ROLEX BIG BOAT SERIES NEWS


Notice of Race Posted for 2016 Rolex Big Boat Series

The Notice of Race for the 2016 Rolex Big Boat Series has been posted and registration is open for the 52nd anniversary of this premiere West Coast regatta.

“The Rolex Big Boat Series is one of the few regattas in the U.S. that was big 50 years ago and continues to be big today,” says regatta chair Susan Ruhne, member of St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC). “We take that reputation seriously and work year-round to ensure this regatta continues to earn its place in the top echelons of sailing regattas around the world.”

From September 15–18, this year’s Big Boat Series will welcome ORR boats, BAMA-rated multihulls, PHRF Sportboats and a variety of One-Design keelboats, including J/105s, J/120s, J/111s, J/70s, Farr 40s and Express 37s. New this year will be a Fast 52 Class, specifically meant for TP52s and faster ORR boats. Because Big Boat Series wraps up just days before J/70 Worlds begins (also hosted by StFYC), expect to see a strong showing from that burgeoning class.

In each of the past five years, StFYC has welcomed around 100 boats to compete in this ultra-competitive regatta. This year, the Club is looking to draw even more of the country’s top sailors to experience some of the best regatta management in the country set to the unbeatable sailing venue that is San Francisco Bay.

On shore, regatta participants will be treated to a full St. Francis experience, with great food and lively socials every night of the regatta. “We’re lucky to live in such a fantastic city as San Francisco, and we want to incorporate that culture into the regatta, providing our racers with the full SF experience,” says Ruhne. Shoreside events will range from an elegant Commodore’s Reception to a lively Food Truck & Mount Gay Rum Party on the lawn to the formal Trophy Ceremony. There, the winners will be awarded with St. Francis Yacht Club Perpetual Trophies while the top-most competitors will take home a specially engraved Rolex timepiece.

To view a highlight reel from Rolex Big Boat Series 2015, click HERE.

About St. Francis Yacht Club

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 Number One Yacht Club in the United States in 2012 and 2014; and Boardroom Magazine recognized it as the first yacht club to be a Distinguished Emerald Club of the World.