Get Out Your Boat for Opening Day This Sunday, April 27
This Sunday is the traditional great unfurling, when sailboats (and other boats) that have been idle all winter (and those that never stopped sailing) congregate on the water for the blessing of the fleet. On Raccoon Strait the “God Squad” — a minister, a priest, and a rabbi — will bless your boat as you pass by the Aurora V, a 1969 John Trumpy & Sons coastal cruiser, anchored near the Corinthian’s clubhouse in Tiburon. Pass from east to west at around 4 knots, between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on April 27, to participate.
You can make it a “twofer” by continuing on counterclockwise across the Bay to watch or join (if you’ve preregistered) the PICYA Opening Day Parade. The PICYA parade starts at noon as registered boats gather to the west of Anita Rock before parading east toward Pier 39. This year’s theme is “Generations on the Bay,” with prizes awarded to decorated boats in various categories. With max flood at 10:30 it will likely be flat water, but stay west toward the bridge so you reach Crissy Field to the west of Anita Rock.
After a few gray days it looks as if Sunday is the day the sun will return to the Bay, making it an even better day for you to get your boat out of the slip and hoist your sails or at least the flags you recently picked up at the dry cleaner.
If there is one day not to leave your boat tied up, this is it — along with all the other great days to get out there. It’s actually a good time to go check on the boat and make sure it’s still in its slip, say hi to the dock neighbors, head out for a blessing, and return for a dock party.
It your sails have been flaked or furled all winter it’s a good time to get the wrinkles out, or if your engine oil has been sitting cold for months, it’s a great time to warm it up so it’s reliable when you invite friends, kids, and neighbors. Too many of them only see the Bay while sitting in traffic on a bridge, and too many boats sit in slips for lack of crew. There are many folks who’d love to get onto the Bay with you. This is your chance to show them why we sail here. And have them keep an eye out for the many whales that have been spotted on the Bay.
PICYA’s Opening Day has been a celebration of the Bay’s unique sailing culture for over 100 years. It’s a day that racers, cruisers, and recreational daysailors can practice their sailing, navigation, and rules of the road. We’ve found that even on the most crowded days on the Bay, there’s always plenty of room to sail and the marinas remain way too full.
It only comes once a year, and is a great day to unfurl your sails with the next generation aboard. See you out there.
The Actual, Final Baja Ha-Ha Registrations Open May 9
This is it! The actual, final Baja Ha-Ha. For anyone who hasn’t done the Ha-Ha, it’s now or never, and this is not a cliché designed to tug your emotional strings. The deal is real!
The news is already circulating, and it is being reiterated by the Poobah (aka Richard Spindler, the rally’s founder). “Some people are skeptical that Ha-Ha XXXI will be the last Ha-Ha. While the Poobah remains in great shape and would love to do Ha-Ha’s forever, he thinks it’s important to retire at the top of one’s game. And that time is after this year’s Ha-Ha. So the Poobah earnestly hopes you’ll join him for this one last bit of Ha-Ha history.”
Registrations for this last Ha-Ha open on May 9. This year’s #1 spot is already taken, a gesture between the Poobah and good friends Lynn and Christian aboard the Westsail 42 Mālama Kai. Lynn and the Poobah share the same birthday, May 9.
Lynn responded to the Poobah’s FB post about her and Christian’s honorary #1 spot:
“Any sailors reading this that are undecided whether to join the Baja Ha-Ha fleet, I can personally attest to the benefits of sailing among like-minded seafaring folks.
“Having crewed on the committee boat, Profligate, 15 times, I have witnessed the best of humanity, when the unwritten ‘law’ of the sea, is to always help fellow mariners in distress. Fellow sailors jump into action to assist with large and small issues. As an added bonus, the camaraderie and bonds are lifelong, and veterans of past Ha-Ha’s always manage to see each other in exotic ports world-wide.
“Christian (aka DJ Smoke) is currently shopping for a sound system for Mālama Kai. Dance party on the water, anyone?
“I personally wish to send my most heartfelt gratitude to Richard and Doña for their tireless efforts of producing this event.”
There are a couple of good reasons to sign up early: Signing up is commitment, not more sitting on the dock hemming and hawing about whether to go. Secondly, the few slips in Cabo will be assigned in the order in which boats sign up. “However,” the Poobah adds, “we urge you not to sign up until you are certain that you’ll be able to make the trip, because ENTRY FEES ARE NONREFUNDABLE. Thank you for not asking.”
So, if this is “the last Ha-Ha ever,” does that mean this year’s “Halloween Costume Kick-Off Party and ‘Last Cheeseburger in Paradise’ Party” will actually serve its “last cheeseburger?”
Sign up and find out!
Details, dates and Notice of Rally can all be found here: www.baja-haha.com.
Spaulding Marine Center, Full-Service Boat Yard and Education Center
Richmond Sailors Chart Their Marine Hazards
Sailors are all too aware of the dangers of unknown sunken or floating objects and are always open about sharing information about the whereabouts of such hazards. Sheldon Coad is part of the Google Groups’ “Cal Sailing Club Discussions” group; he forwarded us a memo and a chart of the marine hazards faced by Richmond sailors.
“Just got a note from a friend who teaches at Tradewinds,” Sheldon wrote. “There is a new sunken hazard opposite the entrance to the Richmond Yacht Club. This would be on the south side of the Point Potrero Reach. Tradewinds had one of their boats badly damaged by running into the obstruction.”
As we understand it, this means the water off Point Richmond now has seven known hazards, and they are difficult to spot — hence the marine-hazards chart, which is dated January 2025 and may not include the new obstruction.
“That sunken boat in Keller Cove has been there for a long time, a few years. RYC sailors know to avoid it. At least it’s well marked (in the daytime) and close-ish to shore,” Latitude racing editor Christine Weaver commented. “The other newer one is more scary.”
One of the hazards charted out is the remains of the old ferry landing. The pier was built at the close of the 19th century and saw its last commercial use in the 1970s. Its deterioration continued, and in early 2024 it was earmarked for removal. We don’t have the latest information, but it would appear that job has not been completed.
Rather than try to explain all the hazards, we leave you with the chart as we received it, accompanied by a photo attributed to Will Paxton.
And while we’re on the topic of hazards, let’s hope the vessel pictured below doesn’t become one as well.
Golden Gate YC’s Seaweed Soup in San Francisco
It’s an old cliché, but each year we anticipate the arrival of March with curiosity — will it really come in like a lion? The answer on Saturday, March 1, this year was, “Yeah, like, duh, fer sure!” A storm front was on its way, pushing westerly wind into the 30-knot range ahead of it, far exceeding the forecast for mid-teens. (We clocked a gust of 35 knots west of Angel Island.)
Most of Golden Gate Yacht Club’s Seaweed Soup racers did show up for the last race of the midwinter series on the San Francisco Cityfront. During the windy race on choppy waves, we counted at least one each of the following: a spinnaker boat that chose not to fly a spinnaker; a bald-headed drop (at the Knox buoy west of Angel Island); a set of twings broken; an exploded spinnaker; and a round-up to auto-tack perilously close to the Little Harding buoy.
Despite the westerly wind direction, Gordie Nash of Arcadia observed that it wasn’t a topographical wind, but more of a regional weather pattern, so it was not your typical San Francisco summer weather.
Although some boats dropped out in the intense conditions, others soldiered on. Among the finishers was Scott Easom’s Sabre Spirit Serenade, which would be declared the overall series winner for a second year in a row.
Comparing this year to last year, Scott said their crew enjoyed the better weather this year, with all five races completed. Serenade was able to finish all of them, even the really light ones, “which created the throwout, which helped us because we had one bad race,” said Scott. “In the third one, we had a fourth. One of our guys didn’t show up and I had to do the bow. That didn’t go very well.”
Scott’s late uncle, Hank Easom, loved this series. “I think Hank’s name’s up there more than anybody’s. That’s why I continue to do it.”
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