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 30-strong J/105 fleet, Ryan Simmons and his long-standing crew on Blackhawk took home a Rolex timepiece to go with his sixth RBBS win and his fourth as skipper, with a significant 11-point delta over second place NeNe, helmed by Tim Russell. Rolf Kaiser and Justin Oberbauer, owners of Donkey Jack, took third. “While there wasn’t really a defining moment, we did have really good starts and for the most part going the right direction which really worked for us,” said Simmons. “Conditions were exactly what you would expect for Big Boat Series—high teens to low twenties with ebb chop. While we may have won by a good margin, it has not taken away from the incredible competition in this fleet. On Thursday, we had an amazing photo finish with Randy Hecht and his team on Niuhi, and a memorable gybing duel with Tim Russell on NeNe on Friday. Racing was very tight and very fun. We’ve had a great regatta.” As the largest one-design fleet this year, the J/105s competed for StFYC’s Commodore’s Cup and a Rolex timepiece.
• 1 — Blackhawk, Ryan Simmons
• 2 — NeNe, Tim Russell
• 3 — Donkey Jack, Rolf Kaiser + Justin Oberbauer
For complete event details, visit https://rolexbigboatseries.com/.