OUR GOAL

"To advance the interests, skills and fitness of the singlehanded sailor by (a) education; (b) exchange of ideas and experience; (c) evaluation of techniques and equipment, and (d) conducting singlehanded sailing events and appropriate social activities."

 

The Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association (PSSA),  formed in 1980 and based in Marina del Rey, meets on the second Monday of every month at Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club. Members hail from San Diego to northwards of Point Conception.  Non members are welcome to our meetings.  Board meetings start at 7 PM, regular meeting follows at 8 PM.  [Suggest you come to the 7 PM meeting because there's lots of interesting things discussed, and lots of "war stories"!] 

Meetings consist of awards presentations, discussion of upcoming races and events, talk of sailing & safety techniques, and our "speaker program".  Speakers come to us from all spheres of sailing and racing, single-hander's who've "been there and done that", equipment manufacturers, the Coast Guard and other areas of interest to sailors. 

Santa Monica WindJammers is located next to Burton Chase Park at the end of Mindanao Way in Marina del Rey .  If the gate arm to the parking lot is down, just push on the entry button till someone lets you in.  Meetings are upstairs, use the outside balcony stairway.

 

WHAT WE OFFER !

THE PSSA PROGRAM
for SINGLE and DOUBLEHANDED YACHT RACES

The Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association, has established a racing program for both single and doublehanded yachts. 

The PSSA has, perhaps, the fullest singlehanded, doublehanded and Mariners class race schedule found on the West Coast.  It has easy access to one of the best sailing areas in the continental USA.  Five of the eight Channel Islands are within week end sailing range and offer interesting marks for offshore races.  Point Conception serves to shelter the Southern California waters from the strong northwest winds which generally parallel the coast of California.

Races normally start and finish off Marina del Rey. The overnight races are usually scheduled to take place near the time of the full moon which makes night sailing much more pleasant as well as safer.

Member Frank Ross on his Olson 30 "Prankster"
at start of the 2004 Singlehanded Trans Pac,
San Francisco to Hawaii

The Dan Byrne Race Series
The Dan Byrne Series consists of five races sailed around the Channel Islands of Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina as well as Bishop Rock on Cortez Bank. The series is named in honor of Dan Byrne, one of the founders of PSSA, its first Commodore, and participant in both the 1980 Singlehanded Transpac and the 1982-1983 singlehanded around-the-world BOC Challenge race.

Of note is the bi-annual Guadalupe Island Race  This 600 mile race, held in even numbered years, is a significant test of seamanship, strategy, and endurance. The race course starts in Marina del Rey, rounds Guadalupe Island [Mexico], finishes at the West End of Catalina, and is a "qualifier" for the SingleHanded Trans Pac to Hawaii.

The David Wall Race Series
This series is named for one of our charter members who lost his life at sea. The series consists of five day races ranging in distance from 23 to 29 nautical miles. The races are held in the summer and fall months after the Dan Byrne Series.

 

Join PSSA ! 

You learn so much more about sailing when you are sailing and/or racing alone. 

You'll get a wealth of knowledge and helpful advice from fellow members who have "been there & done that". 

Eclectic, eccentric and different as they are, the PSSA guys & gals who regularly come to the race course and meetings are interesting, nice people. 

The thrill of racing without the hassle of recruiting crew. 

The Mariners class - doesn't sound like much but it is.  A system that handicaps not only the boat but the skipper. 

Neat trophies and a cool PSSA burgee to fly from the backstay.