One of the largest sailboat racing regattas of the year are the Mid-Winters. These races are all over our state and part of Arizona. I saw at least three different yacht club race committee boats anchored in the turning basin, and a couple on the Balboa side of the channel across from Lido Isle Yacht Club.
Hundreds if not thousands of sailors partake and enjoy the blustery winds of this time of year. While the winds on Saturday were decent, we had a fantastic blow on Sunday. The Sabot and Harbor 20 fleets were quite large and the skippers had to stay on their toes. In past extreme conditions a few Sabots have swamped, (filled with bay water), although I didn’t see or hear of any this year. The Harbor 20’s have a lead filled keel so swamping is not an issue.
Besides the fun speeds and plotting for first to finish, when a skipper has crew members they are also concerned with everyone’s safety. When during the race you come about or jibe, (change direction), your crew will change sheets (sail ropes), and not get hit by the boom (solid mainsail bottom support), and not fall overboard as the boat tips and turns direction. It can get quite exciting for all involved.
The following are some of the race results—enjoy the photos I snapped on Sunday.
Balboa Yacht Club: Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club:
Sabots – Adults: Harbor 20 – A:
1st Molly Lynch BYC 1st Jon Pinckney NHYC
2nd Diane Kent BYC 2nd Gary Thorne BYC
3rd Jeff McDermaid BYC 3rd Philip Ramser NHYC
Newport Harbor Yacht Club: Harbor 20 – B:
Sabots:
1st Cole Harris SDYC 1st Richard Loufek NHYC
2nd Zach Malcolm SDYC 2nd Helen Duncan NHYC
3rd Scott Mais NHYC 3rd Emile Pilafidis USISA
American Legion Yacht Club:
Not Posted 2 days after races.
Congratulations sailors!
Save our environment; sail a boat!
Sea Ya,
Skipper Steve
Steve Barrett has more than 50 years boating in Newport and performs systems checks, repairs and pilots yachts. Email him at skipperstevetoo@yahoo.com.
