Sweet Sixteen

June 4, 2010

No one's birthday that we know of - rather Sweet Sixteen refers to the sixteen-race Wednesday night beer can series run by Oakland YC on the Estuary. The upstairs bar and dining room offer a great view of the sailing, and the race deck is right off the dining room.

Double Agent sailed in the Merit 25 division, which includes four Merits and a J/24. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Changing conditions made the race a bit more challenging than it might have been. At the start, the air was still, heavy, and warm - we called it "balmy," while others called it "muggy." Meanwhile, over the ridges of San Francisco and Marin, a thick summer fog was rolling in, creeping along the water in the Slot, and working its way toward the sunny lee side of Alameda. The leading edge of the fog brought gusty breeze with it, so the finish was quite a bit windier than the start.

Gonzo, a Santana 525, and two trimarans, Rice Rocket and Pegasus II. On the downwind leg, they must stay clear of the start-finish line. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Once around the leeward mark, racers must cross through the start-finish line on the beat back up the Estuary. The race committee can either finish them or let them keep going on another lap. In this sequence of photos, the non-spinnaker division finished, while the spinnaker divisions kept going.

Magic, a Mercury got the first gun, and won the non-spinnaker division. The scenic Oakland shoreline is in the background. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

The Columbia 5.5 Meters Wings and Tenacious sail in close combat. They sail in a six-boat one design division. On the right, the Express 37 Songlines. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

The 1D35 Dark and Stormy heads for the leeward mark, while the Express 37 Mudshark is coming back upwind. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

A good photo for a race rules talk. The trimaran Sunbow 3 threads the needle (pretty wide needle) between Sea Biscuit and Bewitched (all on starboard), while the Cal 2-29 Nice Turn comes up on a port-tack beat. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Sunbow 3 gets around Nice Turn at the finish line. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

This week's race was the fifth in the series. Results, standings, and more information are available at http://sites.google.com/site/oycracing/Home