In San Francisco, after 7 races spread out over 4 days time, including the Ronstan Bridge to Bridge the evening before, Friday broke with the promise superb conditions to wrap up this 2015 edition of the International 18' Regatta hosted by the St Francis Yacht Club. 11 boats were present, including the solitary Aussie entry, Keegab Yorks Compass Markets boat, which had suffered mast step damage on Tuesday , and looked for all intents and purposes, done for the regatta.
With a deep, early season low pressure system rotating off the coast of Oregon, the isobars were stacked tightly over Northern California, and by dawns light, the Pacific was looking anything but pacified. On San Francisco Bay, the early signs of brisk conditions gave the fleet of Eighteen optimism that the regatta would end with a bang instead of the fizzle at the bottom of the course the previous evening.
The noon 1st start was sailed in the high teens on the course, with a fast flood throughout race track, there was little incentive to head to the beach for relief. The WNW offshore presented a more reliable and consistent breeze than the fleet saw the prior Tuesday. The tight battle between David McDiarmids Yamaha and Alex Valling's C-Tech would continue were it left off on Tuesday, with Yamaha taking another bullet in race 8, with C-Tech nipping at her heels around the course. Fresh off repairs to the forestay attachment and mast forestay strut, Hamlin's Harken was back in form, and feeling great after a Bridge to Bridge class win the night before. In the mix and crossing paths with the leaders in the 1st race of the day, Team Harken would finish 3rd in the 1st race of the day and take the bullet in the 2nd.
Winds would exceed 20 -25 for the 2nd race and the top of the track began to show some counter current as well as building swell filtering in from offshore, where a full on maelstrom was building and building. Conditions became more spirited in the second race with capsizes and close calls a plenty, mixed in with several spectator boats getting in the action along with a couple of the local tourist boats cutting across the course added to the color. Will Tiller's Aon would join Glen Sowry's Event Clothing and Daniel Roberts Notorious P.I.G. on the disabled list. Alex Valling's C-tech also would end up back on the beach, having suffered some jib sheet problems, but managing to limp around the course with enough chutzpa to hang onto a 3rd.
By the 3rd race, pressure had increased to the high 20's and low 30's, with established rollers streaming through the top of the course. The 6 remaining boats would find themselves sailing extremely cautiously, but even so, conditions were getting on the edge of out of control, and the simple task of bearing away at the weather mark became an adventure. We witnessed two completely submarined boats as the bows dug in and the boats followed suit. As Graham Catley mentioned the night before,
"To finish 1st, you have to first finish"... Graham and crew on Maersk would join JV Gilmour and crew on Skiff Sailing's PINK in the physically unable to finish category in the final race of the regatta.
There would be but 4 boats to complete the final race, number 10 of the week, if you are counting, 1 Kiwi boat,( Yamaha) 1 Aussie boat ( Compass Markets) and two American entries( Harken & White Lightning). David Mcdiarmid's Yamaha would finish the regatta on a high note with yet another bullet and overall victory with a mere 11 points. Alex Valling's 4 man crew sat out the final race yet netted a 2nd place overall with 16 points and Hamlin and crew would ride into final day with a 3-1-2 flourish to take 3rd overall. Not bad for having to swallow 2 dnc's and a dnf on day 2!
All in all a glorious finish to yet another superb year for the 18's on San Francisco Bay. The Kiwi's have become a powerhouse in the San Francisco event and despite most of them sailing much heavier and outdated rigs with battered sails, the American crews have shown themselves legit contenders, proud, unwavering and non relenting. It's great theater!
Now if we can just get the Aussie's to bring a few more teams next year, we would have something extra special!
