Long Beach, CA (June 23, 2019) – More than 100 teams participated June 21 to 23 in the 2019 Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week, hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club and Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, which drew sailors from the West Coast and neighboring nations, plus Australia and Germany.
The annual even saw wind conditions steadily build over the three day event, with racers competing in a series of seven windward/leeward or three random leg races, in both one-design and PHRF fleets.
In some cases, it was a classic scenario of ‘the rich getting richer’ as precision starts and crew work paid off.
Vesper dominated the TP52 fleet for the second year in a row, with an impressive 1-1-2-1-1-1-1 record. Skipper David Team credited his crew for the win, adding, “The Race Committee did an incredible job and the conditions in Long Beach were amazing!”
Mike Pentecost and Nice Asp grabbed the lead in the 20-boat Viper 640 fleet, and never let go. For his achievement in this highly-competitive field, Pentecost was awarded the Satariano Boat of the Week trophy.
Struntje Light controlled the lively Farr 40 fleet with a series of podium finishes; DistraXion, an XP44 racing in Random Leg B, took a bullet in each of its distance races. In PHRF B Lugano finished in first with a solid 13-point advantage over that division’s runner-up. Elyxir’s 2-1-1 record in Random Leg A won the Ely family the Kent Golison Family Trophy for the second year in a row.
In other cases it was a three-day skirmish for position. Bruce Golison’s Midlife Crisis and Jeff Janov’s Minor Threat were neck-in-neck the entire weekend, with Golison edging out Janov in a tie-breaker. In third place, and also the top Corinthian boat, was Chris Kostanecki in Jennifer.
Racing for the Schock 35 Pacific Coast Championship, Code Blue and Whiplash tussled on the course and in the protest room. In the end, one point separated the two Long Beach rivals, with Code Blue coming out on top.
Hailing from Santa Barbara Yacht Club, the crew of Argo 3 took PHRF A over Aussie Airwaves, who was consoled with the LBRW Travel Trophy for venturing the furthest distance to compete. The J/109 Raptor snared first over Off the Porch in PHRF C. Holding off challengers Shadowfax (who took second) and Dos Amigos (third), in Random Leg C was Todd Wheatley and Gator, whose first in that class also garnered him the PHRF Boat of the Week Award.
In the always-thrilling battle for the Catalina 37 National Championship honors, LBYC’s Team DH3 recaptured the title for the fifth time in nine years, with Staff Commodore Dave Hood at the helm.
Following the first day of races, Friday, DH3 and Keith Ives’ Team D-Ives Plus were tied for first; but by Saturday afternoon DH3 had a three point lead. So it was no surprise that in the first of today’s two races, Ives attacked.
To spectators, it appeared Ives and Hood had their own private match race going on, in the middle of the 11-boat Catalina 37 fleet. But Ives’ aggression bit back. Taking Hood up, he incurred a penalty; and in the busting 18-knot breeze, his penalty turn went afoul. Ives lost his chance at the title, but came back strong to win the final race of the day and secure silver.
“We have rivalries on many levels,” said DH3 tactitian Randy Smith, of their tug-of-war with Ives’ Team. “We compete against each other in big boats, ABYC versus LBYC, in the Catalina 37s … but we’re all the best of friends, and have and a ton of mutual respect.
“But when we go out there in hand-to-hand combat, we don’t care who’s friends with who,” he added. Smith attributed their win to “incredibly strong team work and effort.”
“Every position on the boat has the best person out there. The team is incredibly strong with the utmost attention to detail.” About skipper Hood, he said, “Dave started sailing late in life, and I’ve been with him almost since the beginning, and I’ve watched him grow over the last 10 years. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Rivalries and competition aside, “fun” is a key ingredient in the 40-year success of Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week.
‘This event is like a family reunion in a small town,” pointed out LBYC Commodore Camille Daniels. “All your friends get together once a year, to race and celebrate the Summer Solstice. Just think: we have the longest day of the year to have the best party!”
Daniels added that the cooperation between LBYC and ABYC is also part of the recipe.
“We have members from each club on each committee, working together. Each of our clubs has enough resources to do a regatta maybe half the size – but together, it’s magic. We have three professional run race circles, with up to 160 boats racing. That’s a big deal! And everybody enjoys each other’s’ company. We enjoying having their members at our club and on our boats, and they welcome us.”
ABYC Commodore David Schack concurred. “We’ve worked together on this regatta for years. We can tap into the talents both clubs have, and do a really good job at both the racing, and the parties. Because you can’t have one without the other!
“The racing is great, and we get a good cross section of the sailing community. It’s great to mix the big boats and the one-design boats and the small boat sailors.
“And the great vibe we have at the parties when we get everybody together, is so cool. It really unifies our clubs, and the Bay.”
Source: LBRW
