The 50th Yachting Cup has officially named the overall winner: Jim Bailey's ID35 Destroyer. For being Destroyer's first time on the water since a total refit, Bailey and his crew handled the PHRF-3 Class just as good as (and apparently better) than the seasoned boats in the fleet.
"We came into this regatta without a lot of expectations because we just got the boat on the water. This is Destroyer's first regatta," started Bailey. Bailey is sailing with a great crew, including his three sons, Charlie, Danny, and William.
"I listen to our crew. My biggest challenge is sailing in chop and breeze. I don't do it enough, my crew keeps reminding me," joked Bailey.
Luckily for Bailey's crew, they will be getting much more practice soon. New ID35s are making their way to Southern California, so Bailey and the current ID35 owners can expect more competition in the fleet. Between Marina del Rey and San Diego, 12 new boats are on the horizon.
Class Winners
PHRF-1 Paul Dorsey's Fast 40 Adjudicator
ORR-1 Roy Disney's Andrews 70 Pyewacket
PHRF-2 Lonnie Jarvis' Far 400M Chronic
ORR-2 Standish Fleming's J/125 Nereid
PHRF-3 Jim Bailey's ID35 Destroyer
PHRF-4 John Laun's J120 caper
ORC Neil Senturia's Flying Tiger Leverage
J105 Rick Goebel's Sanity
Beneteau 36.7 Chick Pyle's Kea
Beneteau 40.7 Mark Stratton's Lugano
Classics CF Koehler's 10 Meter Sally
Navigator Dave Kettenhoffen's Mi Sueno
The conditions for the final day of the 50th Yachting Cup were, well... swell. After a smooth day of racing on the Pacific Ocean course yesterday, sailors were greeted today by a bit more wind, and notably choppier seas built by the all night southerly wind. Such drastic changes in conditions forced sailors to adapt, mentally and tactically.
The challenge for sailors today would be pushing through the overnight chop in 10-14 knots. Waterfront Director Jeff Johnson explained, "Yesterday's flat water and light breezes meant that sailors would likely have their sails powered up, and with crews probably not on the rail. Today, the challenge was to constantly accelerate through the chop and keep the boat flat. It's like hitting speed bumps on the course. With the added breeze, you could see sailors fully hiking and embracing the splash."
Honorable mention goes to Beneteau 40.7 owner Mike Stratton on Lugano, who seemed to have no difficulty navigating his way through the waves. Stratton won every race in his class. Also winning each day of the regatta was Dave Kettenhoffen's Columbia 50 Mi Sueno in the Navigators Class.
John Laun's J/120 caper is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard. Laun and his crew placed in the top three of the PHRF-4 class and secured an eight point lead on second place Abacus, the Flying Tiger owned by Tim Chin. The only other boat in the regatta to hold an eight point lead amongst their competitors was Chick Pyle's Beneteau 36.7 Kea.
Besides the obvious goal of the Yachting Cup -- winning -- the regatta has always been about fostering the sport of sailing and getting as many people on the water as possible. Dave Vieregg, sailing J/105 Perseverance, is doing just that for our junior sailors. Junior Sailor Cameron Schnoor played a crucial role to the team according to Vieregg. It's easy to believe Yachting Cup's original founder, John Driscoll III, would be proud.
"We had to lose weight in order to add him to the crew. He was all over the boat from the bow to the stern and down below checking for kelp. He was terrific and super fun to sail with. He made sure to give us grief if we weren't trimming correctly," joked Vieregg. Perseverance won the final race, keeping them in second place in their class.
So, there we have it. The 50th anniversary of the Yachting Cup has concluded, and 60 boats of sailors are cheering on a successful weekend.
"On behalf of myself and the San Diego Yacht Club, thank you to everyone who came out in celebrating this huge milestone for SDYC's premier regatta. We had a great turnout with excellent competition on the water and plenty of camaraderie on land. We're looking forward to continuing the tradition and growing the regatta more each year," said Chair Traci Miller.
After racing, the weekend was concluded with an Awards Ceremony and Party on SDYC's Main Deck. Prizing for the 50th anniversary of the event was supplied by sponsors Rigworks and Helly Hansen.
SDYC is proud to be working with our sponsors who help make this event happen.
Mount Gay Rum
South Coast Yachts
Bay City Brewing
Helly Hansen
Rigworks
Regatta Craft Mixers
Chipz Happen
The Bay Club