The Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay held their Trophy Party on Tuesday at Sausalito YC. Pat Broderick, President of the YRA, opened the meeting with some facts and figures. The YRA issued 850 marine permits for racing on SF Bay, Monterey Bay and Lake Tahoe in 2009. Amazingly, they’ve already got more than that for 2010. That’s a lot of races!

More numbers to contemplate: 313 boats raced in YRA in 2009, down a hair from 2008, when they had 327. Both years were way up from the last pre-Party Circuit year, 2006, when 264 boats were signed up. The Party Circuit continues to grow in popularity, with 127 entries in 2009. Other divisions were down in numbers, except the WBRA (Wooden Boat Racing Association), which got 54 racers, four more than in 2008.

Pat announced an important change to note for 2010: Next year’s OYRA (Offshore Yacht Racing Association) races will require 406 EPIRBS or Personal Locater Beacons. This is due in part to a move by the U.S. Coast Guard to require such equipment on all boats racing locally in the ocean past Point Bonita.

Photographers Erik Simonson and Peter Lyons received embroidered vests, like the ones given to season champions, as a token of appreciation for their assistance to racers in times of trouble. Peter helped save a Viper that ran off without its crew in the Sarcoma Cup. Erik stood by the Flying Tiger Savage Beauty as she foundered on the rocks outside the Gate and helped the J/29 Plan B get off the rocks in the Estuary, both during the Second Half Opener. Erik said, "Anytime we can help out while taking photos we are grateful to do so. It beats sitting at home editing the photos!"

Doug Storkovich, a previous OYRA chair, presented outgoing OYRA chair Richard Calabrese with a Jim DeWitt painting of an Olson 30. Richard sails the Olson 30 Beat to Quarters. During his tenure Richard has accomplished a lot with safety and organization. 

 

Pat Broderick quipped as he introduced the keynote speaker: "Kimball Livingston slaved away writing about sailing for the Chronicle for 14 years before the editors decided the sailing was akin to wrestling and elitist so they stopped covering the sport. That's when I canceled my subscription, which started their decline into a mere shadow of themselves." Kimball was the Chronicle’s race reporter in the ‘70s, back in the days before Latitude 38 took over that niche. For many years, he has been Editor at Large at Sail magazine. Pat said that Kimball’s book, Sailing the Bay, was one of the first sailing books he read. It’s back in print, and can be ordered directly from the author, whose website, Blue Planet Times, can be found at www.kimballlivingston.com.

George Ellison, chair of the HDA (Handicap Divisions Association) explained the newest YRA trophy: "It was Joan Byrne’s idea. [Joan sails the Laser 28 Takeoff.] We decided we needed a Party Circuit trophy for the SF 30s in addition to the HDA trophy. John Davis was a Laser 28 sailor who passed away while getting ready for the Party Circuit opener [the Great Vallejo Race], and we felt the trophy should be named in his honor.” George himself is the first recipient of the John Davis Trophy, which is an actual working cocktail shaker in the form of a red lantern. George sails the Schumacher 30 Shameless. Andy Hall won the older HDA trophy for SF 30s with his Wylie Gemini Twin Encore. (See photo at the top of the page.)

For more on YRA racing, see www.yra.org.