Three Bridge Was a Fiasco!

They don’t call it a ‘Fiasco’ for nothing. This year’s race was perhaps one of the most challenging in memory. Although Saturday’s light morning breeze offered some hope of sailors overcoming the increasing ebb, it was clear from the beginning that this was going to be a race that required a good dose of patience.

All the studying and preparation the night before was for naught as reaching the first mark was about the farthest anyone managed to get. If you’d gone to Blackaller first, you had a good chance of getting swept out the Gate, scared off by seemingly endless shipping traffic, or stuck forever floating somewhere off of the Cityfront or on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge — if you’d made it that far. 

Choosing to go the other direction likely had you getting as far east as Aquatic Park or perhaps Pier 39 before everything shut down and you decided it was best to join the other boats around you by dropping anchor.

Yet, even after a non-stop series of VHF calls into the Race Committee announcing retirements, some forged onward. And of the 357 registered participants, one boat actually finished —  Jonathan Hunt’s 1D 35, Dark and Stormy,  doublehanded with Rod Hegebols. Congratulations guys!