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Labor Day Weekend Regattas

The big-name, big-boat regattas this weekend will be the 76th Windjammers (Friday, San Francisco to Santa Cruz Yacht Club) and the 26-mile Jazz Cup (Saturday, Treasure Island to Benicia). The Windjammers has eight boats signed up so far, with registration open through 8 p.m. this Wednesday. Cruising and racing divisions are offered. South Beach YC hosts the start and Benicia YC the finish of the Jazz Cup. As of this morning, 76 boats were signed up, with registration closing at noon on Friday.

A glance at the beautiful Cheoy Lee Offshore 40 Selene’s flag halyard tells us that she’s done a few Jazz Cups in her day. And she’s signed up for this one too. Here’s hoping there’s more wind than last year — when no one finished! (The party at Benicia YC was fun nevertheless.)

latitude/Chris
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Labor Day Weekend is a popular one for multi-day regattas. The extra day off makes the logistics more manageable for more sailors. Here are some of the lesser-known choices, all of which are trailer-sailor friendly:

  • On Saturday and Sunday the Humboldt Yacht Club will host the Redwood Regatta on Big Lagoon in Humboldt Lagoons State Park.
  • The kids of Bay Area Youth Sailing will have their Summer Series #4 at Treasure Island Sailing Center on Saturday and Sunday. Lasers, Optis, 420s and CFJs are the active classes in the series.
  • Some of those same kids, plus adults, may turn around and race Optis or Lasers at Half Moon Bay YC’s Sail-Off on Labor Day.
  • Stillwater Yacht Club will host the 69th Mercury Labor Day Regatta on September 1-2 on Carmel Bay. Five races and a BBQ are scheduled.
  • Santa Rosa Sailing Club’s 66th Labor Day Regatta, with camping on Marshall Beach, will be held on Tomales Bay August 31-September 3. Racers can register ahead of time or on the beach when they arrive.
  • The San Francisco Pelican fleet will also be sailing their Tomales Bay Regatta Friday-Monday.
Last year’s scene at Marshall Beach on Tomales Bay with SRSC.

© 2018 Santa Rosa Sailing Club

Among regattas in Southern California will be the Long Beach to Dana Point ocean race, co-hosted by Shoreline, Dana Point and Dana West YCs on Saturday. Late entries will be accepted through Thursday.

There are no doubt others that have escaped our notice. If so, please let us know! We’ll have previews of more September regattas in this space later in the week.

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