Originally Posted by
sleddog
Looks like a classic, prototypical Farallones Race on Saturday's menu, with west-southwest winds veering and building to 20-25 knts out near the Rockpile. Should be fun. Good luck to all, especially good friend RC on BLACK FEATHERS.
One tactical thought: for those finishing in the afternoon, before 6 pm, unless the South Tower is passed close aboard on starboard jibe, laying the finish under spinnaker is gonna be a challenge. This is because fresh southwest gusts (headers) come whistling down the valley above Crissey Field. A headsail sheeted to the rail is often a good alternative for the last 1.6 nm starboard tack sprint.
Disregard the above if you are on a Wyliecat, Freedom, E-27, Moore-24, O-29, or Cal-40, which looks to be a good portion of the fleet.
After 6 pm, the sea breeze begins to fade, the ebb increases, and a spinny should be just ducky if you have several extra pairs of hands: one for the tiller, a pair for the spinny sheet, main sheet, and vang, one for the binos, and another for the VHF radio mike.