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Gnarly Weekend on S.F. Bay

By Christine Weaver | March 7, 2016 | San Francisco Bay Area |
A parade of J/120s at StFYC’s Spring One Design on Sunday, with a parade of J/105s going the opposite way in the background. Sunday was the drier of the two days on the Cityfront.

© Erik Simonson

The forecast ranged from the dire (gale warnings for Saturday afternoon) to the merely uncomfortable (rain for sure, hail possible). Which left yacht racers and clubs with the question of whether to proceed with the weekend’s events.

A capsized ‘Byte Babe’ at RYC’s Midwinters on Sunday. Byte champ Michele Logan commented that Bytes are "very difficult downwind in those conditions."

© Richmond Yacht Club

In the no-go column were Richmond YC’s Sail a Small Boat Day on Saturday and El Toro fleet on Sunday, Mercurys on the Estuary, and Tiburon YC’s last Midwinter race. In the ‘it’s a go’ column were the final Vallejo YC Midwinter race, Golden Gate YC’s final Seaweed Soup race on Saturday, St. Francis YC’s two-day Spring One Design, and the rest of the classes at RYC’s Small Boat Midwinters and Sausalito YC’s final Midwinter race on Sunday.

The Moore 24 Incognito (ex-Cal) rounds up in a gust during the Spring One Design on Sunday.

© Erik Simonson

The lightly-attended GGYC race consisted of a two-lap white-sail reach-reach along the Cityfront in a puffy southerly that easily overcame the strong ebb. The regatta’s awards ceremony followed after everyone finished the quick race. Hank Easom and crew on the 8-Meter Yucca won the big Seaweed Soup bowl for the first time since 2009. If we counted on our fingers correctly, this makes the seventh time for Hank and Yucca!

Yucca, Snowy Owl and Relentless were the only three boats that started the 15-boat PHRF 3 division at Saturday’s GGYC Seaweed Soup Midwinters. J/105s rounding a weather mark in the Spring One Design can be seen in the background.

latitude/Chris
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC

We’ll have more in the April issue of Latitude 38, including final results from many of the Bay Area Midwinter series wrapping up in March.

The Ericson 911S Shanti, sailing in the rain on Mare Island Strait in the VYC Midwinter.

© 2016 Martha Blanchfield

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