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2026 Cruise Out

Thank you, Mr. Johnston. Just bought two street tacos from the taco truck in Point Richmond. Looking forward to yours.
 
The Green Buffalo will be there! Thanks for organizing this Jackie! Friday April 17th at 10am leaving RYC... I will see you at the dock Bob! Who will follow who? Will Mary join us or this really a "singlehanded" cruise? :-) First real passage for the Buffalo in over a year. I hope everything works! Will I have the diesel heather reinstalled by then... hmmm
 
I hope Mary will come along. Connie will drive up on Saturday and our kids in Rohnert Park will probably pop over again.

Here we are with David and Susan from s/v Pinocchio and Annie and Jeff from the s/v Annie.
 

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No way to win the friends and family award without friends or family, Jim. It will be a pleasure to see The Buffalo sailing again
 
Hi Don,

I'm thinking 1500 at the "D" Street bridge, but that starts to get risky for space at the docks. What do you think - is that enough time to get up the river?

Bob J.
 
Tacking and gybing for an hour and a half, waiting for my start in fleet Lima 🙄 this fella in a pretty boat pulled up next to me, shouted : "I want to come to Petaluma!"
My reply?
"Excellent! Come to Petaluma!"
Paul Descalso s/v Sobrante, consider this your personalized invitation.
 
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Did they dredge the stretch just after the Petaluma marina, between the green active train bridge and downtown? Took my J24 up their during COVID and it was a mud flat.
 
Hmnn, it seems like a row from the City of Petaluma launch ramp and drive from Kern County would be a similar transit time (6 hours), as the sail from the Richmond Yacht Club. My 11-foot drift boat tows well as highway speeds, but sleeping and cooking accommodations are lacking. If someone has a spare berth, I am tempted. The City of Petaluma guest dock has a 20-foot minimum length, so if someone is willing for a dinghy side tie or hoist out on a halyard (170 pounds), the details can be covered.

Cheers,
Ants

PS. it would be a great opportunity to meet some of the singlehanders that I have read about for decades.
 
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A teaser with one week to go: Looking NW over Gilardi's Lakeville Marina and Cloudy Bend. Our destination is on the edge of the photo, on the upper right. Photo by Scott Hess.

Lakeville Marina.jpg
 
Schedule update: Surprise! is planning to leave Richmond YC at 0830 on Friday. I want to enjoy a leisurely sail up the river and reach the D Street bridge at 1430. I'll schedule an opening for that time.

It looks like about half of the SSS boats are coming from Richmond. Those coming from elsewhere can stay over at RYC Thursday night if you want to leave together - call Mark (RYC Harbormaster) for a spot: (510) 234-6959 or (510) 609-4473. Otherwise we'll see you in Petaluma. I encourage boats to coordinate your arrival at the D Street bridge so they don't have to open it multiple times.

Here are some helpful details, including the bridge opening request:
Petaluma Turning Basin
 
BobJ said:
Schedule update: Surprise! is planning to leave Richmond YC at 0830 on Friday. I want to enjoy a leisurely sail up the river and reach the D Street bridge at 1430. I'll schedule an opening for that time.

It looks like about half of the SSS boats are coming from Richmond. Those coming from elsewhere can stay over at RYC Thursday night if you want to leave together - call Mark (RYC Harbormaster) for a spot: (510) 234-6959 or (510) 609-4473. Otherwise we'll see you in Petaluma. I encourage boats to coordinate your arrival at the D Street bridge so they don't have to open it multiple times.

Here are some helpful details, including the bridge opening request:
Petaluma Turning Basin
Click to expand...
Given the strong ebb, I am planning an early departure as well. I will target arrival at the D St. Bridge ~14:30. Can we designate a VHF channel for coordination of boats going through the bridge together? Channel 68?
 
Channel 68 sounds good for coordination. While actually transiting the bridge we should all be on channel 9, and try to stay together to minimize the opening time.

We can agree on a departure time once we're all there Friday afternoon, but I'm thinking of requesting an opening of the D Street Bridge for 1100 1300 Sunday. There's a minus tide (-1.07') at 0800 1029 so we can't leave too early. That means we'll be opposing a flood all the way down river but we'll enter San Pablo Bay at about high tide (1607), which is good. (Edits after Philpott corrected me on the times.)

Please note that skippers planning to transit the D Street Bridge at times other than 1430 Friday and 1100 1300 Sunday need to make their own arrangements, giving the bridge four hours' notice for Friday and 24 hours' notice for Saturday or Sunday.
 
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That's a real shame, Cliff. I was looking forward to seeing you and hearing about your Double Handed farallones race. Impressed that you finished when so many didn't even try. Greg A said it was "gnarly" out there.
 
Making my shopping list...

Surprise!'s "Drake's Bay" chicken street tacos are happening - these for post-arrival munching on Friday afternoon. Hopefully we'll have most of our boats together and we can boat-hop starting around 1600. If you're so inclined, bring some snacks and drinks to share. I'll probably go find pizza or Mexican food for dinner later Friday night. Not sure when we'll do our own cruise-out contests, but I'm told the prizes will be epic.

Peet's or the North Bay Cafe Saturday morning, then to the Cutest Little Chick contest at 0945 in front of Copperfield's Book Store on Kentucky Street - my granddaughter Lucy is competing. Judges choose the winner so we can't "vote harvest" as suggested by one skipper. Or go watch the Cow Chip Throwing Contest at 1000, if you're into that.

The parade starts at Noon, then we'll hit the booths over in Putnam Plaza and along B Street (shop 'til you drop) after that. I lobbied unsuccessfully for a West Marine booth.

Not sure what's for dinner Saturday night. We can choose a place and make reservations. Any suggestions? Same again Sunday morning, then get underway by 1245 for a 1300 bridge opening.

That's what I'm doing - feel free to join me or do your own thing. Here's a map of the parade route, etc.
Downtown Parade
 
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The best made plans of mice and 77 year olds. A week ago my balance went away, not sure why or to where. Two ER visits and a doc visit said there was no discoverable reason. Luckily, the geriatric ear canal is finding it’s way back, but not in time to travel this weekend.

Will digital photos of my oldest SSS t-shirts get a digital reward? Time to read notice of cruise-out.

I was SSS race chair beginning in 1983. I was curious if SSS offered t-shirts from 1977 (initial Farralones Race) and 1983, so I asked sleddog. The response was SSS was pretty informal in the earliest years, so no t-shirts or swag. The SSS history was written at that time was one of George Siegler’s employee, who sailed a Columbia 5.5 sailboat, but with a small cabin. With luck, Philpott may have recorded the information. I remember an el toro was entered in the 1977 Farallones Race but did not make it far past the Golden Gate bridge.

Starting in 1983, the SSS Board thought t-shirts would be great publicity. I remember buying them for every race. My 1984 Three Bridge Fiasco t-shirt is missing in action. The 1985 version was found, as well as a 1986 SHTP race. The SHTP t-shirt has great, classic graphics. The photo will be added later.

Another nice piece of SSS swag was an 1989 Singlehanded Farallones mug.

Sorry, I will not get to meet the some of the current SSS sailors in Petaluma.

Cheers,
Ants
 
Indeed the prizes are epic, even
AntsUiga said:
The best made plans of mice and 77 year olds. A week ago my balance went away, not sure why or to where. Two ER visits and a doc visit said there was no discoverable reason. Luckily, the geriatric ear canal is finding it’s way back, but not in time to travel this weekend.

Will digital photos of my oldest SSS t-shirts get a digital reward? Time to read notice of cruise-out.

I was SSS race chair beginning in 1983. I was curious if SSS offered t-shirts from 1977 (initial Farralones Race) and 1983, so I asked sleddog. The response was SSS was pretty informal in the earliest years, so no t-shirts or swag. The SSS history was written at that time was one of George Siegler’s employee, who sailed a Columbia 5.5 sailboat, but with a small cabin. With luck, Philpott may have recorded the information. I remember an el toro was entered in the 1977 Farallones Race but did not make it far past the Golden Gate bridge.

Starting in 1983, the SSS Board thought t-shirts would be great publicity. I remember buying them for every race. My 1984 Three Bridge Fiasco t-shirt is missing in action. The 1985 version was found, as well as a 1986 SHTP race. The SHTP t-shirt has great, classic graphics. The photo will be added later.

Another nice piece of SSS swag was an 1989 Singlehanded Farallones mug.

Sorry, I will not get to meet the some of the

Cheers,
Ants
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more so following contributions from Richard Reitmeyer, who would have preferred to remain an anonymous philanthropist. Sorry, Richard. Henceforth you are acknowledged as a generous dorky merch contributor to the SSS.
 
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