Park City Sailing Members Race A Moore 24 In San Francisco In A Unique And Challenging Race Called The Three Bridge Fiasco On January 31st, 2026

Park City Sailing members, Marty Smihula and Travis Gregory recently joined the Moore 24 fleet for the best reason possible: the massive one-design competition, which is hitting fever pitch as the class prepares for its 50th Anniversary and the fantastic double handed fleet racing on San Francisco Bay in the winter time.  on January 31st, Marty and Travis participated in the  2026 Three Bridge Fiasco alongside a incredible 300 other boats. The Fiasco is a reverse PHRF start race that is legendary for its unique "choose-your-own-adventure" format, where the Bay’s notorious currents are the primary tactician. With no set course, sailors must decide how to round the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (Red Rock), the Bay Bridge (Treasure Island), and the Golden Gate (Black Aller Buoy) while navigating some of the most complex moving water in the world.  Did I mention you can start in either direction and round the marks from either side?

Being lake sailors at heart, the duo slightly misjudged the sheer muscle of the San Francisco flood and crossed the start line a few minutes late. Pleased to get over the line to start (another story for another day) the team immediately locked in  on a route to Red Rock. They spent the day racing hard, learning how to make the Moore move in big water. The highlight was a spirited upwind session along the City Front, where they hitched a ride on a 4.5-knot ebb current that boosted their speed over ground to a staggering 9.5 knots in steep chop.  Overpowered with the #1, Travis commented what a strange feeling it is to pinch and have the boat slow down upwind to 9 instead of 9.5 knots! 

  "We spent Friday practicing and completed dozens of jibes. Then Saturday we had one flawless jibe the entire race!" Marty laughed.  They crossed the finish line 21st out of 31 Moores and in the middle of the overall 300 boat fleet. A respectable debut for their first race and only their third time sailing the boat. For those who want a deeper dive into the winning strategy, check out Moore fleet winner Morgan Larsen’s post on the Moore 24 class website. - https://www.moore24.org/blog/2026-fiasco