BayCon

BayCon is the San Francisco Bay Area's longest-running fan-run speculative fiction convention, and the flagship convention of the Tenth Fleet's area of responsibility. Founded in 1982 as the Bay Area's regional science fiction and fantasy convention, it was held over Thanksgiving weekend for its first two years, moved to Memorial Day weekend from 1984 through 2019, and — after the 2020 event was cancelled during the pandemic and 2021 was held virtually — returned in 2022 on the Independence Day weekend, where it has remained. Its venues have included the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara (through 2015), the San Mateo Marriott, and, since 2023, the Santa Clara Marriott. In more recent years BayCon has broadened its remit from science fiction and fantasy to the wider speculative fiction genre, showcasing horror and supernatural themes alongside its traditional programming.

BayCon has been designated a Flag Event — the modern successor term to the "Fleet Event" classification in use before the 2023 reorganization — and is the convention at which the Tenth Fleet has most consistently gathered. Task Group 91.1 attended BayCon every year from 2014 through 2019, and once more upon the convention's 2022 return; BayCon also serves as the southern venue for the fleet's rotating Tenth Fleet Summit, which it has hosted in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024, and 2026.

Tenth Fleet origins at BayCon (2014)

The Tenth Fleet's association with BayCon dates to BayCon 2014 (23–26 May, themed "Got Honor?"), where the Saganami-C-class heavy cruiser HMS Wolf was commissioned in Ceres, in the California Central Valley, under the command of then-CAPTJG James Jones. The following month, Task Group 91.1 was formed under CAPTSG Sir Thomas Marrone by order of the First Space Lord, with Wolf among its three charter vessels. BayCon thereafter became the task group's home convention.

BayCon 2014's Writer Guest of Honor was David Weber — whose Honorverse novels supply the setting for the Tenth Fleet and The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc., and the source of the "Got Honor?" theme — which made the convention an Admiralty House Event, the class of high-profile gathering (later codified under Orders:Admiralty Order 1803-02) marked by the attendance of TRMN's senior literary patrons.

Tenth Fleet Summits

Main article: Tenth Fleet Summit

The Tenth Fleet Summit is the fleet's principal annual gathering, and is not exclusive to BayCon. To keep travel equitable across the Tenth Fleet's very large area of responsibility, Fleet leadership rotates the summit between southern (California) and northern (Pacific Northwest) conventions. BayCon is the fleet's southern venue, and has hosted the Tenth Fleet Summit in:

• 2015 — hosted by Task Group 91.1; the commissioning of the fleet's first LAC carrier, HMS Cerberus.
• 2017 — hosted by Task Group 91.1.
• 2019 — hosted by Task Group 91.1.
• 2022 — hosted by the fleet flagship HMS Medusa.
• 2024 — jointly hosted by the combined crews of HMS Medusa and HMS Guadalcanal.
• 2026 — jointly hosted by HMS Medusa and HMS Guadalcanal; designated a Flag Event and the 10th Fleet Summit for 2026 by Tenth Fleet Order 2511-01.

In the intervening years the summit is held at northern venues — NorWesCon (2016 and 2018, hosted by Battlecruiser Squadron 96), OryCon (2025), and RadCon (2020). No fleet summit was held in 2023: the TRMN-wide MantiCon was co-located with BayCon that year (see below), and the entire fleet attended it instead.

Separately, and distinct from the fleet-wide summit, Task Group 91.1 held its own Task Group 91.1 Summit for the task group's own members at BayCon in 2016 — where the destroyer HMS Chainshot was commissioned — and 2018.

2023: MantiCon and the TRMN reorganization

BayCon 2023 (1–4 July, themed "A Night at the Space Opera") was held jointly with a MantiCon, drawing members from across The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc. in what was the organization's largest single gathering on the West Coast. It was at this convention that TRMN adopted its revised bylaws and transitioned to governance by a Board of Directors, holding its first annual meeting and electing its officers and committee chairs.

BayCon appearances

Tenth Fleet participation at BayCon

Year	Dates	Theme	Tenth Fleet significance
2014	23–26 May	"Got Honor?"	Admiralty House Event (David Weber, Writer GoH); HMS Wolf commissioned; Task Group 91.1 formed the following month
2015	22–24 May	"Women of Wonder"	Tenth Fleet Summit (host: TG 91.1); HMS Cerberus commissioned
2016	27–30 May	"It's All About Space!"	First Task Group 91.1 Summit; HMS Chainshot commissioned
2017	26–29 May	"Dystopia/Utopia"	Tenth Fleet Summit (host: Task Group 91.1)
2018	25–28 May	"Patchwork Fandom"	Task Group 91.1 Summit
2019	24–27 May	"Insert Coin to Continue"	Tenth Fleet Summit
2020	Cancelled (pandemic)		No convention
2021	Virtual only		No in-person gathering
2022	1–4 July	"The Sun Rises"	BayCon returns in-person; hosted the Tenth Fleet Summit; TG 91.1's final BayCon attendance
2023	1–4 July	"A Night at the Space Opera"	Held jointly with MantiCon; TRMN adopts new bylaws and seats its Board of Directors
2024	4–7 July	"Pure Imagination"	Tenth Fleet Summit
2025	4–7 July	"A Convenient Parallel Dimension"	Held jointly with Westercon 77
2026	3–6 July	"The Answer" (BayCon 42)	Designated a Flag Event and 10th Fleet Summit by Tenth Fleet Order 2511-01

Convention dates, venues, and themes per BayCon's published history. TG 91.1 attended each in-person BayCon from 2014 through 2019 and again in 2022; the task group was dissolved on 25 February 2025.

Gallery of BayCon logos

A selection of BayCon convention logos and themes over the years:

• 
  2013 — "Triskaidekaphobicon"
• 
  2016 — "It's All About Space" (San Mateo Marriott)
• 
  2017 — "Dystopia/Utopia"
• 
  2018 — "Patchwork Fandom"
• 
  2019 — "Insert Coin to Continue"
• 
  2022 — "The Sun Rises"
• 
  2023 — "A Night at the Space Opera" (hosted MantiCon 2023)
• 
  2024 — "Pure Imagination"