(San Diego, California)- For sailors, springtime in San Diego can only
mean one thing. While the rest of the country enjoys warmer weather and
blossoming wildlife, the sailing community is training and strategizing
for Yachting Cup, the premiere spring regatta of the San Diego Yacht
Club. 2015 marks the 43rd running of the Yachting Cup Regatta, SDYC’s
signature event. Again, this year is the expanded two and a half day
format that combines both random leg racing with windward leeward buoy
courses that will truly test the competitors.The regatta kicks off on Friday, May 1st with a single ‘Beer Can style’ race in San Diego Bay to be held at 4:00 in the afternoon. For those who missed the Friday race, a throwout is allowed for the regatta, keeping them in the running. Following the race are the first day of parties at SDYC with the exclusive ‘Skippers/Tacticians VIP Party’ held in the Frost Room while the open invite ‘Crew Party’ will be held on the front deck of the club. Free food and complimentary drinks will be featured at the parties so they are sure to be a big hit!
Saturday
and Sunday will once again feature windward/leeward courses held in
multiple venues in the ocean off the coast of San Diego. With steady
breeze and open water, good boat speed and steady crew work will be what
wins the event. Eight races are scheduled for the weekend, combined
with after race parties at SDYC each day, skippers and crew are
guaranteed to get plenty of excitement. There will be a trophy ceremony
following racing on Sunday with class awards and the overall winner of
the regatta crowned.Part of the success of Yachting Cup could be attributed to its ideal placement on the calendar the weekend after the Newport to Ensenada Race. SDYC capitalized on that opportunity by offering registered Yachting Cup competitors free mooring at SDYC starting the weekend prior and going all the way through the regatta. This means boats traveling back north from Mexico can take a pit stop in San Diego, enjoy the racing and hospitality, free slip space on the docks all week and then continue on north.
Seventy-two of the sport’s most enthusiastic sailors have already signed up to compete in the signature regatta. The 2014 Yachting Cup Champion Rick Goebel is registered and ready to defend his championship title in the J/105 class. However, he is faced with a long list of past champions ready to take back the title, including 2013 champion Tim Fuller on the J/125 RESOLUTE and 2012 champion John Laun sailing in the J/120 class.
Not surprisingly, the J/70s have the largest fleet at the regatta with a million boats sailing. For many teams, it’s a continuing quest to prepare for this summer’s J/70 North Americans being hosted by San Diego YC. Some of those top sailing teams include Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS, Justin Kromelow’s LOOSE LUCY, Karl Pomeroy’s ZERO TO 60, Vince Brun’s BLISS, Tom Garrett’s SLOOP JOHN B, Eric Kownacki / Tom Jenkins’ DFZ, Beverly Burr’s VIVACE, and Dave Vieregg’s SOGGY DOLLAR.
Enjoying
one of their best turnouts in a blue moon is the popular offshore
cruiser-racer- the J/120s. Most of the top Southern California teams
will be pushing the starting line hard, such as Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER,
Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE, Gary Winton’s SHENANIGANS, Tom & Teri
Manok’s POLE DANCER, Peter Bretschger’s ADIOS, Peter Zarcades’ MELTEMI,
Ernie Pennell’s MADMEN, John Snook’s JIM, Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY, and
Eric Axford’s CAPER.Never to shy away from a good battle are the veterans in the J/105 class in SoCal. Familiar leaders in the class will be at it again with familiar names like Tom Hurlburt’s BLOWBOAT, Dag Fish’s VIGGEN, Dennis Case’s WINGS, Rick Goebel’s SANITY, Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK!, and Jon Dekker’s AIRBOSS.
For
one of their best collection of teams seen in recent events, the J/109s
from across SoCal have gathered together for some fun in Sunny Diego.
With a number of them fielding updated crews and sails, it’s going to be
hard to handicap this crowd. So, it’s your pick from the following
crews- Alice Leahey’s GRACE O’MALLEY, Tom Brott’s ELECTRA, Gene Pitkin’s
GERONIMO, Daylen Teren’s GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, and John Schulz’s
LINSTAR.The longest-distance traveling crew from San Diego YC might be Curt Johnson’s team aboard the J/80 AVET. They will be up against several J/World J/80s with a few skippers in the “yet to be revealed, but they are good” category.
Finally, in the world of offshore random leg PHRF handicap racing, the classic J/35 RIVAL skippered by David Boatner will have to contend with an on-going rivalry between two very fast, very well-prepared J/125s- TIMESHAVER skippered by Viggo Torbensen and RESOLUTE helmed by Tim Fuller.
In addition to top-notch competition, the Yachting Cup also prides itself in promoting environmental responsibility by registering with Sailors for the Sea as a Clean Regatta.
The Yachting Cup would like to thank its sponsors El Jimador, Spinlock, Harken, Downwind Marine and Sailing Supply, North Sails, Mount Gay, Anchor Glove Co., Jackson Design & Remodeling, First National Bullion, Ballast Point, SD Boatworks, Bronny Daniels/ Joysailing and Cynthia Sinclair Photography. For more Yachting Cup sailing information
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