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U20 Regattas - Where, When & Who's Going! / Re: San Francisco Bay: Three Bridge Fiasco January 31 2026

« Last post by Michael Eisenberg on February 12, 2026, 03:22:45 AM »

No, we sailed the same course as U Betcha.  We sailed directly from the start to Red Rock.  We mostly had light to moderate breeze and a flood tide as we made 6 tacks to Red Rock.  Unfortunately our 4th tack to Starboard was a little to soon and we rode the outside of a lift to the Port tack lay line. That was about the only mistake we made and I think it cost us 15 minutes.  Our leg from Red Rock to YBI started out a bit overpowered with our big spinnaker but in a favorable beginning ebb. That ebb worked against us as we approached a CW rounding at YBI  We stayed wide of YBI and got around cleanly.  The ride from YBI to Blackaller was an overpowered beat turning to a close reach in a rollicking ebb with speed over ground between 8-10 knots. The final leg from Blackaller felt fast, but speed over ground was 6-7 knots because of the ebb. This was our quickest and best finish in 7 or 8 3BFs.  We were about 40 minutes out of first overall and about 7 minutes out of 1st in class.  We were the 88th boat to finish, 3rd in Sportboat C Class and 1st U20.

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U20 Regattas - Where, When & Who's Going! / Re: San Francisco Bay: Three Bridge Fiasco January 31 2026

« Last post by Mike Josselyn on February 12, 2026, 12:34:02 AM »

Team Uhoo! (Howard Elfant and Mike Josselyn) took the CCW approach as we decided that if the wind came up as predicted at YBI, we would make it around and take the remaining ebb up TI towards Red Rock along the eastern shore and then have a sleigh ride from Red Rock to Blackaller and to finish.
Turns out we were abit early getting to YBI.  We had a reach to the middle of the Bay Bridge and stayed out from the wind shadow of YBI whereas much the the fleet decided to go along the shore of YBI.  Big mistake as the wind was non existent and they moved backwards as a group.  We stayed about a 1/3 mile south of YBI and while the wind came to a stop, enough of zephyr was present for us to drift out to the ebb current going north and then catch the developing breeze.  We were the second boat to round YBI.  Nonetheless, we lost about 10 minutes to a very slow transition. 

We sailed with the dying northernly flood up the east side of TI and briefly sailed to stronger pressure towards the west, but were met by choppy water and building ebb from Red Rock, so sailed back towards the eastern shore and worked our way north.  Really only had about three tacks until we got off the Richmond terminal wharf and had to divert for a tanker coming into the port.  Took off some time as we diverted and then sailed with a clean port rounding of Red Rock. 

Launched the spinnaker and used the ebb to crab towards Racoon Straits.  Began to develop speed with the ebb current advantage.  Sailed as close as possible to the wind through the Straits closely moving aft to keep the rudder in the water as the gusts came through.  10-12 knots over ground throughout the run and kept all the other CCW boats behind us except for one Wabbit.  Exited the straits and then sailed with spinnaker until winds were consistently above 15 knots and decided that it was safer with the white sails amidst all the ragged wave sets near the Gate.
Unfortunately, the ebb caused us to overstand Blackaller and we lost about 3 minutes getting back to the mark against the ebb.  Sailed a reach to the finish along the shore with big smiles on our faces.  Great day on the water.

We finished within 10 minutes of the other U20s.   Toon Town (Michael Eisenberg and Dave Stewart) finished first amongst the U20s on a clockwise route by sailing around Blackaller and then took the ebb up between Alcatraz and Angel Island.  They hugged the Marin shore and then sailed round Red Rock and set the spinnaker for a run to YBI.  Next up was a fast reach to the finish.  Ubetcha (Cameron Tuttle and Jenny Krone) took a modified clockwise route but sailed to Red Rock first, set the spinny to YBI, and then reached to the finished with the ebb along the City front and then to Blackaller, rounded and sailed back to the finish to capture second among the U20s. 

If only we hadn’t spent 10 minutes at YBI waiting for the wind to fill!

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U20 General Discussion / Re: Suggestions for a moderate breeze with heavy gusts

« Last post by Ryan Ericson on February 08, 2026, 04:51:15 PM »

Thank you, for the response. That was helpful.

Ryan

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U20 Boat Maintenance & Care / Re: Stanchion repair/upgrade

« Last post by Claudio Brasca on February 05, 2026, 03:15:14 PM »

Since my last post, Geoff Hurwitch suggested another good option in the Salt Lake City area.

Williamson Ocean
https://williamsonocean.com
Phone: 801-565-8000
info@williamsonocean.com
8531 S 700 W Sandy, UT 84070

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U20 General Discussion / Re: Suggestions for a moderate breeze with heavy gusts

« Last post by Michael Eisenberg on February 05, 2026, 04:34:26 AM »

The answer will depend on if you have an aluminum or carbon mast. General, I'd set for the prevalent conditions.  My choice for spinnaker would depend on how far off the wind you are running.  If you are soaking deep, you can use the fuller bodied spin.  But if you might be over powered or trying to reach, then the flatter spin might be easier to sail. Class racing limits you to 614 pounds. I don;t know if your PHRF rules require you to max out crew rate at class legal weight when sailing to a class rating, but I doubt it. Bring the 4th, some extra food, and spread the fun. You'll probably be faster too.

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U20 General Discussion / Suggestions for a moderate breeze with heavy gusts

« Last post by Ryan Ericson on February 03, 2026, 06:40:58 PM »

Good Day,

I hope all the east coasters are hanging in there with the colder temperatures. Here in the NW the winter has been a bit milder than normal (40s to 50s) allowing us to go out for our first sail and first regatta of the season this weekend a point to point around Shaw Island in the San Juans. The wind forecasts are continuing to build and it is appearing that wind will be 14-17 knots with gusts to 24+ knots; we have had the boat out in 12-14 sustained with gusts to 16 but not higher than that. I have read a number of posts and the 2022 Ullman sails hand out, I am looking for advice on how to handle the swing in pressure, to add to this the higher gust in our area usually oscillate 15 to 30 degrees. With the wind direction and RC decided clockwise route the race will be downwind and close/beam reaches.

Questions:

1. With the range of potential wind should I tune the rig closer to the sustained speed, gust speeds, or half-way between?

2. I have two class asyms, a 2022 Ullman (this is our standard) and older but in decent condition Glaser (we have used the Glaser for as a bridge to the Ullman in the 80 to 120 range reaches in lighter air). The Glaser appears to be cut a bit flatter, with narrow shoulders, and an overall slightly smaller area. Would it be better to go with the 2022 Ullman, or use the flatter Glaser to handle the wind range?

3. Three or four? I have not added a fourth person before, should that be considered? Currently, crew is 190, 205, and 110 (helm).

4. Any other tips or suggestions?

Thank you.

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U20 Photos! / Re: #e189 on Vegvisir Race in DK

« Last post by cmadoery on January 30, 2026, 08:07:30 AM »

Nicely done. What is the red line running parallel to the boom?

The lines parallel to the boom are Cunningham (red) boom vang (black). They are simply there to easy release when I'm shorthanded on my boat.

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U20 Regattas - Where, When & Who's Going! / San Francisco Bay: Three Bridge Fiasco January 31 2026

« Last post by Mike Josselyn on January 24, 2026, 12:47:42 AM »

Less than a week away.  One of the largest sailing events on the West Coast, the Three Bridge Fiasco already has 260 boats registered, including three U20s.  Sportboats, when the wind conditions are right, have a great opportunity to win or score in the top 10%.  You can still register but do it quickly.  Weather conditions should be typical for mid winter racing on the Bay, cool and moderate winds--strong currents.  Always makes for an interesting choice on which way to go around the three bridges.

https://www.jibeset.net/JACKY000.php?RG=T00199174

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U20 Regattas - Where, When & Who's Going! / Re: 2026 North American Championship

« Last post by Mike Josselyn on January 24, 2026, 12:18:06 AM »

The Richmond Yacht Club is excited to host the U20 North Americans.   We are pleased to have Ian McClelland as our PRO. He has served as a race official for high-level events in San Francisco Bay, South Florida, and Panama events involving a variety of boats including dinghies, multihulls, kite boards, and small to large keelboats.  In addition to his role as a certified Principal Race Officer (PRO), Ian McClelland is a recognized expert in race management who provides training for race committees and safety personnel.  He promises a well run and fair regatta to all of our participants.

The Club will supplement the RC with its members, but we also look to participants who may have family members, friends, and even spare crew that would like to witness the race "on the water" and cheer you along.  The list for volunteering for the event can be found at this link or contact Mike Josselyn if you are interested.  You get to see the racing close up, get a free lunch, beer after the race, and an opportunity to hear from all the participants on how they sailed.

https://richmondyc.cervistech.com/acts/console.php?console_id=0401&console_type=event

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U20 Regattas - Where, When & Who's Going! / 2026 Pacific Coast Championship - Save the Date!

« Last post by Travis Gregory on January 17, 2026, 06:18:24 PM »

Park City Sailing Association
August 29th and 30th.

For those traveling from out of town, if there is sufficient interest we will arrange racing on Friday.  Our club has a U20 One Design Race Start on Thursday night.   We regularly have 10 boats on the line and most of the local owners are committed to the regatta.

Camping and cabins are available at the lake but do fill quickly: https://utahstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/jordanelle-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=UT&parkId=342471

Other accommodations are easy to find near by in Deer Valley East, Heber and Park City.

Message if you have any questions.

Excellent summer recreation opportunities with a lot of mountain biking and hiking fun to be had.