Posted by When the 74th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race starts today, 164 boats will be on the line.
In honor of NOSA’s 75th anniversary, the celebrations in Ensenada will be for the successful racers, trophy winners, and an organization that for the past 75 years has taken sailors on a fun, competitive coastal sailing adventure, making history along the way.
Taking to the Dana Point racecourse is Charles Ullman on his L30. He’s not only the youngest son of sailing great and Ullman Sails founder Dave Ullman, he’s grandson to Charles Ullman, one of NOSA’s very first directors, named handicap chairman in 1947. Also on the Dana Point course, racing for Parkinson’s awareness, will be California Inclusive Sailing’s 16-ft RS 4U.
More than 20 first-time sailors have registered for the classic course south of the border. A few are big enough and fast enough to break the monohull elapsed time record. Topping the list is Manouch Moshayedi’s Rio100, (the largest entry in recent memory), which, although second to finish the Puerto Vallarta race this year, still beat the previous record.
Others include Ray Paul’s Artemis, a Botin 65 from SFYC, and from CBYC, George Hershman and Mark Comings’ R/P 63 Good Energy, a sistership to the monohull record holder Aszhou. The record is 9:35:34.
But N2E is not just for serious racers. PHRF racers are the heart and soul of the regatta, as illustrated by Joe Markee’s Ohana. The 1975 Swede 55 does really well in light conditions and has won its class the last few years. Andy Horning’s Day Tripper II, an inauspicious 1990 Hunter 40, has been a PHRF class winner 15 times. He attributes the winning streak to a maintenance ritual before race day.
N2E has not been a favorite of Southern California sailors — and a bucket-list race for racers across the US and Canada because of the camaraderie and the fun — but because no matter how big or small the boat that floats up to the start, any boat that starts could win. In 2009 Doug Baker’s Magnitude 80 set a record for monohulls that would stand for seven years. But it was Sojourn, a Catalina 30 in PHRF K, that won Best Corrected Time honors despite finishing 10 hours behind the record-setter.
Weather models are calling for epic winds and a wild and bumpy ride. Sailing enthusiasts not racing can watch the action via YB trackers. See https://nosa.org.
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After leaving Les Sables d’Olonne yesterday at the very end of the morning, the 33 competitors in the 19th Solo Maître CoQ had some tricky first miles, particularly downwind of the Ile de Ré where they made numerous tacks edge flush with the coast to play with the currents, so much so that one of them, Basile Bourgnon, ran aground.
As yachts get bigger and bigger, simple tasks become more demanding. When you’re maneuvering and then securing a superyacht in a tight anchorage there is no such thing as having too much help…
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