(Long Point, CA)- One of the classic end of summer events enjoyed by
many sailors in the Los Angeles offshore circuit are the three
point-to-point races that constitute Long Point Race Week. The event is
jointly hosted by Newport Harbor YC and Balboa YC and the three races
that are run are 1) Newport Beach to Long Point , 2) the Ship Rock race,
and 3) Long Point back to Newport Beach. First day the teams raced 26 nm from Newport Beach to Whites Cove, Catalina island where all the racers were catered for by the superbly prepared chefs from Newport Harbor and Balboa Yacht Clubs. The event is by invitation only and features some of the best in SoCal racing. Saturday's racing started super-light, the race committee decided to move the start up the coast closer to Ship Rock- the top mark of the race course. The breeze kept building and the racers enjoyed a downwind finish in 15-16 kts with a dash of brilliant sunshine. Then, it was back to the chefs and more culinary pleasures, all served on the beautiful sandy beach on Catalina Island! Sunday's race back to the mainland saw 8-15 knots of breeze from the west, making for a fast-paced race.
Sailing
"lights out" was Viggo Torbensen's Dana Point YC team on his J/125
TIMESHAVER-- the famous boat with the pink bottom! Their 2-1-1 record
for 4 pts gave them an enormous lead over the class rivals in Division
Two. Second to them was Myron Lyon's San Diego YC crew on the J/160
INNOCENT MERRIMENT, winning the first race and adding a 5-6 for 12 pts
total. Third was the other J/125 DERIVATIVE sailed by Mark Thurber's
Coronado YC team, starting slow with a 9th, but closing fast with a 3-2
for 14 pts to snag the last spot on the podium.The J/120 one-design class was tossed into a mixed fleet of boats in Division Three, perhaps much to their competitors collective dismay. With all that one-design racing experience under their belts, the J/120s took four of the top five spots. Leading the charge was Mike Hatch's San Diego YC crew on the infamous J-ALMIGHTY, taking second overall with a 4-2-1 for 7 pts. Third was Gary Winton's Cabrillo Beach YC crew on SHENANIGANS, posting a 1-8-4 scoreline for 13 pts. Fourth overall was Jim Barber's Los Angeles YC crew on HOT TAMALE, losing the tie-breaker to SHENANIGANS by virtue of their 6-4-3 record for 13 pts. Fifth place was Tom & Teri Manok's Oceanside YC gang sailing POLE DANCER.
The two J/109s that sailed in Division Four ended up tied after three races! Consequently, after the count-back, the top J/109 happened to be John Shulze's LINSTAR from host Balboa YC, taking 5th in the class. The second J/109 was Rex Butler's JD from San Diego YC. For more Long Point Race Week sailing information
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