Try a Tri at the 2026 Corsair Nationals
The 2026 Corsair Nationals are coming to Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda on July 17–19, and the trimarans are already lining up. About 25 boats are registered for three days of racing: Friday short courses off Alameda, a Saturday Bay‑tour distance race, and Sunday heats on the Berkeley Circle. The title sponsor, Corsair Marine, began building the Ian Farrier-designed F‑27 folding trimaran in Chula Vista in the late ’80s. At least five of those original boats will be on this year’s start line as a one‑design class, including longtime Bay racers WingIt and SeaBird. Three of the latest Corsair 880s are trailering up from Southern California to help form another hot class, and a range of other designs will fill out the Open division, with the whole regatta scored on PHRF.
The Corsair Nationals is an annual showcase of performance multihull sailing across North America. San Francisco Bay last hosted in 2013 out of Ballena Bay YC. The 2027 Nationals will sail on Lake Ontario, and 2028 in Sarasota, FL. This year, the Bay Area Multihull Association (BAMA) teamed up with Corsair to bring the event back to the Estuary, with Encinal YC as host. Thankfully, Corsair doesn’t limit its support to boats sold from the factory. Designer Farrier’s plans spawned a few thousand custom‑built tris, generally known as F‑boats, ranging from 22 to 39 feet, and many of those homebuilt rockets are now part of the Corsair/Farrier tribe. BAMA’s 2026 racing fleet is almost entirely trimarans with center‑hull cabins, and accommodations aboard the Nationals fleet will range from minimalist “cubby camping” to boats with ovens and full showers. With everyone rafting up at Encinal, the docks should look like an open‑house boat show for aspiring performance-multihull sailors.
BAMA is using the Nationals to make multihull sailing easier to try. Member boats are inviting local sailors aboard to “give it a tri.” The event website hosts a crew/skipper finder, and board members are matching inquiries with skippers looking for extra hands. As of this writing, there are still a few crew spots scattered across the fleet, from mellow learning rides to full‑send race programs. If you’ve been curious about life on three hulls, this is a good way to find out.
The shoreside plan looks almost as busy as the race course. Boats will gather Thursday evening at Encinal for “welcome beverages aboard,” followed by a Friday social dinner for entrants at a local Alameda venue, Saturday dinner back at EYC, and awards and prizes at the club Sunday afternoon. The whole production is made possible by Corsair Marine and a strong roster of partners and sponsors: 180 Marine, Windcraft Multihulls, Sunrise Yacht Products, Stark Miller, Colligo Marine and QuanVerge.
BAMA invites Latitude38 readers to come check it out from land or water, say hello on the dock, or even grab a spot on a tri. Start here: sfbama.org/2026corsairnationals.