Cabo Race Starts Today

John MacClaurin’s Pendragon VI will be going for her second straight line honors in this week’s Cabo Race.As the entry deadline approached at presstime, a total of 30 entries were lined up for today’s start of NHYC’s Bi-Annual Newport to Cabo San Lucas Race. 

This year’s entry list reads like a “Who’s Who” of top local and regional racers, including several Transpac 52’s, Santa Cruz 70’s, Santa Cruz 50’s. 

Other potential contenders for line honors could include John MacLaurin’s new Davidson 70 Pendragon VI, fresh off taking line honors in last week’s Islands Race, and Peligroso, a Kernan 68 sailed by Lorenzo Berho out of Puerto Vallarta. 

Another notable entry is Dr. Laura Schlessinger who will be sailing in her new Kernan 46, Katana.

More information, including real-time race tracking information and regular race updates will be available at www.nhyccaborace.com. 

Weather a Factor in Islands Race

Patriot, Paul Stemler's J44, at the start of the Islands Race. Patriot won the PHRF-3 Class, and for the second year in a row was the top local boat in this event. Photo by Bronny DanielsA strong 52-boat fleet competed in the second annual “Islands Race” last weekend. 

The 125-mile offshore race - a joint event run by the Newport Harbor and San Diego yacht clubs - started in Los Angeles Harbor and ran around Catalina and San Clemente islands before finishing off of at Point Loma in San Diego.  

Conditions were fairly light throughout the race course with winds not topping more than 10-15 knots, and often far less. Wind and weather conditions would play a big hand in this year’s overall race standings. 

A large fog bank rolled into the West End of Catalina around 5 p.m., just after the fastest boats in the fleet had rounded this point. The boats that got around ahead of the fog would sail in steady breeze the rest of the race, while those boats that got caught in the fog would also get caught in a second hole that developed later that evening just south of San Clemente Island.

First finisher was John MacLaren’s latest offshore racer Pendragon VI, a new Kernan 70’ out of Cal Yacht Club in Marina del Rey.   

Top local finishers included David Team’s Rebel Yell and Jim Madden’s Stark Raving Mad V (4^th and 5^th in TP52 Class, both NHYC); Chris Welsh’s Ragtime (8^th in ORR class, NHYC); Glenn Highland’s Andrews 39 Bien Roulee (2^nd in PHRF Class 2, BYC); Paul Stemler’s Patriot, the Richley Family’s Amante, and Seth Hall’s Marisol (1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th in PHRF Class 3, sailing for NHYC, LIYC and BYC respectively).

Schock Regatta a Family Affair

By Megan Pluth | NB Indy

“There was something for everybody!” Tom Schock noted about the conditions during the W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta this past weekend. 

Saturday held fast with a consistent breeze for most of the day, trailing off to a shifty afternoon. Sunday played the same card, but closed with impending dark clouds and breeze. There really was something for everyone. 

 Schock is a local boat builder whose business was just recently sold to Alexander Vucelic von Raduboj, while he continues on as the Brand Ambassador.  The company has been a family affair for more than 60 years, as was this year’s W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta.  Many of the six fleets had related crews.  And the Schock family was one of them. 

They held their own in the Harbor 20 fleet, Harbor 25 fleet, and the Lido 14 fleet.  Tom Schock managed to skipper in both the Harbor 20 fleet and the Lido 14 fleets with impressive finishes in both: 2nd and 1^st, respectively.  

This year was also the first year that host Newport Harbor Yacht Club used the Kattack GPS Tracking System to track the competitors throughout the event.  So, there is record of each boat’s movements around the course along with results.  

 The Schock family’s sailing ability has never been in question and has been noted by many.  However, the reason Sailing World editor David Reed was in town this year was to learn a little more about the passing of the Schock torch.  New owner Vucelic von Raduboj is very familiar with running a family-owned business.  He came from one himself, serving as the chief operating officer of Electric Machinery. 

Sailors can also rest easy knowing that the company is in a sailor’s hands.  Vucelic von Raduboj grew up sailing and his first boat was a yellow Schock Sabot.

 Finally, the local fleet can look forward to many more years of the W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta.  This year boasted attendees from as far away as Washington and Oregon. 

 Winners:  Harbor 20 A, Terry Gloege/Byron Capps NHYC.  Harbor 20B, Walter Johnson/Karen Pierce BYC.  Harbor 25, Steven Schock/Ruth Schock ABYC.  Lido 14 A, Kurt Wiese/David Camerini NHYC.  Lido 14 B, Tom Schock/Anne Schupak NHYC.  Schock 35, Bruce Bennett/Bob Marcus SIBYC & ABYC. 

Full results are available here.

Foundation Gives $10K to HS Teams

Representatives from local high school sailing teams received a $10,000 grant from the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation (NHSF). 

Pictured here are team members from the Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor, Sage and Mater Dei high school sailing teams. 

The NHSF grant will help cover travel expenses as these local sailing teams work toward the high school national championships this coming spring. 

High school sailors pictured have already raced in a number of national and international events in the last 12 months.  In addition to the high school national championships, many of these sailors raced in regattas in Argentina, Hawaii, Miami, San Francisco, and Annapolis MD.

 The Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation is an independent nonprofit dedicated to supporting local sailors who compete at national and international events. 

Sailing Summary

Other Results

Manning Regatta, March 5-6 at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, Long Beach.  Juniors and one-design classes with 102 total entries.  Top local results:  CFJ Class (39 boats) – Tyler MacDonald, Francesca Cappellini, NHYC (1^st overall); MacDonald/Cappellini’s finish also helped them secure second place overall in the regional Shadden Series for the top Southern California junior CFJ sailors.  Sabot A (20 boats) – Derek Pickell, BCYC (1^st); Kate Madigan, NHYC (4^th). Sabot C (17 boats) – Drew Potter, NHYC (4^th); Madison Nadelman, BCYC (3^rd). 

Sailing Calendar

Saturday, March 12: Balboa Yacht Club “66” Series.  This weekend BYC hosts the opening race in this six race series.  This will be the 51^st running of this popular offshore series that runs random leg courses to a variety of marks and buoys around the San Pedro channel.

Friday, March 18: Newport to Cabo Race start, NHYC.  NHYC’s bi-annual race 800 miles south to Cabo San Lucas continues to be among the most popular of the “Mexico” races among local racing sailors.  To date, more than 30 entries are lined up for this year’s event. 

Upcoming Weekend Weather

Local marine forecast (courtesy of SailFlow.com):

Saturday - SW winds, 5-10 knots; 59-62 degrees

Sunday - SW winds, 5-10 knots, 60-64 degrees