What does this old-fashioned sailor’s expression mean, and what does it have to do with one of the Pegasus crew’s most beloved traditions? It’s Master Mariners!
Since 1867, the Master Mariners Benevolent Association has hosted a regatta to celebrate the San Francisco Bay’s classical maritime heritage. The race brings together all the grand old-fashioned wooden sailboats and sets them zooming through the spray, challenging each other as well as the Bay’s formidable tides and summer winds.
So when Captain Bob, always genial and rarely excitable, calls out “she’s got a bone in her teeth!”, he’s talking about the impressive frothy white bow wave that Pegasus splashes up when she charges through the waves in full race mode. (See #17 in American Sailing’s 40 Sailing Phrases to Know.) The Master Mariners regatta is the one time a year that Capt. Bob and the rest of the crew have a chance to let down their hair, hoist all the sails, and show our friends and competition alike what Pegasus can really do.
This year we had 15 dedicated Pegasi on board, a hardcore crew with hundreds of years of sailing and racing experience among them. With all four sails raised and trimmed tight, the crew squeezed out 8.5 knots, the maximum speed predicted by the designers back in 1972. Pretty good for a 52 year old wooden boat that spends the rest of the year taking kids sailing.
Wondering what it’s like? Experience the wind, spray, and awesome view of Pegasus at full speed from her famous bowsprit seat, as well as other clips from Saturday’s race on the Pegasus Voyages YouTube channel.
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