First Weekend of Summer and the Singlehanded Transpac

Our plans for the first weekend of summer are relatively simple. We’ll do the Friday night beer can races and sail with friends on Saturday. Sunday, we plan to head out to watch the start of the 2023 Singlehanded Transpac Race. Now that’s a different way to start your summer of sailing. The weekend forecast for the Bay Area looks breezy with some cool fog, but also mostly clearing for some sun and fun, brisk sailing. Conditions may vary.

Eighteen boats plan to start the SHTP for the 2400-nautical-mile sail on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. off the Golden Gate Yacht Club. Boats range in size from 27- to 42-ft and will take about two weeks to complete the course, plus or minus several days depending on the boat and the racing conditions. Brendan Huffman did the SHTP in 2021 and is back to do it again this year. He talked about it in one of our first Good Jibes podcasts. Listen here.

If you head out on Sunday morning to cheer them on, give them a wide berth. They’re racing and only have one person aboard, giving them limited maneuverability. Plus, they need to be well-rested for the 2400 miles of sailing ahead.

For the rest of us, there will be picnics at Angel Island, anchoring at Clipper Cove or Paradise Cove, or the opportunity for a nice long daysail in the classic Bay loop. We’ll be thankful we’re not managing tropical storm Bret in the Caribbean or 114-degree heat in Texas. Thinking about that helps you appreciate wearing a little fleece on San Francisco Bay.

Our May 2008 story, Guide to Bay Sailing, outlines the course that usually keeps the Bay breezes manageable and captures all the spectacular views and vistas around the Bay. If you leave very early Saturday morning, you’ll catch the Doublehanded Farallones racers heading out for a loop around the islands, and later you’ll catch the Half Moon Bay race heading out the Gate, or the Knarrs and Folkboats racing in the StFYC Woodies Invitational. And if you’re running down alongside Crissy Field after the breeze picks up, you’ll have plenty of wing foilers, kiteboarders and windsurfers leaping off your wake.

Summertime is sailing time, so we’re looking forward to a weekend on the Bay. We hope we see you out there on Summer Sailstice weekend. If you snag some photos of your weekend of sailing, send them here.