Latitude 38 July 2013
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Latitude 38 Latitude VOLUME 4 013 WE GO WHERE THE WIND BLOWS JULY 2013 JULY VOLUME 433 MASTER MARINERS REGATTA 2013 — Jay Gardner was having a great time crewing aboard his former boat Ingwe during the Master Mariners Re- ashore for the post-race party at gatta May 25, until the fi nish line was the Encinal YC — an event almost in sight. It was then that he noticed his as legendary as the regatta itself! wedding ring was missing. With Ingwe, If you're not familiar with this a 38-ft Ingrid ketch, on pace to win the annual Memorial Day weekend Marconi II division, he only had time for contest, it's the highlight of the a cursory look around before repacking spring and summer season for lov- the mizzen staysail and getting back on ers of classic and traditional boats. deck to witness the fi nish with his wife And for many who compete, it's Pam and the boat’s new owner, Ava Roy. the one day of the year when they After a hard-fought battle, Ingwe did measure the speed of their vessels indeed triumph in her class, beating on a race course. such formidable MMR regulars as Dee This year's turnout was as fi ne and Dean Lozier’s Unda and Bob Rodg- a spectacle as ever, with 48 start- ers' Sunda. Skipper Roy was ecstatic ers — ranging from 23 feet to 85 about her fi rst win with the boat — de- feet — in 13 divisions. All sorts of spite Jay’s troubled mood as he went classics were represented, from salty gaff schooners and ketches to sleek sloops and cutters. There were newcomers like Water- witch, new owners like ERIK SIMONSON / PRESSURE-DROP.ORG Ingwe’s Roy, and the return of The Chapelle gaffer 'Bluenose' was impressive , former MMR competitors such fi nishing nearly 10 minutes ahead of the always as the 40-ft Chapelle schooner well-sailed 'Brigadoon'. Bluenose and the Farallon ships competing, and the proceeds went Clipper Ouessant — the latter to widows and orphans of sailors who'd returning to the race with a been injured or lost at sea. The boats new owner, plus fresh paint were sponsored, as they are to this day. and varnish, after a six-year And competition was often fi erce. Despite absence. a few lapses over the years, the regatta is With sunny skies and a fair still going strong. And while this year’s breeze on most of the course, turnout may have been a bit smaller ERIK SIMONSON / PRESSURE-DROP.ORG conditions were generally ideal. than previous fl eets, it's still one of the If you've ever noticed how low-slung the boom But there were some light spots. A few largest wooden and classic boat fl eets in is on a Bird Boat, you know why the winning boats even had to anchor at Southamp- the country. crew on 'Curlew' wore helmets. ton Shoals to keep from losing ground over the boat several more times in a in the ebb, while a half-hour later they fruitless search for his ring. He fi nally were screaming to the fi nish. As always, the starting line was decided if it had to be lost, what better Due to the disparity of rig and hull off the Cityfront near the St. Francis time and place than aboard the boat he types, courses ranged from 12 nm for YC, and this year all but three starters and Pam had owned for 30 years — and the little Bear Boats, to 14 nm for small crossed the fi nish line behind Treasure what better place and time than a divi- gaff sailboats, to 17 nm for Ocean Class Island. The MMR is set up as a 'pursuit' sion win at the 2013 Master Mariners. sailboats. race, with many different starting times Actually, it would be tough for anyone Few regattas on the Bay can claim based on handicaps. (The slowest boats to maintain a long face after such a great the Master Mariners' heritage. The fi rst start fi rst; the fastest, last.) This simple day of sailing, especially after coming race was run in 1896 with real working handicapping system makes it easy to ERIK SIMONSON / PRESSURE-DROP.ORG MAGIC ON THE WATER Seaward were hard on Freda B’s heels during most of the race, but Freda B but there's also usually fi erce com- inched ahead to cross the fi nish line fi rst. petition in several classes. And in Freda's captain, Paul Dines, fi gures several classes there is more than that pre-race training with his race just bragging rights and a trophy crew paid off. "We got a very good start," at stake — there is family honor recalls Dines, "but Gas Light was close to protect! Protests are rare, as to us through the whole race. They were the overall emphasis is on good- tough to catch, but after the Southamp- natured fun. Many of the boats, ton mark, Freda B was able to point a such as Terry Klaus’ 50-ft Her- little higher for the fi nal beat to the fi n- reshoff schooner Brigadoon, have ish." competed in the regatta over 35 The smallest one design boats in the years. A s the name im- plies, the largest boats are in the Big Schoo- ner division. Each year the schooners Seaward, Alma, Gaslight and Freda B sail hard and fast to try take home the prize. The tell which boat wins each class: the one scow schooner Alma, built in that crosses the fi nish line fi rst. 1891, is owned and operated While most of the boats are ‘woodies’, by National Park Service, and a few are non-wood ‘classic’ designs and is the last working scow of her are thus accepted in the fl eet. In fact, type. Her competition are all the three largest schooners — the 79-ft local charter boats: Billy Mar- Freda B, the 82-ft Seaward and the 72-ft tinelli's replica scow schooner Gaslight — all have steel hulls, despite Gas Light, SF Bay Adventures' / ROXSHOTS.SMUGMUG.COM ROXANNE FAIRBAIRN their traditional designs and rigs. Freda B, and Seaward, which is owned The replica scow schooner 'Gas Light' held off The fl eet is divided between gaffers by the Sausalito nonprofi t Call of the 'Freda B' early in the race, but 'Freda' eventu- and Marconi rigs, then further divided by Sea. ally got by her to win the Big Schooner class. size. Overall, the competitors' attitudes This year competition was par- fl eet were 23-ft Bear Boats, designed in could be described as friendly rivalries, ticularly hot among the big schooners. the 1930s. Most were built at Sausalito’s Martinelli had planned to sail Gaslight Nunes Brothers Boatyard over several Below: The bright-fi nished 'Olive' is chased as a spectator boat this year. But he decades, and many are still going strong to the fi nish by 'Morning Star' and 'Puff' off today. Seven Bears made it to the start Treasure Island. Spread: Wonderful woodies. had a last-minute change of heart, and made a very strong this year. Margie Siegal’s Huck Finn showing in the race. squeaked out a win over Dave Sandry’s All the schooners Puff by 10 seconds, with Peter Miller’s sailed hard, but Kodiak arriving a minute later. Freda B sailed the Another San Francisco Bay-centric best, taking her fi rst one design class that's still very active is win from the faster the Bird Boat (30 feet). Having raced con- Marconi-rigged Sea- tinuously since their introduction here ward. Gaslight and in 1922, they are the oldest one design R FAIRBAIRN / ROXSHOTS.SMUGMUG.COM R FAIRBAIRN MASTER MARINERS REGATTA 2013 — class on the West Coast. This year, Bill Claussen’s Curlew beat James Joseph’s battled Steve Carlson’s Seaquest and last starter, Ron MacAnnan's tirelessly Skylark, with William Stuckey’s Polly in Hans List’s Sequester, fi nishing in that restored M Class sloop Pursuit, may have third, not far behind. order, but with only 37 seconds separat- been favored to overtake her competition ing second and third. According and win, but the necessity of a minor to owner Hans List, Sequester's rigging repair prior to the start made crew found the wind so light near her 15 minutes late to the line, leaving the Southampton Shoals mark, the Seaborn 46 Kate II and the S&S 52 "we had to anchor briefl y to keep Bounty to joust for the division win. In from drifting astern!" one of the fl eet's closest fi nishes, Kate II The largest class in terms of beat Bounty by less than a minute, with number of boats, and one of the most competitive, is often the Marconi I division. This year six boats tried for a win, with the 51-ft ketch Pegasus taking the trophy from the elegant, 48-ft Elizabeth Muir (second) and Tim Murison’s ever-competitive 44-ft Island Clipper Bolero (third). The Marconi II division fea- tured Roy’s surprise win aboard Ingwe over Unda, Sunda, and Launched the same year as the Great San Fran- Kismet. The ‘surprise’ was not only that cisco Earthquake (1906), 'Polaris' is a tangible Roy had bought the boat only two years connection to a bygone era. before, but that her boyfriend Charles Gurke sailed with her — against his own father, Dean Gurke, who owns Unda! To recap some of the other classes: Similarly, father Tom List raced aboard In Gaff I division, Dennis Pietso’s Blue- Polaris against his son Hans on Seques- nose pulled a surprise win over the ter.