They came, they saw, they drifted- a REAL 3BR Fiasco!

3-Bridge Fiasco Race © J-Boats

An annual favorite in the bay, the SSS (Singlehanded Sailing Society) Three Bridge Fiasco is the biggest yacht race in the USA west of the Mississippi River, with 300+ boats every year. The race is a pursuit race (slowest boats start first), starts and finishes on the city front at the Golden Gate Yacht Club, and the course involves the Blackaller Buoy (by the Golden Gate Bridge), Yerba Buena Island/Treasure Island (Bay Bridge), and Red Rock (by the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge). The marks can be rounded in any order and any direction, providing the crazy appeal of this race.

There were 303 keelboat entries for this year's edition of the 3BF!! And, there are 54 J/Teams entered as mostly doublehanded teams- 18.0% of the fleet! Here's the shocker, the wind conditions were so light this year that just 40 boats in total finished the race! Amazingly, J/crews nearly cleaned house and silvered in several divisions! Here is how it all went down.

This year's event lived up to its "Fiasco" name, with sailors making varied - and sometimes opposite - choices and experiencing diverse conditions. This year's edition was characterized by light winds and a strong ebb tide, particularly at the start. Many sailors struggled with the current, with some boats being "flushed" out of the gate. Weather conditions varied throughout the race, including fog, sun, and even a squall later in the day on their way back to Richmond.

As usual, sailors adopted different strategies, some going clockwise and others counterclockwise. Key decision points included whether to round Blackaller first or head directly to Red Rock. Many participants had to adapt their plans due to changing conditions.

Overall, this year's event provided a challenging and memorable experience for the participants, with finishing considered a significant achievement given the challenging conditions.

Latitude 38's publisher/editor- John Arndt- provided his usual entertaining perspective on the proceedings on San Francisco Bay. As he described...

"Plans are useless, but planning is essential." - quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower.

"This is one of our favorite quotes. We always show up at the already busy docks early on the morning of the Three Bridge Fiasco with a working theory on how we might actually win the race. The plans are usually tossed overboard as we approach the starting line to see the actual conditions and observe the boats starting ahead of us.

This year was no different. It would be ebbing solidly all day. Wind predictions were anywhere from 2 knots to 22 knots, though we never saw that latter figure in our brief pre-race planning searches. Regardless, as we joined hundreds of boats approaching the starting area, there was some breeze from the north and some of the early starters were actually heeling. A little bit.

Naturally, that early morning breeze began to fade as the reverse handicap starts progressed. Most boats were choosing to attempt to cross, reaching from the west against the already well-established ebb and staying close to the pin where there was a bit more breeze than along the shore. It was crowded.

We chose to cross on starboard so we could go with the flow and then button-hook back onto port tack. That left us facing dozens of port tackers trying to head across the line. Somehow we found a path through the phalanx of port tackers. Amid the mess, we lost steerage and almost flopped to port, but were able to rush forward to hold our jib to weather and push our bow back down onto starboard. Phew!

We crossed the line and optimistically joined the 300 other boats, looking for a breeze while the current built toward max ebb at 12:10. While we sailed out to the middle looking for some of the fading flood, a large group of determined port tackers were hugging the shore to the west trying to fight the flood to start. Many never made it.

We felt hopeful as we slowly worked toward Alcatraz while seeing many boats along the Cityfront vainly hoping to start. It all fell apart from there. Occasional ripples, cat's paws, and zephyrs passed our way. The building northwesterly we'd held in our dreams remained a dream. We were getting sucked and suckered to the north looking for that breeze and closing on the ebbing river out of Raccoon Strait. Forward motion vanished and we began to hear the loud flushing sound while doing unplanned donuts near Horseshoe Cove and the North Tower.

Many boats had already been sucked (pushed?) well outside the Golden Gate. Our race ended abruptly when we fired up the engine as the rocks under the North Tower rapidly approached. Oh, well. We started the long motor against the ebb and passed many skippers determined to persevere. We tied up at the Corinthian Yacht Club, put the boat away, had a sandwich, and were all done by 12:30, pretty sure that nobody would finish. (The good news was we were home in time to get to the 7:30 showing of the Ron Holland film in Mill Valley.) Suddenly, some spinnakers appeared over the breakwater, heading down Raccoon Strait. Could it be? Sure enough, a light westerly was filling in and boats were gaining on the ebb.

We're not yet sure how they did it, but about 40 boats out of the 300+ that started, or attempted to start, finished before the 7 p.m. cutoff. Congratulations to all of them! Patience, perseverance, and some damn good sailing must have made it happen. Six or eight boats missed the 7 p.m. cutoff by minutes. Well over 200 boats had to withdraw, and we were among those." In fact, just thirteen of thirty-five divisions had one or more finishers!

J/105 Doublehanded

Just three boats finished in the dozen-boat J/105 doublehanded fleet. Winning was Laurence Bekins & Mike Stephens's JOSE CUERVO. Taking the silver medal was Bill Woodruff's ROULETTE, followed by Richard & Graham Deane's NANTUCKET SLEIGHRIDE garnering the bronze medal.

PHRF Doublehanded Spin Division 13

Winning this ten-boat fleet was Andrew Picel & Leland Hubble's J/125 ARSENAL by over 30 minutes, plus winning the whole enchilada Overall!! Then, Rufus Sjoberg & Dylan Benjamin's J/125 took fourth place, while Shane Riehl & Irina Potekhina's J/133 DEFIANT took fifth place.

PHRF Doublehanded Spin Division 16

Winning this eight-boat fleet was Dan Brousseau & Tracy Usher's J/109 TANGAROA.

PHRF Doublehanded Spin Division 19

This eleven-boat fleet saw just two finishers. Winning was Tim Roche's J/92 ZAFF by over 40 minutes elapsed time.

PHRF Doublehanded Sportboat Division 25

This thirteen-boat class saw a clean sweep of the podium by J/Teams. Winning was Mark Howe & Laura Parent's J/88 SPLIT WATER. Taking the silver medal was Peter Cameron & Brett Dewire's J/80 KANGAROO JOCKEY. Then, rounding out the podium taking the bronze medal was Steve Gordon & Charlie King's J/88 INCONCEIVABLE.

For more 3-Bridge Fiasco Race sailing information visit www.jibeset.net/JACKY000.php?RG=T006291399