California Offshore Race Week Starts With the Spinnaker Cup

California Offshore Race Week kicks off the West Coast ocean racing circuit each spring — the Spinnaker Cup to Monterey, the Coastal Cup to Santa Barbara, and the SoCal 300 to San Diego. Crews enjoy long downwind legs and plenty of sunshine, and each YC rolls out the red carpet for the finishers. As this missive goes to press, the third leg is underway. Andy Schwenk tells the tale from the decks of Sir Edmund.

Spinnaker Cup 2025 started Saturday, May 23, in front of StFYC, with a fairly stiff flood and puffy 12- to 15-knot westerlies. The fleet of 60 competitors was split into six PHRF divisions and one multihull division. Big boats first, these lead-bellied money guzzlers stretched their legs early and reached under headsail as far as Montara. No, not Montana. The wind compressed against Año Nuevo and points south, and the yachts that played it tight along the beach were soon in front of those that didn’t.

It got lively and required jibing. My mother always taught me not to jibe or I would capsize. Now, some 40 years later, she is not wrong. Vessels either swapped down to smaller kites or allowed King Neptune to decide for them, as plenty of colorful panels of nylon were donated to Davy Jones’ locker. The boats that kept it dirty-side down and worked into Monterey Bay early were welcomed to Monterey Peninsula YC before the sun even thought about setting. Easy for them because the tough part of the race was just beginning. Imagine near-total darkness save for traffic lights downtown, boats that finished ahead of you, harbor patrol vessels, and nav beacons. Add to that mix your crew dousing your mainsail and wandering about the deck celebrating. Trust me, you can’t see much and what you can see ye’re not able to determine what it is. It’s enough to make you consider spending a boat buck or two and purchasing one of those carbon-fiber speedsters that can finish while the lights are still on.

The MPYC welcome includes mouthwatering chili, warm corn bread, and chocolate chip cookies. The volunteers pass out security gate keys, answer questions, sell T-shirts, and make you feel like someone really important. The bartenders pour until the last boat finishes, and then for a few rounds after that. The sea lions get a little excited, and if you have an open transom, plan on a defense mechanism or you will gain overweight crew prospects overnight. Speaking of sea lions, don’t ya think their constant barking would begin to annoy them eventually?

Well, the new whip on the block put the smackdown on the fleet in her first regatta with no regard to protecting her rating. Thomas Akin’s Botin 52 Meanie has been getting all the attention this spring, and set sail for first in division, first overall in her first test on the Left Coast. Congratulations, Meanie captain and crew. Proving she can punch above her waterline length, Ian Rogers’ Orca, a J/90, slipped into fifth overall with a win in her division as well. The Cal 40s finished one, two, and three in their division, with Bart Hackworth’s Shaman showing the correct path.

Take a moment now and go to the Yellow Brick tracker for the SoCal 300, off to a slow start; maybe the fun meters are rising now?