Berkeley Yacht Club Hosts Its First Midwinter Races
On November 8 and 9, Berkeley Yacht Club (BYC) hosted the first two of eight total races in their midwinter series. Each day saw one race sailed in light to moderate, sunny conditions. Saturday’s racing saw 20 boats compete across three different PHRF divisions. Participation nearly doubled on Sunday, with 44 boats showing up to race in six divisions.
Saturday’s racing was entirely made up of PHRF racers. PHRF Fleet One, comprising boats with a rating less than 85, had six competitors and was won by John Kernot’s C&C 115 Raven (RYC). Beating the winner boat-to-boat but finishing two minutes behind the winner on corrected time was Nesrin Basoz’s J/111 Swift Ness (RYC).
PHRF Fleet Two was won in both real and adjusted time by WYSIWYG (RYC), an Olson 30 owned by Hendrik Bruhns. Charlie Brochard’s Ericson Olson 34 Baleineau (RYC) took second, finishing just over two minutes behind WYSIWYG in adjusted time, and a little more than that in real time. John Oldham’s Melges 20 Rooster (StFYC) rounded out the podium.
The third and final of Saturday’s PHRF fleets was won by Lickety Split (TYC), a Santa Cruz 27 sailed by Rick Raduziner. In second was The Flying Tiger (RYC), Vaughn Seifers’ Moore 24. Third place went to Jim Carlsen’s S&S 30 Free (RYC).
In contrast to Saturday, Sunday’s racing was not only PHRF. Of the six fleets, only two were full-on PHRF fleets. Two more fleets used adjusted time, but their main feature was being single- and doublehanded fleets. Finally, there were two one-design fleets: Express 27 and Alerion 28.
PHRF One was won by Swift Ness, beating out Rooster for the day. Both boats returned from racing on Saturday to compete on Sunday. PHRF Two was won by a J/24, Froglips (RYC), skippered by Richard Stockdale.
Lickety Split also returned on Sunday, but this time to race specifically in the 10-boat-deep doublehanded division, which they won. They finished two minutes ahead of Nathan Bossett and Nathalie Criou in their Figaro 2 Envolée (SSS). Third went to Colin Moore’s Wylie Wabbit Kwazy (RYC). Two more Wabbits also raced, nearly enough for a one-design class.
Doug Kidder’s Synergy 1000 Soliton (RYC) won the singlehanded division, which comprised seven boats. Second was the Wyliecat 30 Uno sailed by David Herrigel. Third place went to an Alerion Express in the form of Surprise! (RYC), sailed by Bob Johnston.
The Express 27 fleet was the first of two one-design fleets, and was won by Seth Clark’s Current Affair (RYC). Steven Katzman’s Dianne (RYC) and Ross Groelz’s Eagle (SLTWYC) rounded out the Express podium. In total, eight Expresses competed, primarily boats from RYC and the South Lake Tahoe Windjammers Yacht Club. California’s Express fleet features a strong Tahoe contingent, most of whom snowbird in Richmond each winter.
The Alerion 28s were the other one-design class. Fred Paxton and Arnie Quan won in Zenaida (RYC). Recently crowned Ruth Wosser Trophy winners Chris and Denise Kramer were second in Sweet De (RYC). Chris Hermann’s Althea (SFYC) rounded out the Alerion podium and the day of racing.
BYC’s next midwinter races are scheduled for the weekend of December 13 and 14.