From the SSS and OYRA Race Chairs:

The Offshore Yacht Racing Association, the Single Handed Sailing Society and the Corinthian Yacht Club invite you to join us for the first ever combined Drakes Bay race on August 16th and 17th 2014.  SSS and OYRA will act as co-organizing authorities and CYC will act as our host yacht club as they have for many years providing the race committee on both ends.

The first gun will be at 09:40 each day with the Saturday start in Tiburon and the finish in Drakes Bay.  Sunday start is in Drakes Bay with the finish back at CYC on Sunday afternoon.

OYRA season racers are already signed up for this regatta. SSS and one time racers who wish to join us need only register through the appropriate Jibeset portal for your chosen organization.  All racers will need to comply with the NCORC equipment requirements and will need to complete the usual Jibeset boat information and crew lists the same as for other ocean races.

Racers who are participating in both series can still compete in both, but you will need to complete the boat information and crew list for both races.  If you are doing both series with a different crew count you will need to use the lower crew number for this combined race (for example racers doing OYRA double handed and SSS single handed would need to do this race single handed to be scored in both series).

After the race on Saturday you will get to enjoy the rugged beauty of Drakes Bay while anchored there over night, or better yet if conditions permit raft up with other racers and make a fun evening of it.  Think pot-luck!  

Short-handers – those of us with full crews often have more crew than we have bunks, do you have any to spare?  Feel free to solicit or accept bribes of food and drink for your available bunks!  Please let Paul know if you have any extra room so he can hook you up.

As we did last year we plan on getting US Coast Guard approval to do distress flare practice in the anchorage after Saturday’s race.  Bring your expired or non-SOLAS flares so you and your crew can experience actually using them.  We will start around 2100 or after the last boat arrives in the anchorage.  Please monitor the race channel at that time because we can’t start until given the green light by the USCG and we need to check in and out with them before and after.

The sailing instructions will be up in the OYRA and SSS sections of Jibeset as soon as we have all the details finalized.  Pay close attention to things like starting order since we may combine fleets and there may be a finish line check in both days.

If you have any questions please reach out to your usual contact or email Paul for SSS at pdisario@comcast.net or Andy for OYRA at andy.newell@sbcglobal.net.

We look forward to seeing you there and making this an event to remember!