Racing into New Year’s 2025

New Year’s Day Events

In keeping with tradition, the Master Mariners’ New Year’s Day Regatta will race to Point San Pablo YC in Richmond for a chili cook-off potluck.

Coyote Point YC’s monthly regatta series will ring in the New Year with Brrr Rabbit.

San Diego YC’s massive New Year’s Day Race will take over San Diego Bay on January 1. SDYC says, “For many years the New Year’s Day race was an opportunity for local Juniors to race with adults on the big boats. Please consider helping us resurrect this tradition by including Junior sailors on your crew.” It’s free to enter, but you must register no later than Sunday, December 29.

It’s not a race but a fun cruising alternative for welcoming the new year: a circumnavigation of Alameda. The Single Sailors Association explains the tradition: “People take to their boats and visit all of the yacht clubs while causing the multiple bridges to raise and lower, thus fulfilling one government requirement of the use of the bridges. Some of us traverse the Island in our land yachts. RSVP not required and the only costs are the beverages and the food offered at the clubs. In general we begin at Aeolian YC because their location definitely depends on the tides.” Some venues list 9 a.m. as the start time; others 11 or noon.

Bay Area Midwinters

Most midwinter series that started in November and December continue into the new year. They’ll be joined by several more, including:

• Oakland YC’s seven-race Sunday Brunch Series will kick off on January 5.
• Richmond YC’s Small Boat Midwinters, which normally begin in December, will sail on four Sundays starting on January 5.
• Coyote Point YC’s bimonthly Winter Sails will start on January 12.
• The popular Corinthian Yacht Club Midwinters will take place over two weekends on January 18-19 and February 15-16.

Three Bridge Fiasco

The Singlehanded Sailing Society will continue bringing America’s largest keelboat regatta to San Francisco Bay on January 25. But don’t bother making a boatload of sandwiches — this crazy pursuit race is for singlehanders and doublehanders only. With the race more than a month out, 71 boats had signed up as of this morning.

For 2025, the SSS is bringing back in-person skippers’ meetings and awards presentations at Oakland YC in Alameda. The skippers’ meeting for the TBF will be on Wednesday, January 22, at 7 p.m. (There might be prizes at the skippers’ meeting, but you must be present to win!) Register on Jibeset. A complete 2025 SSS calendar is now available at https://sfbaysss.org/calendar.

In Southern California

Del Rey YC will kick off 2025’s Berger/Stein Series with the Malibu/Topanga & Return Race on January 4.

Long Beach YC is accepting entries for the 2025 Two Gates Pursuit Series. The series will consist of three 13-mile-plus reverse handicap races on Sundays in January and February. This regatta series is open to all monohull and multihull sailboats over 20 feet LOA with a valid PHRF RLC rating of under 229. Any member of a yacht club affiliated with US Sailing or other National Authority is invited to enter.

• Early Bird Discount: Register by December 25.
• Entry Deadline: The Thursday prior to each race day.
• First race: January 5.

Southern California racers should renew their PHRF certificates here: Performance Handicap Racing Fleet of Southern California.

Hosted by SDYC, Etchells will compete for the Bill Bennett Cup on January 18-19. This will be the first event in the Etchells West Coast Spring Series.

The four-event California Dreamin’ match-racing series will start in San Diego on January 25-26, with SDYC hosting.

Newport Harbor YC has opened invitation applications for the Baldwin Cup Team Race. The 2×2 format will sail in Harbor 20s on April 10-12. and serve as a qualifying event for the 2025 Team Race World Championship on May 28-June 1 in Newport, RI. Interested teams must submit their request form no later than January 31, 2025.

Be sure to pick up the January issue of Latitude 38 on Monday, December 30, and turn to the Calendar on page 10-14 for many more events. And look for the 2025 Northern California Sailing Calendar & YRA Schedule, coming out the same day.