Oakland Yacht Club Wraps Up 2026 Sweet 16 Series

It’s hard to believe that Oakland Yacht Club’s 2026 Sweet 16 Series is complete.

The second half of Sweet 16 started on July 8. The wind was still a bit light at the starts and dying off too quickly to race both legs of the courses for races nine and 10. Ah, but for race 11, there was wind, and with daylight still on our side, we went for racing both laps of the courses called. It made for a later finish, but we didn’t hear any complaints about the time on the water.

The wind for the last four races was around 10 knots and steady throughout the race. In race 13, 35 boats competed. We raced only the first lap, as sunset was earlier and a fog bank rolled up — best not to press our luck and finish in the dark. Interestingly it was very similar for race 14.

This has gotten some of the race committee thinking that maybe we need to have [the option for] a short and long second lap on the courses. It would have been great to have a short second lap to extend the race a little, while not pushing it to sunset.

We finished up with a strong turnout, with 40 boats to the line for race 16.

The crowds have been good up at the club after the races — lots of chatting, a libation or maybe two, and a buffet for dinner. The results are read, the prizes given out, and an all-around good time is had by all.

Great racing, great camaraderie, and it doesn’t get much better.