Three Bridges and Some Tips

January 26, 2012

The biggest race of the year on San Francisco Bay will start off the Golden Gate YC race deck on Saturday. It's the Singlehanded Sailing Society's Three Bridge Fiasco for doublehanded and singlehanded boats. The skippers meeting was held last night at Oakland YC. In case you missed it, here's a recap of some salient points.

1. Blackaller Buoy (one of the three 'bridges') is still off station. The SSS will scare up an inflatable to take its place.

2. Remember to read the season's Standing Sailing Instructions – and the race's Additional Sailing Instructions. Some items in the latter may alter some items in the former – in this case, the starting sequence in particular. The SSIs and SIs can be found at www.sfbaysss.org.

3. Have you been racing long enough to remember the old 10-minute starting sequence with shapes? This is the only race we know of that still uses it. "You will hear three guns," said Jan Brewer (the SSS Race Chair, not the governor of Arizona). "One at 8:50, one at 8:55, and one at 9:00. That's it for sound signals at the start." You can find your start time at www.sfbaysss.org/2012/PDF/tbf12start.pdf. The starting sequence is earlier this year than in previous years.

4. The race committee hopes to start taking check-ins by 7:50. If your sail number ends with an odd number you check in on 69. If your sail number ends in an even number, you check in on 72. "After check-ins are over, 72 goes bye-bye and 69 will be the working channel for the rest of the day," said Jan. Check in with your sail number and boat name. If you don't get an acknowledgment, you are not checked in! But be patient. Especially if your boat name is Bandito or Banditos, Zingara or Zingaro, Akula or Akyla, Origami or Origami.

5. About the results, Jan said, "We have no idea when they will be posted."

6. Restricted zones include between the H beam west of St. Francis and the shore, Anita Rock buoy and Crissy Field, the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and the shore, the reef between the Little Alcatraz buoy and Alcatraz, and the reef between Pt. Blunt and Angel Island. The Richmond Long Wharf is restricted within three marks: G3, R2 and 2CR (the red Castro Rocks buoy). Castro Rocks themselves are restricted. (Reefs + boats = bad.) A new buoy has been set off the Coast Guard station on Yerba Buena Island. Don't go between it and the shore. The gap in the Berkeley Pier is also off-limits.

You cannot unwind from a violation of a restricted area. If you accidentally drift into one, "Call us and say bye-bye," said Jan.

"What about the construction area at the Bay Bridge?" someone asked. "It is what it is," replied Jan. "Don't hit it."

7. Another restricted area: the startline. Up until five minutes before your start, a 50-yard area around starting line is restricted. That's west and east of the line between Golden Gate YC and buoy X, and north of X itself. After you start, the line is no longer restricted, even if boats are still starting. You can pass through it, but call on 69 and let the race committee know what you're doing.

8. If you decide that your harbor is closer than the finish line, be sure to check out, either by calling in on VHF 69, or by calling the SSS voice mail at 866-724-5777.

9. Remember to admire the beautiful sunset, at which time you will also remember to turn on your running lights.

10. Assuming you decide to finish, call the race committee on 69 and let them know your boat name and sail number when you are approaching the finish line. They may not have time to respond, so this time don't worry if you don't get an answer. The race committee will at that point be surrounded by pots of boiling lobsters and hungry yacht club members (GGYC's lobster feed coincides with the TBF).

11. Just in case, record your own finish time, and note who was in front of you and who finished after you.

Last year 292 boats started. This year 336 boats are signed up (registration is now closed). Pat Broderick talked a little about the years he was running the racing, 1999 and 2000. "In 1999 we broke 200. We were both happy and alarmed to have 202 boats. We had three video cameras recording on VHS cassettes. About 125 finished within five minutes of each other. It was the pursuit race that worked.

"In 2000 we were set. We had an army of 20 on the race deck – it was sagging. We had four VHS cameras. 222 boats signed up. We wanted to get to 225 but were three boats shy.

"Sixteen boats finished. Five minutes after the Cal 20 start, we were already busy keeping track of the drop-outs. As we approached the deadline, we could see lights bobbing out there. We fired the gun ending the race, sadly with a boat three feet from the finish.

"We had 28 Moore 24s in 1999, and 29 in 2000. In 2012 we expect 36-38 Moores. They've been a very consistent fleet." The Moore 24s kick off their Roadmaster Series with the Three Bridge Fiasco.

Dan Newland took us even further back in time, to the beginning in the mid-'80s, when he was on the SSS board: "Ants Uiga said, 'We don't have a race in January or February. We got three bridges; we oughta go around 'em.' I asked which way," said Dan. "Ants answered, 'We oughta just leave it open. And I don't think we should have a start time. It should be a pursuit race.' It was a goofy idea, but we expanded on it. We got about two dozen boats in that first race."

We've posted a photo gallery and a report on this goofy race. Be sure to check 'em out.