The 65 boats - some pretty fast and modern - vying for the overall top spot proved that you don't need money, rock stars or divine intervention to get ahead. Take overall winner Stephen Buckingham and his Santana 22 Tchoupitoulas. He's been racing around the Farallones since the nineties with several class wins but never better than third overall. 

Here’s how his day went: "There was a wind line just outside of the bridge. I got into it and it pretty much continued the rest of the way. The windiest was at one o'clock and I thought, ‘Okay I should change jibs now.’ But it's a real pain in the ass, and I just kept sticking it out with the genny. I suffered maybe an hour of having too much sail up, then it mellowed out.”

The Gulf of the Farallones saw 18 to 20 knots from the northwest for much of the day. "By the time I got to the islands, I was glad I didn't change down, because everything was perfect,” said Stephen.

“Coming back it was a beam reach with the big genny up, and I was all ready to set the spinny, but I was still surrounded by the big boats. In theory I should have flown the kite, but it would have been a pain. If somehow the thing could magically appear in front then I would have had the ride of my life. I actually had the pole set and ready to go for two hours." Congratulations to Stephen. For all the results (preliminary for now), see race organizers Singlehanded Sailing Society’s site at www.sfbaysss.org.

While Stephen was working his way to a great finish, Ben Mewes was working his way to just finish. After deciding to race his “house", the custom Van De Stadt 40 Georgia (which he, wife Lucie, and their dachsund live on at Richmond YC), he found himself sitting with others just outside of the Gate on the way back from the islands.

"Everything was working out until I fell into this stupid hole on the south side of the channel,” said Ben. “There were a bunch of us doing donuts watching the fleet go by. I tell you that was frustrating." As for prepping the ‘house’, all he removed was the big anchor. Everything else stayed onboard, kitchen and all. "The toaster, coffee maker, even the flat screen TV, thank you very much. But it was an absolutely gorgeous day, sunshine and breeze. I was doing wonderful until I hit that damn hole." Ben won last year’s SSS Singlehanded series on his sportboat, Mirage.

So now that the boats and homes are back at the dock, and it looks like it was another great year for the Singlehanded Farallones, remember that you can't win races if you don’t sail. Maybe next year?