The Racing Month Ahead
The 70th annual Newport to Ensenada Race starts today; 187 boats will have hit the start line by the time we post this. Among boats to watch are the MOD70 Phaedo3, with which ‘Lectronic readers are no doubt familiar; the R/P 63 Aszhou, defending her monohull record time of 9:35:34; 25-time N2E trophy-winner Bill Gibbs on the Schionning catamaran Wahoo; and America’s Cup legend Dennis Conner sailing the wooden sloop Splendor. Skippers range in age from 24-year-old Ashley Hopkins on the F-27 trimaran Serafin to Dick McNish, who turns 90 next month, aboard his wooden yawl Cheerio II. Follow the action at www.newporttoensenada.com.
Looking forward to May (and we are!), the 118th (no, that’s not a typo) Great Vallejo Race will set sail from the Central Bay to Vallejo Yacht Club on May 6 and return on May 7. New this year are a Cruising Division, and a Sunday finish line south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge off Paradise Cay. A ‘Captain Ron’ Party, complete with costume contest, is on tap for Saturday’s post-race festivities. Entries close on Thursday. See www.yra.org.
On the same weekend, St. Francis YC will host the 43th Elvstrom Zellerbach Regatta for the small-boat set. For Lasers, the Elvstrom also serves as the District 24 Championship, worth 20 Svendsen’s Grand Prix points (which can help sailors qualify for a world championship.)
A sampling of other races in May includes such diverse events as OYRA’s Duxship (to Duxbury Reef and the Lightship) and the El Toro fleet’s Flight of the Bulls on the Foster City Lagoon on May 13. The 8-ft prams will follow that up with the Fremont Relays on May 21.
The Singlehanded Sailing Society’s Singlehanded Farallones Race will round the rockpile on May 20. The YRA Series will begin the same day, with racing on the Cityfront. San Francisco YC’s Elite Keel Regatta will be held on May 20-21 for Melges 24, Melges 20, Etchells, Express 27, J/70 and IOD classes. (It should be noted that SFYC and the local Etchells fleet are gearing up to host the Worlds on September 22-30.)
Ocean, Bay, lake — venue choices abound for Memorial Day Weekend. On May 27, (a Saturday, not a Friday as in the past) the Spinnaker Cup will sail out the Gate bound for Monterey to kick off the second California Offshore Race Week. The Coastal Cup from Monterey to Santa Barbara will follow, starting on May 29.
Also on May 27, the Master Mariners Regatta will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Master Mariners Benevolent Association. You’ll be able to read our tribute to the MMBA and its splendiferous regatta in the May issue of Latitude 38, coming out on Monday, May 1. The Whiskeytown Regatta offers racing for trailerable sailboats on May 27-28 on the lake of the same name in the foothills west of Redding.