New Year’s Day Regatta 2026
Rain, Ebb, Chili, and Questionable Glory
If there is a better way to ring in the New Year than cold fingers, light air, a hard ebb, and the promise of chili at the dock… we haven’t found it yet.
The Master Mariners New Year’s Day Regatta opened 2026 in familiar fashion—cold, overcast, and lightly breezy—but with one notable difference: it had rained hard all week, and it was still raining on New Year’s Day. While the weather itself was nothing unusual for January on San Francisco Bay, the persistence of the rain clearly took its toll. Boats stayed tucked in, crews stayed dry at home, and the starting line was far quieter than usual.
The King Tide was ebbing at roughly 2.5 knots when Water Witch arrived near the Bay Bridge around 11:30, crewed by John, Gena, and Andrew Egelston, joined by Wesley Nunez (Flotsam). Everyone was dressed appropriately for a wet winter sail and a hopeful finish at Point San Pablo Yacht Club.
With a scheduled noon start and no other racers in sight, Water Witch lingered behind the line before getting underway solo at 12:30 in about 4.5 knots of wind. Making steady progress at 3–4 knots, she passed Southampton Shoals just as the clouds briefly thinned, allowing a little light—and the unmistakable aroma of Cajun red beans and rice drifting up from the galley.
A pleasant beam reach around the Point Richmond jetties gave way to the reminder that Richmond Channel mud remains undefeated. Water Witch settled in briefly, requiring assistance from nearby friends—thanks once again to the List family, who seem permanently on call for such occasions.
Judy J gets a tow home, before the race.
Thora to the rescue, again.
Water Witch pulled from the King Tide mud.
Elsewhere on the course, Judy J, captained by Cory Lancaster, was already contending with engine trouble and was towed in by committee boat Thora, captained by Hans List. Later in the afternoon, Thora would also tow Water Witch home, prompting the entirely unbiased conclusion that the committee boat had clearly won the day.
Water Witch arrived at Point San Pablo Yacht Club around 16:00, completing a 13.18 km course in 3 hours and 24 minutes—a “loose win,” generously interpreted under New Year’s Day rules.
The cozy group in the club staying out of the rain. Thank you Point San Pablo Yacht Club for hosting us!
Back ashore, the story shifted quickly. While the race turnout was light, the clubhouse was anything but. Melissa Flick, our amazing Events Director, hosted a warm, laughter-filled New Year’s Day Chili potluck, and the rain seemed to drive everyone in the right direction. More than 60 members arrived by land, arms full of homemade dishes and sides, packing the club into a cozy, convivial refuge from the weather.
The tacky trophy presentation did not disappoint. The Master Mariners Perpetual Big Baller Award—also known as the moveable ballast trophy—was passed along by Hans List to Cory Lancaster for his valiant efforts sailing Judy J backwards against a heavy ebb in near-zero visibility. The trophy, it was noted, could double as an anchor in a pinch.
Water Witch’s crew didn’t leave empty-handed either, receiving both a tacky trophy and a gift from longtime family friend and sailing mate Jeff Bruton: a generous donation of teak blocks. It was an unexpectedly elegant addition to the tradition and a fitting reminder that good humor and good friends always travel aboard together.
If this year proved anything, it’s that even a soggy, lightly attended New Year’s Day Regatta still delivers exactly what it promises: adventure, absurdity, and community. Rain or shine—or rain all week—the New Year begins the right way when Master Mariners gather.