The 2016 Lipton Cup ended dramatically today under ominous clouds and light rain. Despite challenging wind directions on San Diego Bay, Race Committee ran three races, completing all 12 scheduled races for the weekend, meaning every team competed in each of the J/105s. Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC) won the first two races and even though they finished ninth in the third race, they were able to keep their overall lead and win the regatta by one point. NHYC finished third in 2014 and second in 2015, so it was game on to see if they could pull off the win this year.
The International Masters Regatta, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club for the fifth consecutive year, finished late afternoon on Sunday, October 23rd. Racing was tight at the top of the fleet for the duration of the weekend, and Bill Menninger (Newport Harbor Yacht Club) had a spectacular last day, winning both races on the final day as well as the overall regatta.
HL Enloe's ORMA 60 trimaran Mighty Merloe is a staple entry in west coast offshore races. SDYC's Artie Means has been the long time navigator for Enloe, and the team is preparing for another season racing offshore including 2017 Transpac. Hop on board with a video and photos from Justin Edelman who was along for the ride. Edelman, along with Mighty Merloe crew member Will Suto are in the final rounds of applying to become an OBR (On Board Reporter) for the year long Volvo Ocean Race.
The Pacific Class (PC) Yacht Racing Association was founded 87 years ago in 1929. This year, in conjunction with the PC Nationals hosted by San Diego Yacht Club on October 15 & 16, Mystic Seaport will award the PC Fleet with the William A. Baker Award.
The #3 ranked match racer in the country, Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.), may be moving up the rankings following this weekend’s triumphant performance in San Diego at the 2016 U.S. Match Racing Championship. The San Diego native earned his first Prince of Wales Bowl in impressive fashion by winning 17 of 18 races, including a 3-0 win over three-time champion, Dave Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) in Sunday’s Final series. Crewing for Snow was Nick Kaschak (San Diego, Calif.), Alex Curtiss (Lake Bluff, Ill.) and Peter Busch (San Diego, Calif.).
Enjoy sailing in Southern California's beautiful ocean swells and sea breezes this Fall in the 3rd annaul Rum Runner Race! Competitors will depart from Balboa Pier in Newport Beach and head west to the 14-mile "Laussen Knoll" bank. After departing "Laussen Knoll", boats will continue south to the finish in San Diego's Point Loma.
For the fifth consecutive year, San Diego Yacht Club will host the International Masters Regatta (www.sdyc.org/masters), from October 21-23, 2016. Originally established in 1975 by St. Francis Yacht Club member Don Trask, the regatta was previously sailed in the San Francisco Bay for a number of years until SDYC began hosting the prestigious event in 2012. Invited skippers must be over the age of 60 and crew members must be over the age of 45.
J/Fest at San Diego Yacht Club is always a special regatta on the J/105 and J/120 racing calendars. Jeff Brown, Joanne O’Dea, and the JK3 team put on a great event and the SDYC Race Committee executed well, as usual. There was close and competitive racing in both fleets with a fun group of sailors.
On September 17 & 18, San Diego Yacht Club hosted the 2016 Finn Pacific Coast Championship (PCC) for the third year. With 18 Finns competing this year, the Finn PCC has become one of the premiere Finn regattas on the West Coast and in the United States according to Mike Dorgan, Finn sailor, regatta chairman and SDYC’s Rear Commodore.
This past weekend, San Diego Yacht Club hosted the 2016 Beneteau Cup in ideal conditions- sunny and mid-70s with steady winds between 12-14 knots. Longtime race organizers, Rick Day and Barrett Canfield confirmed that with almost 50 boats participating, this event has become the largest Beneteau Cup in the world.