Weekend Racing Preview

This Saturday, the Doublehanded Farallones Race will kick off the local 2016 ocean racing season. The Bay Area Multihull Association organizes the race, but it’s open to monohulls as well as multihulls. As of this morning, 52 boats were signed up. BAMA is extending the early registration discount ($10 off) until midnight on Tuesday. "Regular online registration ends Wednesday at midnight," writes regatta chair Bob Naber. "Late online (+$10) registration ends Thursday at midnight. Hard copy registration deadline is the skippers’ meeting at Oakland YC on Wednesday evening." If you’re so old-school that you were planning to mail in a hard-copy registration form, you’d better have already done so, as those had to be postmarked by March 20.

The skippers’ meeting will feature guest speakers from the US Coast Guard Waterways, VTS and Command Center and a DSC demo workshop, so take your DSC-VHF handheld. See www.sfbama.org for details.

On the opposite end of the scale on Saturday morning will be the Bullship Race from Sausalito to San Francisco for adult El Toro sailors. It’s not too late to sign up. "Enter even if you do not have a Cowship yet," advises the Bullsheet, the fleet’s newsletter. "Work on that later and the committee may be able to assign you one." Cowships are bigger sailboats or powerboats that escort the fleet across the Gate. In 2009, two-thirds of the fleet tried to stampede out to sea on a rip current and had to be towed back to safety. This year’s race will be sailed on a dying ebb. See www.eltoroyra.org for more.

The herd will start off the Horizons/Trident/Ondine’s Restaurant at 9 a.m.; it’s fun to watch from shore.

After Sausalito YC helps send the El Toros off on their adventure, the club will run a regatta of its own. The Jaws Race is a 10-mile pursuit race that starts in front of the club, tours the Bay, then finishes back at the club. Spinnaker and non-spinnaker divisions are offered. Entry is free for SYC members and is $30 for non­-members. Entries must be received at the club or online by Thursday, March 24, at 2 p.m. 

The eponymous perpetual trophy was donated by SYC life member Charles ‘Bud’ Livingstone, who got the shark jaws from his family’s summer resort in New Hampshire, where they were on display from 1930 until 1983. After the race, SYC will host snacks and beer at the club and hand out awards. See www.sausalitoyachtclub.org.