Right on cue, San Francisco Bay rolled out the most demanding conditions for sailors at the 60th edition of Rolex Big Boat Series at St. Francis Yacht Club. A steady 15-20 knots during the first race on Thursday continued to build through Sunday for pure thrills and some spills for the 70 boats competing. Challenging windward-leeward courses allowed for ample tacking duels from the eastern end of the Bay to outside the Golden Gate Bridge, with plenty of opportunities to upset the leaderboard during the downwinds to the finish line in front of spectators at St. Francis Yacht Club. Sailors got what they came for: world class racing in a world class venue. As noted by Chris Perkins, the 2024 Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club and eight-time winner—this is what Rolex Big Boat Series is all about. In the J/88 fleet, Mark Howe’s Split Water took first, a solid five points ahead of Tom Thayer and Robert Milligan’s Speedwell. Third went to Brice Dunwoodie’s Ravenette. “The combination of shorter windward/leewards in the morning and the Bay tours in the afternoon requires every aspect of tactics, boat handling, sail handling, and, most importantly, endurance,” said Howe. “Crisis management has been key; no boat has been without incident, but keeping a cool head and staying focused is important to overcoming challenges. I’m very proud of my crew; they’ve worked hard with heartfelt enthusiasm and stayed flexible and focused even when things went sideways.” He and his crew were dually awarded the Pacific Yacht Club Association’s Jesse L. Carr Perpetual Captain and Crew Trophy, which rewards not just the skipper, but the crew as well, for excellence on the water. The Richard Rheem Perpetual Trophy, named for longtime StFYC member and skipper of Morning Star—the yacht that proudly broke the Transpac course record in 1949 and 1953—went to the winner of the J/88 class. The PCYA Jesse L. Carr Perpetual Captain and Crew Trophy also went to the top J/88 finisher.
• 1 — Split Water, Mark Howe
• 2 — Speedwell, Tom Thayer + Robert Milligan
• 3 — Ravenette, Brice Dunwoodie
For complete event details, visit https://rolexbigboatseries.com/.