Annapolis Yacht Club Announces Two Bridge Fiasco
Annapolis, MD (July 14, 2020) — The unique and
innovative race will be held Sunday, August 2 on the Chesapeake Bay.
Perhaps the most
popular annual regatta on San Francisco Bay is the Three Bridge Fiasco.
Organized by the
Singlehanded Sailing Society, it is traditionally the first race of the season
in late January and routinely attracts upwards of 300 boats.
In addition to
being restricted to either singlehanded or doublehanded teams, the distance
race around government marks incorporates several unique elements. It starts
and finishes in front of Golden Gate Yacht Club with competitors required to
round marks located near the Golden Gate Bridge (Blackaller Buoy), the Bay
Bridge (Yerba Buena), and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (Red Rock).
What makes the
Three Bridge Fiasco truly different is that each skipper can sail the course in
whatever direction they choose, which can make for some interesting situations.
Now the Annapolis
Yacht Club is bringing the concept to the Chesapeake Bay.
AYC will debut the
Two Bridge Fiasco on Sunday, August 2 and it promises to deliver all sorts of
excitement and craziness. It will incorporate many of the same elements of the
San Francisco event with slight alterations.
“People say they
want more fun in sailboat racing and that’s what we’re trying to deliver with
this regatta,” said Dick Neville, a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club Sailing
Committee.
As the name
alludes, the Annapolis-based event will require competitors to round marks set
just short of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Naval Academy Bridge. Skippers
can choose shortly after starting which bridge to sail toward first, a decision
that figures to involve significant intrigue.
In a nod to safety
in the coronavirus age, organizers are limiting entries to singlehanded or
doublehanded teams.
What makes the Two
Bridge Fiasco truly unique is that every type of sailing vessel known to man
will be allowed to participate. Annapolis Yacht Club has purposefully declared
in the Notice of Race that this is not strictly a big boat regatta and is
encouraging such craft as Hobie Cat, Laser, windsurfer, kiteboard, and all
manner of racing dinghy.
“We welcome any
and everything that is powered by wind and sail. If you own it, bring it,” said
Kevin Reeds, Co-Chair of the AYC Race Committee. “We’re really hoping we get
some smaller boats to join because it would really diversify things.”
Reeds noted the
Portsmouth Yardstick system will enable organizers to handicap any type of
sailing watercraft. He thinks the inclusion of certain vessels could result in
advantages and disadvantages.
“Windsurfers and
Hobie Cats would be able to cut across the shallow waters of Greenbury Point,”
said Reeds, who will serve as principal race officer for the Two Bridges
Fiasco. “Obviously, rough seas could present a challenge for them.”
Reeds previously
resided in San Francisco and was involved with the Three Bridge Fiasco for
almost two decades, either as a competitor or a coach. He was amazed by how
quickly the event grew in popularity, which most assuredly was attributable to
the wild and wacky nature of the race.
“When I first
heard about it, I started laughing. When I found out Dick Neville was behind
it, I started laughing even more,” said Pendleton Alexander, who has entered
his J/80 More Cowbell in the Two Bridge Fiasco.
“It sounds like an
absolute blast. I love creative approaches to sailboat racing. It’s important
to try new things, even if they don’t work. It’s essential to growing the
sport,” Alexander added. “This is very clever, very crazy, very novel, and very
fun.”
Neville said Two
Bridge Fiasco will start off R2 with the first warning gun at 11 a.m. The
finish line will be set at a mark located near the mouth of the Severn River.
Regardless of which direction skippers choose, the race figures to be 8 to 10
nautical miles in total distance.
“There are a lot
of factors that would impact decision-making. You have to consider variables
such as wind direction and velocity, tide and current, sea state, and so on,”
Reeds said. “If it’s really light, you’ll probably want to go into the bay
first where there is likely to be more breeze.”
Developing the Two
Bridge Fiasco as a short-handed race makes sense in the current climate.
Annapolis Yacht Club emphasized the event is open to non-members and is hoping
to attract sailors that are not typically race-oriented.
“Because it’s
double-handed it allows people to go sailing without worrying about getting a
big crew together,” Reeds said. “I think it will attract some folks who don’t
normally go racing.”
The Two Bridge
Fiasco fills an opening on the local sailing schedule as the St. Mary’s College
of Maryland Governor’s Cup Yacht Race was supposed to be held that weekend.
Organizers announced in mid-May the 47th Governor’s Cup, scheduled to start
July 31 off Annapolis, would be canceled.
“We’ve already
lost half the season, so we’re looking for opportunities to get people out
sailing,” Annapolis Yacht Club Commodore Jonathan Bartlett said. “I think this
concept is very exciting and should be particularly appealing to family teams.
I applaud the Sailing Committee for coming up with the idea, then taking the
ball and running with it.”
Linda Ambrose
AYC Harborside Director
Email: [email protected] |