2330 Marinship Way, Suite 100, 2nd Floor
Sausalito, CA
Cabin and bareboat sales will open to the public immediately following the Sausalito Information Session.
The Rolex Big Boat Series is a four-day regatta founded by the St. Francis Yacht Club in 1964. The annual event attracts competitive racing teams and big racing boats from all over the state, nation, and world. Thousands of racers and hundreds of boats take to the Bay each day of the race, competing for first place and the Rolex watch that comes with it. MSC club members can bareboat charter or join a Club Sail to witness the excitement from the water.
IYC's 3 days of sailing, learning and fun includes in-person and streaming seminars and keynote speeches, food, drink, and no-host cocktail hours, giveaways including t-shirts and totes, and an amazing raffle drawing! Stay tuned for more details as we approach September.
The grand finale to summer in San Francisco, Fleet Week, celebrates the United States Navy allowing civilians to tour warships while their sailors tour the city. The week begins with a parade of ships progressing to free concerts, educational events, and family fun. Fleet Week's grand finale is a two-day air show over the Bay featuring the Blue Angels of the United States Airforce, the F-35 Demo Team, a demo from United's largest airplane, and several internationally known performance flight teams. The best seat in the house for these shows is from a boat on the Bay - keep an eye out for our Club Sails that weekend.
Fleet Week Boating Safety
Spark the spirit of the season with holiday lights, music and fireworks on the water! This special event is a holiday tradition in Sausalito and across the Bay Area. Every year, we enter two of our club boats in the parade and our hard-working fleet staff decorate them for our members and guests to participate in this magical experience. With the sounds of holiday music and cheering spectators, you and your guests will be dazzled by the spectacle of decorated boats and fireworks. An enchanting and memorable event to kick off the season, even the grinchiest of sailors will be unable to resist the holiday cheer.
Do you know of any other San Francisco Bay Area sailing events? Let us know and we'll add it to this list!
Testimonials.
I love sailing in the San Francisco Bay and greatly appreciate everything that MSC has to offer, the classes, clinics, club sails, racing and charters. I enjoy our supportive sailing community and use every opportunity to spend time on the water. After obtaining the certifications from MSC I did my first charter in Croatia in 2022 with my family. It was amazing and we’re looking forward to returning soon!
I took ASA 101 with them recently. They have the best customer service I've ever seen! I mistyped my address when I signed up online so didn't receive the textbook. I called and the lady immediately sent me another copy! Everyone at the club is super friendly.
The office staff was very accommodating in meeting my availability.
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Sausalito Location 2310 Marinship Way, Sausalito, CA 94965 (415) 331-8250 (800) 995-1668
Berkeley Location 1 Spinnaker Way, Berkeley, CA 94710 (415) 331-8250 (800) 995-1668
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The Notice of Race is posted and registration is open for the 2022 Rolex Big Boat Series , hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, California.
Considered the most prestigious regatta on the West Coast, Rolex Big Boat Series attracts competitors from around the country and the world for four days of racing on San Francisco Bay. Winners of select fleets are awarded perpetual trophies and Rolex timepieces.
Scheduled for September 14-18, 2022, the following fleets are invited to compete in this year’s regatta:
“We are really looking forward to opening our doors for Rolex Big Boat Series and welcoming sailors who have the grit to compete here. If you enjoy a good test on the water and a good time ashore, this regatta is not to be missed,” said Peter Gilmore, 2022 Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club, who intends to race his Cal 40 Longboard and hopes to see other owners of this popular West Coast design on the starting line.
Last year’s Rolex Big Boat Series was held amidst a range of local and state pandemic-related regulations that did little to dampen spirits, with over 80 boats competing and nearly 1,000 owners, crew, club members and guests in attendance. “St. Francis Yacht Club is prepared to cater a full complement of racing and socializing within the regulations required, which are easing statewide as California transitions to treating COVID-19 as an endemic issue,” noted Gilmore.
In 2021, post-racing socials and the trophy ceremony were hosted outdoors and will be again in 2022, while the legendary Thursday night Rolex Owners Dinner and Saturday night Crew Dinner will be inside the clubhouse overlooking unbeatable views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.
A notable difference for 2022 is a discount for registrations received before May 15. Furthermore, any boat registering after July 31 will be charged a late entry fee of $250.
“We work with the City of San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department and the San Francisco Small Craft Harbor to secure docking space for boats that come to compete, and the city has significantly increased their fees for 2022,” explained Adam Corpuz-Lahne, Senior Sailing Director of St. Francis Yacht Club. “To host this event at the highest level we’ve increased our entry fees, but we are also offering an early-bird discount to offset this reality for owners. We’re rewarding those who signal early their intention to compete, as that makes it easier for us to plan a successful week of sailing, socials and entertainment. Owners who take advantage of this discount will see no increase in entry fees over their 2021 entry.”
St. Francis Yacht Club has also changed the rating rule it uses for handicapping boats. Monohulls that do not fall into any of the one-design classes will be racing under rating rules established by the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) rather than the Offshore Rating Rule (ORR), which has been used for the past several editions of the regatta. Handicap divisions will be split according to ORC rules and ORC International rating certificates will be required to compete. The 2022 Rolex Big Boat Series will likely feature three ORC divisions and fleet splits will be posted on the Tuesday prior to the start of the regatta.
“We’ve changed rating rules many times since the inauguration of this regatta in 1964,” said Susan Ruhne, Chair of Rolex Big Boat Series. “After soliciting input from sailors and owners who’ve competed in the past, we decided it was time to embrace what has become the dominant rating rule internationally and on the East Coast. The St. Francis Yacht Club’s mission is to be a leader in yachting and we hope this move entices more boats and owners eager to go up against the best in West Coast sailing.”
The Classics division, for yachts built prior to 1955 and greater than 48 feet in length, will continue to race with ORRez rating certificates. “The ORRez rating has us so closely matched, last year the first three boats were one point apart,” noted Beau Vrolyk, 2022 Vice Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club, who has been racing his Alden schooner Mayan since the Classics division was established in 2019.
He wouldn’t miss it for the world this year. “Racing Mayan in the Rolex Big Boat Series has been fantastic. The racing couldn’t have been any closer and the camaraderie is terrific! We are looking forward to hitting the starting line with our old friends and some new faces in 2022.”
The St. Francis Yacht Club was founded in 1927 and has been host to many of the most prestigious national and international championships in sailing. With over 40 regattas on its calendar annually, StFYC is widely regarded as having one of the top racing and race management programs in the country. In addition to enjoying a worldwide reputation for on-water excellence, Platinum Clubs of the World named the St. Francis Yacht Club the #1 Yacht Club in the United States for multiple years.
For more information, please visit St. Francis Yacht Club .
A Natural and Supportive Partner
Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand’s enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events – from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world’s most famous harbours. Rolex’s partnerships with the St. Francis Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Yacht Club Italiano among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.
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A YRA spring/summer series offering short-course style racing for One-Design fleets and boats racing under PHRF. Doublehanded Racing More and more popular, the YRA is the home to two separate series just for doublehanded crews.
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The Official Website of SailGP - get the latest sail racing news, calendar, results, rankings and schedule.
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Our Offshore Series runs from April thru September. Races are typically 25 to 55 miles long, with most races starting and finishing in SF Bay. The Drakes Bay race is a 2-day race with an overnight at anchor in Drake’s Bay.
Your One Stop Guide for RBBS Race Weekend. Don’t miss out on a minute of the action at the 60th edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series. Whether you’re racing, planning on coming to St. Francis Yacht Club to spectate or following along from elsewhere, here’s the info you need to stay in the know.
One of the best sailboat racing venues in the world, iconic San Francisco Bay, is ready to turn it on for the 60th edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series at St. Francis Yacht Club, September 11-15, 2024.
Rolex Big Boat Series, the premier racing event on San Francisco Bay since 1964, is once again set to deliver a legendary experience for sailors: epic conditions over four days of racing,...
Known as a sailing mecca the world over, San Francisco is home to hundreds of sailing events every year. From community boat parades and regattas to the latest innovations in the yacht racing world, you can see it on the Bay.
Considered the most prestigious regatta on the West Coast, Rolex Big Boat Series attracts competitors from around the country and the world for four days of racing on San Francisco Bay. Winners of select fleets are awarded perpetual trophies and Rolex timepieces.