July eBook pages 1-91 (16.1 MB) - Latitude 38

I
It's not very often that we get "Champagne
sailing" on the Bay. Usually, it's
either breeze-on and a bit chilly, or warm
and windless. But the 56 woodies and
classics that showed up May 29 for the
Master Mariners' Benevolent Association's
annual regatta got exactly that.
Sailing on courses that ranged from 12.8
to 17 miles depending on the division,
the fl eet had a day to remember — it
started off sunny and warm with enough
breeze that every boat could fl y all the
canvas she had aboard. It stayed that
way all day and through the night for
the race's famous party at Encinal YC.
— CHAMPAGNE SAILING
From left — Ocean 1 winner 'Kate II' leads Call of the Sea's 'Seaward' off the starting line, while
Jeff McNish's 'Valiant' tries to keep a clear lane at the the start of the '10 Master Mariners Regatta.
Inset from left — 'Polaris' looking good; 'Sunda' fl ys a spinnaker, a rarity at the Master Mariners.
The Sausalito YC ran the race as is
customary, and the MMBA's lick-yourfinger-and-raise-it-in-the-air
rating
system got high marks for accuracy from
those we talked to, with the time deltas
bearing that out; fi ve of the 13 divisions
were settled by a matter of seconds, and
all but a couple by a few minutes.
In its modern era, which began in
1965, the event has drawn some of the
West Coast's most gorgeous wooden
boats, but perhaps most importantly the
boats you see here aren't museum pieces,
they're actively sailed boats. Some are
liveaboards, some are daysailed. Some
introduce hundreds of kids to the joys
of sailing every year. They're all living,
breathing legends, many of whom call
the Bay home, and we're better off for
their presence and for the community
of sailors who preserve and sail them.
— latitude/rg
ALL PHOTOS LATITUDE/ANDY