Sometimes sailors have to brave the watery elements on land. A hefty roomful of them came out in the storm to attend the Skippers Meeting for the SSS Three Bridge Fiasco, so called because you can start and finish in any direction, and round the three marks in any direction - and in any order. The three bridges/marks are: Golden Gate/Blackaller Buoy, Bay Bridge/Treasure Island, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge/Red Rock. (You round the marks - the bridges themselves are just scenery.)

If you’re short on time you can read the Race Co-Chair’s Ten Commandments now, then read the more detailed report when you have a few more minutes. (Before the race!)

THREE BRIDGE TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Do read the SSIs for all the information about the race, not just the SIs.

2. Do check in at least 10 minutes before your start or it’s a DSQ. (But not all at once please.)*

3. Do not hover around the start line before your start; stay out of starters’ way.

4. Do not anchor close to the start line.

5. Do not get in the way of ships. 

6. Do not sail into restricted areas.

7. Do please let us know by radio if crossing the finish line but not finishing (it's not restricted).

8. Do have your running lights on after sunset at the finish (and hopefully elsewhere).

9. Do please let us know by radio that you are close to finishing.

10. 10.Do check out by radio if you cannot finish or retire. (If no one answers call the voicemail listed on the SIs)
    

10a. Have fun.

*Only sail number and boat name. “This is 666 El Diablo checking in.”

Now for the details from the meeting:

Bill Merrick, Commodore  of the Singlehanded Sailing Society, addressed the crowd first. He told us that 358 boats raced in the TBF last year, “making it the biggest race in North America.”

Dan Alvarez, winner of the Doublehanded division in 2009 in his JS9000 JetStream, gave the assembled sailors some advice about the race. We pass them along here:

The TBF is a pursuit race. Each rating number has an assigned start time which is listed in the instructions.

The Start Line. The line runs from the race deck at Golden Gate YC to the X buoy. If you’re not within five minutes of your start, stay away from the line. The wind is usually light at the start, and the race committee can disqualify you for getting too close too early. The start-finish line is not restricted after you start, but let the RC know if you’re going to cross the finish line before your finish (for example, on your way from Treasure Island to Blackaller).

Engines. Especially if the wind is light, keep them on before your start. But be sure to turn them off at least five minutes before your start time.

The Start. Start in either direction. Check how many boats you’re starting with to see how hectic it’s going to be. The more hectic, the better to start on starboard. Have your anchor ready if it’s really light at the start. The currents will be strong. But don’t anchor right on the line! Later starters have some advantage, as they can watch the early starters, like a bunch of windvanes.

Over Early. There’s a twenty-minute penalty for crossing the line within five minutes of your start. You cannot go back and restart. Mike Bruzzone, who got the penalty last year, said, “It’s not worth it.”

Restricted Areas. Anita Rock and its buoy off Crissy Field. (Do not go south of those.) The South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. (Have an anchor ready if the wind is light.) The green buoy off the tip of Pt. Belvedere. (The Corinthian YC races do not restrict this area, but the SSS does.) Between Pt. Blunt buoy and Angel Island. (There really is a rock there.) The Richmond Long Wharf. (Anything to the east of a line drawn between the Castro Rocks buoy, R2, and G3 is restricted.) The Berkeley Pier. Coast Guard pier on Yerba Buena.

Previous Race Chair Max Crittenden clarified the latter on our Facebook page: “The Coast Guard Pier restricted area is a box with 37 degrees 48' 27" N, 122 degrees 21' 35" W as its southeast corner, extending due west and due north to Yerba Buena. I'm putting that location as a waypoint into my GPS. And I'll have my red flag and camera ready!”

Aquatic Park is not restricted. (But swimmers have the right of way.)

Currents. Max Flood is at 0950, 3.3 knots. Slack is around noon, with Max Ebb (4-5 knots!) towards 1600.

Sunset is at 1731. With three minutes grace, that’s 1734. You must show running lights after sunset. The RC will disqualify you if you finish without them. After dark, radio the RC to let them know you’re coming, and give your sail number.

Dropping out. If you drop out of the race, call the RC on the VHF. If you don’t get a confirmation, call the voice mail number 866-SAILSSS and leave a message. If you don’t, the RC has to stay on duty trying to find you, or call the Coast Guard and report you missing. If you cause this much trouble, you will be required to serve on an SSS race deck before you’re allowed to race again.

Greg Nelsen, last year’s winner of the Singlehanded division on his Azzura 310 Outsider, gave a brief talk about tactics. His primary advice? “Pray for wind!” Storm runoff could make the ebb stronger and the floods shorter than predicted. Regardless, the ebb will be raging by 1400. A majority of the starters go west to east - keep that in mind if you decide to go to Blackaller first.

Principal Race Officer Stephen Buckingham took the mic next, and reminded the racers that the old starting sequence of a yellow 10-minute flag, a blue 5-minute flag, and a red start flag will be used for the first start, accompanied by guns. After that, there will be no more time signals on the race deck, although the RC will try to give a time check over the VHF. They will be on GPS time.

Don’t get within 50 yards of the start line before five minutes before your start (east and west of the line, and in a 50-yard arc around the X buoy). It’s a restricted area. This rule has not been enforced in recent years, but it will be this year.

You must check in by radio at least 10 minutes before your start. If you don’t, you’ll be scored DNS. Channel 68 will be used to check in even-sail-numbered boats; 69 for odd-numbered ones. The RC will be available to take check-ins by 0900. Got a small boat with no radio? Go buy a handheld VHF. It’s required equipment.

An automatic disqualification will be interference with commercial traffic as defined by the Coast Guard, the pilot of a ship, Vessel Traffic, or the race deck.

The time limit is 1900.

Read the Sailing Instructions for this race, and also the Standing Sailing Instructions of the SSS. See www.sfbaysss.org for all the instructions, a forum and more. As of Friday evening, when we posted this, the head count was up to 307.