Schooners are defined as vessels with two ormore masts with the mainmast thesame height or taller than the fore-

mast. The story of the origin of the nameis that Capt. Robinson of Gloucester,Massachusetts, designer and builder ofthe first schooner heard a bystanderremark upon the launching of his ves-sel, “See how she schoons!” (a Scotsexpression meaning as a stone skips on water).Robinson declared, “Then, a schooner let her be.”

In the late 19th and early 20th century schoonershad become one of the dominant commercial water-

craft for transporting goods and people upand down our coasts and inland water-ways. Yachtsmen, drawn to the beautyand practicality of these vessels, soonadapted them for pleasure use and even asthe age of working sail was coming to anend, designers such as Herreshoff, Alden,and Hand were creating masterpieces ofsailing art in the form of schooner yachts.

When we started the Great SanFrancisco Schooner Race our intentionwas to honor our California maritime her-itage and increase the profile of these his-toric vessels around San Francisco Bay.In addition, we wanted to acknowledgethe owners and caretakers of these beauti-ful vessels for the enormous amount oftime, effort and money that it takes tomaintain them.

Each year participation has beengrowing and the event has been attendedby many notable and historic sailing ves-sels, such as Santana, built in 1935 andonce owned by Humphrey Bogart,Yankee, built in 1906 in San Francisco,and a survivor of the earthquake, andBrigadoon, a classic Herreschoff designbuilt in 1924.

These vessels are more than timemachines, however, and there is a certainspirit about the event that defies descrip-tion. The race is the centerpiece of theweekend but it is more than a race. It isabout preserving the past and inspiringsailors of all ages. It is a celebration ofsailing on our spectacular bay and there isno better place for a schooner race thanSan Francisco Bay.

The Great San Francisco Schooner Race is held everyAugust at The San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere,California and we encourage you to bring your schooner (oldor new) and welcome captains, crews and admirers alike tothis unique San Francisco Bay event.

THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO SCHOONER RACE

WINNERS

Gaff Marconi

2008 1st Yankee Santana2nd Regulus Elizabeth Muir3rd Scorpio

2009 1st Jakatan Scorpio2nd Yankee Santana3rd Brigadoon Gold Star

The San Francisco Yacht Club98 Beach Road • Belvedere, Ca 94920

415 435 9133

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