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There were 4 races. It has now been about two weeks, so I don't remember many details. I will add some as I recall them, and perhaps some of the other competitors can contribute some details.

Racing is around buoys. The course chart is in the picture gallery for the 2013 Redwood Regatta ( http://svendsens-grand-prix.myfleet.org/photos/?gallery=16 ). There are inner and outer courses. The slower boats sail the inner courses. The slower boats start first. All fleets finish before any warning signal for the next start, so many people sail back to the beach and walk around between races as the start/finish line is close by.

Most races had the pressure die off and fill in again. I don't think we finished any race without that. The local knowledge seems to be go north along the beach, which was port tack, early and for a while. That didn't seem to be so good this year as the leaders were often in the middle of the course.

There is light air, and then there is ultra-light air. This is splitting hairs about light air. How about defining ultra-light air as being the very botton low end ? Conditions when there are periods of time when there is no wind at all. So when it fills in at 2 knots that feels strong. And steady 5 knots feels like full hike territory. Ultra-light air is often associated with big shifts. When the new light air fills in, it comes from a completely different direction.

The last two years there has been a lot of ultra-light air at Whiskeytown. There was some ultra-light air at this year's Redwood Regatta, but nothing like at Whiskeytown. The day before the Redwood Regatta, the folk that went for the Friday afternoon sail had breeze in the upper teens. It was flat water in the lagoon though. It is a small fetch in every direction. Sunday afternoon after racing, a nice 12 knot breeze filled in from the south-west and a bunch of Lasers went exploring north to the far end of the lagoon.

Is sailing in ultra-light air a fair test of sailing skill ? When sailors like Bruce Braly keep coming up tops in such challenging conditions, that is more than just chance.

The lagoon is fed by a river, and fresh. Some lagoons are brackish, or have some salt in the water but less than the ocean. I didn't notice any salt in the water. Sometimes in the spring, the lagoon will break out into the ocean at its northern end. Sometimes in major ocean storms the ocean will break into the lagoon.

Humboldt Yacht club is the only group allowed to camp on the land adjacent to the race course. The land was donated to the state by a member of Humboldt YC that was from a family that had made their wealth in lumber. Humboldt YC is allowed to open the car barrier once a year for this regatta. The land is public access on foot. It would be a huge effort to transports boats from highway 101 to the beach without the car access granted Humboldt YC.

The camping is bare bones. There is no electricity and no water. There are some porta-potties. There is a clearing on a small bluff above the beach, and people camp in tents there. The club sets up tables and chairs for the meals in this clearing. It is also possible to camp on the beach. Most people on the beach had RVs.

There were lots of families camping. There were lots of kids running around the beach and playing in the water and messing about in small boats.

If you're not going to camp, there is a town Trinidad about 5 miles south of Big Lagoon. Trinidad is full of bed and breakfasts. If this is your plan, book early as it is Labor Day. Arcata is about 30 mins south of Big Lagoon and has a variety of hotels and motels.

Most of Highway 101 between San Francisco and Big Lagoon is an excellent smooth roadbed. My trailer only bounced for a relatively short distance around Healdsburg, and briefly a few times elsewhere.