368 doublehanded and singlehanded entrants were signed up for the annual San Francisco Bay mid-winter classic, The Three Bridge Fiasco, on January 31. The early morning hours witnessed a strong northerly clearing out the fog which had been lingering for far too long, and the stage was set for a possible record run in speed as well as entrants. The early birds were blessed with nice winds and the remnants of a flood. Course refresher: Three course marks are YRA 16 (“Blackaller” a yellow cylinder 0.2 nm east of Fort Point), Red Rock and Yerba Buena Island. Boats shall round these three marks in any order and in either direction. Race distance is approximately 21.47nm. The various forecasts were all over the place and even the most seasoned vets had trouble deciding the best route for their particular boat and start time. For those who departed the Golden Gate Yacht Club starting line before 10:00 a.m., the concept was to get either across the main bay before the ebb, or get Yerba Buena in the rear view while the wind was northerly. A great concept in practice, and it was working…for a while. The counter-clockwise crews had a very nice spinnaker ride toward the Bay Bridge and looked golden, hugging the west side of Treasure Island for relief until the breeze lightened, then went NW. The lucky who had not committed were blessed with more consistent wind mid-channel, and wisely avoided much of Yerba Buena’s wind shadow and eeked under the eastern span in good shape. Meanwhile, the clockwise contingent split between getting east as fast as possible or getting Blackaller off the check list. Those going for Blackaller early and many of the post 10:00 a.m. starters saw the breeze ease and the ebb build. The later starters had trouble even getting to the starting line. A large contingent found themselves being swept near to, or past, the Golden Gate. Those who rode east and headed toward red rocks had a good game plan. But the boats with the low ratings had a hard time getting “up river” and they too were left to decide on pulling the plug or toughing it out and hoping the westerly filled. The westerly did fill at10-12 knots and gave the boats hope that their race could be salvaged. And while logic said the shortest route from the North Tower to Red Rocks is Raccoon Strait, the pesky current and swirling winds can be detrimental. Meanwhile, even the early starters who got east and into the general area of South Hampton Shoals found the once abundant northerly get scarce and the currents more abundant. It was like being a yo-yo, more than a few crews explained. “Gain some, lose some” was the mantra of the day. The “Miracle Nooner” continued to build over the Central Bay, and with it, the masses all began to pile into the North Bay; and while flying their kites nicely, the VMG again could not easily overtake the still building ebb, and as you closed in on Red Rocks, the wind got even lighter. In all , the record warm temperatures with highs hitting the high 70s on the Bay made the 2015 3BF a pleasant afternoon. Of course it was far more pleasant for the 57 finishers, and probably eased the pain for those who were just short of the finish line when the race committee closed shop at the 19:00 cut off time. Two of the finishers were double-handed J/24s: Jasper Van Vliet’s Evil Octopus and Val Lulevich’s Shut Up and Drive. For complete results, click here.