2026 Skippers and Sponsors Luncheon
A Toast Before the Start!
There’s a particular kind of anticipation that fills a room the week before the Regatta — part reunion, part pep rally, all wooden boat. On Friday, May 15, The San Francisco Bay Master Mariners gathered at the St. Francis Yacht Club for the annual Master Mariners Regatta Skippers and Sponsors Luncheon, the warm-up handshake before everyone heads for the start line.
It was a full house. Some 100 members, sponsors, and guests packed the room, with 30 of our 45 registered boats represented — a turnout that says everything about how much this fleet looks forward to the season ahead. With the Cityfront framed in the windows and a fresh breeze working the Bay outside, the mood was equal parts celebration and pre-race buzz.
The heart of the afternoon, as always, was the ceremonial presentation of sponsor flags to the skippers. It’s a tradition with real meaning: many of our boats carry the house flag of a sponsor through the Regatta, a small banner that ties a classic hull to the people and businesses who believe in keeping these vessels sailing. One by one, sponsors stepped up to hand their flags to the skippers who’ll fly them across the Bay — the personal, face-to-face moment that makes this fleet feel like the family it is.
This year’s Luncheon also carried a happy secret. Every year we quietly select one member boat to feature on the Regatta t-shirts and merchandise, and the reveal is always a highlight. For 2026 we were delighted to honor Sequestor and her owners, Hans and Sophie List. Commodore Gena Egelston offered her congratulations, and Hans took a few minutes to walk the room through the boat’s history and what she’s meant to their family over the years — the kind of story that reminds everyone why we do all this in the first place.
A thank-you is owed to the St. Francis Yacht Club for hosting us again, and to every sponsor whose generosity makes the Regatta possible. Without them, there are no flags to fly.
Photos: Hans Hansen, KC Crowell, Melissa Flick — full gallery below.
