San Francisco Bay Sailing Photos Found in the Attic – latitude38.com

We recently received some photos from Bay Area sailor Alan Wulzen, who, with his wife Caroline, did the 2001 Baja Ha-Ha aboard their Cabo Rico 38, Silhouette. His brother Warren was rummaging through some of their father Frank Wulzen’s treasures, and came across a stash of sailing photos from the ‘good old days.’

Alan relayed the story of how his father started sailing on San Francisco Bay. “Frank Wulzen was born in San Francisco in January 1906. He told me that in 1921 when [he was] swimming in Aquatic Park, a classmate, Denny Jordan (St. Francis YC member and future owner of renowned race boat Bolero), hoisted him aboard a sailboat saying ‘What are you doing swimming when you could be on the water sailing?’ That experience changed his life! He sailed on the Bay and raced there and down the coast to SoCal, and delivered boats back. Frank became a yacht broker and co-owned a Q boat, Imp, which he kept moored at Corinthian Yacht Club. He learned photography from his father, D. H. Wulzen, and worked in that field all his employed life. Frank worked for Gabriel Moulin and shot the building of the Bay Bridge and what Dad said was his favorite shot, from the fantail of a tug towing the last square-rigger out the Gate; a dark, foggy photo.”

Unfortunately, the photos don’t have notes to indicate the names of people or boats. Maybe some of our readers can come up with boat names or boat types.

We know there are many Aquatic Park swimmers who are also sailors, but probably not many who discovered sailing because a buddy sailed by and scooped them out of the water. That moment is what got Frank sailing, and surely his son Alan as well, and then gave us all this moment to savor some of sailing’s history on San Francisco Bay. Remember the phrase “These are the good old days,” and if you have them, you can add more “good old days” photos to our Sailagram by sending to photos@latitude38.com.

We’ll share more photos of the past, in the future, but for now we are curious if anyone can help give the Wulzen family and ourselves some insight into these photos. If you know anything, please let us know in the comments section below.