California Gold Rush

Since its inception, San Francisco has been a destination for people in search of gold. This past weekend, two Bay Area sailors once again added gold-level performances to their already impressive sailing resumes.

Mike Martin and crew Adam Lowry ran away with the 5O5 North Americans, besting a fleet of 23 boats in classic Bay conditions. After their throwouts, the duo posted all bullets in a fleet that included seven prior world champions. The Thursday-through-Sunday event consisted of 11 races in a mix of conditions, including the long-distance Ronstan Bridge to Bridge and the usual blustery, summer Cityfront upwind legs in a flood. Those are conditions for a two-person, trapeze dinghy that planes upwind and that, beyond sailing challenges, creates a fitness and stamina test for all competitors.

"Current was a big factor," said Lowry, who cited a slight home field advantage. "It’s true of all of us who are part of the St. Francis team that when the current gets crazy, you know how to figure it into your tactics." Howie Hamlin from Southern California, a prior world champion with Mike Martin as crew, was very happy to take second, saying, "It’s never felt better to finish second. These guys are the best and no one was even near them." Ted Conrads and Jeffrey Nelson from Donner Lake took third.

Across the globe in Denmark, World Sailing hosted the Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 as a qualifier for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Though kiteboarding will not be included in the next Olympics, the class was still invited to compete. The Bay Area’s Daniela Moroz took yet another gold medal on her foiling kiteboard. Like Mike Martin, her score after throwouts showed straight bullets and — in fact, Daniela’s three throwouts in 16 races included one more first thrown in for good measure. 

With the addition of US Sailing’s FAST USA Center (Facility for Advanced Sailing and Technology) now moving onto Treasure Island to provide a permanent home for Olympic aspirants, the Bay Area is destined to continue its legacy of producing world-class sailors and participate in the ongoing quest for gold.