J/111 Skeleton Key stomps Big Daddy Regatta at Richmond Yacht Club
by J/Boats 18 Mar 16:14 GMT
March 9-10, 2024
Sharkey during the Big Daddy Regatta at Richmond Yacht Club © Richmond Yacht Club
The first major offshore event on San Francisco Bay for 2024 took place last weekend, the incredibly fun Big Daddy Regatta hosted by Richmond Yacht Club on the northeastern part of the Bay.
The format is enjoyed by many sailors, with one-design and buoy racing on Saturday, followed by a PHRF handicapped "pursuit race" on Sunday.
Saturday- One-Design
Looking forward to sailing their first major event of the year were one-design fleets of J/24a, J/105s, and J/88s.
J/105 Class
Fourteen boats entered the J/105 class. Many notable San Francisco Bay teams were in attendance. In the end, there were familiar names at the top of the leaderboard. Winning handily with a 3-2-1 tally for 6 pts was Tim Russell's NE*NE. Second place went to Doug Bailey's AKULA with a 2-4-4 scoreline for 10 pts. Rounding out the podium in third was Walter Sanford's ALCHEMY with a 1-5-7 for 13 pts.
J/88 Class
The leading J/88 smoked the fleet with three bullets- Brice Dunwoodie's RAVENETTE. Similarly, counting all deuces to take the silver was Tom Thayer & Robert Milligan's SPEEDWELL. Then, rounding out the podium with the bronze medal was Dave Corbin's BUTCHER with a 3-3-4 record for 10 pts.
J/24 Class
Sailing a spirited series in the J/24s was Jasper Van Vliet's infamous EVIL OCTOPUS, scoring a 1-2-2 to win with 5 pts. Nevertheless, just one point back was Darren Cumming's DOWNTOWN UPROAR with a 4-1-1 tally for 6 pts. Then, taking the bronze medal was Robin Van Vliet's LITTLE WING with a 2-3-4 for 9 pts.
Sunday- Pursuit Race- J/Domination!
Sixty-nine boats showed up for Sunday's PHRF pursuit race. In the end, J/Teams dominated taking six of the top ten spots overall! Winning by a country mile was Peter Wagner's J/111 SKELETON KEY. Fifth was Doug Bailey's J/105 AKULA. Sixth was Jasper Van Vliet's J/24 EVIL OCTOPUS. Seven was Mike Donohue's J/105 ZUNI BEAR. Eighth was Kristin Simmons's J/105 BLACKHAWK.
For more Big Daddy Regatta sailing information please visit www.richmondyc.org