The Jack-to-Jack Yacht Race returns to the open waters of Sonoma Creek on March 25 when dozens of miniature boats set sail for a 50-yard sprint to the Glen Ellen Bridge. The boats, all 18″ of them, will launch from the Jack London Yacht Club — otherwise known as the Jack London Saloon.
Legend has it, Jim Burch, in a moment of inspiration worthy of the great writer himself, sketched out the idea for the Jack London Yacht Club on a cocktail napkin at the saloon. It was after the fires of 2017 and Glen Ellen had been hit hard. Moods were grim, morale low. It struck Burch that a community event, something novel and kind of quirky, might help. How about a sailboat race on the nearby creek, with little boats modeled after Jack London’s Snark?
“It’s true,” Burch, officially Commodore Burch, says of that inspiration. “But it took more than one napkin.”
The first race was held in 2019. After a couple of Covid years off, it returned last year to great fanfare. On Saturday afternoon, March 25, the crafts once again put in upstream and float down and under the bridge. The winner of each of the five heats goes to the finals.
Creekside activities kick off with the national anthem at 11:30am, with race heats, the awards ceremony, and live music throughout, until about 4pm. Awaiting the winner, Burch says, is a name on the perpetual trophy and “eternal glory.”
Each tiny craft boasts a custom sails created by designer Ana Dominquez, the co-Commodore. The boat sponsors – wineries, Valley businesses, individuals and neighborhood groups – pay $1,000 for a boat, and $250 to enter the race. All the money (plus Club dues and proceeds from other events during the year) goes to charity.
There’s even a community boat, christened Spirit of the Locals, dry docked over by the bar. You can buy an ownership share for $20.
The Saloon is located at 13740 Arnold Drive. For the record, here’s where to find its alias, the Yacht Club: Latitude: 38° 21′ 46.7568″ N Longitude: 122° 31′ 33.7512″ W.
It’s fun being a card-carrying commodore, but other than the fundraising, Burch doesn’t take it too seriously. The JLYC is an official, licensed club – a member of the Yacht Clubs of America association, and listed in its guide along with St. Francis YC and other such fancy clubs around the world.
One night, Burch got a call from an international yacht owner who, having seen the listing, inquired about sailing to Glen Ellen and putting in at the club’s marina. Burch told him to sail into the Bay and go as far as he could up Sonoma Creek, “then call me, and I’ll come get you.”
Jacklondonyachtclub.org
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