Big Boat Series - 1978-84

This back-lit photo of yachts (with Geronimo leading and Medicine Man visible to the far left, and Insatiable to the right) during the 1984 Big Boat Series highlights the colourful spectacle of yacht racing in the 1980s (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

The St Francis Perpetual Trophies Regatta, which became known as the Big Boat Series, was an annual regatta hosted in San Francisco Harbour by the St Francis Yacht Club, first run in 1964. After the unprecedented cancellation of the 2001 edition of the series, Latitude 38 magazine published a retrospective on the regatta, which itself was an update of its September 1993 article titled '30 Years of the Big Boat Series - Thanks for the Memories'. I have combined this overview of the results for the 1978-1984 period and have included a 'Yacht Racing and Cruising' article covering the 1984 regatta and some spectacular photos from Sharon Green and Phil Uhl. A future article will cover the 1985-1988 period.

Wings follows Free Enterprise and others during the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Mistress Quickly follows Christine and Windward Passage (right) in the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The 1978 regatta was the biggest series to date with 46 boats and necessitating a fifth class for the first time - hence the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy, won by Bill Sullivan's Peterson 43 Blue Norther. Other trends included the largest entry to date (Fred Priess' 84-footer Christine); a record number of spectators (thanks in part to the superb new clubhouse) and more women crewing on boats than ever before. Maxi division - Windward Passage; IOR II - Swiftsure; IOR III - Leading Lady; IOR IV - Lois Lane.

Action aboard Windward Passage - winner of the Maxi division in 1978 and 1980 (photo Phil Uhl)

1979 was a 'little' boat series again with 37 boats competing. Swiftsure, High Roler, Wings and Brown Sugar were supposed to win, but none of them did. Brown Sugar, in fact, never finished the series: they had the dubious distinction of being the only boat ever removed from the series by the Race Committee for conduct unbecoming of gentlemen, or words to that effect. Other highlights/lowlights: the last day's dockside swim party/water fight between the crews of Swiftsure and the bilgeboarder Hawkeye; and the straight-bullet performance of John Reynold's new Peterson 46 Ghost in IOR II. IOR I - Hawkeye; IOR III - Leading Lady; IOR IV - Inca. 

High Noon completes a gybe with Tomahawk (67377) and Wings (right) close behind during the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The Peterson design Cadenza running downwind during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

1980 saw 59 yachts racing and was considered to be a great year for spectators, featuring memorable death rolls, crash-and-burns, and assorted carnage. Five maxis and two ULDBs (Drifter and Merlin) sailed in two divisions of the St. Francis Perpetual Trophy for the first time. Bob Cole's squeaky new Farr 52 Zamazaan turned heads, as did Neville Crichton's controversial Davidson 45 Shockwave until she was dismasted in the last race. Maxi - Windward Passage; ULDB 70 - Merlin; IOR I - Zamazaan; IOR II - Jetstream; IOR III - Leading Lady; IOR IV - Big Wig.

Great Fun (Davidson 50), winner of Division 1 in the 1981 Big Boat Series, seen here rounding a leeward mark while trying to avoid the trailing spinnaker of the yacht in front (photo Phil Uhl)

The Britton Chance designed Glory during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

In 1981 eight SoCal 50s were the 'big boats' in the biggest fleet seen yet (61 entries). Bob Brockhoff and Jim DeWitt chartered Silver Streak and won, a rare thing as rented boats seldom win the BBS. Two new grand prix boats straight-bulleted their classes: Clay Bernard's Davidson 50 Great Fun and Bill Power's Holland 43 High Roler. Bill Clute's new Peterson 48 Annabelle Lee had four bullets and a deuce. Irving Loube's Frers 46 Bravura discovered the rock at the end of the harbour breakwater, known ever since as 'Irv's Rock' - and boats still hit it. The regatta attracted some big name sailors too: Dennis Conner aboard Swiftsure, Rod Davis on High Roler, Tom Whidden on Love Machine V and many more. IOR I - Great Fun; IOR III - Annabelle Lee; IOR III - High Roler; IOR IV - Big Wig. 

Leading Lady leads Love Machine (30333), Monique (3325) and Illusion (67666) during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Spinnakers and bloopers provided colour and lots of work for the crews, as evident here during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The original Checkmate (Peterson 50) during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Zamazaan, a Farr 52-footer and winner of the IOR 1 division in 1980, seen here in the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The Farr 36-footer Sweet Okole running downwind during the 1981 SORC (photo Phil Uhl)

52 boats competed in the 1982 series the two-boat maxi division was a bust when Jim Kilroy's new Holland 81 Kialoa IV thrashed the Jeff Madrigali-driven Condor of Bermuda. The wind was mostly light and fluky. In one race, the entire fleet 'parked' together at one of the marks (YRA #8) for hours! Talent in the four IOR classes was abundant; Dave Fenix's new Peterson 55 Bullfrog, with Steve Taft driving, was the stand-out performer of the week. Maxi - Kialoa IV; IOR I - Bullfrog; IOR II - Bravura; IOR III - Clockwork; IOR IV - Shenandoah. 

Scarlett O'Hara leads Monique and Aleta during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

New Zealand yacht Bad Habits (Mull 45) struggles with an errant spinnaker during the 1982 BBS (photo Phil Uhl) 

The Davidson-designed Pendragon follows Celerity around a leeward mark during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The Farr 48 Sangvind on a tight reach during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Kialoa IV in power reaching conditions during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Zamazaan seen here with some spinnaker problems but showing her distinctive Farr hull shape (photo Phil Uhl)

1983 was the heyday of local IOR racing, with 33 of the 52 boats hailing from the Bay Area. Al Schultz and Vicki Lawrence sailed their two-week-old Camouflage to a near-perfect record in her debut; Larry Harvey and Bill Twist won their respective classes in their 'small boats'; Secret Love 'fouled' a tanker in one of the most celebrated instances of interfering with commercial traffic. IOR I - Bullfrog (1st), The Shadow (2nd), Tomahawk (3rd); IOR II - Camouflage (1st), Secret Love (2nd), Annabelle Lee (3rd); IOR III - Brooke Ann (1st), Secret Love (2nd), Wings (3rd); IOR IV - Salute (1st), Quintessence (2nd), High Risk (3rd). 

A group of Class D yachts led by Geronimo in power reaching conditions during the 1984 Big Boat Series, with It's Ok (87477) visible to the right (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

The Big Boat Series celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1984 with its biggest fleet ever (68 boats) and the return of the maxis, which put in an appearance on the Bay on alternate years following the biennial Clipper Cup regatta. Five maxis, and one 'mini-maxi', Winterhawk (ex-Ceramco New Zealand) were on the line in Class A. In the four smaller classes, competition was tight during the five-race series, which was held two weeks later to attract Clipper Cup yachts and other new boats that had not been ready for that earlier regatta. This did not affect the reliable 20-knot north-westerly that funneled through the Golden Gate Bridge. Jim Kilroy, with Dennis Conner beside him at the wheel of Kialoa IV took the first start of the maxi division, but didn't hold it for long as George Coumantaros' Frers 81 Boomerang quickly overhauled Kialoa to lead the way around the 34-mile course and eventually capture the St Francis Perpetual Trophy.

The Peterson-designed Wings during the 1984 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The second race of the maxis provided the high point for spectators, after Boomerang started early and had to play catch-up on the first long beat. Two legs later she was overlapped with Sorcery as they ran down the city waterfront and hardened up for a tight reach out into the Bay. The sailed the entire leg overlapped with their spinnakers on the verge of collapse, their mainsails flogging. They rounded the next mark with Sorcery still holding a marginal lead and squared away for the run. A poor headsail choice on the last upwind leg saw them underpowered and she was quickly overtaken by Boomerang and Kialoa.

Sorcery and Boomerang in a close battle in the second race of the 1984 Big Boat Series (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Class B was made up of 15 boats, separated by a whopping 14.6ft of rating, competing for the City of San Francisco Trophy. The Frers 50 Tomahawk (ex-Margaret Rintoul III) won the first race over the Soverel 55 The Shadow and Brooke Ann, and this was the same order in the final results. Basil Twist's new Reichel/Pugh 48 Blade Runner was the early favourite in Class C (for the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy). She was not completed in time for the Clipper Cup but blasted off the line from the first race to dominate the class with three firsts and two second places, with Bravura in second overall, Sidewinder third and Shockwave fourth.

The Shadow leads Checkmate (ex-Bullfrog) and Jubilation during the 1984 Big Boat Series (unknown photographer)

The tightest racing was in the 19-boat Class D (with a narrow rating range of just 1.3ft). Lee Otterson's Clockwork (Nelson/Marek 41) taking the overall win from Scarlett O'Hara. In Class E, Denis O'Neil's Bondi Tram consolidated her legend status from a perfect Clipper Cup performance (winner of Class D and third overall) by taking four firsts and a second.

Confrontation (ex-Shockwave) during the Big Boat Series circa 1984 (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Article updated September 2024