The Brigadoon crew celebrates the Gaff season championship. Photo supplied by Gena Egelston.
A Close Finish and a Season to Celebrate
The Jessica Cup brought the Bay’s classic fleet to St. Francis Yacht Club on Saturday, October 17, for the closing regatta of the San Francisco Bay Classics Season Championship. There were honors for the day’s racing and for a season’s worth of competition, with Makani Kai, Yucca and Oriole leading the Jessica Cup divisions and Brigadoon, Fairwyn and Hana taking the season championship trophies.
The closest contest on points came in Classic Marconi 1. Neil Gibbs’s Kay of Göteborg won the opening race, with Michael Zolezzi’s Yucca second. They reversed that order in race two, leaving both boats on three points. The posted standings put Yucca first, Kay of Göteborg second and Richard Leland’s Fairwyn third.
Ken Inouye’s Makani Kai took first in Classic Gaff, followed by Brigadoon and Briar Rose. In Classic Marconi 2, Lachlan MacLean’s Oriole led Fjaer and Hummingbird. The Gaff and smaller Marconi divisions each had one scored race; the larger Marconi boats had two.
Jessica Cup Division Results
Classic Gaff: 1. Makani Kai; 2. Brigadoon; 3. Briar Rose.
Classic Marconi 1 (40ft+): 1. Yucca; 2. Kay of Göteborg; 3. Fairwyn.
Classic Marconi 2 (under 40ft): 1. Oriole; 2. Fjaer; 3. Hummingbird.
Full Jessica Cup results on Clubspot.
Season Championship Honors
The season awards recognized a different set of winners. Neil Gibbs confirmed the San Francisco Bay Classics Season Championship trophies went to Fairwyn in Marconi 1, Hana in Marconi 2 and Brigadoon in Gaff.
Gena Egelston’s photographs from the awards gathering capture the celebration ashore: the Brigadoon crew together with their trophy, Brian Boyd of Hana, and Richard Leland of Fairwyn. Behind each award is a season of sailing, preparation and the continuing work of keeping a classic boat on the water.
Congratulations to the race winners, season champions and everyone who took part. Thank you to St. Francis Yacht Club for hosting the Jessica Cup, and to the owners and crews who keep this fleet sailing.
