Competitive J/105 and J/120 One-Design Classes on San Francisco Bay (San Francisco, CA- May 15-17) The St. Francis Yacht Club again provided solid race management to get off a nice series of races for this annual weekend classic to start off the summer season on the Bay. There were five classes in the event with two of them representing the J/105s (23 boats) and the J/120 (8 boats).
Racing was as competitive as ever in the two J classes. For the J/105s, Scooter Simmons racing Blackhawk took two bullets to win by six points over Rolf Kaiser on Donkey Jack. Bruce Stone sailing Arbirage commented, "the Bay served up its usual heavy tidal conditions and strong afternoon winds. Saturday had a late start with a three hour postponement due to no wind and oppressive heat in the Valley (over 100 degrees). So, all the boats had to contend with a strong ebb changing to the flood late in the day. Conversely, Sunday was a lopsided day of racing with everyone diving off into ebb in deepwater, leaving no lanes or opportunities to pass if you got stuck behind after the start."
The J/120s had some very tight racing at times. But, in the end, it was the team aboard Chance led by the capable Barry Lewis that took two bullets and beat out Steve Madeira's Mister Magoo. More information on StFYC site