By Nancy Mellon
The weather was beautiful on Saturday for the small boats as they raced in the CHOC Regatta, to benefit Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
There were 59 boats involved, representing most of the Newport Bay area yacht clubs. Twenty-four Harbor 20 skippers registered for the racing, including Bob Yates who was the largest donor for the day.
The Harbor 20s were divided into three classes, with the Harbor B start having 15 boats on the very crowded start line. The next largest single fleet was the Naples Sabot group with 12 racers entered, closely followed by nine Lasers. After the boats returned to Balboa Yacht Club, raffle prizes were awarded and the winners were honored.
Sunday did not look good for the ocean-going racers as the day began with rain. But just before the skippers’ meeting the sun came out, and it stayed out for the rest of the day.
There were 22 of the larger boats competing in five divisions. Lots of spectators enjoyed watching the beautiful boats as they crossed the finish line in front of the BYC.
The awards ceremony for CHOC first-, second- and third-place winners of each race, as well as the winner of the CHOC Cup, was well attended. The CHOC Cup went to Jim Devling, the most generous donor for the event.
Balboa Yacht Club has been sponsoring this event for 12 years to raise money for and to increase community awareness of the health care services available at the only hospital facility in Orange County that is exclusively for children. The funds raised during the Regatta will help ensure that services continue to be available to children of all socio-economic backgrounds.
For more information, including complete results for the CHOC as well as the first of the Sunkist Series, visit balboayachtclub.com.
