Sailing4Parkinsons Regatta Brightens an Otherwise Dark Day

Ed Vitrano, who is living with Parkinson’s, said it best: “It was a great event made even better with the driving rain, strong winds and current. Kind of exemplifies those of us who have the disease and keep on keeping on!”

You could say the first annual Sailing4Parkinson’s fundraising regatta was flawless, unless you count a little gray weather, wind and rain. If that was a flaw, you wouldn’t have known it from the reaction of the hundreds of racers and supporters who turned out for Saturday night’s fundraiser and Sunday’s pursuit race.

Pulling off any first-time event is never easy, but Amy Bridge, the Corinthian Yacht Club, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Parkinson’s Association of Northern California came together to put on a terrific regatta while raising significant funds for Parkinson’s research.

Among those participating in both the gala and the race was French sailor Bertrand Delhom, recognized as the first person with Parkinson’s to race around the world in the Ocean Globe Race, formerly the Whitbread. He sailed aboard Neptune, a 60-ft aluminum sloop, with doctor and skipper Tan Raffray, who had only recently returned to the Bay Area after sailing a Hinckley 48 from California to Tahiti.

As the weekend approached, the forecast looked less than inviting; the rains we’d missed all winter seemed to be saving themselves for an April weekend of sailing. Sunday’s race was set as a 10-mile pursuit around the Bay, with a solid spring runoff-reinforced ebb scheduled to run through the afternoon. The breeze was forecast in the mid-teens, with gusts into the high 20s, along with possible showers, and even lightning. Forecasts held out hope that it might all ease around noon and that the sun would eventually appear.

Of the 40 boats signed up, 29 decided to brave the weather and go for it, despite the lack of sun. We headed out in full foulies for the 12:30 start west of the Knox buoy. The rain came in bursts and the gusts were already touching the low 20s. Sails were reefed and downsized as everyone prepared for the worst while hoping for the best.

The pursuit start gave most boats room to get away cleanly, though the strong ebb did sweep one boat into the committee boat, tangling it between the anchor chain and the bow. It escaped relatively quickly, though not without a few bruises to both boats.

The course took the fleet to Little Harding, Southampton, the Sausalito Channel marker, and across to Easom Buoy before a run against the ebb to the finish off CYC in Belvedere Cove. It turned out to be a great course, with the usual Bay mix of swirling currents, puffy gusts and passing downpours. The strong ebb made for a quick upwind leg from the start to Little Harding, though it was easy to overstand. Once around the mark, the strategic question became whether to hide from the ebb behind Angel Island, cross toward Marin for relief, or trust that the windier center of the Strait would be enough to overcome the current. We favored Angel and think that was the right call, though it’s always amazing how often boats making different choices end up side by side again.

Conditions varied around the course, with hints of sun, more rain, and lulls near the Sausalito Channel marker, where boats had to round the buoy while also staying clear of a large fleet of Optis out sailing. Then came a puffy reach to Easom followed by a puzzling run to the finish, with crews weighing tide relief to the north against better pressure to the south.

In the end, we managed to catch the one boat ahead of us, the well-sailed Tartan Ten Abba Zaba, as the wind and current swirled around Belvedere Point. That gave us first in the non-spinnaker division, followed seconds later by Abba Zaba. In the spinnaker division, Michael O’Callaghan’s J/120 Peregrine slipped in ahead of Mark Kennedy’s Melges 32 Nuckelavee.

A few more sprinkles ushered the rest of the fleet back to a sunny, calm dock, closing out an exciting day on the water.

The good times at the gala and the energy of a stormy race day contrasted sharply with the serious conversations, presentations and realities surrounding Parkinson’s disease. Research doctors Dr. Simon Little and Dr. Ian Bledsoe from UCSF brought hopeful news, alongside JP Conte, who spoke about his father’s passing from Parkinson’s, and Paul Cayard, who reflected on gratitude and how life on the race circuit offers lessons for managing difficult conditions. Listening in attendance was Cayard’s great friend, sailor and StFYC staff commodore Doug Holm, upbeat as always while also facing Parkinson’s himself.

JP Conte described learning to sail as a kid with his father on the Jersey Shore. He said sailing was where his dad could breathe, where the cares of the world were left ashore. That feeling is echoed by many people living with Parkinson’s who continue to get out on the water under sail. Our regular crew, Tom Woolley, put it this way: “It is said that with Parkinson’s disease, exercise is medicine. So I suppose I was fortunate, when diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 65, that I had a daily exercise habit from 50 years of competitive running and cycling. I am also a lifelong sailor, and for me, Friday night ‘beer can’ races with John on Finistere is my superfood. Crewing requires all kinds of neuroplasticity and multifunctional activities that mitigate PD symptoms.”

While it is hard to pinpoint the exact cause in any individual case, research increasingly points to environmental factors as contributors in 80% of Parkinson’s cases. Author and researcher Dr. Ray Dorsey has shown a correlation between chemical exposure, such as dry-cleaning chemicals and the use of paraquat as an agricultural pesticide. With one million people currently living with Parkinson’s in the US it remains a serious and rapidly growing public health issue. While everyone is searching for a cure, Dr. Dorsey is advocating for the elimination of the chemicals that are the primary culprit, causing the rapid increase in cases. Isn’t it better to prevent rather than have to cure?

The fundraiser drew many sailors living with Parkinson’s, and many of them were out racing on Sunday. It is a challenge, but as Ed Vitrano said, “sailing helps you keep on keeping on.”