Rolex Big Boat Series

St. Francis Yacht Club will once again welcome racers from around the globe to participate in the West Coast’s premier regatta, the Rolex Big Boat Series (RBBS), from September 26-29. The event, in its 49th edition, will host four days of racing for monohull and multihull classes and serve as the West Coast IRC Championship, the HPR National Championship, and the Melges 24 Pre-Worlds. It will take center stage on San Francisco Bay as the first sailing event succeeding the 34th America’s Cup, and spectators will once again have front row seats to watch some thrilling racing action.

The Notice of Race for the 2013 edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series has been published, and registration for the event is now open (www.rolexbigboatseries.com).

Debuting with their own class at last year’s Rolex Big Boat Series, multihulls will be returning in force this year with several new additions, including Tom Siebel’s (Felton, CA) MOD 70 Orion Racing, which is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and is the first West Coast entrant in this emerging global class.

Also returning will be the IRC classes, with the IRC 52 Vesper, owned by Jim Swartz (Park City, Utah), looking to claim the IRC West Coast Championship after taking the IRC National Championship title at this event in 2012. The team will face tough competition from other 52s, including Tom Akins’ (Tiburon, Calif.) team aboard the RP 52 Meanie, and from many Transpac teams that will be making San Francisco their next port of call after returning from Hawaii.

“The Rolex Big Boat Series will be a lot of fun this year,” said Akins, who is fresh off his class win in the 2013 Transpac and was new to the Rolex Big Boat Series last year. “Meanie’s design brief may be less geared towards Vesper’s strength in buoy racing, but our team, with roots in San Francisco, knows this race track, and after thousands of miles of ocean racing knows how to get the most out of this boat. We are looking forward to the competition.”

This will be the inaugural running of the HPR (High Performance Rule) National Championship, and rising to the occasion will be defending 2012 Rolex Big Boat Series HPR class champion Peter Krueger (Reno, Nev.) and his team aboard the J/125 Double Trouble.

“When you look at the type of competition in which Rolex involves itself, it is no wonder that many competitors commit to competing in the Rolex Big Boat Series year after year,” said Krueger, adding that Double Trouble also won in 2011 with co-owner Andy Costello at the helm. “We are fortunate enough to have a great crew, great boat and great sails, but there is much more pressure this year, because when you are sitting on the top, in terms of competition, there is only one way you can go, and that is down, so we are preparing to bring our A+ game.”

Every year, six coveted awards are given for best performances in specific classes at the regatta and are accompanied by Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner watches, which are presented to the skippers. The trophies remain on display at St. Francis Yacht Club and are as follows: the St. Francis Perpetual Trophy, City of San Francisco Trophy, Richard Rheem Perpetual Trophy, Keefe-Kilborn Perpetual Trophy, Atlantic Perpetual and the Commodore’s Cup.

The NOR downloadable .pdf is loaded on the event website as is the booklet version. Find us on facebook at St. Francis Yacht Club – Racing, and follow @bigboatseries.

About the St. Francis Yacht Club

The St. Francis Yacht Club was founded in 1927 and has been host to many of the most prestigious national and international championships in sailing. With over 40 regattas on its calendar annually, the club is widely regarded as having one of the top racing and race management programs in the country. In 1964, the St. Francis Yacht Club’s Big Boat Series was established to take place annually on San Francisco Bay. In 2005, Rolex Watch U.S.A. became the regatta’s title sponsor (after three years as presenting sponsor), and since, the Rolex Big Boat Series has become one of the most important sailing events in the U.S.

About Rolex

Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its OYSTER watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the OYSTER, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the PERPETUAL rotor self-winding mechanism introduced in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities as well as philanthropic and patronage programs.