The Yacht Racing Association’s Latest News Roundup

By Christine Weaver | April 5, 2021 | San Francisco Bay and Beyond |

YRA Summer Series Begins Saturday

The Yacht Racing Association’s Summer Series will kick off this Saturday, April 10, in conjunction with Berkeley Yacht Club’s Rollo Wheeler Regatta. You can sign up for either or both. “If you race under PHRF and are interested in joining this four-race-day series, sign up by Wednesday. You’ll automatically be added to Saturday of the Wheeler Regatta.” The Wheeler Regatta will conclude on Sunday with a pursuit race.

A scene from BYC’s Wheeler Regatta in 2019. (Remember how rainy spring was two years ago?) Note the lackadaisical posture of the crew pictured here aboard Peter Wagner’s J/111 *Skeleton Key.* We took this shot during a one-hour postponement, waiting for wind.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris

The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2021-2024

Next up on the YRA schedule is a Racing Rules Webinar. This session will discuss the changes that begin this year and their impact on race committees and race documents. Anyone involved in race committee work, or interested in it, will benefit. Mike Gross, Area G regional administrative judge, will lead the talk on Wednesday, April 14, starting at 7 p.m. The cost is $20. Register here.

Racing Rules book — The Racing Rules of Sailing change every four years. Do you know what’s changed since last year?
© 2021 US Sailing

Point Bonita Buoy Wandered Off Station

In February, the Point Bonita Buoy, RG Fl(2+1) R6s Bell, broke free and went missing. The US Coast Guard has been publishing the information in the Local Notice to Mariners. They do plan to reset the buoy. “We hope to see it back on station by the end of spring,” commented the YRA. The buoy is used as a rounding mark in a few Bay Area races, including the YRA Encinal Regatta (ex-2nd Half Opener), scheduled this year for July 31. At Point Bonita the Golden Gate opens up into the Pacific Ocean.

Wave at Point Bonita — Perhaps a wave like this one broke Point Bonita Buoy free from the chain that bound her to the Earth.
© 2021 Val Ellicott

Speaking of the Ocean…

…It’s about to open up. The OYRA ocean series offers divisions for fully crewed and shorthanded boats. The first race in the 2021 series will be the Lightship Regatta on April 17. Sign up for the Lightship by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 15.

For more regattas from the YRA, clubs and associations around Northern California, see our 2021 Sailing Calendar, but also check Latitude 38’s monthly Calendar for updates in these shifty times.

1 Comment

Jean Ouellette 3 years ago

When my sweetie, Les, was a boatswain’s mate in the Coast Guard, he worked on the Point Bonita Buoy in conditions similar to that in the photo. Getting from the bow of a 44-footer onto the buoy, and back onto the boat, was an adventure. The bell has replaced a horn, which he described as incredibly annoying. Once on the buoy, the first thing he’d do was disconnect the horn, re-connecting it when he was done and ready to make a leap for the boat.