Slippery Start to 2026 With Del Rey YC’s Malibu Race

Like the Rose Parade, Del Rey Yacht Club’s (DRYC) annual Malibu and Return Race rarely gets rained on. Typically, it’s sunny with light breeze and flat seas to kick off each new year.

Not this year. With a wet front approaching, 51 boats crossed the starting line with their spinnakers as 12-knot winds from the southeast made for fast headway to their next marks. Course distances for individual classes ranged between 13.5 and 22.5 miles.

With nine boats rated below 0 in PHRF, the Class A start was especially exciting, with jockeying and spinnaker sets by a variety of boats including the iconic Spencer 62 Ragtime, the Davidson 52 Pendragon, and the R/P 63 Good Energy.

Within an hour following the start, rain arrived, but the wind increased. Many boats reported steady double-digit boat speeds on their “windward” legs toward Malibu Pier and other marks set off Topanga Beach and Big Rock. (Sadly, hundreds of beachside structures present during last year’s Malibu Race had burned down in the Palisades Fire, including homes owned by some of the racers.)

The rain and low clouds made for challenging mark roundings and sail changes. Some crews were rusty: Two upside-down spinnakers were set during their starts, and a few sheets fell under a few boats’ hulls. With low visibility and raindrops obscuring compasses and chartplotters, steering straight courses was especially difficult for racers and mark-set boats alike.

Despite the wet conditions, participants enjoyed a fast race, with tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches provided that evening by DRYC.

Class winners were Phil Friedman’s Farr 85 Sapphire Knight, Brack Duker’s J/111 Revo, Jack Meyer’s J/111 Zephyr, Russ Wasden’s CF 33 Hot Rum, Stephen McDonough’s Jeanneau 40 Seisiun, and Kathy St. Amant’s Hunter 37 Rascal.

For more than 50 years, DRYC has kicked off new years with a race to Malibu and back. It’s the largest random-leg race of the year in Santa Monica Bay, with 65 to 85 boats registered in recent years. The Malibu Race is also the first race of DRYC’s William Berger Series for Performance classes run in conjunction with its William Stein Series for Cruiser classes. Both series are capped off with the Cat Harbor layover races, featuring festivities held Saturday evening at DRYC’s Catalina Island station.