The Three Bridge Fiasco is rarely just a race; it’s a tactical puzzle that changes with every gust and current shift. With over 300 boats on the water this past weekend (race day was January 31, 2026), the 3BF lived up to its name, offering a chessboard in Bay navigation.
We’ve asked our instructors to share their view from the helm to see how different strategies played out across the fleet. First up, we hear from David Dolenc, who tackled the course singlehanded through the North Bay.
Modern Sailing Instructor Philip Strause aboard Santa Cruz 27 (#36) Wolpertinger:
A fast finish!
This year I had the privilege of participating in the infamous Three Bridge Fiasco for the 5th time. My wife and I battled it out in our 1976 Santa Cruz 27 (#36) Wolpertinger.
Often the race is characterized by light winds where the current plays as much into the race strategy as anything else. It's the only race I have participated in where deploying the anchor was the best strategy to hold position on the racecourse. Such conditions can often make for a particularly long day on the water, especially since it is set up as a pursuit race, one where the slowest boats start first. When making a game plan for the race, the wise words of Kame Richards (of Pineapple Sails fame) dictate that one should just make a beeline from the start to the mark that is closest to one's home port!
There was a gigantic ebb scheduled to build at Red Rock just after noon, so it was imperative that we make it around there before it really started to flow. As we made our way from Wolpertinger's home port of Richmond Yacht Club down to the start line at Golden Gate Yacht Club on the SF City Front we decided that as the winds are always a bit unpredictable in January, we would skip the closest mark of the course to the start, Blackaller, and head straight to Red Rock. We crossed through the start (east to west, as either direction is permitted) and then headed for Red Rock via Pt. Blunt. Seven tacks later we rounded Red Rock clockwise and were pleased to find the wind perfect for a reachy spinnaker run down to Treasure Island.
Often the area behind Treasure Island / Yerba Buena Island between the entrance between Clipper Cove and the Coast Guard Station on Yerba Buena, under the Bay Bridge, is an absolute wind hole / parking lot, so we decided to give this area a wide berth. Luckily, were able to keep the boat moving. Once we rounded the SW corner of Yerba Buena the huge aforementioned ebb caught ahold of us at the perfect time and we were sucked back under the Bay Bridge and past Blossom Rock with a SOG of 10kts! Then continuing to take advantage of the ebb, we made excellent time back to Blackaller and were able to take advantage of the City Front countercurrent to finish at 2:38p. Normally the hope is just to finish before the 7p cutoff! Even with the up current transit back to RYC we were home well before dark.
If you get the chance, you should get out there and give it a go. Shorthanded sailing is among the most rewarding racing out there!
- Written by Modern Sailing Instructor Philip Strause
Modern Sailing Race Coach Paolo Juvara aboard J/105 Chao Pescao :
A successful Three Bridge Fiasco requires a mix of luck and meticulous planning. Every year, a few weeks before the race, I start obsessing over strategy—mapping out possible routes and imagining how they might play out in different conditions.
Current is the one variable you can reasonably predict in advance using tide tables, so I use that as my anchor. This year, with a 10:05 start, it was clear we would begin at slack and race in a building ebb, with the next slack around 16:30. From there, I built a series of paper simulations to estimate finishing times for different routing options.
For example, assuming a light NE wind (3–5 knots) at the start backing to NW by noon, a route of Start → Red Rock via Point Blunt (south of Angel Island) → Yerba Buena (clockwise) → Blackaller → Finish projected a finish around 18:10. By contrast, going Start → Blackaller → Red Rock via Raccoon Strait → Yerba Buena (clockwise) → Finish would likely put us beyond the 19:00 cutoff.
This year we explored 18 different wind-and-route combinations. The day before the race, when it became clear we’d likely see a strong northerly, we narrowed it down to two scenarios:
With wind above 10 knots: go to Blackaller first, then to Red Rock via Raccoon Strait, aiming to get there before the strong ebb built.
With wind below 10 knots: head to Red Rock first, staying south of Angel Island and trying to ride what was left of the flood in the Slot.
As usual, the conditions kept changing. On the way from Sausalito to the start we saw 20 knots, then it dropped to 6 knots at the line, built to 12, and finally settled around 8 knots by our 10:05 start. We kept adjusting the plan right up to the gun, but ultimately committed to going to Red Rock first—and that decision paid off.
We had a solid start, heading west before tacking toward Point Blunt, riding favorable wind and current all the way there. In the Olympic Circle we hit some traffic and had to throw in a couple of extra tacks, but I don’t think it cost us much. We rounded Red Rock to starboard, executed a clean shorthanded gybe set (always satisfying!), and stayed close to the East Bay shoreline to stay out of the worst of the current.
By the time we rounded Yerba Buena and doused the kite, the wind had built to 20 knots, setting up a fast and very fun ride to Blackaller and then back to the finish.
We finished at 14:00:15 (3 hours, 57 minutes sailing time) and placed 7th out of 17 boats in the J/105 fleet.
What a fun day.
- Written by Modern Sailing Race Coach Paolo Juvara
Modern Sailing Instructor, David Dolenc, aboard Olson 25 Sea B
Sailing in the morning’s gentle breeze from Sausalito to the Three Bridge Fiasco start line was an early indicator that the high-resolution wind predictions were correct and that there would be no shortage of wind during the race.
Due to a large number of boats (304 registered for the race this year) and since I was sailing singlehanded, I decided to use a high-cut jib, which provided good visibility from the cockpit, even though this left me with reduced pointing ability and power.
After the start in front of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, I first headed to Red Rock, aiming to get there before the start of the ebb. The approach through Raccoon Strait turned out to be a good decision, as NNE winds and flat water guaranteed fast sailing. This also gave me ample time to avoid an oil tanker that was leaving the Richmond Outer Harbor. I rounded Red Rock to starboard and continued on a broad reach to Treasure Island.
By this time, the wind had backed to NNW, and sailing in the wind shadow of Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands against the opposing current provided a hint of what racing in the 3BF usually feels like. After that, the peak ebb current and consistent wind provided a fast transit to Blackaller. Rounding the mark to port, I stayed close to shore to avoid the adverse current, and completed the last leg back to the Golden Gate Yacht Club.
I finished the race at 15:14, fourth out of the seven boats that started in my division (singlehanded, non-spinnaker, PHRF < 162).
Spending the day on this beautiful bay while being surrounded by so many fellow sailors was an amazing experience.
- Written by David Dolenc, Modern Sailing Instructor.
