A Sneak Peek at Regattas in February
In the San Francisco Bay Area
Some of the 2023-2024 midwinter series will see their finales in February. Berkeley Yacht Club’s Saturday and Sunday series will sail their final regular races on February 10-11, followed by by a Champion of Champions race on Sunday, February 25.
The last races in the RegattaPRO Winter One Design Series will be held on February 10, with two races scheduled.
The Singlehanded Sailing Society will follow up the Three Bridge Fiasco with the Corinthian Race, another Bay tour. Registration should open soon on Jibeset.
Some Southern California Regattas in February
San Diego YC and Newport Harbor YC will co-host the Islands Race. The 142-mile course will take sailors around Santa Catalina and San Clemente Islands on February 9-10, 2024. See www.islandsrace.com.
SDYC’s Women’s Winter Invitational Regatta will return to La Playa on February 16-18. This all-woman competition won the US Sailing One Design Regatta Award. SDYC expects more than 80 sailors in 24 teams.
The California Dreamin’ match racing series will make its second of four stops at a new venue, Balboa YC in Corona del Mar, on February 17-18.
The SCYA Midwinters will take over many SoCal venues, plus Ensenada, on February 17-18 and February 24-25.
To Mexico We Go
San Diego YC will run the 37th Puerto Vallarta Race, a biennial international offshore yacht race, on February 22-March 1. The race, which dates back to 1953, features a 1,000-mile course from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta.
Club Judge Seminar
A US Sailing Club Judge Seminar at San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere on Saturday, February 17, is designed for sailors who have little or no experience with protest hearings as well as those who have served on protest committees in the past and want a refresh. The seminar is open to all. Its primary purpose is to increase the pool of judges who can serve on protest committees for the regattas held each year on the Bay. Its secondary purpose is to educate sailors about the rules and about how a protest hearing is conducted. The course format is a “reverse lecture,” starting with online instruction on Canvas, followed by a day of in-person mock protest hearings and discussions.
Register at www.ussailing.org/competition/rules-officiating/resources/find-a-seminar/judge-seminar-calendar. The fee of $40 primarily covers the cost of Canvas. Lunch will be ordered from a nearby supermarket and provided at cost (typically under $10). If these costs are prohibitive for anyone interested in attending, please contact the organizers to make alternate arrangements.
John Christman will lead the seminar, assisted by Rob Overton. John is a US Sailing Certified National Judge and Judge Seminar Instructor, a member of the San Francisco Bay Appeals Committee, and an expert on the racing rules. Rob is a certified International Umpire, National Judge and Club Judge Seminar Instructor. He has served on the US Racing Rules Committee for more than 30 years and is a past chairman of the RRC. He’s also a member of the S.F. Bay Appeals Committee. For more info, contact Rob at [email protected] or (954) 240-3666.