January Racing Preview Plus More Midwinters

Race into 2023 with CYC or CPYC

The Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon invites singlehanders and doublehanders to shake off 2022 with a Resolution Regatta on Sunday, January 1. Enter no later than Saturday, December 31, at noon. The course will be a figure-8 pursuit around Angel Island and Alcatraz.

Coyote Point YC in San Mateo will likewise host a New Year’s Day Race, called Brrrr Rabbit (the number of r’s in the *shiver* seems to vary), kicking off their 2023 regatta series, which runs most first Saturdays throughout the year. They also offer Winter Races on the second and fourth Sundays from January through March.

Oakland YC Sunday Brunch Series

OYC’s Sunday Brunch Series will start on January 15 and run roughly every other Sunday until April. A speaker’s series precedes the races. First up on the 15th will be Kame Richards of Pineapple Sails, a true guru of Bay Area yacht racing. He’s recently downsized from the champion Express 37 Golden Moon to a Harbor 20, Obsession, which he races often on the Estuary (including in the Sunday Brunch Series). He’ll share his tips on sail trim. The presentation is free, but tax-deductible donations will be accepted for the Alameda Community Sailing Center. OYC requires an RSVP; send an email to [email protected] by 5 p.m. on the previous Saturday. Note the number of people going to the presentation and the number planning to eat brunch. The talk will begin at 10 a.m.; first gun is at 12:55 p.m. Sign up for the racing at www.jibeset.net/OYC000.php?RG=T001382083.

Update as of January 6: OYC posted on their Facebook page, “Please be advised Keynote Speaker Kame Richards’ talk on January 15 has been canceled. He will be rescheduling and a new date will be posted as soon as it is available. OYC is still welcoming guests for Sunday Brunch on Jan. 15. We hope to see you there.”

Corinthian YC Midwinters

Registration is open for the CYC Midwinter Regatta, to be sailed on January 21-22 and February 18-19. “Come and enjoy a day of great racing followed by snacks at the raft-up and a band taking you through the early evening,” invites CYC. “Chef is preparing a special racers’ buffet for the event. Classic San Francisco winter racing at its best.”

Find many more midwinter series already in progress in our Latitude 38 Calendar.

Three Bridge Fiasco — the Big One

The biggest yacht race in this part of the world returns on the last Saturday of January, this year on the 28th. The Singlehanded Sailing Society will run the Three Bridge Fiasco with a start and finish at Golden Gate YC on the San Francisco Cityfront. From there, singlehanders and doublehanders will loop around Blackaller Buoy (Golden Gate Bridge), Yerba Buena/Treasure Island (Bay Bridge), and Red Rock (Richmond-San Rafael Bridge). The competitors will choose their order of rounding — and the direction of starting and finishing. It’s a strategy puzzle, a challenge as much cerebral as athletic. Registration will open on Jibeset early in January.

For many more races in January and for all of 2023, look for the Northern California Sailing Calendar and YRA Schedule, coming out today with the January issue of Latitude 38.

Yacht Racing Seminars

Speaking of the SSS, whether you have a Singlehanded Transpacific Race on your bucket list or not, you may be interested in an upcoming seminar on January 11 about rigging, sails and repairs at sea. The SHTP seminars are free and offered via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. Register here.

And speaking of seminars, Sequoia YC will host a North U Racing Tactics Seminar at their clubhouse in Redwood City. Andrew Kerr will lead the presentation.

SoCal So Cool

A few highlights for our friends to the south:

• On January 1, San Diego YC will run the big (and free!) New Year’s Day Race.
• On January 7, Del Rey YC will kick off their Berger/Stein Series with the Malibu & Return race.
• Then, back to San Diego, on January 28-29 SDYC will host the first weekend of the three-part California Dreamin’ Match Race Series using a matched fleet of J/22s. The series will continue on March 4-5 at St. Francis YC and conclude on April 1-2 at Long Beach YC.