Wind-Blown Brothers & Sisters

July 6, 2010

The title of this story does not refer to Zac and Abby Sunderland, but rather to two island groups in San Pablo Bay which serve as turning marks for a race. On July 4, they were indeed wind-blown. The wind in San Pablo Bay wasn't so bad, actually, but the wind south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, on the last leg of the Brothers & Sisters Regatta, was enough to blow dogs off chains. Finishing a race in 35 knots of wind pretty much means skidding in like a base runner sliding into home plate.

Division 1 start. Left to right: J/105 Joyride, Wylie Wabbit Dust Bunny, and J/80 Pain Killer. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

If you'd decided that it was too warm for foul weather gear, by that last leg you were soaked and regretting it. Waves even found their way inside casually fastened foulie jackets. The only saving grace was the flood current, which doesn't whip up so much chop as would an ebb.

The C&C 29 Siento El Viento on the run. ©2010 Stephen Nimz

The Moore 24 Mooretician looking lively. ©2010 Stephen Nimz

Another Moore 24, 101 is going to have to jibe to get around the Brothers. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

No big surprise that it was a challenging jibe. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Siento El Viento rounds the Sisters. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Brigadoon at another Sister. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Bear Wabbit slides into home plate. ©2010 Stephen Nimz

The Valley was sucking particularly hard over the holiday weekend, with temperatures in the nineties, and by Sunday afternoon, the Bay fog air conditioning machine had turned on. While the fog itself didn't reach sunny Paradise Cay, the wind in front of it barreled in like nobody's business. "We were surprised after docking to see that the kids' inflatable jumpy house was still standing," commented an observer, referring to the Fourth of July activities set up for the families on shore.

It was windy enough to blow cheese off burgers. Barbecue meister Drew Clark coped. ©2010 norcalsailing.com

Host club Tiburon YC put on a post-race barbecue for a lively crowd of sailors and land-lubbers alike, as is their tradition on Fourth of July. Some traditions have gotten lost over time however. Former junior member Judy Russell Bentsen told us about the 'Dunkin' Derby' of the 1970s, when the adults would chase each other around in wooden El Toros and try to sink each other by throwing buckets of water in their adversaries' boats. Ah, tradition.

Results of the race were not yet posted when we wrote this, but should appear soon at www.tyc.org. San Francisco YC also had a race on July 4, the Independence Cup, for club members only. Apparently they too 'enjoyed' 35-40 knots of wind.