Tuesday, September 18, 2007
SUNDAY, 16 SEPT. 07-- MORE SPECTACULAR ROLEX BBS RACING
Sunday was another beautiful day in San Francisco, and the morning passed with no breeze. In the afternoon, a brief land breeze eventually gave way to a moderate sea breeze. We left port around 1:30 pm, to head out to watch the last race of the Rolex BBS regatta-- a single race around the central bay, visiting various areas with different windward and leeward marks.
The breeze over the land was moderate as we left port.
We headed out into the central bay, sailing northwest on the westerly breeze, and watching the larger boats of the IRC fleet heading toward Alcatraz on their upwind leg, and then heading across the bay toward the cityfront, like ROSEBUD, a 65 footer, is doing here.
Two Transpac 52s were sailing past the eastern shore of Alcatraz, and looking great!
VELOS, a 73 foot Sled, followed the two TP52s.
KOKOPELLI, a Santa Cruz 52, was temporarily sailing toward Alcatraz in this shot.
Here's 'zamazaan', a custom Farr 52, blasting across the bay toward the cityfront and looking great!
Her large crew was mostly on the starboard rail and enjoying the sunny afternoon.
Five vessels from the IRC fleet were passing the east shore of Alcatraz and most heading toward the cityfront.
Here eight of the vessels were blasting away from Alcatraz toward the city, all looking great!
RECIDIVIST was leading the charge toward the cityfront....
rail almost in the water.
INSPIRED ENVIRONMENT and WHITE DOVE were also blasting across the bay and looking great!
All the crew of INSPIRED ENVIRONMENT, including the helmsperson, were on the starboard rail or close to it.
INFINITY was also blasted across the central bay....
.....a large crew on the starboard rail.
A couple of Express 37s were closer to the cityfront.
Later, these three J120s were racing toward the cityfront.
Further out on the bay, ROSEBUD was now blasting downwind, flying her huge asymmetrical spinnaker.
TKO was also blasting across the bay toward Harding Rock, her leeward mark destination, flying both jib and spinnaker.
Three others of the IRC fleet were also blasting across the bay, and looking great!
TKO was rounding Harding Rock buoy, following at least two other boats.
We stayed around this mark and watched some other vessels in the fleet and the lead two here were in the process of dousing spinnakers before rounding the mark.
After all this fleet rounded this mark, we spotted the 1D35 fleet approaching a rce marker buoy east of Harding Rock and we headed over there, but only managed to catch sight of ZSA ZSA approaching the mark.
Other 1D35 vessels were already heading downwind toward the southern shore of Alcatraz.
A bit later, ZSA ZSA was also blasting downwind, chasing the rest of the fleet.
We stayed around this windward mark and watched the J120 fleet approaching the mark and looking great!
It's great to watch these boats round the mark and then set spinnakers...
... and later flying downwind, here the vessels sailing on a beam reach, the trailing boat in this photo struggling with a spinnaker that didn't get hauled to the top of the mast and might have its foot dragging in the water.
Way in the east, a whole host of colorful spinnaker flying boats were headed toward their leeward marks.
ALETA was blasting downwind as we headed back toward the cityfront, planning to head for the windward mark to watch the roundings of the last mark of the race just inside Blackaller Buoy.
As we approached the cityfront, VELOS was heading upwind toward the windward mark, and some others of the IRC fleet were already heading for the finish line.
When we reached the windward mark, SWIFTSURE was approaching the mark and others were blasting downwind toward the finish line in front of the St. Francis YC.
Watching these vessels blasting downwind with colorful spinnakers flying is a great thrill.
Later, we watched as the J120 fleet approached the mark, preparing to set spinnakers...
Rounding the mark, they set their spinnakers.
... and soon another beautiful sight greeted us as these vessels blasted downwind behind colorful spinnakers.
A short time later, part of the Melges fleet was approaching the mark.
Here, SOUTHERN CROSS was rounding the mark and preparing to set its spinnaker.
Here PEGASUS and SOUTHERN CROSS were blasting downwind, followed by another vessel.
A while later, another group of boats, including ASTRA, was approaching the mark.
ASTRA's crew was hauling up her spinnaker as she rounded the mark...
...and set it, initially with a small twist....
... and later drawing freely.
Soon she was part of a group of vessels heading for the finish line and looking beautiful.
'zamazaan' was approaching the mark and looking great.
She rounded the mark with crew hoisting spinnaker as she did.
Later, MASQUERADE was rounding the mark and readying the spinnaker for setting....
..and soon was blasting downwind under its colorful spinnaker.
Over and over again, we enjoyed the sight of a group of vessels blasting downwind with colorful spinnakers flying.
Here, RECIDIVIST, part of the IRC fleet, was blasting downwind, accompanied by two J105s.
Here, a large group of J105s were approaching and rounding the mark.
Soon we were treated to another beautiful sight of a long line of boats flying their colorful spinnakers and heading toward the finish line.
After all the J105 fleet had rounded the mark and headed for the finish line, we spotted ALETA heading for the windward mark and preparing to set her spinnaker.
As she rounded the mark, her spinnaker was going up....
....and soon she was flying downwind, but unfortunately dragging her jib in the water.
Here, INFINITY was rounding the mark and preparing to set her spinnaker.
.. and later was flying downwind with spinnaker and jib flying.
InfraRed was the last boat around the mark, and not looking good as her crew didn't get the spinnake halyard up fast enough ....
.....and she had to backwind the spinnaker to fully raise it.
We then headed for home port ourselves, pleased to have spent several wonderful hours on the bay watching the last race of the Rolex BBS.
Sunday was another beautiful day in San Francisco, and the morning passed with no breeze. In the afternoon, a brief land breeze eventually gave way to a moderate sea breeze. We left port around 1:30 pm, to head out to watch the last race of the Rolex BBS regatta-- a single race around the central bay, visiting various areas with different windward and leeward marks.
The breeze over the land was moderate as we left port.
We headed out into the central bay, sailing northwest on the westerly breeze, and watching the larger boats of the IRC fleet heading toward Alcatraz on their upwind leg, and then heading across the bay toward the cityfront, like ROSEBUD, a 65 footer, is doing here.
Two Transpac 52s were sailing past the eastern shore of Alcatraz, and looking great!
VELOS, a 73 foot Sled, followed the two TP52s.
KOKOPELLI, a Santa Cruz 52, was temporarily sailing toward Alcatraz in this shot.
Here's 'zamazaan', a custom Farr 52, blasting across the bay toward the cityfront and looking great!
Her large crew was mostly on the starboard rail and enjoying the sunny afternoon.
Five vessels from the IRC fleet were passing the east shore of Alcatraz and most heading toward the cityfront.
Here eight of the vessels were blasting away from Alcatraz toward the city, all looking great!
RECIDIVIST was leading the charge toward the cityfront....
rail almost in the water.
INSPIRED ENVIRONMENT and WHITE DOVE were also blasting across the bay and looking great!
All the crew of INSPIRED ENVIRONMENT, including the helmsperson, were on the starboard rail or close to it.
INFINITY was also blasted across the central bay....
.....a large crew on the starboard rail.
A couple of Express 37s were closer to the cityfront.
Later, these three J120s were racing toward the cityfront.
Further out on the bay, ROSEBUD was now blasting downwind, flying her huge asymmetrical spinnaker.
TKO was also blasting across the bay toward Harding Rock, her leeward mark destination, flying both jib and spinnaker.
Three others of the IRC fleet were also blasting across the bay, and looking great!
TKO was rounding Harding Rock buoy, following at least two other boats.
We stayed around this mark and watched some other vessels in the fleet and the lead two here were in the process of dousing spinnakers before rounding the mark.
After all this fleet rounded this mark, we spotted the 1D35 fleet approaching a rce marker buoy east of Harding Rock and we headed over there, but only managed to catch sight of ZSA ZSA approaching the mark.
Other 1D35 vessels were already heading downwind toward the southern shore of Alcatraz.
A bit later, ZSA ZSA was also blasting downwind, chasing the rest of the fleet.
We stayed around this windward mark and watched the J120 fleet approaching the mark and looking great!
It's great to watch these boats round the mark and then set spinnakers...
... and later flying downwind, here the vessels sailing on a beam reach, the trailing boat in this photo struggling with a spinnaker that didn't get hauled to the top of the mast and might have its foot dragging in the water.
Way in the east, a whole host of colorful spinnaker flying boats were headed toward their leeward marks.
ALETA was blasting downwind as we headed back toward the cityfront, planning to head for the windward mark to watch the roundings of the last mark of the race just inside Blackaller Buoy.
As we approached the cityfront, VELOS was heading upwind toward the windward mark, and some others of the IRC fleet were already heading for the finish line.
When we reached the windward mark, SWIFTSURE was approaching the mark and others were blasting downwind toward the finish line in front of the St. Francis YC.
Watching these vessels blasting downwind with colorful spinnakers flying is a great thrill.
Later, we watched as the J120 fleet approached the mark, preparing to set spinnakers...
Rounding the mark, they set their spinnakers.
... and soon another beautiful sight greeted us as these vessels blasted downwind behind colorful spinnakers.
A short time later, part of the Melges fleet was approaching the mark.
Here, SOUTHERN CROSS was rounding the mark and preparing to set its spinnaker.
Here PEGASUS and SOUTHERN CROSS were blasting downwind, followed by another vessel.
A while later, another group of boats, including ASTRA, was approaching the mark.
ASTRA's crew was hauling up her spinnaker as she rounded the mark...
...and set it, initially with a small twist....
... and later drawing freely.
Soon she was part of a group of vessels heading for the finish line and looking beautiful.
'zamazaan' was approaching the mark and looking great.
She rounded the mark with crew hoisting spinnaker as she did.
Later, MASQUERADE was rounding the mark and readying the spinnaker for setting....
..and soon was blasting downwind under its colorful spinnaker.
Over and over again, we enjoyed the sight of a group of vessels blasting downwind with colorful spinnakers flying.
Here, RECIDIVIST, part of the IRC fleet, was blasting downwind, accompanied by two J105s.
Here, a large group of J105s were approaching and rounding the mark.
Soon we were treated to another beautiful sight of a long line of boats flying their colorful spinnakers and heading toward the finish line.
After all the J105 fleet had rounded the mark and headed for the finish line, we spotted ALETA heading for the windward mark and preparing to set her spinnaker.
As she rounded the mark, her spinnaker was going up....
....and soon she was flying downwind, but unfortunately dragging her jib in the water.
Here, INFINITY was rounding the mark and preparing to set her spinnaker.
.. and later was flying downwind with spinnaker and jib flying.
InfraRed was the last boat around the mark, and not looking good as her crew didn't get the spinnake halyard up fast enough ....
.....and she had to backwind the spinnaker to fully raise it.
We then headed for home port ourselves, pleased to have spent several wonderful hours on the bay watching the last race of the Rolex BBS.
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 1:51 PM 
