More Carnage in Saturday's Racing

April 11, 2010

Crew overboard on the J/120 Twist. ©2010 Serge Zavarin/ultimate-yachtshots.smugmug.com

"Two guys went overboard from the same boat," said photographer Sergei Zavarin, who was shooting J/Fest on the Cityfront. "One of the guys got banged up a little, but both are okay. I'm sure they will have bruises." Host club St. Francis YC was able to get in four out of five scheduled races over Saturday and Sunday. "Today was wet and we finished early," said Serge. "We were back before one."

Shrimping aboard the J/120 Jolly Mon. ©2010 Serge Zavarin/ultimate-yachtshots.smugmug.com

J/105s prepare to set their spinnakers. ©2010 Serge Zavarin/ultimate-yachtshots.smugmug.com

The J/120 fleet on a spinnaker run down the Cityfront. ©2010 Erik Simonson/www.pressure-drop.us

Due to the weather, San Francisco YC cancelled today's racing in the one design Resin Regatta, but they got in two races yesterday. Racers from that regatta are spending Sunday warming up and getting the salt out.

On Saturday, we were astonished to see a fleet of Optimists (with big people onboard, not little kids) from SFYC head out and circumnavigate Angel Island on Saturday!

The little Optis were accompanied by a couple of crash boats. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Richmond YC had their first club series race of the year on Saturday, the Spring Tune-Up Race. Our source at RYC reports:

"The Express 34 Joy Ride's mainsheet swept skipper Bruce Powell off the helm over his wife and over the side in a particularly perilous spreaders in the water broach.

"According to his wife Diane, 'Bruce slid over me and I was holding onto the gear shift [not Bruce]. Bruce wouldn't let go of the tiller extension. Everyone's claiming I wanted a longer boat, but that's not true."

"Ever vocal, Bruce said, 'When I tell my students about sea stories, I
tell them they start with, "There we were," and end with, "Going down like
a greased refrigerator." This time I was the greased refrigerator. Sure
was fun up until the crash. But the baby came back and the crew was so
cool.'

"Tim Knowles, from his vantage point on the Wyliecat 39 Lilith, called Joy Ride's troubles, 'The face plant from hell. The masthead was in the water.'
Lilith won the 'Spinnaker' division. Tim said without the broach Joy Ride
would have beaten them. Lilith was skippered by Karin Knowles. It was a bad
day for spinnakers and good day for Wyliecats, as second went to Steve Seal's 30-footer Silkye."

Tiki Blue (left) and Lilith in RYC's Spring Tune-Up Race. ©2010 Jeff Nelson