SSS Farallones Skippers Meeting

May 13, 2010

This year's SSS Singlehanded Farallones Race presents many new challenges - some good and others still controversial. At the skippers' meeting on Wednesday, some of the ongoing questions were answered. The Coast Guard is requiring 406 EPIRBS or PLBs on each boat. If the Singlehanded Sailing Society didn't make them mandatory, the Coast Guard would not issue a permit. The cut-off time for sign ups was set ten days before the race instead of the usual three, to allow time for the EPIRB paperwork and float plans to be processed.

Even with these concessions the Coast Guard could still decide to not issue a permit. In fact, the Race Committee may not know if one is issued until Friday or even Saturday morning before the race. Because of that, the SSS has decided to add a second in-the-Bay course as an option in case the Coast Guard decides not to issue an ocean permit. Let's hope they can send the boats around the rocks, and maybe the permit process for ocean races can be streamlined for the future. To get more info on the race go to www.sfbaysss.org. But sorry, it's too late to sign up, even though the race itself is not until May 22.