TiramisU Chronicle: 2025 Pacific Coast Championship
A Regatta Recap by: Jeff Johnson and Zack Silver (updated 1/2/2026)
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Ultimate 20 2025 Pacific Coast Championship at Richmond Yacht Club
Ultimate 20 Sailing: Totally Rad (and Really Splashy)
The 2025 Pacific Coast Championship, hosted by the awesome Richmond Yacht Club, was set up to be a serious workout for our crew, and the San Francisco Bay did not disappoint. Aboard our Ultimate 20, TiramisU (#224), we battled some of the Bay's toughest conditions. The result? A weekend we won't forget, packed with crazy fast downwind runs, two unplanned man-overboard rescues, and a whole lot of creative "R-Rated" shouting.
Cast of Characters (with a bunch of PC sailing folks):
Crew of TiramisU #224
Jeff Johnson (Skipper/Owner U20 TiramisU #224)
Tyler Johnson (First Mate, Tactician )
Zack Silver (Second Mate, Hobie Cat Speed Demon, GoPro Guy, More Comic Relief)
Crew of #222
Travis Gregory (Skipper/Owner U20 #222, Fleet Leader and U20 guru)
Brady Lofthouse (First Mate, Tactician, U20 guru and sail repair master)
Garrett Gregory (Second Mate, Grinder )
Racing on other Boats:
Alex Langlais, racing on Ultimate 20 Ubetcha (Cam Tuttle owner/skipper)
Parker Dickens, RC duties and crewing on Moore 24 (awesome photos from Friday and Saturday)
Our New Sayings (Learning the Hard Way)
“Stay on the boat, Stay on the boat!” (Tyler): Simple, right? Turns out, nope, especially for the skipper.
“Vang Off, Vang Off, Vang Off!” (Zack): This was the polite version of what we heard screaming from other stressed-out boats: “Blow the F***ing Vang!”
Friday: The Alcatraz Thrill Ride
Wind: Solid 10 knots, but with vicious gusts into the high 20’s.
SF Bay: A truly confused, lumpy mess of chop.
Friday was pure, exhilarating SF Bay sailing. The main event was the classic race around Alcatraz. After a tough upwind leg, rounding "The Rock" meant it was time for a full-on downwind drag race. This is where we saw Ultimate 20 #222, Travis and his crew, get totally overpowered. They rounded up dramatically, their red chute partially "shrimping", with their mast almost touching the water—a sight we were happy to avoid, at least for that day… more on that later.
The wind was funneling in from the Golden Gate, creating tricky chop and swirling currents. The other fun challenge, as always on the Bay, was dodging the SF Bay Ferries. These huge 135-foot monsters zip along at 20-35 knots, throwing a massive, messy wake coming from a completely different direction than the wind waves.
After Alcatraz, the conditions were amazing for planing. It was a screaming downwind sleigh ride back toward the "Berkeley Circle" near Richmond YC. The ride was a constant fight to keep the boat under us: tons of near-wipes, desperate round-ups, and dramatic broaches. Peeking at the speedo was a rush—consistently hitting 12 to 13 knots. The skipper was heads-down, white knuckles on the tiller trying to keep the boat level, surfing the waves, while the crew was trying to keep the chute full and the boat controlled. All the while, we were dodging other boats and having an unforgettable amount of fun!
P.S. The Skipper managed to stay in the boat on Friday... more on that later.
Saturday: Gust-Fest and the First Rescue
Wind: 20 knots, with giant gusts pushing toward the high 20’s.
Seas: Super lumpy, choppy, and generally punishing.
The day started with an accidental dunking. Before the skippers meeting, the main halyard mysteriously jammed. Being the dedicated skipper, Jeff tried to fix it by yanking on it sideways until it released, sending him backwards into the Richmond YC marina water. The water was surprisingly warm—a small win. Even better, after a quick dry-off, the iPhone and key fob still worked! Tyler, however, was less impressed, seeing the skipper's cotton sweats spread out on the dock trying to dry before the briefing. New Rule: Don't wear clothes that soak up water when sailing the Bay.
Saturday was definitely the "puffiest" day of the three-day regatta, offering excellent, yet slightly terrifying, Bay sailing.
During one of the windward/leeward races, things went sideways on the upwind leg. TiramisU was just finishing a tack when a large, unexpected gust hit. TiramisU was not up to speed, and the damn skipper was slow to get across the tiller and have his weight fully hiked out and the main trimmed. The gust slammed us into a vicious knock-down. This immediately became the weekend's First Man Overboard Drill. The skipper lost his grip on the lifeline while trying to release the main sheet, to get the boat back up and slipped off the boat. Luckily, Tyler’s time in the gym paid off: he hauled the old man back onto the boat with a massive pull. Shaken but definitely still in the race, we recovered fast and kept sailing, running on pure adrenaline.
Sunday: The Simone Biles Moment and Pole Jousting
Wind: Steadier than Saturday, thankfully less gusty, but still a solid Bay breeze
Sea: Lumpy, but much less of a washing machine than Saturday.
Sunday kicked off with the typical light air of an SF Bay morning—the Race Committee (RC) waited for the fog to burn off for the Bay breeze to fill in.
As the wind picked up, we correctly decided to tighten the jib halyard between races. The skipper handed the helm to Zack, went forward, and successfully cranked up the jib tension, dangling his bare feet in the water. What the skipper didn't notice was that the wet bottoms of his cheap foul-weather pants had unrolled while he was up front.
As he was taking the helm back from Zack, the skipper must have stepped on the slippery, wet pant leg. He stumbled backward in the cockpit and grabbed the rear lifeline on the stern of TiramisU with both hands. In a moment of pure, slow-motion comedy, his butt went over the lifeline, and he somehow pulled off a full backward somersault right out the stern of the boat!
Tyler and Zack, now pros at this rescue thing, pulled the skipper back on board. The recovery was punctuated by a few "WTF just happened" comments exchanged between the mates. This was the Second MOB Drill for Tyler and Zack. We quickly made the next start signal and kept racing.
Later at dinner, Tyler jokingly said the skipper had done a "Simone Biles" impression during the Second MOB Drill, Tyler snarkily noted that the skipper didn't quite "stick the landing."
In a later race on Sunday, we had a major "shrimping spinnaker" disaster around the upwind offset mark. The chute was full of water, acting like a giant sea anchor, slowing us to a “crawl” while we frantically tried to pull it in. Unfortunately, another Ultimate 20 didn't see us stalled. They came in way too hot and basically "jousted" us with their spin pole. The pole scraped our rear quarter deck, leaving a tiny dent in the fiberglass—the only noticeable damage to TiramisU. The other Ultimate, however, ripped their chute, took their mandatory penalty turns, and we continued the race. Despite the chaos, that race ended up being one of our best finishes of the whole regatta.
Grand Finale:
WE SURVIVED the BAY…. 1 point away from moving up in position.
No Major Injuries or major collisions. Skipper and Zack Couple chances to swim in SF Bay
We had a great Awards ceremony and dinner, sharing stories, laughs and a few well deserved drinks for the tired crew. Travis and Brady had many excellent suggestions at prior dinners and breakfasts. The informal “chalk talks” at the dinner and drink discussions were greatly appreciated.. Definitely a learning experience trying to absorb all the wisdom and knowledge shared by the more experienced Ultimate sailors (not only Brady and Travis, but from other U20 skippers and crew in the fleet). The Ultimate 20 fleet is awesome for sharing knowledge amongst all the crew and boats, to level the fleet and keep the racing fun and exciting for all.
Great fun having Parker and Alex to share stories and get perspectives from people on other boats. Tried to query Alex for inside information from Ubetcha, however Alex was not giving up any insider info. And Parker took some fabulous photos when he was on the RC boats. Sunday Parker actually had to do crew work on the Moore 24 that he caught a ride.
And lastly, No one got thrown out of the Yacht Club…… “Yet another new saying, ‘What Happens in Richmond,,, Stays in Richmond…… ‘