, Lukas Kraak, David Alexander and Jackson McCoy from the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club. You can see the full results here.
Here’s a small selection of Bryan’s photos from Day One of the California Dreamin’ Series. Click on the image for a larger view.
ILCA Sailor’s Reflection on Richmond YC Small Boat Midwinters
The Richmond Yacht Club Small Boat Midwinters series is held across four separate events, with this winter’s racing taking place on the first Sunday of each month, December through March. Jenny Maybee tells the story from an ICLA 6 sailor’s perspective.
This year’s Richmond Yacht Club Small Boat Midwinters delivered a full spectrum of Bay conditions, testing adaptability, endurance and tactical awareness across the ILCA 6 fleet. We miraculously got in all four days of sailing, an unusual winter occurrence. Overall Brendan Choi took first place, I took second, and Ernest Galvan took third.
Day one brought classic winter sailing: sunny skies, solid breeze and crisp, cold air. Four races were completed in steady conditions, with tight racing throughout the fleet and close battles upwind and downwind. We were grateful that the race committee had made the line long enough for both the ILCA 6 and 7 fleets to start at the same time.
Day two shifted dramatically. A slightly stormy and freezing start made staying warm and monitoring your level of shivering part of the necessary strategy. The breeze oscillated between dead spots and sharp gusts, demanding constant adjustment and patience. Despite the challenging conditions, four races were completed, and the day ended in spectacular fashion with clearing skies and vivid rainbows over the course.
Day three saw lighter air, with two races completed. In a crossover between the Bay and the concert stage, both Brendan and I were absent that weekend due to musical commitments — Brendan performed in a violin concert and I attended the Grammy Awards — before returning for the final day of racing.
The fourth and final day delivered near-perfect conditions: sunshine, steady breeze and a strong ebb that rewarded smart current management and confident mark roundings. Four more races wrapped up a competitive and varied series.
Throughout the event, the ILCA 6 fleet enjoyed close place battles, crowded mark roundings, the occasional capsize, and the added complexity of navigating traffic from other fleets sharing the course. Many a lively rule conversation was had due to the close-quarters racing. Brendan put together a consistently strong series to take first place overall, demonstrating impressive speed and control across the wide range of conditions.
Discover Profurl
The proven choice of bluewater cruisers and professionals around the world, Profurl’s C-Series Headsail Furlers are backed by an industry-best 10 Year Warranty.
And So, I Decided To Do the Ha-Ha — A Hilarious Tale of Heading South
A rollicking tale of mayhem and mishaps. Crews’ names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
Grace, a Traveler 32, Philip Rhodes double-ender, cutter-rigged, was my boat of choice, largely because she was floating and legally mine. I made all the proper arrangements: changes, fixes, additions, deletions, upgrades, downgrades, and several decisions I immediately questioned. Eventually there was nothing left to do but acquire crew.
Steve, my best friend, said he couldn’t get away long enough but could help me down the coast from San Francisco to San Diego. My cousin Don agreed to sail from San Diego to Cabo. Don didn’t have much offshore experience, but he had taken the Basic Keelboat course, which meant he possessed a certificate and confidence — two things that often travel together and are not always helpful.
For extra moral support around Point Conception (on the way back), I recruited Minnie and Pluto (also known as Guinevere and Lancelot) from the marina to join me on the Santa Barbara-to-S.F. leg. If nothing else, their names alone improved my odds.
My new girlfriend Susan, whom I had known for only a few weeks before announcing I would be vanishing at sea for a month-and-a-half, agreed to fly to San Diego and sail up to Newport Beach, where she was originally from. I would then singlehand the “fun run” from Newport to Santa Barbara. I should mention that most of my sailing is done singlehanded, so having crew felt vaguely illegal, as if I was breaking some longstanding personal rule.
Don and I decided a third crew member might be wise for the San Diego-to-Cabo leg, assuming we wanted to arrive with the boat, our sanity, and at least one functioning relationship intact. Thus began the adventure.
Before I left, Don and I attended the Latitude 38 Crew Party in Oakland, which is exactly what it sounds like: a room full of sailors enthusiastically overselling themselves. We interviewed several excellent candidates, but one stood out as precisely what the doctor, the insurance company, and probably my mother would have prescribed: Queenie.
Queenie was a 57-year-old single woman planning to continue south after the Ha-Ha. Age-wise, she fit right in — Don and I are both in our 60s — and her résumé was intimidatingly impressive: 36,000 offshore miles, first-aid certified, could cook, and was comfortable standing long watches at the helm. In short, she appeared to be the only adult among us. We agreed to meet at the Police Dock in San Diego two days before the Baja Ha-Ha Kick-Off Party — because nothing says “solid life choices” like assembling your offshore crew at a police dock.
Sailagram: A Snapshot of February Sailing
Welcome to this month’s Sailagram. February saw sailors out on the Bay, a few people sailing on the other coast, and one sailor reaching back into their own wayback machine. We hope you enjoy the gallery.
Spaulding Marine Center — Full-Service Boat Yard and Education Center
