By Nancy Mellon | Photos by Mary Longpre
The 38th Annual Little Old Ladies Regatta was held last Saturday, a day that started with hail storms and rain nearby, and ended clear and beautiful.
The wind was coming in from the harbor entrance, making it possible for the racers to avoid most of the weekend boat traffic.
Adult Naples Sabot Racers came from San Diego, Mission Bay and Long Beach and were able to participate in four races under ideal conditions. Ten- to 12-knot winds kept the racers moving well despite unusual waves.
Balboa Yacht Club was busy with the many guests. There were four racers from Alamitos Bay YC, three from Bahia Corinthian YC, one from Newport Harbor YC, seven from San DiegoYC, seven from Mission Bay YC and seven from the host club Balboa YC.
The results for Ladies A included Betty Becker, SDYC, 1st, Lynn Acosta BYC 2nd, Serena Hanby, MBYC, 3rd. For Ladies B, Carol Pearson, MBYC, 1st, Diane Kent, BYC, 2nd and Ruth Jones, MBYC, 3rd. . For the largest class, the Men, Mark Gaudio, BCYC, 1st, Danny North, SDYC, 2nd and John Ellis, ABYC, 3rd, all sailed well in the very competitive group of 12 racers.
For the 37th time, the Bank of Newport Perpetual was awarded to the lowest scorer from a local yacht club. Mark Gaudio, with first place in each of the four races, earned the trophy. Many familiar names of local sailors are engraved on the trophy.
The Nancy Mellon Perpetual Trophy was awarded to Betty Becker of SDYC, the top Ladies A racer. Betty also had four first-place finishes.
The BYC regatta is the third of five sponsored each year by the Southern California Women’s Sailing Association. The group has more than 70 members, and a third are men. They represent yacht clubs from all over Southern California.
Still to come this year are Ladies Day at ABYC on Sunday, Oct. 16, and on Sunday, Nov. 13 at San Diego Yacht Club, where the overall trophies for the series will be presented.
The 39th edition of the Little Old Ladies will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. Find or borrow a Sabot from your child or grandchild and enjoy being the captain of your own boat and enjoy the great camaradarie found in racing Adult Sabots.
Additional photos and information as well as complete results are at balboayachtclub.com.
