Sailing into the September Racing Preview
Labor Day Weekend Regattas
If you’re not sailing your sand yacht in the Black Rock Desert this Labor Day Weekend, you may want to check out these events for your nautical yacht:
The Jazz Cup on Saturday, September 5, offers one last opportunity this summer to race downwind to a warm destination with a raft-up and party. The race starts north of Treasure Island and finishes in Benicia. The race started as a challenge between South Beach YC and Benicia YC, but all boats (18-ft-plus) are welcome, including PHRF- and BAMA-rated entries and one designs.
On September 5-6, Encinal YC will host the Millimeter Nationals on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary.
“The 2026 South Bay Championship and 2026 Open 5.70 North American Championship regattas are just around the corner, with two days of racing on September 5-6,” writes Tom Borgstrom, the rear commodore of Sequoia YC in Redwood City. “Have you signed up yet on Jibeset? We will have a committee boat (thank you, PYSF!) and are targeting five windward-leeward races just south of the San Mateo Bridge. The winner will have their names inscribed on the perpetual trophy, awarded every year since 1945.” There’s also a perpetual trophy for the Open 5.70 winner. “Each boat registration will include one Saturday dinner and a beverage of your choice; crew and non-racers can sign up for dinner here.”
Adding in the Monday holiday to the fun, RS Fest will sail out of Richmond YC on September 5-7. Teras, Fevas, Aeros and RS21s are invited, and the Fest will serve as the Pacific Coast Championships for the Aeros.
Up north, Humboldt YC will host the Redwood Regatta on Big Lagoon Saturday-Monday.
On Sunday the 6th only, Inverness YC will run the Hog Island Race on Tomales Bay.
Later in the Month
Berkeley YC’s Big Windward Leeward on September 12 will also wrap up this year’s YRA In the Bay Series. See www.jibeset.net/BYC000.php?RG=T001514733.
Tahoe YC’s Dinghy Regatta and ILCA Fleet Championships will sail out of Tahoe City, near the Lake Forest launch ramp, on September 12-13. For more regattas on Lake Tahoe, see our post on August 24.
On the 19th and 20th, RYC are making their multihull regatta more inclusive. The Double Trap Invitational is open to beach cats and double-trapping monohull dinghies under 21-ft.
South Beach YC’s Red Bra Regatta women-skipper race for all-female crews will be on September 26.
San Francisco YC will host the Knarr S.F. Bay Championship and Fall One-Design Regatta on September 26-27. In addition to the Knarr fleet, Wylie Wabbits and Folkboats are invited.
The Women’s Match Racing World Championship will come to St. Francis YC. The regatta will start on September 30 and run through October 4. The club’s matched fleet of J/22s will serve as the weapon of choice.
Down the Coast
On September 19, singlehanders and doublehanders will race from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay with the Singlehanded Sailing Society. Post-race festivities will follow at Half Moon Bay YC. Learn more and register on Jibeset.
The Moore 24 fleet will celebrate an amazing half century(!) at their 50th anniversary Nationals at Santa Cruz YC on September 24-27. Entries close today, August 31, at 9 p.m. Speaking of amazing, 78 boats were signed up as of this morning. See https://scyc.org/regatta/vuTMUSdJY9 for all the info and to register. For more Moore, see our post on August 17.
HMBYC will host team racing on September 26. “We will be running two-boat teams, with on-the-water umpires,” writes Joe Rockmore of HMBYC. “Here is your opportunity to do something that is not simply fleet racing. For those of you who have never done team racing, I have heard it referred to as a combination of sailboat racing and bumper cars. No experience necessary; we will tell you how it works and the preferred tactics in the skipper’s meeting before racing.”
Monterey Peninsula YC will host the Mercury Nationals on September 25-27.
In Southern California
San Diego YC will host:
- the Finn PCCs on September 11-13;
- the Snipe PCCs and the Star Pitcher Regatta on September 12-13;
- the Cruiser Cup (ex-Beneteau Cup) on September 19-20;
- and the Beneteau First 36.7 West Coast Championship on September 26-27.
Long Beach YC will run the Butler Cup, a World Sailing Grade 3 match-racing regatta, using Catalina 37s, on September 26-27.
You’d think that with summer winding down, yacht racing would be petering out in September. Not so! Many more races than we could possibly list here invite you to join in — including several more on Labor Day Weekend. Check out a longer list in our Calendar section, coming out tomorrow in the September issue of Latitude 38.