2015 BYC and Regatta Pro Mid Winters Series – Overall report

by Pressure-drop.us on 17 Nov 2015 The Berkeley Circle and Shoals were abuzz with activity as the Berkeley YC's Midwinters shared the eastern bay with The Regatta Pro One Design Mid-Winter Series on Saturday.

The tally between the two events came out to an even 100, with 53 boats in attendance at the BYC event and 47 boats skirting the Berkeley Shoal with the Regatta Pro Mid-Winter Series. The six fleets competing in one eight mile BYC race on the Circle enjoyed a mild, if not chilly northerly which eventually faded and backed to the forecasted westerly giving the crews a welcomed shot in the arm as the breeze accelerated. Grins and glee were observed as kites filled and the go button was engaged. Just enough to add some excitement without overtaxing a relaxing Saturday spin around the buoys.

The longest running Mid-Winter Series on the Bay, The BYC mid-winters has provided generations of sailors an opportunity to keep the rust at bay and ease newer sailors into the competitive mode and improve their boat handling skills in a mellow, pleasant environment, sans commercial traffic and too much current. The BYC Midwinters runs Both Saturdays and Sundays, once a month through February, with handicap and currently and Express 27 and Cal 20 division plus short handed divisions on Sundays And there's something to be said about a cup of steaming hot chowder and a frosty one whilst absorbing the late afternoon sun beaming in through the clubhouse windows after an afternoon not doing your honeydew list...The view ain’t half bad either!

'Never trust a zephyr' the saying goes, and as the cold air mass that resides in winter in the central valley warms during the day, it generally fades entirely and is eventually replaced with more westerly one.

'I was expecting the wind to die then switch' Indicates Jeff Zarwell who runs the Regatta Pro One Design series, 'But to my surprise, the wind eased and continued to back, and the fleet just got a bit of a reachy final leg for the first race'.

With two races scheduled, The Regatta Pro Series has the option to pull and reset marks for that anticipated shift, and Saturday's shift coincided beautifully with the 2:30 PM change in direction. Toss in a rapidly building ebb, and the second race of the day suddenly had a bit of summer feel to it. The 47 boats split up in six one design divisions in the RP series, J-120, J-105, Melges 24, J-70, J 24 and Moore 24 are the current fleets. With a bit more flexibility, The Regatta Pro series can move at will to various patches of water around and on the eastern flanks of SF Bay, maximizing the available conditions to the anticipated forecast. Some weekends might favor Southampton while others a more southerly patch will prevail. 'We can even offer long distance courses, if a particular fleet is seeking one and conditions allow' Jeff advises.

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