Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck tells of 'the fiasco' - now with 369 boats signed up to start on Saturday:
If the mission of an event is to maximize participation, the first step might be to throw out the highly refined race management manual. Setting perfect start lines for perfect windward-leeward courses is fine for the hard-core racers, but not as much for the casual competitor.
One race that has hit on a winning formula is the “Three Bridge Fiasco” on San Francisco Bay, which kicks off at 0900 on Saturday, January 31. There are already 325 boats entered, with over 350 expected by the entry deadline on Wednesday (Jan. 28).
The “3-Bridge” is a reverse start pursuit race which begins and ends at the Golden Gate Yacht Club, rounding marks near SF Bay’s 3 major bridges: the Golden Gate, the San Francisco-Oakland, and the Richmond-San Rafael. The marks can be rounded in any order and in any direction. The start and finish line may also be crossed in either direction.
See 'the rest of the story' here.
Scenes from the windless 2014 edition. Latitude 38 It may be near the shortest day of the year but it produces the largest participation of the year.