If you had any doubt that the best weather in the Bay Area comes in October, last week would have laid that doubt to rest. As the temps warmed and the air stilled, sailboat racers fretted that Saturday would be a windless scorcher, with postponements, abandonments and sunburns. Richmond Yacht Club’s Great Pumpkin race committee did postpone a bit for the wind direction to settle down, but got off all three races on three courses Saturday for 13 one design and 6 PHRF classes. The breeze was strongest for the biggest boats on the Deep Water course, but the Olympic Circle and Southampton Shoals fleets had plenty of it to race in too, and it blew pretty consistently from the west.

“If there ain’t rubbin’ there ain’t racin’.” This was the last regatta of the Moore 24 fleet’s 2008 Roadmaster Series and the 24 Dale Earnhardts out on the racetrack had NASCAR-style racin’ with a lot of rubbin’ going on. The leading Roadmaster, Scott Easom’s Eight Ball had a collision in the second race, which took them out of a podium position and gave the Great Pumpkin win to John Siegel on Moorigami.

To hear about the rest of the weekend, go to Great Pumpkin Pt 2, or click on the ‘next’ button at the bottom of the page.

Want to see more racing pictures? Go to our photo gallery (many thanks to Peter Lyons for sharing his photo boat). Also check out Peter Lyons’ and Erik Simonson’s photo galleries, and BAMA’s gallery from Sunday.