March Magazine Racing Sheet Takes the Win!

Each month, in the pages of Latitude 38, we share a roundup of the speedy sailors who cast off their dock lines to have a good time on the water, and perhaps win a race. Christine (Chris) Weaver puts together the Racing Sheet section and “weaves” her magic around a host of events across the Bay and beyond. The March issue includes stories about the California Laser sailors who headed south for part of the winter and competed in the ILCA Masters Worlds held in Adelaide, Australia; the Northern Hemisphere’s winter season; and Island, Monterey Peninsula, South Beach, Berkeley, San Diego, Golden Gate, Corinthian and Coral Reef Yacht Clubs and RegattaPRO. Chris also shared a race committee request, and the return of Box Scores. We can’t fit everything into this one post, but we can give you a few snippets …

ILCA Masters Worlds

The 2024 ILCA Masters World Championships were held February 2–10 in Adelaide, Australia. More than 200 local and international competitors attended the event, which was raced with a big breeze, big waves and a strong contingent of California sailors making the trek from the USA’s West Coast.

Competitor Jon Andron wrote, “In my 50+ years of racing world-class events, this 10-day event was the most physically difficult I’ve ever completed. My mindset was simply to survive: Stay upright, avoid injury, and live to fight another day.” Andron finished fourth in the 19-boat ILCA 6 (Radial rig) Legends (ages 75+) fleet. SoCal’s Bill Symes won that division.

Island Days on the Estuary

Predicted winds for Island YC’s Race #4 in the Island Days series on the Alameda-Oakland Estuary were so low that abandoning was a real consideration. But about an hour before the start on Sunday, February 11, Mother Nature heard our heartfelt concerns and produced some beautiful weather and constant breezes, with the bulk of the racing affected only by a mild but building ebb.

Perry Cup Concludes in Monterey

Mercury sailors have been competing on Monterey Bay the first Saturday of the month, November–February, courtesy of Monterey Peninsula YC. You can find race committee volunteer Jack McAleer’s report here.

Seaweed Soup at Golden Gate

Compared to January’s race day, the conditions on February 3 were mellow — a bit too mellow. A flood was giving way to ebb, and a SSE breeze blew through the city. All divisions were assigned an eastbound start off Golden Gate YC, with the Blossom Rock buoy between Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge as a first mark.

South Beach Midwinters

Most mariners know bluster boy Njörðr. From Norse mythology, he’s the guy who pulls the strings for wind, sea and all bounty of the ocean. He gets the text message whenever a sailor needs goodwill seafaring; he’s also the guy who bestows wealth and prosperity. Njörðr has been taking select days off — including South Beach YC’s first three midwinter race days. Has he been remote with some wind lass?

A Retirement Request to Racers

Following the Three Bridge Fiasco, we received this note from a race committee volunteer who wished to remain anonymous:

“If you check into a race, or start, it is vital to let the race committee know if you are dropping out of it. The first instinct is often to do that over VHF. But hailing a race committee on VHF is exactly like talking on the world’s most limited, primitive cell network. It is the equivalent of having just a single cell antenna, close to sea level. If you have good line of sight and are close, it works. If not, it doesn’t.

“Before you race, check the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions, because some RCs want text messages instead of VHF hails.”

Above are fewer than half the stories and photos we shared in Latitude 38’s March issue. You can find the rest, and the Box Scores, starting on page 78.