Four Boats Sail the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s 2026 LongPac
Every other year, in the even years, opposite the Singlehanded Transpacific Race, the Singlehanded Sailing Society (SSS) puts on the Great Pacific Longitude Race, aka LongPac.
This year we had five boats sign up for the challenge: Uno, a Wyliecat 30, JouJou, a Capo 30, Galaxsea, a Nauticat 44, Minami Kazi, a Beneteau 361 and Rainbow, a Crowther 10m catamaran.
Due to predicted light conditions outside the Gate, the racers opted to postpone their June 20, 0900, start time until the next ebb — starting at 1900 hours. All boats except Uno, who opted out with too long of a to-do list, checked in between 1830 and 1855. Minami Kazi almost didn’t make it as he couldn’t hear the race committee with the squelch on the VHF turned up too high. At 1855 the first warning was announced and the countdown began.
JouJou nailed the start, followed by Galaxsea, Rainbow and Minami Kazi. With 18–20 knots of breeze in the Slot, the racers made quick progress toward the Gate.
The race committee, who had set up on the seawall in front of Golden Gate Yacht Club, packed up and headed to dinner. Jim Q., the SSS commodore, hosted Greg A., Jackie P. and David H. for dinner at StFYC. Thank you, Jim.
From there we dispersed to watch the tracker on Jibeset Race TV and monitor check-ins. JouJou headed back around 0400 and Minami Kazi around 0630 Sunday morning. JouJou reported batteries discharging too rapidly and not wanting to get into a low-/no-power situation. Minami Kazi decided to return when wind threatened to increase to 25+ and seas along with it. Nothing wrong with being prudent. Good seamanship all around.
The LongPac is a 400-mile sail out to longitude 126°40′ and back. Completing it qualifies you and your boat to participate in the Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race. Veteran sailors describe it as starting a Hawaii race, sailing the worst part of it, then turning around and sailing right back through it! I can attest to it! You and your boat are thoroughly tested. Routing, sailing, rigging, eating, hydration, rest, you name it.
Rainbow and Galaxsea, both multiple veterans of this race, pressed on, checking in as required. Galaxsea did mention it was rough. Coming from him that means something! Both boats made the waypoint at 126°40’W and headed back to the Golden Gate. Rainbow crossed first and finished off Harding Rock Tuesday at 13:50:06 with an elapsed time of 2:18:50:06. Galaxsea faced some lighter wind getting in past the Lightship and finished Tuesday night at 23:22:20, elapsed time 3:04:22:20. Rainbow corrected to win by just four minutes.
A Sticker Shows Hints of Progress on the Oakland Estuary
Could the tide finally be turning on the cleanup and maintenance of the Oakland Estuary? While expectations are low, the derelict, abandoned and illegally anchored boats in the Estuary have received some attention from some of the agencies and authorities responsible for managing the treasured (by boaters) waters along the Oakland shoreline.
Following growing scrutiny from Latitude 38 and numerous local media organizations, the San Jose Mercury News reported that police and other law enforcement agencies have finally started to enforce the law. This starts with a sticker, but is moving toward impoundment and removal of sunken, abandoned and illegally moored boats. This is a relief to the East Bay Rowing Club and the thousands of boaters who play on the Estuary all summer long.
The scrutiny of this very troubled corner of the Bay follows the tireless lobbying of concerned citizens like Brock de Lappe, Mary Spicer with the I Heart Oakland-Alameda Estuary organization, and Heather Krakora and the East Bay Rowing Club. It’s a very small but important step toward what everyone hopes will be increased attention to the waterfront, which most cities see as a crown jewel of their geography.
Though the problem of abandoned boats is most severe in Oakland it isn’t limited to there. Brock sent the photo above of another boat that washed up onto a beach in Alameda.
It quickly had a sticker applied by the East Bay Regional Park Authority, giving hope that it will be cleared out more quickly than the 40+ boats that lie sunken in the Oakland Estuary.
While the vision of a clean, safe and accessible Estuary appears to remain far in the future, we’re ready to recognize the small steps being made along the way.
Premier Vessel Care at Safe Harbor
The Baja Ha-Ha — It’s Filled With Friends You Haven’t Met Yet
Husband and wife John Walsh and Liz Newkirk each made their own way down to San Diego for the 2025 Baja Ha-Ha. In January we shared John’s story of his preparation and solo sail from Mendocino to San Diego, where he reunited with Liz. We also shared Liz’s story, in which she shared her perspective of the lead up to and the subsequent sail to Mexico. This month we hear from the couple again as John reflects on the good times had with all the new friends they made during and after the Baja Ha-Ha, proving that you don’t need to know anyone to have a fun time of it; you just need to go!
Ondina, our wonderful 1978 Cal 29-2, made an incredible journey as the smallest boat in the 2025 Baja Ha-Ha. The pre-departure plan, such as it was, consisted of my saying, “Well, if I make it to San Diego; and if my lovely wife Liz meets me there; and if we make it to Cabo — well, we’re probably not going to just turn around and head back home!”
As it turns out, I did make it singlehanded from San Francisco to San Diego the last two weeks of October; Liz did meet me there; we did make it to Cabo; and we didn’t stop there. From Cabo, we headed to San Jose, La Paz, and finally up to Puerto Escondido, which has become the new temporary home of our beloved vessel. Plenty of wonderful adventures continued to unfold over the following months.
After getting into PE back in December, we felt it was a good place to leave the boat and go home for the holidays. That ended my two-and-a-half-month stretch of living aboard, two months of which I shared with Liz in the limited space of our 29-ft boat. Boy, did we learn some things about relationships! Luckily, we also met some wonderful people along the way, and of course spent plenty of time in new-to-us amazing anchorages.
First, we met Maxim of Pearl from Washington. He did the Ha-Ha with his partner Maxi, though we did not cross paths until La Paz. Quickly known to us as “the Maxes,” they shared time with us in various places at various times, and as recently as a couple of weeks ago. They are a wonderful young couple whom we are grateful to have met and look forward to seeing again.
Another great couple were Steve and Julie on Brother Wind. We first crossed paths with them in San Evaristo. It was fairly windy when we pulled in there, and our first pass at anchoring brought us fairly close to their boat. Because sweet Julie, in her perfect UK accent, just said, “Why, hullo there!” while waving, we made a point to dinghy over after we got settled to say hello. And good thing we did, because they are a riot. And thankfully so, as we ended up being “weather locked” in San Evaristo for three or four days. Along with the wind came rain — like real, proper rain — day after day. This was also where our lack of refrigeration really caught up with us. Up until that point, we had done OK (barely), but in San Evaristo, there was only one little tienda, with no ice. Fortunately, the little restaurant on the beach had cold beers and would sell them with food orders as well as for takeaway. Needless to say, we went there for lunch every day!
While there, we also met Dan and Eric on Jangler for the first time. Now, the only thing I can say about meeting them and running into them many more times up to and including PE is that it would take about two or three installments to even start to convey all of the tomfoolery we got up to together. Very, very good times.
Continue here to read about more friends and frivolity.
San Francisco Yacht Club’s Annual Elite Fleet Regatta Captured on Video
The San Francisco Yacht Club hosted its annual Elite Fleet Regatta in mid-May. The regatta heralded a return to full fleet competition for many teams following a slightly reduced spring schedule. The event also served as the Pacific Coast Championship for the Moore 24 class, which continues to draw strong participation as it builds momentum toward its 50th National Championship in Santa Cruz later this season.
More than 60 boats and 300 competitors took to the water under light-to-moderate but variable wind conditions, placing a premium on tactics, boat handling and race strategy. To accommodate the large field, the race management team deployed two parallel drop-mark racecourses on the Berkeley Circle, allowing each of the six one-design fleets dedicated starts and ample space to find clear air and open lanes.
With generous support from event sponsors — Ferrari of San Francisco, Valley Oak Wealth Management, Blue Water Yacht Harbor, UK Sailmakers San Francisco, and List Marine — SFYC delivered an outstanding regatta experience. Highlights included on-the-water videography of Saturday’s racing and competitor interviews. Watch the full highlight video here:
The San Francisco Yacht Club looks forward to hosting the Elite Fleet Regatta again next May and anticipates expanding the lineup with additional one-design fleets, including the Express 27s.
Check out a general Elite Fleet Regatta report from Latitude racing editor Fritz here.
Plus, see the complete regatta results here.
BoatUS/NWSA Leadership Award; Schooners and Classics Race; Moonlighting on the Water
Karen Prioleau Wins 2026 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award
Karen Prioleau of Newport Beach, California, has received the 2026 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award. The annual award, created in 1999 by BoatUS and the National Women’s Sailing Association (NWSA), recognizes a man or a woman for a record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing.
Karen is praised in the announcement: “Her unyielding dedication to educating sailors, exceptional leadership skills and a lifetime of work to promote opportunities for women make her a worthy recipient of the award.” It continues, “Her leadership has inspired countless women to endeavor to serve the sailing community as professionals [in] mariner careers on large private and charter yachts, cruise ships, passenger ferries, whale watching vessels and as instructors.”
Karen began her sailing career at the Long Beach Sea Base in Long Beach, California. She later joined the faculty at Orange Coast College (OCC) in Costa Mesa, where she coordinated their Offshore Sailing program and skippered the 65-ft SV Alaska Eagle with adult sailors on many offshore passages.
Karen received the award in Newport, Rhode Island, on June 16, ahead of her fourth Newport to Bermuda race, this year aboard SV Selkie. NWSA President Debby Grimm notes, “One pillar of the Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award is educating women in the sport of sailing. It was a pleasure meeting Karen Prioleau for the first time at our 2026 conference. She was a valuable instructor and met all our expectations with her knowledge and congeniality. Well-deserved, Karen!”
And that’s not all … for a thorough insight into Karen’s sailing history, tune in to our Good Jibes podcast #238: “Karen Prioleau on a Career of Teaching Sailing.”
Great San Francisco Schooner Race and Belvedere Classic Regatta
We love the scope of sailing that comes to life in the summertime. In this case, the classic and historic ships that get to unfurl their sails in a series of regattas over the season. Next up in the Bay-wide classics series, which includes the recently held Master Mariners Regatta, is the Great San Francisco Schooner Race and Belvedere Classic Regatta — now in its 17th year.
What began in 2008 as a schooner-only race has grown into a celebration of maritime heritage that brings together sailors, enthusiasts and maritime-history lovers to honor the craftsmanship and stories behind extraordinary wooden and classic yachts.
The regatta is open to classic-design yachts built in wood or metal, GRP [glass-reinforced plastic] boats designed over 50 years ago (30-ft minimum), and the Great S.F. Schooner Race welcomes all vessels with two or more masts. Racing begins at 12:15 p.m. near Point Knox with a Bay tour-style pursuit race for all fleets this year, not just the schooners.
The event is as much a celebration as a competition. Festivities include a Friday Skippers’ Reception with complimentary food and beverages, post-race awards on the Corinthian Deck, a no-host BBQ Saturday evening, and Sunday breakfast in the SFYC dining room. Guest berthing is available August 21–23.
Part of the Bay-wide classics series alongside the Master Mariners Regatta and the St. Francis Yacht Club’s Jessica Cup, this is a rare chance to race — and revel — among the most beautiful traditional vessels on the water.
Sign up now at https://sfycbelvedereclassic.org/. Registration closes August 19.
Sail Beneath the Full Moon on Sunday
Sunday is the full moon, and, Karl permitting, the Bay will be awash with light. A perfect time to be on the water for a gentle moonlight cruise. Perhaps you have a special occasion to celebrate, perhaps you’re hoping the date will be the start of something wonderful, perhaps you just like getting out on your boat. Whatever your motivation, take this as a sign that Sunday is your night on the water.
If you don’t have a boat, reach out to any of the skippers on our crew list. These folks are looking for more people to sail with, and they may be just as keen as you for a moonlight cruise.
Alternatively, you could hop aboard a Bay charter with one of the many boats that regularly cruise in sync with the lunar spectacular (does this make them lunatics?). For example, in the Bay Area, you could check out Freda B, Call of the Sea, San Francisco Bay Adventures … there are many more. Check out our list here.
Westwind Yacht Management — Washing, Waxing and Varnishing
Westwind Yacht Management: Premiere Yacht & Fleet services for the San Francisco Bay Area.