Wosser Trophies: This Is So 2022
We have to admit we’ve dropped many balls while attempting to juggle all the fun, fascinating and truly worthwhile things going on in the West Coast sailing scene. One of the balls we dropped last year was selecting the 2022 Wosser Trophy winners. Ron Young organized the Wosser Trophies to recognize three unique annual accomplishments, with the goal of encouraging participation in Bay Area racing.
The three annual trophies include the Jake Wosser Trophy, which goes to the winner of the largest one-design regatta held on San Francisco Bay. The Ruth Wosser Trophy goes to the owner whose boat has raced (or started) on the most individual YRA-sanctioned or Coast Guard-approved race days in a year. And the Susie Wosser Trophy goes to the owner who takes the highest total number of different people racing on his/her boat during the year.
Needless to say, this is long overdue. Regardless, we’re forging ahead to ask racers to enter or nominate someone for the three 2022 awards. This may be a brain-racking experience but, we hope, worth it. To do this, nominate a winner of a one-design regatta run by your class or club by emailing Laura Muñoz here. It might have been an Opti regatta or perhaps a Moore 24 regatta or …? We don’t know the answer but would love to determine who might qualify.
To win the Ruth Wosser award for the most races raced in 2022 fill out this form here. To win the Susie Wosser Trophy for bringing the most crew racing in 2022 fill out this form here.
The 2021 winners were Charlotte Rose of the Houston Yacht Club, who won in the ILCA Radial Gold Fleet in the ILCA North Americans. The winner of the Ruth Wosser Trophy for the most races raced was Ron Young, whose boat Youngster raced in 64 races in 2021. The winner of the Susie Wosser Trophy was Cinde Lou Delmas, who won by taking 51 different people racing in 2021. Taking crew members under age 19 gets two points per crew.
The Wosser Trophies are a new tradition, a bit of an oxymoron since traditions are things that have happened for a long time. It makes it even harder to start a tradition when the start-up is sporadic. We’re hoping to end that this year and, to do so, are also making this an early warning for people to submit their 2023 results for races completed by November 15. We’ll send out several more reminders before then.
We suspect the 2023 Jake Wosser Trophy candidate will be the winner of the 5O5 Worlds, to be held at the St. Francis Yacht Club, but we’d love to hear of other one-design events that may rival that fleet. There are a lot of races you can sail between now and the end of the year for a chance to win the Ruth Wosser Trophy, and there are a lot of potential crewmembers who would love to sail with you (especially those under 19) if you want a shot at the Susie Wosser Trophy.
To help you on your way, we remind you to pick up the 2023 Latitude 38 YRA Sailing Calendar, which includes almost 1,000 Northern California races. There’s no shortage of opportunity. One of the easiest ways to start is beer can racing, with the inviting ethos of the Beer Can Ten Commandments. To find crew, you could cruise by the docks of your local junior or community sailing program, where you’ll find kids under 19 who count for two points each, or head over to the Latitude 38 Crew List to find crew or skippers who might act their age (no guarantees!).
It’s a bit ridiculous that it’s taken this long for us to make this announcement, but growing participation in racing on San Francisco Bay is worth a little egg on the face. Racing is a ton of fun, and the Bay is a fantastic place to do it. We thank Ron Young, the Wosser family and the YRA for creating the opportunity to invite more people racing.