2015 Drakes Bay Race – ORYA and SSS join forces

by pressure-drop.us on 27 Aug 2015 2015 Drakes Bay Race – Combining assets in the yachting community can cast wide benefits which extend beyond the obvious. When the Singlehanded Sailing Society joined forces with the Ocean Yacht Racing Association in a combined Drakes Bay Race the communal effort has revitalized a waning event and spurred additional collaborations!

Numbers were up for this year's OYRA and SSS Drakes Bay Regatta. The two day, pilgrimage to the landing spot of Sir Francis Drake. A chance for friendly offshore race and ensuing raft up and pot luck feast, with a chance to get the often neglected ground tackle some exercise.

The midsummer sojourn gives crews a chance to get away from it all, mingle with other crews, and engage with nature in a relaxed , yet remote location with one of the best spots to drop a hook all along the Northern California Coastline.

32 OYRA boats and 24 SSS signed up for this years Drakes Bay Race, (some were duel entries in both OYRA and SSS) which had been averaging 20 boats in recent years, a healthy increase and cause for belief that destination sailing has some legs left.

It was only a natural fit, to combine efforts of two of the more established offshore associations into one for a mutually beneficial cause. Last year, members of the Single handed Sailing Society and OYRA weighed the options of combining their respective fleets for the Drakes Bay Race . 'The SSS was looking to expand their offshore calendar ' Said Andy Newell of the OYRA ' We had the infrastructure in place, with permits and Race Committee committed, so why not. We just needed to provide a few adjustments in scoring, which allowed some members who participate in both the SSS and OYRA to get credit for their respective season standings.

Patrick Broderick, sailing on his Wylie 30 Nancy was one of the 'Double Dippers', collecting points for both the OYRA and SSS series standings!

Pat provides these images from of the raftup, and indicated the numbers were reminiscent of Drakes Bay events back in the 70' and 80's with the MORA groups. Lots of boats, but they were smaller, and there were few, if any women in the mix. The parties back then were legendary and included a lot more loud music, adult beverages and massive bon fires on the beach. These days with the NPS restrictions, the main beach is closed due to the elephant seal rookery, so the ones making noise well into the wee hours are the bull seals protecting their harems from would be interlopers.

'As things have progressed over the years, the boats have gotten big and so have the crews' indicates Pat 'And as the crews have increased, the available bunk spaces have decreased. When you add a bunch of short handed boats to the mix and through in a raft up, suddenly you have a lot more places for crews to spread out to. Another benefit for the short handed boats mix with the larger boats, is the vastly improved variety of food being shared from their larger more spacious counter parts.'

The joint effort, working in concert with Corinthian Yacht Club which provided the race committee, and the invaluable escort vessel for the Drakes Bay start and finish lines proved a win win situation. Yes there were a couple hiccups with scoring, and start sequences, which were bound to happen when utilizing a two rating and scoring formulas, but in the end, those things will get sorted out. The two groups plan on expanding their joint efforts, this time for the 1/2 Moon Bay Race coming up in a few weeks.

Conditions were, as one might expect for August, overcast and light winds for Saturday's outbound crews, winds in the five to 15 knot range, and mercifully flat seas, so as to not slow down forward progress. With El Nino producing warm offshore water temps and Ma Nature providing a spectacular show with whales and dolphins aplenty and even the occasional Opa, there was much to enjoy scenery wise, and surprising little salmon fishing traffic to negotiate.

Rufus Sjoberg's Melges 32' Rufless was able to dash up the 31 nm course in five hours and 41 minutes, beating the much larger and lower rated California Condor by 16 minute and 38 second on elapsed time to take line honors and PHRO1 on Saturday. The majority of the fleet arrived in the 5:00 hour frame, for elapsed times in the seven hours and change. Plenty of time to set the hook, enjoy some happy hour snacks and beverages before the more serious dinner time meals emerged from the ovens or single burners.

'Great weather, with just a bit of bump in the ground swell and tee shirts on deck until near dusk' Andy reports.

Brian Boschma is very active in the SSS and OYRA and was sailing on his Olson 34 Redsky during the weekend

'The race to Drakes in the solo phrf 108-and under division was highlighted by very close racing in the first few hours of the event. Getting out the Gate winds gusted to 15, but once outside conditions backed down below 10 kts for the long jaunt north. Wind was turned westerly which led to tight spinnaker reaching once Duxburry reef was left to starboard. Temerity, Lightspeed, and Ragtime played it closer to shore while Redsky headed offshore, which at end was the favored side of the course.

Combining the OYRA with the SSS worked out well as it made for a large contingent of boats anchored in Drakes Bay. The two groups together was reminiscent OYRA and MORA races in the 90's where large fleets would arrive at Drakes Bay and party late into the evening. Casual raftups were created and various boats cruised the rafts looking for the best food and/or entertainment. The combination of fully crewed boats, with lots of food and drink, tripled the head count of the single handed groupings. It was a fun evening in the unusual mild Drakes Bay conditions, known for 30 knot gusts over the headlands at earlier times of the year.'

Sunday's 0940 first signal launched the fleet on the return trip back to the bay, with predictable light winds and no kites until Dubury, when the afternoon sea breezes kicked in and the spinnakers were released, and the sun emerged providing for a classic colorful parade dancing across the Potato Patch and into the Golden Gate Strait, and as you might expect nice 20 knot blast from the bridge to the finish line.

Hill Blackett's California Condor completed the course in four hours, 27 minutes and 24 seconds, yet the emerging offshore pickle dish obtaining machine, Rufless took corrected honors by 15 minutes and change.

PHRO2 honors went to Kirk Denebeim and crew on Mirthmaker, finishing at 15:22:31.

PHRO 3 saw Daniel Benjamin and crew on the Wyliecat 30' Whirlwind edge past Andy Newell's Santana 35 AHI by 53 seconds on elapsed time, finishing at 16:25:57

In the Shorthanded division, Phil Krasner on his Express 27's Wetsu was neck and neck with Patrick Broderick on his Wylie 30 , Nancy all the way to the finish, crossing ahead by a mere 55 second after 31 miles of oceanic bliss.

In the Multihull, Truls Myklebust's Raven went uncontested to claim victory on both Saturday and Sunday.

Our favorite local sailing historian Seymour Dodds adds some introspective on the day done past at Drakes Bay

Usually Drakes Bay is a punishing beat up the coast with this unrelenting brutal, pounding, spinal compressing short chop. Back in those old days MORA made it to Drakes Bay three times yearly along with ocean IOR in all their macho battlewagon glory. Kirt Brooks would walk out to the end of the abandoned Coast Guard Pier and finish boats. Several rafts would form and out would come Phil Seidler’s gallon jug of “Racing Red” (that ghastly red mountain stuff) and other back soothing tipples. In the really old days there’d be beach parties near the fish dock and even the crowning of a queen. Still in the raft up you could walk across boat to boat obstacle course, get your glass constantly refilled and mooch pseudo sophisticated hors d’oeuvres. Usually ocean racers after the start line blur are separated by great distances. Drakes Bay was an anchorage for face time with the hardly ever seen sailors you actually raced against.

Dinners generally depended on cooking skills in short supply. Canned stew on a Sea Swing. Or barely warmed up lasagna. Chris Corlett on the death defying Tuna 21 brought up an e cheapo Habachi, cooked his steaks then tossed the whole thing over. That cast iron degraded decades ago. Breakfast at least in MORA was stale beer and really cold leftover lasagne.

When the sun set some sailors always tested their “expired” flares. First the popping, plastic Very pistol. After one or two of those came the realization no one was ever gonna see that candle no how. Others fired off slightly better stuff more impressive but they faded way too quick. The best was last. Bang went the equivalent of a SOLAS flare. That $100 rocket would shoot up fast and disappear into the low clouds then slowly and brightly float back down. We’ve heard unconfirmed rumors one skyrocket angled off and set fire to Pt Reyes. Oops.

At night boats almost always stayed rafted up. The wind blew from the land. The five to six anchors would hold a ten boat raft easily. Invariably in the middle of the night a light Southerly came in and the whole anchored fleet rotated – leaving an ungodly mess to straighten out in the wee hours. Or worse a strong southerly came in and someone who anchored too near the beach got woken by their keel thumping bottom. The street smart anchored away from the rafts and got a good night’s sleep and proved better for brown trout in the morning.

The race back was a hangover friendly light run until that rapid acceleration off Bonita to the finish.

Nowadays the slacker elephant seals claim the beach.