Dramatic competition at Big Boat Series

Champions were crowned at the 2026 Rolex Big Boat Series, September 17-20, at St. Francis Yacht Club on San Francisco Bay. The top prizes, two Rolex Submariner Date Timepieces, seven perpetual trophies, and the ORC North American Championship titles in four divisions were awarded after the last day of racing, a long “bay tour” race for all 81 competitors.

Strong and steady afternoon breezes made for excellent viewing conditions throughout the week for fans spectating from the Race Deck of StFYC’s clubhouse. The scenic red towers of the Golden Gate Bridge framed showstopper finishes, dramatic broaches and parades of spinnakers in full press for the finish line.

“Sailing in this year’s Rolex Big Boat Series while serving as Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club has been such an incredible honor,” said Susan Ruhne. “This year’s fleet had world and national champions, sailors of all ages from around the globe and a deeply competitive fleet. 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.”

Two of the largest and flashiest yachts in the fleet had a fierce battle for the ORC A title. Victor Wild’s sleek TP52 Fox, a 2025 ORC North American and World Champion, and Michael Firmin’s dazzling Infiniti 52 Zeus, the defending champion of the RBBS ORC A title, swapped bullets all week until the end.

Going into the last day, Fox held a two-point lead and took line honors in the final race of the regatta, edging out Zeus for the win. “It means a lot to win the championship on San Francisco Bay. It is not easy to get,” commented Wild. “The competition is tremendous here, the conditions on the Bay are challenging, and Rolex and St. Francis have laid out a wonderful format to sail in. The regatta has been excellent. They have brought in very competitive boats, the yacht club has done an incredible job and it has been a lot of fun.”

Firmin echoed Wild’s sentiments about the event. “The racing has been incredibly competitive, with testing conditions that have challenged everyone and rewarded good sailing,” he said. “St. Francis Yacht Club has once again run an outstanding event, both on and off the water. We’ve really enjoyed the competition this week and being part of another great Rolex Big Boat Series.”

In the other fleet competing for a Rolex, ORC C, Peter Wagner and his J/111 Skeleton Key, dominated with a near-perfect score of five bullets across six races. “We were able to stay consistent and get the boat going in the right direction in these classic Big Boat Series conditions,” Wagner said. “Winning is always a really big deal. It’s a culmination of a lot of effort, over 10 years now for this program. This title and the Rolex is a great way to cap it off.”

Using ORC ratings helped level the playing field for the wide range of boat types within each class. And while some of the class winners dominated their rivals throughout the series, the fights for the remaining podium positions were notable, with only seconds in corrected time separating the top ranks of each race. For example, in the ORC distance race the total corrected time gap between 2nd and 5th place in Class C was only 43 seconds after 3.5 hours of racing.

“This year’s Big Boat Series was the perfect test for our ORC North American Championship,” said Matt Gallagher, ORC Deputy Chairman. “The cooperation with St. Francis Yacht Club was superb, the organization of the event was outstanding and the wide range of wind conditions tested the fleet. The teams on the podium had to work hard for their positions, and we congratulate them on this achievement.”

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

TROPHIES & ROLEXES

CLASSICS — Competing for the Classics Cup
Fairwyn, Richard Leland
Ocean Queen V, Keith Hubbard
Wiletie, Kennett Wadsworth

J/105 — Competing for the Commodore’s Cup Perpetual Trophy
Niuhi, Randy Hecht
Ne*Ne, Tim Russell
Beast of Burden, Harrison Turner
Godot 2.0, Phillip Laby
Maverick, Ian Charles

J/88 — Competing for takehome trophies
Ravenette, Brice Dunwoodie
Speedwell, Tom Thayer
Inconceivable, Steven Gordon

EXPRESS 37 — Competing for the Richard Rheem Perpetual Trophy
Loca Motion, Mark Chaffey
Golden Moon, Michael Laport
Spindrift V, Lisa Wilson

ORC A — Competing for a Rolex Submariner Date Timepiece and the St. Francis Perpetual Trophy
Fox, Victor Wild
Zeus, Michael Firmin
Natural Nine, Patrick Nichols

ORC B — Competing for the City of San Francisco Perpetual Trophy
Velvet Hammer, James Nichols
Octavia, Shepard Kett
Rosebud, Blaine Pedlow

ORC C — Competing for a Rolex Submariner Date Timepiece and the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy
Skeleton Key, Peter Wagner
Peregrine, David Halliwill
Reverie, John Arens

ORC D — Competing for the Keefe-Kilborn Perpetual Trophy
Feather, Zach Berkowitz
Tangaroa, Daniel Brousseau
Jarlen, Gregory Winters

ADDITIONAL AWARDS
The first-place winner of each ORC division also won the ORC North American Championship.

The Storm Trysail Club Team Trophy went to the best scoring three-boat team, with one boat from an ORC class, one from a one-design class and one from any other class. This year’s winning team “The Wild Things,” was composed of Fox, Niuhi and Feather.