July 26, 2015

An overnight at South Beach Harbor, party and food courtesy of the Waterbar Restaurant with rum punch by Mount Gay, breakfast with the usual suspects al fresco at Java House — this is good stuff. We heard the Star Spangled Banner coming from AT&T Park in the marina Saturday morning on race day and it was like our regatta was the big league sporting event.

The Express 37 Snowy Owl on the upwind leg. ©2015 Peter Weigt

This is a magical race that is growing fast from its early Sequoia Yacht Club roots. Starting guns, committee boats, flags, and 12 division starts are the new grown-up form of the YRA Westpoint Regatta. Now at 60 boats, this is a race that wants to keep growing in the coming years. Growth in sailing? Yep, big time. Just a few years ago, it was one division and a handful of racers. This 27.5 mile race starts at Treasure Island, rounds Alcatraz, crosses under the Bay Bridge and San Mateo Bridge and ends in the South Bay near Redwood Creek.

Ron Brown's Platu 25 Black Sheep. ©2015 Peter Weigt

This race is strategy heaven.

The preferred strategy was: Drag race for two miles in 18 knots north to YRA 24 at the southeast end of Angel Island. Then turn left close to the island for current relief. Don’t go too close because the wind goes light as you get closer. Then short-tack under Angel Island to the big decision: when to tack across for Alcatraz. With an almost 3-knot flood, tacking too soon can mean two more tacks with the full flood on your nose. Just under the Bay Bridge the game is avoiding the bad air of the support columns. Some years it’s a parking lot.

Here comes the Flying Tiger CentoMiglia. The smiley face in back belongs to the J/111 Topzy Turvy. ©2015 Peter Weigt

At this point in Saturday's race, the parade headed for maximum flood in the deep water channel to the west of the rhumbline, but the real magic may have been to the east, where there was plenty of wind and a hotter angle into the San Mateo Bridge. A small red spinnaker way up ahead and way east was Charlie Watt’s Open 5.70 with the day’s overall shortest elapsed time for monohulls and a corrected lead over second of 20 minutes — the biggest gap for top finishers of the day.

The F18 beach cat Aurora. ©2015 Peter Weigt

Past the San Mateo Bridge was downwind paradise in 20-23 knots true — fast, fun, warm, beautiful –It doesn’t’ get any better. Next year will be bigger still.

— John Draeger, Yellow Brick Road, Jeanneau 40

Richard Butts' J/105 Melilani at East Quarry Point. ©2015 Peter Weigt

For results and more info, see Jibeset.

Tony Castruccio's J/30 Wind Speed on starboard and headed south. ©2015 Larry Mayne

Preparing to hoist on Scott Scherer's C&C 115 Warp Speed. ©2015 Peter Weigt

Dan Pruzan's Express 27 Wile E. Coyote in the South Bay. ©2015 Carolyn Peterson