Rolex Big Boat Series in San Francisco - News and Sailing Video

San Francisco, California - The 2008 Rolex Big Boat Series was held this past weekend in typical September San Francisco weather. A thick fog and mild wind were the rule for the morning races of the weekend, giving way to a crisp sunshine and a strong breeze for the afternoon races on Saturday, and even more wind for the final Bay Tour Race on Sunday. The Rolex team, and the St. Francis Yacht Club which hosts the event each year, set the scene with an incredible amount of style and flair, and it is no surprise why this is the premier annual regatta for the San Francisco Bay Area.  The Rolex Big Boat Series brings sailors together from across the country, and with 111 boats this year, there was quite a bit of action on the water as well as at the SFYC. The combination of idyllic location, competitive sailing spirit, and upscale onshore revelry provides an unforgettable experience for both sailors and onlookers. No doubt about it, this event is COOL.

 

Watch YachtPals Video Coverage of the Rolex Big Boat Series

 

There was healthy competition among the teams in 4 IRC classes and 6 one-design classes, with many familiar names playing a game of hopscotch on the leaderboard throughout the four day regatta.  Despite their differences on the water, the skippers and their crew all came together on Sunday morning before the final race, when the fleet of boats motored past the St. Francis Yacht Club, each boat dropping a white rose at the finish marker to pay tribute to Olin J. Stephens. Olin was a prominent figure in yachting and yacht design, and a member of both the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame and the America's Cup Hall of Fame. He passed away on September 13th, 5 months after his 100th birthday.

 

 

In the larger boat classes, The IRC A class was won by one point by John Kilroy Jr's TP 52 Samba Pa Ti over Jim Mitchell's Reichel Pugh IRC 52 Vincitore from Zurich, Switzerland. IRC B was won by Brad Copper aboard his Tripp 43 TNT who edged out Michael Diepenbrock's Swan Rancho Deluxe from Newport, RI. by 5 points. In the IRC C class, Dave Kirby's J/122 TKO put in some fine sailing all weekend, holding on to his top spot on the leader board and making off with a Rolex. Mike Garl's Beneteau 40.7 White Dove also sailing solidly all four days won the IRC D class, and in doing so Mike also earned himself the 2008 Northern California IRC Series championship title.

 

 

 

The J105 class with 31 boats entered were especially exciting to watch, but unfortunately the winner was decided by a protest. The boat Donkey Jack was DSQ'ed by the Race Committee for improper passing of a crossing tanker. This opened the window for Phil Perkins' Good Timin' and Tim Russe's Aquavit, who finished first and second respectively. Scooter Simmons J105 Blackhawk, which raced strong and hard over the weekend, fell back on Sunday and finished third overall.

 

 

The J120 class was fast and fierce and some strategic manuevering between rivals around the final mark on Sundays race was the deciding factor for the overall results. Barry Lewis' Chance finished first just one point ahead of Steve Madeira's Mr. Magoo.

 

 

It was a bittersweet weekend for Mario Yovkov in the 1D35 class. Despite finishing 2nd, just 3 points behind winner Gary Boell's Diablita, Mario came out of the regatta a big winner. He is now engaged to his fiance Elizabeth Gaynor by way of a dramatic marriage proposal on his kite. Rounding the final mark on Saturday, Mario's crew on Great Sensation hoisted a spinnaker with "Will You Marry Me" emblazoned across it. Elizabeth was on the observation deck and ecstatically accepted as the boat passed by the SFYC. Maybe next year Mario will be able to add a Rolex to one of the the arms he wraps around his new bride. YachtPals congratulates you both!

 

 

 

The popular Melges 32 class, which were 9 strong in this event, put on an incredible show with some intense racing. So much so, the winner was decided by a tie-breaker. John Porter's Full Throttle with tactician Harry Melges finished first in the class, with Pieter Taseler's Bliksem finishing second and Michael Illbruck's Pinta from Munich, Germany finishing third just one point back.

 

In the Express 37 class, it wasn't just a Rolex for Expeditious skipper Bartz Schneider from San Francisco. With his win over the weekend, Bartz also took home the national championship title. 

 

 

This was the first year for the Beneteau 36.7 class in the Rolex Big Boat Series and was won by the youthful and refined 80 year old skipper Ed Durbin aboard Mistral. YachtPals asked Ed to tell us about the Beneteaus...

"This is the first year we've had a fleet of 36.7's. Last year we had five entries, but we were part of an IRC group, and so we were mixed up with all the other boats and so the handicaps were impossible, and all the Beneteaus finished in the back half of the IRC fleet, but each year we came in first in the Beneteaus, so we say that doesn't count! (laughs). This year we were able to get six boats together, and so it's a lot more fun because the boats are alike and sail in the same way. Class rules are very rigid so they're all the same boat. So it's a lot more fun in the competition."

 

We also asked Ed what the key is to sailing well...

"It's one of these things you have to keep working at. I've sailed since 1955, but in a way learning mistakes that you make and unlearning mistakes. But then you have to get the crew together. On a boat like this, we have a crew total of nine including myself, and they're all necessary. We all have something to do and we all have to do it right. So, the crew spirit is important and consistency is important among the crew. And, of course, the condition of the boat has to be good, sails have to be in good shape...but it's a lot of things and they all have to add up." 

 

We couldn't agree more. We'll see Ed and the usual suspects next year on September 9th-13th at the SFYC For the 2009 Rolex Big Boat Series.

 

- Fred Eagle exclusively for YachtPals.com

 

 

 

 

2008 Rolex Big Boat Regatta - FINAL RESULTS

 

IRC A (9 boats)
1. Samba Pa Ti, John Kilroy, Jr, San Francisco, CA, 4-1-3-1-4-1-1, 15
2. Vincitore, Jim Mitchell, Zurich, SUI, 3-4-1-2-2-2-2, 16
3. Akela, Bill Turpin, Santa Cruz, CA, 2-3-4-4-1-5-4, 23, 5

IRC B (9 boats)
1. TNT, Brad Copper, Pt. Richmond, CA, 1-2-2-2-1-2-1, 11
2. Rancho Deluxe, Michael Diepenbrock, Newport, RI, 2-3-3-1-2-3-2, 16
3. Swiftsure, Sy Kleinman, Saratoga, CA, 5-1-6-3-4-1-3, 23

IRC C (8 boats)
1. TKO, Dave Kirby, Manhattan Beach, CA, 1-3-1-1-1-2-1, 10
1. Scorpio, John Siegel, San Francisco, CA, 2-1-3-3-5-1-4, 19
3. BustinLoose, Jeff Pulford, Monterey, CA, 5-2-4-2-2-3-5, 23

IRC D (13 boats)
1. White Dove, Mike Garl, San Francisco, CA, 2-1-5-1-2-1-1, 13
2. Tupelo Honey, Gerard Sheridan, San Francisco, CA, 1-4-6-2-1-2-3, 19
3. Inspired Environments, Timothy Ballard, Sausalito, CA, 5-6-4-7-6-5-5, 38

1D35 (7 boats)
1. Diablita, Gary Boell, Brickyard Cove, 1-4-4-2-1-1-1, 14
2. Great Sensation, Mario Yovkov, San Francisco, CA, 3-2-2-1-2-2-5, 17
3. Jazzy, Bob Turnbull, San Francisco, CA, 5-1-3-3-4-2, 20

Beneteau 36.7 (6 boats)
1. Mistral, Edward Durbin, Richmond YC, 2-1-1-1-1-3-4, 13
2. Summer and Smoke, Pat Patterson, Angwin, CA, 3-4-2-3-2-1-1, 16
3. Bufflehead, Stuart Scott, Richmond YC, 1-2-5-4-4-2-3, 21

Express 37 (10 boats)
1. Expeditious, Bartz Schneider, San Francisco, CA, 1-2-1-2-2-2-1, 11
2. Brown Sugar, Steve Brown, Santa Ana, CA, 7-3-3-1-4-1-2, 21
3. Golden Moon, Kame Richards, Alameda, CA, 2-4-2-4-1-11/RAF-3, 27

J/105 (31 boats)
1. Good Timin’, Phil Perkins, San Francisco, CA, 1-3-1-6-8-6-1, 26
2. Aquavit, Tim Russell, Tiburon, CA, 5-7-10-2-18-1-2, 45
3. Blackhawk, Scooter Simmons, Belvedere, CA, 8-1-12-1-1-8-20, 51

J/120 (8 boats)
1. Chance, Barry Lewis, San Francisco, CA, 1-4-1-1-7-3-1, 18
2. Mr. Magoo, Steve Madeira, Northeast Harbor, ME, 3-1-2-2-5-2-4, 19
3. J World, Wayne Zittel, San Francisco, CA, 4-7-7-3-1-4-2, 28

Melges 32 (9 boats)
1. Full Throttle, John Porter, Lake Geneva, WI, 1-3-3-4-5-1-6, 23
2. Bliksem, Pieter Taseler, New York, NY, 2-2-4-3-6-3-3, 23
3. Pinta, Michael Illbruck, Munich, GER, 3-4-2-1-1-6-7, 24

 

 - All photos and article by Fred Eagle exclusively for YachtPals.com

[This original sailing news article, photos, and video, as with all YachtPals.com content, is copyright YachtPals.com. For permission to reprint or re-publish any content from YachtPals, please contact the YachtPals Crew.]

 

Read more about the Rolex Big Boat Series, or sailing on the San Francisco Bay:

• San Francisco Bay (all articles, photos, and video about boating on the San Francisco Bay)
• San Francisco Bay Cruising Guide
• Angel Island Cruising Guide - San Francisco Bay
• Extreme Racing News and Video - 18 Foot Skiff Sailing in the San Francisco Bay
• Singlehanded Transpac - San Francisco to Kauai
• Parade and Festival of Sail in San Francisco - News and Video
• Sailing Photo of the Week - San Francisco Festival of Sail
• Sailing Photo of the Week - Big Boat Series in San Francisco (photos and results from the Big Boat Series)
  
• Rolex Big Boat Series (all news, photos, and videos of the Big Boat Series)

Video:  YachtPals.com special video coverage of the 2008 Rolex Big Boat Regatta, video and production by Kenji Kato and Fred Eagle.  View below, or download a higher resolution .mp4 version here or here.

Submitted By Fred Eagle on 16 Sep

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