
Coastal Cup Starts This Week
With a quality field of 27 boats, Encinal YC’s Coastal Cup got underway this morning when the slower divisions started. Boats rating PHRF 27 and under will start tomorrow, and the the weather forecast looks really, really good, at least until Pt. Conception. NOAA is forecasting breeze from the NW at anywhere from 15-30 knots starting later today through Saturday. The picture gets a little less rosy — but still enjoyable — after the boats turn for the finish, which appears to have been moved from Catalina’s Arrow Point, just west of Emerald Bay, to the Island’s West End. Strategically, the western Channel Islands should come into play with better breeze forecasted outside on Friday, and we’d be surprised if anyone doesn’t shoot the potato patch between Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands. With the race tracking, it won’t be hard to follow this one.