By Warren Pederson : sfchronicle – excerpt
Yachts sail in San Francisco Bay during Saturday’s Three Bridge Fiasco, so named because skippers can choose their direction at the start and navigate course markings in any order corresponding to the Golden Gate, Bay and Richmond-San Rafael bridges.
Hundreds of sailboats of various sizes and styles took to the waters of San Francisco Bay on Saturday for the West Coast’s largest yacht race, an annual puzzle for participants and spectacle for those watching from the shore.
Almost 300 boats met the entry criteria for the Three Bridge Fiasco, so named because skippers can choose their direction at the start and navigate course markings in any order corresponding to the Golden Gate, Bay and Richmond-San Rafael bridges.
The race attracted a pool of 554 competitors — with 40 single-handed and 257 double-handed boats — though not everyone who registered showed up. The event began outside the Golden Gate Yacht Club in the Marina, with start times scattered to level the playing field…(more)
Voices from the Front 