Three Bridge Fiasco Skippers Meeting

January 27, 2011

Just in case you weren't part of the mob scene at Oakland YC Wednesday night, we'll hit the highlights of the Three Bridge Fiasco skippers meeting here.

MST1 Joshua Clark, the new USCG Marine Events Coordinator for the Bay Area, held the floor first. He told us that about 30 swimmers will be sharing the Cityfront Saturday morning with the 360 or so sailboats. The swimmers will enter the water at McCovey Cove at 09:30 and are expected to finish up at Aquatic Park by 11:45. Ten to fifteen support boats will be overseeing them and creating a barrier. Most of those will be small rowboats. Not only will the swimmers be sharing the water with the sailors, but their event will be sharing VHF 69 as well. This actually happened last year too, and it all worked out fine.

Principal Race Officer Rob Tryon reminded everyone to check in at least 10 minutes before their start time. During the starting sequence, boats must leave a 50-yard radius around the start line until five minutes before their start. The penalty for violating this rule is an automatic DSQ.

"Radio in at your finish," said Rob. "If you drop out - that's called the 'One Bridge and Let's Go Home' - call the race committee on 69 or voice mail."

Commodore Max Crittenden enumerated the various restricted zones on the course: between Anita Rock and the shore, between the Little Alcatraz bell buoy and Alcatraz Island, between the Point Blunt buoy and Angel Island, between the Point Belvedere buoy and Belvedere, the gap in the Berkeley Pier, and south of the South Tower (hopefully no one gets near that). Regarding the Richmond Long Wharf: "Imagine a fence from Green 3, to Red 2 and to R2CR connecting the buoys. Leave that fence to the east." That wharf is restricted by Homeland Security. The Coast Guard station on Yerba Buena Island is also restricted. Imagine the corner of a box at 37 48.45 N 122 21.583 W. Draw the box up to the island. Don't go inside the box.

Max reminded the racers to look up their start times for the pursuit, which are on the SSS site at www.sfbaysss.org/2011/PDF/tbfstart.pdf. They're listed by PHRF number.

Kame Richards, tides guru and sailmaker from Pineapple Sails, gave some advice on strategy, which could mostly be summed up as, "Be fully ready to change your mind." Max ebb is at around 12:30, predicted at 4.4 knots. "But it's 52 degrees at Squaw Valley and it will be tomorrow and the next day." The snowmelt runoff will increase the ebb, and the flood will be delayed.

"I change my mind five times in the five minutes before the start," said Kame, "until we're stuck on one side or the other of the line. In the morning, look at the Oakland Hills, the South Bay, the Sausalito ridge. If there's fog on the Sausalito ridge, that indicates a westerly. Look at the smoke stacks. Then realize it will all change. You can't figure it out, just never quit."

For some tips from the Race Co-Chairs, see our previous story. And be sure to read the Standing Sailing Instructions and the Additional Sailing Instructions. You can find everything you need at www.sfbaysss.org.