No, it’s not the famous (infamous?) Corinthian Friday Night Beer Can Series, it’s around the corner in the North Bay. For $5 a race you can pop in to a Tiburon Yacht Club Friday nighter and have a rollicking good time on the water. While Belvedere Cove can prove tricky for starting and finishing the Corinthian races, the wind blows pretty consistently across the North Bay race course, usually from the south or southwest, with westerly blasters close to land coming through low spots in the ridge of the Tiburon peninsula. Combine the breeze with clear skies and relatively flat water, and you have a nice brisk Friday night romp that’ll wash away the work week.

Each race stands alone and there are 12 in a row through the end of August. Since it’s not a series, you can choose whether or not to fly a spinnaker up until the first warning. The last race was a windy one, and everyone chose non-spinnaker. It was won by Brian McInerney’s J/105 Natural Blonde, which survived a brush-up with the beautiful red Folkboat Galante at the start. Besides the usual top three, Ladies’ and Youth boats are recognized with their own awards.

Racing is followed by a barbecue and drinks at the bar. Staffed by volunteers, TYC is a bargain. If you’re interested, drop by the club at Paradise Cay on a Friday night or see www.tyc.org.