Reviving a Legacy: The Return of the Ladies Got Guts Race

After more than 30 years, something powerful has been brought back to life: the Ladies Got Guts Race. Originally created by Del Rey Yacht Club (DRYC) volunteers in the 1960s and dormant since the ’90s, this race was the precursor to the WOW/WAH regatta and might be the only distance race on the West Coast that requires women to steer the entire course.

The original race course was from MDR to the Isthmus. Women were required to steer only at the start and the finish. We’ve come a long way, baby!

Thanks to DRYC and Women’s Sailing Association, the race was brought back this year with a clear focus: to create access, joy, and real community for women on the water.

Eleven boats lined up at the start off Palos Verdes Point. Ten finished at the west end of Catalina Island, rounding Eagle Rock and sailing into Cat Harbor. No PHRF certificates, no sail numbers, no yacht club memberships required — just a willingness to show up, steer, and take part. Crews ranged from first-timers to seasoned racers, with ages spanning from 13 to women in their 70s.

I sailed on my Hanse 37, Cassiopeia (DRYC), with three phenomenal women. We hadn’t raced together as a team before, but the rhythm onboard was effortless — trust, laughter, and deep competence. I actually relaxed during a race weekend, which says a lot.

Several boats were owned and fully crewed by women, including my Cassiopeia, Katherine Phillips’s Swell (DRYC), Monica Viera’s Ofelia (DRYC), and Christina Amoroso’s Tenacious (DRYC), to name a few — and every woman on every boat had a hand on the helm. At one point, we gathered for a group photo at DRYC’s Cat Harbor station: 23 women, all of whom drove at least part of the race. That moment was a quiet kind of triumph. In most regattas, having a few women at the helm is worth noting. In this race, it was the rule — and the whole point.

Huge appreciation to the men who stepped up by offering their boats so more women could participate, including Mark Lampert with Sabbatical (DRYC) and Neil Fraser, whose Mexican Divorce (DRYC) corrected out first overall. That kind of allyship is a big part of how we grow access and inclusion in this sport.

Another notable registrant included three generations of Artofs aboard their Catalina 445, Sachem (DRYC). Susan and Paul Artof did some of the early Got Guts races in the 1970s aboard their Morgan 27. This time, they were joined by their daughter Lindsey Artof, who just won the WOW-WAH regatta in August, and their 15-year-old grandson Jacob, who is a member of the US Sailing Youth National Sailing Team.

After a slow, sunny morning on the island, Cassiopeia’s crew sailed home with the gennaker up the whole way. The breeze was perfect. The boat was happy. And after the energy of race day, the sail back was peaceful, joyful, and exactly what we needed.

More than anything, this race reminded me of what’s possible when women are given space to lead, to support each other, and to just be out on the water. No one-upmanship. No performance energy. Just presence, mutual respect, and a shared love of sailing.

Full results can be found at DRYC.org/racing.