Master Mariners Event Calendar
Jessica Cup Regatta
Hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club
Come race among your Master Mariner friends and their classic wooden boats in the Jessica Cup - the final regatta in the Bay Championship Series!
The Jessica Cup is open to “all Classic boats of traditional design and construction with a minimum of 23 feet on deck, including those of the local Bear class, Bird class, and boats in the Spirit of Tradition class.”
The 2025 Jessica Cup is open to the following classes:
Bear
Bird
Classic Gaff
Classic Marconi I (40ft +)
Classic Marconi II (under 40 ft)
Farallone Clipper
Spirit of Tradition
Race day will kick off with a competitor's briefing at 10:30am in the StFYC Clubhouse followed by a first warning at 11:55am. Up to 2 races will take place between the city front, fort mason and the Bailaller Buoy.
Post-race is the awards presentation and social buffet at StFYC. This event requires tickets to attend, so all competitors (skipper and crew) must purchase tickets for $20 on the Clubspot homepage or during registration. Please also complete your Docking Request form.
Even if you cannot race, buy a $20 ticket and meet us at the after party for food and drinks!
Notice of Race and registration for the Jessica Cup can be found at
2025 Jessica Cup.
Please register to race, complete your docking form, and purchase social/dinner tickets by Wednesday, October 8th!
Spring Fling Cruise
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Regatta Skipper & Sponsors Luncheon
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Master Mariners Regatta
The Master Mariners Regatta is the Master Mariners Benevolence Association crowning event that takes place every year on Memorial Day weekend. The Regatta consists of a full-day of racing on the bay between 80 and 100 classic wooden sailing vessels in over a dozen different classes. The regatta start is in front of the St. Francis Yacht Club, and all boats finish near Clipper Cove behind Treasure Island after traversing the bay according to class courses. Many boats fly the house flag of a local sponsor who is also honored at a formal luncheon the week before at the St. Francis Yacht Club. A post-regatta raft-up, party, and dinner with music and dancing takes place at the Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda. Many boats spend the night and sail home the following day after a pot-luck breakfast.
Originally a race between the working boats of San Francisco Bay sponsored by the Boatmen’s Protective Association as part of the Fourth of July festivities beginning in 1867, the event continued on and off under the Master Mariners Benevolence Association until 1891. The revelry started with lively wagers and thousands of cheering crowds on deck, on shore, and from Telegraph Hill and concluded with the gala ball where the winners were awarded a silken Champion pendent emblazoned with a strutting gamecock. The event continued until steam technology overtook the age of sail at the end of the late 18th century.
After being nearly forgotten for over seven decades, the spirit and tradition of the Master Mariner’s Regatta was revived in 1965 for National Maritime Day and has continued uninterrupted every year since. The modern MMBA regatta has been primarily attended by classically built wooden pleasure craft rather than the hay scows and lumber schooners of previous generations. The National Historic Landmark scow schooner Alma, berthed at Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco’s National Maritime Historic Park, represents the last of an era of the working boats that originally raced in the Master Mariners Regatta.
Annual Members Meeting
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Wooden Boat Show
The Annual Wooden Boat Show is one of the highlights of the San Francisco sailing season, and one of only a few West coast wooden boat shows.
Open to the public and generously hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon, this unique event is an once a year opportunity to enjoy one of the most beautiful Yacht Clubs in the world, and dozens of the most elegant and delightful traditional sailing boats from the Bay and beyond.
View and board classic sailing vessels, meet their skippers and learn of the unique history captured in their stories. The outdoor bar and grill of the CYC is open to boat show visitors to enjoy along with live music and boat building activities for kids.
Proceeds from the entry fee benefit the Master Mariners Benevolent Foundation, a 501c3 which supports a range of activities including scholarships and related expenses tied to youth sail-training, maritime-related vocational training, and occasional 3rd party events which raise appreciation for the uniqueness of our nautical heritage and classic sailing vessels.