Another day on the Estuary, another club, another race, a radically different set of conditions from Saturday’s. On Sunday, Oakland YC (in Alameda) wrapped up their Sunday Brunch Series of midwinter racing. The name comes from the meal served in the clubhouse before the race. Also preceding the race this time was a racing rules seminar, which packed the Regatta Room. The Beneteau fleet contributed to the numbers there, as they were having a cruise-in at OYC, followed by a race home to Richmond, which started after the regular divisions.

This second Estuary race was marked by rain and wind from the southeast. White caps were even beginning to build on the protected waters of the Estuary. The race committee reported wind speed of 10-12 knots, ideal for most boats. Everyone who had raced in the previous installment two weeks before, when there had been gale warnings, said this one was much milder.

The fleets were given a reverse course to accommodate the backwards wind direction. A peculiarity of this course is that the start/finish buoy X is a mark on the course on the upwind legs, but not the downwind legs. Some racers got confused (a guest boat simply lost track of where they were) and sailed through the line on the wrong leg. The race committee was very generous with radio communication and hailed boats that erred. Some sailed back around the pin and exonerated themselves, but those who didn’t got a DSQ.

Many boats entered were no shows, perhaps on account of the rain or the forecast for the Bay outside the Estuary. Indeed, the delivery home across the Bay after the regatta was rather exciting, with a huge fetch coming out of the South Bay.

For complete results of the race and the series, see http://sites.google.com/site/oycracing/Home. OYC’s next race will be on April 18, the Rites of Spring Regatta for singlehanded, doublehanded, and women’s crews. This one will be in the Central Bay, not the Estuary.