Rolex Big Boat Series

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The biggest West Coast regatta, held each September at the St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco Bay. The regatta, hosted by St.

Francis Yacht Club and sailed on San Francisco Bay, draws top sailors and boats from across the nation and abroad for four days of extremely competitive one-design and handicap racing. In addition to the world-class race management, visiting sailors get to experience world-class hospitality at the StFYC

10/27/2026

StFYC Commodore Susan Ruhne crewed aboard the SC52 Rosebud to a third-place finish in ORC B, racing against a fleet stacked with world and national champions from around the globe. “Sailing in this year’s Rolex Big Boat Series while serving as Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club has been such an incredible honor,” she said. “We are proud to have hosted the ORC North American Championship and showcase StFYC and RBBS as the premier West Coast sailing venue and regatta.”

10/20/2026

Peter Wagner’s J/111 Skeleton Key sailed to a near-perfect five bullets across six races to take the ORC C title and a Rolex Submariner. “Winning is always a really big deal,” Wagner said. “It’s a culmination of a lot of effort—over 10 years now for this program.” Congratulations to the whole team, we hope to Skeleton Key at the starting line for the next Rolex Big Boat Series September 15-19, 2027.

10/15/2026

The Classics division was back after a one-year hiatus, with several new competitors, thanks to expanded entry criteria. One veteran competitor was Ocean Queen V, which raced in the first-ever Big Boat Series in 1964, back when these were just the yachts of the day and not “The Classics.” This 1951 55ft Rhodes-designed yawl is owned by Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation and helps train youth sailors to maintain and race classic yachts. With Ocean Queen V as an educational platform, participants in PYSF’s Learn to Sail and Marine Trades programs, in collaboration with Redwood High School and the Boys & Girls Club, learn sailing and the electrical, rigging and woodworking skills required to maintain this 75-year-old wooden boat.

Then, they got to race her. Earlier that year, the PYSF youth sailors teamed up with adult volunteers and won the San Francisco Bay Master Mariners Regatta. “To see their faces and the weight of accomplishment—working on the boat, learning how to sail, and then racing and actually winning—it’s just really cool,” said John Vandemoer, PYSF’s Executive Director.

10/07/2026

Putting on an 81-boat, 700 sailor regatta with championship titles on the line is no small task.

Yet during RBBS, StFYC's Race Committee more than rose to the occasion. “The standard of race management here at St. Francis Yacht Club is genuinely world-class. San Francisco Bay is an exceptionally demanding place to run races. Tides, localized currents and changing wind conditions make local knowledge essential, and that knowledge is deeply embedded in this team,” added Principal Race Officer Eckart Reinke. “There is considerable potential here to make greater use of what the ORC system can offer, and the foundation is very strong. St. Francis Yacht Club can be proud of its race management team and the standard of racing it delivers.”

A huge thank you to all our incredibly dedicated race committee volunteers and race management!

09/30/2026

We asked our Rolex sailing photographers, Daniel Forster and Stephen Cloutier, to select their top photos from this year’s regatta, and here’s the selection they shared with us!

Daniel Forster explained, “You know, if you ask the parents to name their favorite child they will not, or cannot, tell you which one they prefer. Hence, here are some of my favorite kids.
I like those photos because they are a testament of my pilgrimage to the holy San Francisco Bay. The beloved scenic background stays the same, but one always changes the angles to get a new perspective.”

Which one would you choose as a favorite?

09/27/2026

We asked Tim Daw, our social photographer for Rolex Big Boat Series, to pick his top 10 photos from our social events during the regatta.
He explained, "I’m always looking for the comedy in an event while trying to add a bit of a street photography vision. It’s supposed to be a party and it’s my job to make it look like one!"

Which one is YOUR favorite? Tell us in the comments below!

09/24/2026

We are so honored to have Sharon Green-Ultimate Sailing as our Rolex photographer alternating years with Daniel Forster!

09/24/2026

The Classics made a grand return this year!

The classic schooners in the Rolex Big Boat Series engaged hard core boat-on-boat maneuvers with inches to spare, and highly tactical racing.

09/23/2026

Gybing into the week after Rolex Big Boat Series like…

No trending audio needed on this one, just the excitement and thrill of the crowds as these two J/105s Akula and Beast of Burden battled it out at the finish line.

Who else is missing Big Boat this week?

Footage courtesy of CBS News

Address

700 Marina Boulevard
San Francisco, CA
94123

Telephone

+14155636363

Website

http://www.rolexbigboatseries.com/

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