SAN FRANCISCO — Four days of stiff breeze, hard ebb and trademark chop set the stage for a vintage Rolex Big Boat Series on Sept. 10–14, with 65 boats dueling across six divisions and the coveted Submariner timepieces decided in the final Bay Tour of the regatta. In the end, the Rolexes for the Rolex Big Boat Series San Francisco 2025 Results went to Arbitrage (J/105) and Skeleton Key (ORC B), each sealing the deal in a Sunday race that compressed margins to heart-rate territory. “This edition … served up perfect conditions to test the wide range of boat types we had in this fleet,” said ORC’s Dobbs Davis, noting one class’s 24-mile finale was won by two seconds on corrected time.
Rolex Big Boat Series San Francisco 2025 Results: Class-by-Class
J/105 (Commodore’s Cup, Rolex Submariner Date)
1) Arbitrage — Bruce Stone / Nicole Breault
2) Blackhawk — Ryan Simmons
3) Ne*Ne — Tim Russell
4) Donkey Jack — Rolf Kaiser
5) Akula — Doug Bailey
J/88 (Richard Rheem Perpetual)
1) Ravenette — Brice Dunwoodie
2) Speedwell — Tom Thayer
3) Butcher — David Corbin
Express 37 (Keefe-Kilborn & PCYA Jesse L. Carr Trophies)
1) Loca Motion — Mark Chaffey / Heidi Hall
2) Spindrift V — Andy Schwenk
3) Spy vs. Spy — Brendan Busch
ORC A (St. Francis Perpetual Trophy)
1) Zeus — Michael Firmin / Simon Fenwick (Infiniti 52)
2) Merlin — Chip Merlin (Bill Lee 68)
3) Halawa — Kimo Winterbottom (Andrews 56)
ORC B (City of San Francisco Perpetual, Rolex Submariner Date)
1) Skeleton Key — Peter Wagner (J/111)
2) Sitella — Ian Hill (Cape 31)
3) M2 — Marc McMorris (Cape 31)
ORC C (Atlantic Perpetual)
1) Feather — Zach Berkowitz (J/100)
2) Reverie — John Arens (J/109)
3) Peregrine — Mike O’Callaghan / Randy Smith / David Halliwill (J/120)
Additional silverware included the ORC Pacific Coast Championships for the winners of each ORC division, and the Storm Trysail Club Team Trophy for “Shadow Armada” — Skeleton Key (J/111), Blackhawk (J/105) and Ravenette (J/88) — the best three-boat squad across classes.
How the Regatta Was Won
The J/105s, the week’s biggest fleet, hinged on consistency and big-breeze boathandling. “This regatta is very meaningful to me and my crew… This is the marquee event for the J/105 fleet,” said Arbitrage co-skipper Bruce Stone, who last lifted a Rolex here in 2014. He and co-skipper Nicole Breault kept their bow clean through the Alcatraz traffic and closed the door on the final lap.
ORC B was a clinic in preparation versus raw horsepower. While Cape 31s have owned the box score recently, Skeleton Key’s J/111 pace and polish carried the day — and by inches. “Our team has sailed in San Francisco for many years, so the big breeze is very familiar,” said skipper Peter Wagner after edging Sunday’s decider by two seconds on corrected time.
In ORC A, Australia’s striking Zeus made the most of the long legs and pressure lanes west of Alcatraz to bag the big-boat title and underscore an international flavor to the 61st edition. The team’s win was cheered back home by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, celebrating “victory in the ORC A Division” on social media.
The one-designs were no less decisive. Ravenette nearly ran the table in J/88s — “the pinnacle of the last twelve years for our crew,” said owner Brice Dunwoodie — while Loca Motion out-dueled a deep Express 37 roster by prioritizing boatspeed and crisp positioning. Feather repeated in ORC C behind a tight, mixed-experience crew that thrived when the breeze turned on.
On-Shore Buzz & Reactions
The regatta featured a packed social scene — from capacity dinners under the new Regatta Tent to dock-to-deck photo galleries — with sailors calling the week “world-class racing and on-shore fun to match.” ORC’s feeds amplified the tight-finish storyline as “close racing and big rewards,” while highlight clips of the fleet powering under the Golden Gate drew heavy engagement.
What’s Next
Rolex Big Boat Series returns Sept. 16–20, 2026, doubling as the ORC North American Championship — a logical sequel after a 2025 edition that reminded everyone why San Francisco Bay remains a proving ground where boat preparation, teamwork and nerve are tested to the final gun.
Full cumulative and race-by-race scoring is posted on the official results page.
