Moore 24 Nationals at Long Beach Race Week

Among the championships contested at Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week on June 19–22 was the Moore 24 Nationals.

“It is really freaking cool to travel to a new venue,” commented Kurt Lahr of the Richmond-based Safety Third in a note to the fleet. “Our board deserves a thanks for going outside the box and organizing this event.

“Forty years ago this last Memorial Day Weekend, Joel Verutti asked a young, impressionable me if I wanted to go for a sail on #55 Mercedes across Whiskeytown Lake. It makes me smile to think that’s the spark that started my love for this fleet. The best families, the best friends, the best boat — I just don’t believe it gets better than what we have.

“I can only speak for myself, but that was a very difficult weekend of mental sailing. I think of substantially better breeze and some swell when you say ABYC. Instead we got light and lumpy for two days, not at all what I was thinking when I said a couple weeks prior that we should be on the outside course. I’m not a fan of the overplayed chutes-and-ladders metaphor, but that is what it seemed to be out there. I had heard this summer has been ‘weird’ down there, and the ‘It’s Long Beach, you go right’ may not play. Turns out it was basically a dogfight to just stay in phase with both sides of the course paying. The passing lanes were there if you could find them. Not taking any big hits was key. The last day was more reminiscent of light-air Huntington: Sniff the shifts and stay in the pressure. The distance race would have been more fun were it square, but it was a nice bookend to the weekend thanks to the best pressure of the weekend.”

In their 17-boat division, five different boats won in the nine races: Safety Third, Paramour, Firefly, Mooretician and Orca.

“My boat partner Alex keeps me calm when I think the sky is falling,” added Kurt. “Elishia sages all the bad spirits from our team and crushes her job on the bow. My oldest daughter Hayden looked at the schedule and decided Long Beach was better than Oahu. It is truly an honor and a privilege to sail with (and against) the people you love.”

Read more on racing in Latitude 38’s August’s Racing Sheet. And keep an eye out for new race reports in the September issue, out on Friday.