San Francisco sailor Bruce Stone’s Arbitrage won the J 105 class at the 46th annual Rolex Big Boat Series. The event, which took place Sept. 16–19 on San Francisco Bay, attracted 98 teams from across the U.S. and around the world. After having a rudder bearing fail (and ultimately become irreparable) on the first day, Stone still managed a victory in the first race of his seven-race series, albeit with great difficulty steering. He went on to finish out the next three days with a borrowed boat from a friend and finished consistently enough to lead the 24-boat class at the end of each day.

Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

While the battle to host the America’s Cup rages on, anyone interested in seeing some world-class sailing right now can catch the excitement of two major regattas this month, both hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. On Thursday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 19, the 2010 Rolex Big Boat Series will attract over 100 teams from around the world. Sailors will be compete for the St. Francis Perpetual Trophy, the City of San Francisco Trophy, the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy, the Keefe-Kilborn Memorial Trophy, the Richard Rheem Perpetual Trophy, and the Commodore’s Perpetual Trophy, with all winners receiving some beautiful Rolex watches. The boats range from the 32-foot Melges to a 54-foot custom Schumacher, with home ports from all over the U.S. plus the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Racing starts each day at 11 a.m. with two races held daily Thursday through Saturday, and a final “Bay Tour” race on Sunday.

There is a large showing of the 32-foot Melges at the Big Boat Series this year because the following week is the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship. Practice races start on Tuesday Sept. 21 at 1 p.m., with races commencing at noon Wednesday, Sept. 22 through Saturday, Sept. 25. The international fleet noted above will also be joined by a Melges team from France competing to claim the world title. Needless to say, the Marina will be home for most of these sailors, so perhaps you’ll make a new friend from far away!

Above: The J 105 was one of nine classes in the Rolex Big Boat Series. Left: It was a crowded day on the Bay: Lani Spund’s (Los Gatos, Calif.) Kokopelli 2 finished second in the IRC B class while apparently beating out a Red & White ferry and a kite surfer!
PhotoS: Daniel Forster/Rolex

The Rolex Big Boat regatta will run in the middle of the bay, so there should be great viewing all along the waterfront. The Melges World Championship will be raced primarily in the Berkeley Circle, which is just east of Alcatraz, so best viewing points would be either on the Bay or near Pier 39. But during both weeks, you can come down to the West Marina to get an upclose look at these beautiful boats from around the world. For more information, visit the www.stfyc.com and www.rolexbigboatseries.com.

Jim Maxwell has sailed for 20 years and thinks there is no finer place to be than on the Bay.