Racing & Ratings

Racing in the San Francisco Bay and Offshore

The San Francisco Bay is known throughout the world as a mecca for sailboat racing. Year round sailing, challenging and exhilarating wind and water conditions and a venue of unparalleled beauty makes racing in the San Francisco Bay phenomenal. If you are a multihull owner who wants to start racing, BAMA is here to help you get started.

BAMA's Premier Annual Event: The Double Handed Farallones Race

The Double Handed Farallones Race is BAMA's signature annual mixed-fleet race event. Click here for a full webpage describing the race's history, information about the course, and recent race results.

The course has racers starting in the early morning off Baker Beach, rounding the Farallones in either direction, and then finishing off the Golden Gate Yacht Club race deck. Covering a total distance of 54nm, the conditions for the DHF can be challenging, testing a double handed crews stamina and seamanship. The race requires that participating boats meet the NCORC's offshore safety requirements, and requires that participating sailors study offshore safety topic and practice person overboard recovery prior to the race.

ANNUAL TROPHIES AWARDED BY BAMA

The BAMA CUP Perpetual Trophy

The BAMA Cup is BAMA's perpetual trophy awarded for the best yearly performance across a lengthy, diverse list of regattas. The scoring typically takes the best 7 out of all races, covering long and short courses, inshore and offshore. Here's the complete list of BAMA CUP 2025 RACES.

Also available is the BAMA CUP 2025 POINTS MATRIX.

The BAMA Racetrack Perpetual Trophy

The BAMA Racetrack is BAMA's race any time, self-timed course on the central bay. Racers may race this course any time and as many times as they want.

Send your times and GPS tracks to racechair@sfbama.org to automatically enter this annual race. The full race description and instructions are here.

Also, you can access and review the GPS tracks of previous racers.

BAMA Sponsored Multihull-Only Races

Jack Reacher Race & Raft-Up

2025 BAMA CUP STANDINGS

BOAT	SKIPPER	Current Position	Total BAMA Cup Points	3 Bridge Finish	3 Bridge Points	Cor. Finish	Cor. Points	Rites of Spring Finish	Rites of Spring Points	RTR Finish	RTR Points	DHF Finish	DHF Points	SBBS #1 Finish	SBBS #1 Points	YRA Great Vallejo Race #1 Finish	YRA Great Vallejo Race #1 Points	YRA Great Vallejo Race #2 Finish	YRA Great Vallejo Race #2 Points	SBBS #2 Finish	SBBS #2 Points	Delta Ditch Finish	Delta Ditch Points	YRA Westpoint Regatta Finish	YRA Westpoint Regatta Points	SBBS #3 Finish (Plastic Classic)	SBBS #3 Points (Plastic Classic)	YRA EYC Encinal Finish	YRA EYC Encinal Points	SBBS #4 Finish	SBBS #4 Points	SBYC BenYC Jazz Cup Finish	SBYC BenYC Jazz Cup Points	BWL Finish	BWL Points	SSS Vallejo 2 SH/DH Finish	SSS Vallejo 2 SH/DH Points	RYC Great Pumpkin Pursuit Race Finish	RYC Great Pumpkin Pursuit Race Points	BAMA CB Track Finish	BAMA CB Track Points
GREYHOUND	Evan McDonald	1	41.8	3	6.8	5	6	1	6	1	6.8	1	6.8																					1	3	DNC	0	5	6.4
TRI JOLIE	Rafi Yahalom	2	32.4	DNF	1	4	6.4	3	4	5	4	3	6	2	4	1	3	1	2	1	4			2	3	1	4	2	3	3	4	1	3	2	2			8	4
CALIENTE	Truls Myklebust	3	29.8	DNF	1	3	6.8							1	5									1	4	2	3	1	4									7	5	1	2
MA'S ROVER	Mark Eastham	4	28.6	4	6.4	6	5			4	5	4	5																									3	7.2
PAPILLON	Andrew Scott	5	26.4	5	6	1	7.6			2	6.4	2	6.4
ROUND MIDNIGHT	Rick Waltonsmith	6	21.4	1	7.6			5	2							2	2	DNF	1					3	2													4	6.8
FLUX	Jeremy Boyette	7	19.8	2	7.2	DNF	1			RET.	1	6	3																									2	7.6
BOTTLE ROCKET	David Schumann	8	18							3	6	5	4																									1	8
WATER WINGS	Todd Olsen	9	14.2	DNF	1	2	7.2	4	3	6	3
PEREGRINE FALCON	Marc Lahrette	10	14											3	3					2	3					3	2	DNF	0	1	6							DNF	0
PEGASUS 3	Andrew Pitcairn	11	11	6	5	DNF	1	2	5
SEA++	Michael Kuklik	11	11	DNC	0	7	4							4	2					3	2									4	3
WINGIT	Amy Wells	13	8																																	1	2	6	6
TRIPLE PLAY	Richard Keller	14	7																											5	2	2	2					9	3
SEA BIRD	Richard Holden	15	5																											2	5
SOARIN	Kyle Vanderspek	16	2																			1	2
RAINBOW	Clifford Shaw	16	2									7	2																							DNS	0

How to Start Racing your Multihull

Get your RATING from BAMA (see below)
Learn the basics of the Racing Rules of Sailing
Crew on another Multihull in a race
Sign up for a beer-can race at a local yacht club and become comfortable with the starting line
Sign up for a larger Regatta and race with more competitive fleets (See our Calendar)

Getting your Multihull Rating from BAMA

Multihull Ratings Defined

BAMA issues PHRF Handicaps for multihulls to race in the San Francisco Bay Area, Monterey Bay and Lake Tahoe at the request of the YRA PHRF Committee (NCPHRF) using their rules and guidelines with US Sailing guidance. BAMA PHRF Handicaps are determined relative to boats in the local Bay Area multihull fleet, using One-Design & National Association guidelines where they exist, other regional data, local race results and Rating Rules as applicable.

BAMA leverages the Offshore Multihull Rating (OMR) developed by the Multihull Yacht Club Queensland in Australia for multihulls over 15 feet to calibrate the initial PHRF Handicap.

BAMA recommends that multihulls & monohulls should not be scored in the same section or division in any competitive event in alignment with US Sailing PHRF.

Initial PHRF Handicaps will be considered provisional for boats new or unfamiliar to the committee. These handicaps may be reviewed and changed after one season or a series of races.

The BAMA PHRF Handicap Committee may decline to handicap any yacht for which it feels unable to determine a potential speed.

BAMA policy requires that all documentation be submitted before issuing a PHRF Handicap. No handicap will be given over the phone or without complete documentation being made available to the committee.

The Committee may invalidate a Certificate at any time where cause is in evidence such as incorrect dimensions or where other than declared equipment is used. Due process will be exercised to allow the owner to be heard and corrections made if the owner, in the view of the Committee, provides justification.

Who Needs a Ratings Certificate

A new or updated Rating Certificate is required if:

You are new to the fleet; or
It's a new racing season. You must renew your rating every year on this BAMA website; or
Your boat is modified during the year, including but not limited to new sails, new rudder, centerboard or daggerboard, the addition of lifting foils, or other modifications that would materially change a boat's displacement or performance.

How to Get a Rating in 3 Easy Steps

Download the rating OMR-BAMA-DATASHEET. This PDF form shows all the data you need to successfully apply for a rating with BAMA. If you have trouble finding the required information, contact the BAMA Rating Chair with your question for assistance. sfbamaratings@gmail.com
Get your boat weighed and provide proof of weight. Admittedly, this step is not as easy as the first three, but BAMA strongly recommends weighing your boat for an accurate rating and can assist you with this process. Without a precise weight, the Rating Committee will assume that your boat's weight equals the lightest similar boat in its database, which may negatively impact your boat's rating.
Apply for and purchase your rating certificate here. BAMA uses a web-based form to apply for your rating. Before you open the form and start filling it out, ensure you have collected all the necessary information in step 1 above.

Applications typically take 1 – 2 days to review before a certificate will be issued if no additional information is requested.

San Francisco Bay Area Multihull Association