June Regatta Preview Hits the Highlights
May and June Sailing Offshore With the YRA and the SSS
The Yacht Racing Association reports that “May 17 ended up not being a good day for racing. The YRA has a policy that we will not run a race if a gale warning is issued by NOAA, and sure enough, by Friday afternoon, May 16, NOAA posted an official gale warning, so our Duxship race was canceled. It’s been rescheduled for Saturday, May 31, so if you couldn’t make the race on the 17th, you have another opportunity to race up to the Duxbury Reef Buoy and back.” The Singlehanded Sailing Society had also scheduled the Singlehanded Farallones Race for May 17. They postponed it to May 31 as well. Registration is closed with 29 boats entered.
The next offshore race on the YRA to-do list is the Farallones Race for full crews on June 14.
The next offshore race for the SSS is the biggie. The biennial Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race will depart San Francisco Bay for beautiful Hanalei Bay, on the north shore of Kauai, on June 21. See Jibeset and https://sfbaysss.org/shtp2025.
The race to Half Moon Bay on June 28 is both a YRA Destination Regatta and part of the Offshore Series. “Our only offshore destination race takes sailors out the Golden Gate and south to Pillar Point Harbor on the beautiful San Mateo coast. Enjoy views of the coast and marine life during the race and then stay for a fantastic beachside party at Half Moon Bay Yacht Club. Berthing and anchoring in Pillar Point Harbor are available for an overnight stay. To enter the race, register for the Offshore Series as a One-Time Entry, and select “Half Moon Bay” on 6/28/25 as the race you are signing up for.
Register or learn more about YRA offshore races here.
San Francisco Bay Area
SFYC will host the Midnight Moonlight Maritime Marathon pursuit race on June 7. There’s a doublehanded division. Sign up by 4 p.m. on June 4 to avoid a late fee.
The PICYA Lipton Cup will return to Richmond YC this year on June 13-15 in J/22s (provided by StFYC) with crews of four people. This is a competition between yacht clubs. Berkeley, Richmond, Encinal, Inverness, Corinthian, Sequoia, South Beach, St. Francis and Tahoe YCs have registered, with various crew configurations sailing on each day.
StFYC and US Sailing are accepting registration for the US Wingfoil Championship/Summer Wingding, on June 20-22.
Next up for the Mercury fleet will be the Hart Nunes Regatta at SFYC on June 21-22, which is part of the Travel Trophy.
Encinal YC will hold the Shirley Temming Cup for female drivers on June 28. At least 50% of all crew members, including the driver, must be women. A $10 late fee will apply after June 1.
Gordie Nash writes, “Lake Merritt Sailing Club will hold their last regatta on Sunday, June 29. The organization will be 88 years old at this regatta. It will be the club’s last one ever. So many great sailors got their start racing on this tricky, wind-shifty, urban lake. Jim DeWitt, Hank Jotz, Don Trask, Paul Cayard and Jim Warfield all started here. My first real trophy was during a late-1950s Midwinter Regatta. When there was a hoist available for launching, there were Stars, Mercurys, 110s, Zephyrs, Snipes, Blue Jays, Finns, Lightnings, Thistles and many other keelboat and dinghy classes sailing and racing on Lake Merritt.” How to sign up? There’s no website. Just show up with some cash and your boat.
More Northern California Races
This year marks the 34th running of the Delta Ditch Run. It’s a 65-mile mostly downwind ride from the Richmond Yacht Club, up the bays and rivers, to the Stockton Sailing Club on June 7. Don’t miss out on all the fun — and excitement — sign up here. Register by this Sunday, June 1, to save $25.
Lake Washington Sailing Club will host the El Toro Nationals in West Sacramento on June 19-22. (Thursday’s a practice day.)
Rick Raduziner of Tahoe YC reminds Laser sailors to sign up for the ILCA Pacific Coast Championships, coming up on June 20-22. (Sign up before June 1 to save $50.)
Southern California
Alamitos Bay YC will host the ILCA North Americans in Long Beach on June 12-15.
Long Beach Race Week on June 20-22 will feature:
- Beneteau 36.7, Catalina 37, Express 37, Farr 40, J/70, J/109, J/111, J/120, Melges 15, Moore 24, Schock 35, Soling (charter), Viper 640 and VX One classes
- PHRF buoy and random leg racing (open to PHRF boats with a handicap of 222 or less)
- Beneteau 36.7 High Point Series
- Catalina 37 National Championship
- J/109 Pacific Coast Championship
- Melges 15 National Championship
- Moore 24 National Championship
- The famous Friday and Saturday after-race parties
Sign up now — entry fees increase at 6 p.m. on June 1.
San Diego YC will host Area J’s qualifier for the US Sailing Sears Cup Triplehanded Championship on the 24th. Then, on June 28-29, it’ll be SDYC’s Olympic Classes Regatta.
In Washington
The Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle will host the J/70 US National Championship Mixed Plus on June 13-15. This regatta is for mixed-gender crews with no more than two males over 18 years old. The fleet will sail on the waters of Puget Sound at Shilshole Bay in Seattle. See https://cycseattle.theclubspot.com/j70-mixed-nationals.
The WA360, an R2AK-ish race from Port Townsend to Port Townsend via Olympia and Point Roberts, will set sail on June 28 at 11 a.m. Organizers at Northwest Maritime call it, “All of the thrills, none of the Alaska.” Entries are closed.
But Wait — There’s More!
This is the season when the list of regattas is bulging at the seams. We try to gather them all for our monthly Calendar but couldn’t possibly fit them all in here. Find many more in the June issue of Latitude 38, and feel free to give a shout-out to your favorites in the Comments section below. For more advance planning, refer to our annual calendar.