Prost to Fast Sailing: Oakland YC’s 2026 Oktoberfest Race
Looking for the perfect way to put the icing on your summer racing strudel? Dust off your foulies — and maybe your lederhosen — because the Oakland Yacht Club (OYC) Oktoberfest Race is back on Saturday, October 3!
So what’s it all about? Around 2012 OYC member and (then) race chair John Tuma created the OYC Oktoberfest race. The idea was to have a celebration of fall as the last race of OYC’s racing season.
The course featured a South Bay start at the entrance channel to the Alameda Naval Air Station, a circumnavigation of Treasure Island in either direction, and a finish down the Estuary in front of the Oakland Yacht Club. To encourage creativity, three seconds per mile were added to the boat’s PHRF for each crew member wearing lederhosen or dirndl, and creative license was allowed as long as it was in the “spirit of lederhosen.” And yes, there was duct tape!
The race committee recorded those in costume, and at times gave discretionary points for singing and dancing, as long as it fit the theme. OYC has run this race every year since. But it’s 2026, and it’s been decided it’s time for some changes!
Whether you race hard for the podium or simply love a scenic tour around San Francisco Bay followed by cold beer and great camaraderie, the OYC Oktoberfest delivers the best of both worlds.
The Ultimate Bay Tour: South Bay, Central Bay and the Estuary
Why settle for a simple windward-leeward when you can experience distance, breeze, tricky currents and close-quarters tactical racing, all in a single afternoon?
Starting off the Alameda Naval Air Station Channel entrance (NAS1), the race takes fleets across the dynamic waters of the South Bay, around Central Bay marks near Treasure Island, and down the picturesque Oakland Estuary to a spectator-friendly finish right off the OYC race deck.
With course options ranging from seven to 14 nautical miles, the race committee has tailored routes to match the day’s conditions and keep racing fast, competitive and fun.
Fleets for Everyone
OYC’s Oktoberfest race welcomes a wide spectrum of racers. If enough boats sign up, we’ll have Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker fleets, Multihulls, and One-Design starts.
After-Party and Costume Awards
The racing on the water is only half the fun. Once boats are made fast at the docks, it’s after-party time.
Break out your finest lederhosen and dirndl! Special non-race prizes given to the best-dressed crews!
Round up your crew, dial in your ratings, pick out your Bavarian attire, and let’s go racing.
Contact race chair Debby Ratto at [email protected] or (510) 390-1620.
Good Jibes #256: Gilles Combrisson on Full Boat Restorations and Carbon Fiber, With Host John Arndt
After an unexpected hiatus, we’re back! In this week’s episode of Good Jibes, we chat with Gilles Combrisson about every boat restoration imaginable and the pros and cons of carbon fiber. Gilles is a Bay Area sailor, rigger and carbon aficionado who just got back from sailing his restored Wylie 39 Lightspeed to second in class in the 2026 Pacific Cup.
Tune in as Gilles shares with Good Jibes host John Arndt the details of his restoration of Lightspeed, how to restore an old boat, whether carbon fiber is right for your boat, how to create memories cruising and even racing with your family, and how we can preserve sailing in the Bay.
Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- From Amazon rain forest nonprofit work to restaurant shifts to apprenticing under Scott Easom
- Where carbon makes sense
- Where the rigging world is heading
- What’s next for Lightspeed
- Honest advice on old-boat projects
Learn more about Gilles at GCMarine.net
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Check out the episode and show notes for much more detail.
Steering the Dream With Hydrovane
Hydrovane is your best crew member: an independent self-steering windvane and emergency rudder/steering system … ready to go!
A Change in the Sailing Season Is Underway
It was another spectacular weekend on the Bay, but the days are shorter and how we spend them is shifting. We finished the Friday night race at 7:36, which was eight minutes before the official sunset, and the time limit to finish is always 15 minutes after sunset. That’s a lot earlier than our 8:35 sunset on the June 21 solstice.
Despite the earlier sunset, the air was warm, the sky clear, the water flat and the breeze steady, and we had good friends on board. To have all those conditions contained in one evening is pretty much sailing nirvana. Contrast that with the stormy, rainy Parkinson’s Regatta in April and you’d think these conditions are necessary to the fun. But everyone’s smile after that day of racing reminds us that a thrash on board can be an even more exciting adventure.
After a visit to Hood Sails and Spaulding Marine Center on Friday afternoon as part of the Latitude 38 work “grind,” our sales rep, Maddy Garcia, joined us to grind winches for our Friday night buoy tour around the Knox course. For some reason, participation slips as the season goes by, but the sailing was as good as ever. Maddy was on the trim team that got us around the Easom buoy and Knox, and home.
The last race of the CYC season is this coming Friday, and with that, we look forward to fall sailing and taking care of some boat projects. There are always boat projects, but in fall and winter, the sailing-vs.-boat-project ratio shifts toward projects. Below are a couple on the list.
Winter means it’s time for a refresh on the dock lines in our slip. It’s actually overdue. You can see a very worn shackle holding a weakening dock line to the secure ring on our dock. It’s always worth preparing your boat for winter, and the mysterious El Niño winter may be better than usual or may be worse. We’ll try to be ready for anything.
This looks more problematic. While checking the engine oil, we saw that the bellows holding the grease lubricating the U-joint at the back end of the transmission had been rubbing against the hull for who knows how long, allowing the grease to slowly ooze out through a small hole. Dang. Have you ever had a problem like that? It looks as if a trip to the boatyard will be necessary sometime soon.
While we were out racing on Friday, the club’s Cal 20 went sailing by with the Moore family of four. It’s a good reminder that you don’t have to own a boat to sail; you don’t have to race to get out there; and very inexpensive and simple boats can give you as much pleasure as any boat on the Bay.
We’re looking forward to California’s fall sailing season and also checking off a few more projects on the list.
An Unexpected Sailing Love Triangle
Sometimes, a little connection is the catalyst for greater things. A couple of weeks ago, we shared that Latitude 38 reader and contributor Justin Jenkins was ready to sell his 1970 Cheoy Lee Luders 36 Sisko. Justin placed a “For Sale” ad in Latitude’s Classy Classifieds, and we shared Justin’s story about what Sisko had done for him over his almost decade-long relationship with his boat: “This boat healed me. She challenged me, taught me patience, and gave me confidence.” Today we share Justin’s reflections on the almost synchronistic love triangle that led to finding Sisko’s new owner.
Shortly after I decided to sell Sisko, something happened that I never could have planned. It was my birthday, and I had a few friends down at the boat playing music. My friends Reuben and Corbin came over, and at some point I mentioned to Reuben that Sisko was for sale.
I’ve known Reuben for about six years. We first met at Ayala Cove on Angel Island, where we were both on moorings. He was aboard Adriana, the sailboat he still owns with a partner. We started talking, became friends, and have stayed connected ever since.
What I didn’t know until recently was that Reuben had had a crush on Sisko from the first time he saw her.
I immediately understood that, because the same thing happened to me with Simpatica, my Grand Banks trawler. Her previous owner, Anthony Galdes, is a good friend of mine. When I was living aboard at Oyster Point, I’d have dinner with Anthony and his lovely partner Maria on Simpatica, and I remember thinking what a beautiful boat she was. Years later, somehow, she became mine. Now Anthony has moved on to the Beneteau 47 Vivante, and he and I are getting ready to do the Baja Ha-Ha together aboard his new boat. Meanwhile, Reuben is bringing Sisko into the same marina as Simpatica. Somehow, instead of these boats taking us in different directions, they’ve brought this little sailing family even closer together.
After I told Reuben that Sisko was for sale, he started asking questions. He wanted to know about Alfred Luders, who designed her; her construction and history; and what it would be like to sail her with his family. Then he read the article about Sisko, and something clicked.
What became clear was that Reuben wasn’t simply looking for another sailboat. He appreciated what Sisko is: an older boat with remarkable craftsmanship and a history worth preserving. He wants a safe, well-built boat to sail with his kids, and he wants to learn how to care for her himself. He used two words that really stayed with me: stewardship and apprenticeship.
I’ve spent years learning from sailors, shipwrights and carpenters who were generous enough to share their knowledge with me. Now I’ll have the opportunity to do the same for Reuben — to walk him through the systems, teach him how I care for the brightwork, work on projects together, and pass along the little things I’ve learned about this particular boat.
Yesterday I took Sisko out for my last sail as her owner. There’s definitely sadness in that. This boat represents an enormous chapter of my life and a direction I once imagined my life taking. Letting her go means accepting that my course has changed. But sailing teaches you that it’s OK to change course.
What makes this transition so special is knowing Sisko is going to my homie. She’s staying in this beautiful sailing family of friends who sail together, help each other, teach each other, and genuinely care for one another.
Reuben notices the things that matter to me. He appreciates the old ship’s bell clock. He sees the craftsmanship in the joinery and the care that went into restoring and maintaining this boat. He understands that all those hours of work weren’t put into Sisko because I thought someday I’d get every dollar back. I did it because I cared about her.
There are things worth caring for simply because their value goes beyond money. The craftsmanship, history and adventures, and the people who have cared for these old boats, become part of their story. That’s what makes letting Sisko go feel so different from what I expected. I’m not just selling my boat. I’m passing the torch to another amazing human who will carry her spirit on. And I still get to be part of what comes next!
Feeling so grateful for everyone at Latitude 38. For Reuben and Anthony, for the readers, and for all the sailors, past, present and future. May we all do what we can to preserve the art of adventuring!
Sailing into the September Racing Preview
Labor Day Weekend Regattas
If you’re not sailing your sand yacht in the Black Rock Desert this Labor Day Weekend, you may want to check out these events for your nautical yacht:
The Jazz Cup on Saturday, September 5, offers one last opportunity this summer to race downwind to a warm destination with a raft-up and party. The race starts north of Treasure Island and finishes in Benicia. The race started as a challenge between South Beach YC and Benicia YC, but all boats (18-ft-plus) are welcome, including PHRF- and BAMA-rated entries and one designs.
On September 5-6, Encinal YC will host the Millimeter Nationals on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary.
“The 2026 South Bay Championship and 2026 Open 5.70 North American Championship regattas are just around the corner, with two days of racing on September 5-6,” writes Tom Borgstrom, the rear commodore of Sequoia YC in Redwood City. “Have you signed up yet on Jibeset? We will have a committee boat (thank you, PYSF!) and are targeting five windward-leeward races just south of the San Mateo Bridge. The winner will have their names inscribed on the perpetual trophy, awarded every year since 1945.” There’s also a perpetual trophy for the Open 5.70 winner. “Each boat registration will include one Saturday dinner and a beverage of your choice; crew and non-racers can sign up for dinner here.”
Adding in the Monday holiday to the fun, RS Fest will sail out of Richmond YC on September 5-7. Teras, Fevas, Aeros and RS21s are invited, and the Fest will serve as the Pacific Coast Championships for the Aeros.
Up north, Humboldt YC will host the Redwood Regatta on Big Lagoon Saturday-Monday.
On Sunday the 6th only, Inverness YC will run the Hog Island Race on Tomales Bay.
Later in the Month
Berkeley YC’s Big Windward Leeward on September 12 will also wrap up this year’s YRA In the Bay Series. See www.jibeset.net/BYC000.php?RG=T001514733.
Tahoe YC’s Dinghy Regatta and ILCA Fleet Championships will sail out of Tahoe City, near the Lake Forest launch ramp, on September 12-13. For more regattas on Lake Tahoe, see our post on August 24.
On the 19th and 20th, RYC are making their multihull regatta more inclusive. The Double Trap Invitational is open to beach cats and double-trapping monohull dinghies under 21-ft.
South Beach YC’s Red Bra Regatta women-skipper race for all-female crews will be on September 26.
San Francisco YC will host the Knarr S.F. Bay Championship and Fall One-Design Regatta on September 26-27. In addition to the Knarr fleet, Wylie Wabbits and Folkboats are invited.
The Women’s Match Racing World Championship will come to St. Francis YC. The regatta will start on September 30 and run through October 4. The club’s matched fleet of J/22s will serve as the weapon of choice.
Down the Coast
On September 19, singlehanders and doublehanders will race from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay with the Singlehanded Sailing Society. Post-race festivities will follow at Half Moon Bay YC. Learn more and register on Jibeset.
The Moore 24 fleet will celebrate an amazing half century(!) at their 50th anniversary Nationals at Santa Cruz YC on September 24-27. Entries close today, August 31, at 9 p.m. Speaking of amazing, 78 boats were signed up as of this morning. See https://scyc.org/regatta/vuTMUSdJY9 for all the info and to register. For more Moore, see our post on August 17.
HMBYC will host team racing on September 26. “We will be running two-boat teams, with on-the-water umpires,” writes Joe Rockmore of HMBYC. “Here is your opportunity to do something that is not simply fleet racing. For those of you who have never done team racing, I have heard it referred to as a combination of sailboat racing and bumper cars. No experience necessary; we will tell you how it works and the preferred tactics in the skipper’s meeting before racing.”
Monterey Peninsula YC will host the Mercury Nationals on September 25-27.
In Southern California
San Diego YC will host:
- the Finn PCCs on September 11-13;
- the Snipe PCCs and the Star Pitcher Regatta on September 12-13;
- the Cruiser Cup (ex-Beneteau Cup) on September 19-20;
- and the Beneteau First 36.7 West Coast Championship on September 26-27.
Long Beach YC will run the Butler Cup, a World Sailing Grade 3 match-racing regatta, using Catalina 37s, on September 26-27.
You’d think that with summer winding down, yacht racing would be petering out in September. Not so! Many more races than we could possibly list here invite you to join in — including several more on Labor Day Weekend. Check out a longer list in our Calendar section, coming out tomorrow in the September issue of Latitude 38.
Sign Up Now for the 32nd Annual Baja Ha-Ha
Get off the fence and down to the docks for the greatest fun you’ll have all year — the 2026 Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally to Mexico. The thousands of sailors who’ve done it before you can’t all be wrong. Sign up, join the fleet and get ready for a fun cruise south this November.