Fourth of July Sailing Preview

Planning to get the boat out to celebrate Independence Day? Why not drop into a race? With so many to choose from, there’s probably one near you.

During the day, Tiburon Yacht Club’s Brothers and Sisters Regatta sails from Paradise Cay in the North San Francisco Bay, into San Pablo Bay, around the eponymous island pairs, and back to the clubhouse, where a family-friendly party and barbecue awaits. See www.tyc.org. Monterey Peninsula YC’s 4th of July Regatta consists of three races for Shields and PHRF boats. See www.mpyc.org.

A little later, several clubs host Wednesday night beer can races. Here are a few from our Calendar (click on their names to go to their websites):

• Coyote Point YC (San Mateo)
• Richmond YC
• Wet Wednesday in Santa Cruz (a DIY race not officially hosted by SCYC, but followed by a barbecue at the club)
• Sequoia YC (Redwood City)
• Shoreline Lake (Mountain View) Laser racing
• Vallejo YC

Looking for fireworks you can watch from your boat? If you’re going to Barron Hilton’s Fireworks extravaganza at at Mandeville Tip in the Delta, better go a day early – they’ll be on July 3 this year. Further up the San Joaquin River, Stockton will set off fireworks on July 4 at Weber Point. You can also sail over to Benicia, Martinez, Sausalito, or San Francisco’s Pier 39 to see fireworks on July 4.

The Latitude 38 office will be closed this Wednesday in observance of Independence Day, and the hard-working ‘Lectronic Latitude will get the day off too. Happy Fourth!