YRA Hosts 2026 RC’s Choice Race
The Yacht Racing Association (YRA) held its last offshore race on Saturday, October 3. As I was unable to line up enough crew to sail Ahi I agreed to help on race committee along with a couple of my crew. When we arrived at the road outside the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) to do the start — GGYC was not open yet — we saw a light easterly and a light ebb. The wind forecasts did not show the wind picking up until mid-afternoon, so we went with what we had. Eleven boats started in two groups and hoisted kites for the trip west to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Once the starting sequence was over, all that remained for the race committee was to record the finish times of the boats. I was released from RC duty and went home.
We had a new boat in the fleet for the first time. They managed to finish first overall, even against some much faster boats. I asked skipper Derik Anderson to describe their day, and what follows is what I got. Congratulations to Shockwave and crew; thank you for the write-up, and I hope to see you on the start line next season.
“Shockwave’s crew was excited for the race. It was our first ocean outing since splashing the boat a few months ago after bringing the boat up from San Diego. The team is a mix of sailing veterans, rookies (a first race for two of the crew) and family. The common thread among us all is the goal to go fast in the right direction while learning and having a great time. If Wednesday and Friday nights have shown us anything, that goal had a chance of being achieved on this day.”
“The wind predictions varied. So when the southeast breeze persisted until our start, we hoisted a kite at the gun. Our goal was to simultaneously stay in the breeze and current flow. The fleet had a lot of different opinions on what was the best course. The breeze stayed 8-10 knots for most of the ride out to R8, though it was somewhat shifty. The ride was downwind and (small) upswell all the way. It was hard not to look back at Baghdad by the Bay on such a beautiful, Caribbean-like morning.
“Once we spun back toward the Gate, the ebb that had quickly carried us to the turning mark was now pushing against us. We deliberated on when the prevailing wind would actually fill in. After rigorous debate, it was decided that the new breeze was likely hours away. The breeze was still carrying over the city; how could we be wrong? Upwind and down-swell we went, seeing 30-degree swings in the offshore breeze. As we neared the Gate, we could see kites re-hoisting behind us. And it was dead between us and the finish line. Uh oh. Tim, Sofia, Lily, Dan and Duco sprang into action.”
“We shuffled the kite, changed our strategy, and prayed that the wind would reach us before the fleet did. The 12-knot NW showed up as a chunk of the fleet compressed. Many dove toward the shore. We ended up wrangling with the big boats as we approached YRA X on starboard. Communication aboard was clear, concise, and as amicable as it can be when fighting with two other boats. The team crushed it.
“The RC made a smart call for the OYRA season-closer course and ran a very smooth event. Thanks, RC!
“We also want to thank Rebelution for the great music throughout the race.”