Yet another fantastic San Francisco Yacht Club event!  This time the Elite Keel and we were invited.  Saturday proved to be the sailing day of the year with clear skies and winds in the 10 - 15 knot range.  Perfect.  Sunday was a more typical Game On day with gusts in the mid twenties but relatively flat water.  We had a great time and have to thank the race committee yet again for an incredible event.

Just a short eight weeks after the Spring Dinghy, we were back again at St. Francis Yacht Club for fantastic hospitality and challenging sailing conditions.

 

It felt like a complete repeat of Spring Dinghy, a “do over” if you will.  The ebb tides were running hard and the Alcatraz Bravo course was whipped in to a frenzy.  Saturday began with winds in the twenties and built to the low thirties.  Again, if the weather didn’t create enough of a challenge, the Artemis sailing team joined the fray.

 

This time the conditions exacted a real toll and by the second race on Saturday we were down to just two boats.  Only Nathan stayed out for the third and final short race of the day.  Flips and lost parts sent some of us in, while the building blow made the rest relent.

 Sunday was a really mixed set of conditions, with everything from a dash of rain, distant lightning, sunshine and light to medium winds coming first from the South and then the normal flow down from the Gate. 

 But, the racing was terrific.  Close quarters all the way around the racetrack, with hardly a moment to figure out who was in the lead. 

 This is F18 sailing.

 Can’t wait for another go at the gang during the Elite Keel.

 Please join us.

 

Check out Rick Saez’s photo gallery - Some wonderful shots.

Got a chance to go down to San Diego and get a detailed look at the new USA F18, the Falcon.