BACK TO THE FUTURE
MONTEREY CRUISER CHALLENGE XXVI SMALL-BOAT RACING
Article by George Wehrfritz | Photos by Vicki Anderson
The Potter Yachters have raced small sailboats for two generations. Our inaugural newsletter (April 1978) advertised the “Potter Nationals” in Marina Del Ray, and in the 1990s we partnered with sponsors including Small Craft Advisor to stage contests pitting International Marine’s Potter 15s and 19s against boats from rival manufacturers. Along the way, our preferred venue shifted from Alameda’s sheltered estuary to Monterey Bay, a national marine sanctuary that—its name notwithstanding —is exposed to the open ocean. At its peak, the annual Monterey Cruiser Challenge attracted 40+ skippers, occupied the local yacht club for a full weekend, and featured stiff competition in three categories spanning the range of trailerable sailboats not built primarily for racing.
Covid-19 almost killed the Cruiser Challenge (calling what occurred in 2020 a race is being generous). Truth be told, the pandemic merely accelerated two concurrent trends: the retirement of our eldest skippers from sailing and a decline in the inflow of younger members. Since 2015, our average age has increased markedly while the percentage of members who sail even once a year with the club has declined. In response, we’ve focused on getting hesitant skippers back on the water and broadening our outreach to other sailing communities. For the first time this decade registration for the challenge surpassed 20 boats—of which 15 made it to the starting line.
By tradition, to kick off the weekend a group of skippers sailed into Monterey from Moss Landing one day prior to the race. The 14 nm passage can be challenging; it tracks a looming lee shoreline lacking sheltered waters should the weather turn nasty, and at the midpoint boats our size are two hours from a safe harbor. As usual, the VHFs crackled with reports of whale sightings. Five boats made this year’s trip, including one hauled in almost 700 miles from Surprise, AZ, by a skipper who learned of the event via Facebook.
On race day, that vessel—an O’Day 19 named Solivagant with Jacob Boehmer at the helm and crewed by his father David—took second place in the Medium Boat category, with another non-club boat (a Catalina Capri 18 skippered by Geoffrey Hyer of San Luis Obispo) hot on its heels. They both chased multiple Cruiser Challenge winner Goshawk, a prototype Sage 17 once owned by Jerry Montgomery and now skippered by Potter Yachter Tyler Backman and family. In the Small Boat category, Montgomery 15 skipper David Grah took top honors having driven in from Bishop, CA. After the awards dinner, he cut a $50 check for annual dues and became the newest Potter Yachter.
One highlight of the evening came when Evan Zilbert—the adult son of Potter Yachter Commodore Eric Z. —recounted his first time racing with the club as a child and presented Tevian Backman, age 8, with a Young Cadet award. “I was about your age at my first Cruiser Challenge,” he said, adding with deft comedic timing: “The only difference is that my dad didn’t win.” In all, three father-son teams competed this year in Monterey.
New for Cruiser Challenge XXVI: we formalized photographer Vicki Anderson’s role as event documentarian. She’s a veteran of many Potter Yachter outings, and by placing her on a large boat (an S2 6.9), then staggering start times so its category set off last, she was positioned to capture the drama as Kestrel reeled in slower boats on its way to victory. During two heats spanning three hours she snapped more than 2,500 pictures, from which she’s selected 60-70 images she likes. Large swells and fickle winds conspired to cause seasickness among several race crews, and yet Vicki stood wedged in Kestrel’s companionway for hours holding her Nikon with 150-600 mm zoom lens. “It’s a rather heavy set up and honestly, I am glad I didn’t lose it overboard,” she said afterward.
Take a moment to admire her work. And if you are so inclined, imagine being in the mix and make a mental note to consider joining our social race weekend in Monterey next summer. Alternately, if your club has something fun in the works let us know so interested members of our fleet might participate. Road time passes quickly. Just ask Sharon and David Soule, owners of Kestrel. This year they drove from Carson City, NV, northward to the Salish 100, then detoured to Monterey for the Cruiser Challenge, clocking more than 2,000 miles before returning home. Kestrel’s odyssey has a bittersweet coda: her trailer lost a leaf spring within sight of the Soules’ homestead.
They hope repairs will be completed in time for the club’s Richmond-Loch Lomond sail in September. •SCA•
George Wehrfritz, the Potter Yachter’s vice-commodore, sails a Sparrow 16
Vicki Anderson is a board member at the Contra Costa Camera Club.
Like the article. The photos are GREAT!!
The PYC Cruiser Challenge is a really wonderful event that all small boat aficionados should try to attend at some point in their travels. To be able to sail in the open ocean of Monterey Bay, with all of it’s wildlife and beauty, to being out off the shore of Steinbeck and Rickett’s Cannery Row, there is something for everyone. The racing around the waterfront almost takes a back seat to the fun camaraderie of the dock party(s) after!
Be it all the many old classic plastic trailer sailers or hand built classic wood boats, the sailing community of trailerables is well represented.
To see how the Potter’s sail against Monty’s and all the different boats from the past is really a lot of fun!