SSS Race to Half Moon Bay

Thanks to a substantial ebb, the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s Half Moon Bay Race got underway on time on a negligible easterly last Saturday.

Once a few of the boats had gotten to the Golden Gate Bridge, a light westerly began to fill, but it turned out to be false hope. The westerly did fill in at 11:00 and climbed to 15 knots, making for a headstay spinnaker (or code zero) reach down the coast.

The dreaded Montara Hole, south of Pacifica, was in effect. It wasn’t easy to see, as the water still appeared to be ruffled by wind waves. The majority of the fleet sailed into it, found themselves bobbing around in the swell, and had to struggle to regain the clear breeze that held farther to the west. "We led everyone into the Montara Hole and then climbed out and left them there," said Greg Nelsen, who won the doublehanded monohull division on his Azzura 310 Outsider sailing with first-time ocean race crew Steve Dowd.

For the last rounding mark and onward to the finish, the fleet turned downwind and romped into Half Moon Bay on 20 knots of breeze, the wind accelerating where it’s funneled into the bay. It was a fast 24 miles. Andrew Zimmerman, whose Olson 30 Warpath won the singlehanded monohull division said, "I set the kite at the start and kept it up the whole way."

Most of the fleet anchored out or joined a raft-up/Med-tie on Half Moon Bay Yacht Club’s small dock. From there they hauled on ropes to pull themselves to shore on the club’s little ferry. Thanks to the warm hospitality of the HMBYC volunteers, an afternoon and evening of libations, dinner and prizes for all finishers (wide-brimmed canvas hats) followed.

We’ll run the results in the November issue of Latitude 38, but in the meantime, see www.sfbaysss.org. The next, and final, race in the SSS season is October 22-23’s unique Vallejo 1-2, in which the boats are sailed singlehanded from the Berkeley Circle to Vallejo YC, only to sail from VYC to Richmond YC the next day — doublehanded. The skippers’ meeting and deadline to register will be on Wednesday, October 19.