Adult Naples Sabot racers from all over Southern California gathered at Newport Harbor Yacht Club for a glorious day of competition and camaraderie last Sunday.
Men and women representing seven different yacht clubs from San Diego to Long Beach competed in the Newport Harbor turning basin. The weather was perfect for the 8-foot single-handed boats, with winds blowing from 8 to 10 knots Three races were completed, with many of the participants wishing for more.
The regatta was the second in a series of five sponsored by the 70-plus members of the organization. In April, racing was held in Mission Bay. In September, Balboa Yacht Club will bring the racers back to the other end of Newport Harbor. Then in October, the series will continue in Alamitos Bay near Naples, where the first boats in the fleet were built. In December, San Diego Yacht Club will host the final event in the series, where the top racers will receive the overall trophies.
Many of the racers were practicing for the Senior and Masters Naples Sabot Nationals which will be held in the same area on June 4 and 5. For additional information about that event, the International Naples Sabot Association (I.N.S.A.)
web site is at www.naples-sabot.org.
Trophies went to:
- Ladies A – Gale Pinckney, NHYC, 1st, Betty Becker, SDYC, 2nd, Terese Ivory, BCYC, 3rd.
- Ladies B – Susan Jennings, NHYC, 1st, Ruth Jones, MBYC, 2nd, Carol Pearson, MBYC, 3rd.
- Men – Danny North, SDYC, 1st, Jeff McDermaid, ABYC, 2nd, and John Drayton, NHYC, 3rd.
- Mixed Novice – Gary Pearson, MBYC, 1st, Celia Niemerow, BYC, 2nd and Jan Houghton, NHYC, 3rd.
