Chuck Nichols' J/120 CC Rider Wins SDYC's Yachting Cup
May 2, 2010 (San Diego, CA) – Nearly 100 keelboats and over 700 sailors participated in San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup this weekend. The winner of the Yachting Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the most competitive fleet, went to Chuck Nichols and his J/120 team on CC Rider. Said Nichols, "It was a difficult weekend because we rarely have a southerly on sunny days and we had it both days. The only way to win is with outstanding crew work and that’s what we have."
The Melges 24's sailed an eight-race, no discard series over three days and Brian Porter, Vince Brun and Bri and Clifford Porter were the first boat to return to SDYC in the Southwesterly. Their string of bullets and one 3rd place finish gave them enough of a margin not to have to sail the final race of the series.
Low point for the regatta went to Hot Rum in the PHRF 4 Division. The CF33 partnership of Al Castillon, Richard Parlette and Brian Folkman that has been sailing together for over 20 years, posted five bullets and finished the regatta with a perfect score of 5 points. Said Folkman, "We had ideal conditions this weekend. It was nice to sail against other heavy displacement boats and have such close racing."
Racing in the seven one-design fleets and one IRC-rated TP52 fleet was so close that it was commonplace to have overlapped boats cross the finish line throughout the weekend in which sailors experienced the Catalina eddy. Cold air coming down from the north deflects north of LA and hooks back into the San Diego area as a southerly. It wasn't until well into Sunday’s racing that the wind started to shift right as a light haze burned off. Said Jim Dorsey of the J/105 Wings, "It was a chamber of commerce weekend."
The big boats on the West Ocean Course off of Point Loma and the J/120's, Melges 24's, J/105's and the PHRF 3's competitors on the Roads course off of Coronado experienced an 10-12 knot SSW, a large swell, sunshine, temperatures in the low 60’s throughout the weekend. Even rail meat had an important job this weekend – spotting kelp.
Schock 35's, J/80's and the smaller PHRF boats sailed in the flat waters of the South Bay. Said longtime J/80 fleet champion Curt Johnson, who steered his J/80 Avet to a very close regatta victory; "We had excellent conditions on the South Bay. Yesterday (Saturday) it was all left and today (Sunday) it kept going right. I like the waves outside, but my crew loves the flat water. We had really close racing among the top three boats," he emphasized, "within inches."
The West Ocean Course
Chuck Sinks stepped in as helmsman for Jim Madden on SRM and started the regatta with two bullets. SRM has dazzling speed. Says Sinks, "It's a phenomenal boat, and its great to have other TP52's here from out of town." SRM was the winner in the TP52 Class, however Andy Rasdal's team on Valkyrie was happy with their performance, "we were a close second" said one of the crew.
Dennis Pennell's R/P 50, Blue Blazes and Edward McDowell’s Santa Cruz 70 Grand Illusion traded first place finishes throughout the weekend in the PHRF 1 Division. GI won the final race, but Blue Blazes slipped in a second, which was enough for Blue Blazes to win the regatta by a point.
Tom Hirsch's USA 10 set the pace among the Flying Tigers throughout the weekend with 1, 2, 1, 1, 2. Payson Infelise’s Mile High Klub had 2, 1 on Sunday and distanced itself on Anarchy, which scored a consistent 3, 3 for the day.
Dark Star catapulted to the top of the Farr 40 Class after David Voss' Piranha, which won on the water lost in the protest room.
The Roads Course
After Friday's racing in the sheltered waters of the South Bay, the 12-boat Melges 24 fleet took the racing of their inaugural California Cup out on the Pacific off of Coronado. Brian Porter, Vince Brun and the next generation of Porter's Bri and Clifford, displayed great teamwork throughout the weekend. They won all but one of the races seven races that they sailed. Kent Pierce's team on Average White Boat won the two races that the Porter/Brun team did not. Said Brian Porter following the regatta, "We have such a great group of people in the Melges Class. I'm happy to see Kent’s team win two races and the competition get tighter as the weekend went on. It shows how clinics, debriefings and time on the water can raise everyone’s game."
Loren Colahan's Lounge Act was third place for the regatta and won the trophy for the top Corinthian team in the Melges fleet.
Chuck Nichols' CC Rider was low point in the 9-boat J/120 fleet on Saturday and Sunday. CC Rider's victory in the most competitive fleet earned the team the 2010 Yachting Cup. John Snook's JIM and Peter Zarcades' Meltemi were second and third overall. They were tied on points with 16.
The Beneteau 40.7's shared the starting line with two IMX38's, an NM41, a Fers and a J/36. A Beneteau 40.7, French Toast won both days and the regatta, and there were at least a couple of races in which places were decided during the last jibe across the finish line.
The 15-boat J/105 fleet comprises the largest one-design fleet participating in Yachting Cup. Most of the fleet is from San Diego and they take no prisoners when they play. Three different boats won races during the regatta and Doug and Pam Werner's Javelin came out on top with 11 points. Everyone worked hard throughout the weekend and Blow Boat moved into a solid second on Sunday. Sanity, Wings and Current Obsession2 finished 3rd, 4th and 5th with only four points separating them.
South Bay Course
Many of the Schock 35's that sailed Newport Harbor Yacht Club's Ahmanson Regatta earlier this month are competing on the South Bay this weekend. Dave Michaelis' MAKO, which placed 2nd in the Ahmanson, got off to a stellar start on Saturday with three bullets. Others came on strong on Sunday, but could not snatch the lead from MAKO.
Said J-World's Jeff Brown, whose team finished second overall, "Sailing on the flat water in the South Bay is fantastic. We have three J-World boats here and it is a lot of fun. We had very competitive sailing with second and third place finishes within boatlengths of one another." Bob Hayward and his crew on Blue Jay were third in the regatta.
Hot Rum, a CF33 continued to post a string of bullets to its scoreline on Sunday and won the PHRF 4 division. Dave Vieregg's Toy Box took second and Larry Leveille's Rush Street was third.
The Party
San Diego Yacht Club is undergoing massive construction projects and that didn't stop Commodore Campbell, Regatta Co-Chairs Jon Gardner and Julia Olmstead, staff and all of the volunteers from being spectacular hosts during all of the weekend’s festivities.
Saturday Highlights May 1, 2010 (San Diego, CA) – San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup kicked off today for nearly 700 sailors on 100 keelboats on three courses. The big boats on the West Ocean Course off of Point Loma and the J/120's, Melges 24's, J/105's and the PHRF 3's competitors on the Roads course off of Coronado experienced an 10-12 knot SSW, a large consistent swell, sunshine, temperatures in the low 60's and a bit of kelp. Schock 35's, J/80's and the smaller PHRF boats sailed in the flat waters of the South Bay. All fleets completed three races.
Porter / Brun Take First 3 Races in Megles 24 Opener of Yachting Cup
April 30, 2010 (San Diego, CA) – The first three races of the inaugural Melges California Cup were sailed today in a brisk westerly in San Diego’s South Bay. Brian Porter, Vince Brun, Brian’s son and nephew, Bri and Clifford, won all three races on the protected and flat waters of the South Bay today. The California Cup is part of San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup.
Melges 24 California Cup Starts Today as Part of Yachting Cup
April 30, 2010, (San Diego, CA) – The Melges 24 skippers' meeting for the California Cup, which is part of San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup, has just finished and the fleet is heading to San Diego's South Bay for 3 races today under sunny skies and nice breeze.
A Melges 24 clinic starts at 5:00 pm. Guest speakers include Vince Brun, Brian Porter and Charlie McKee. If you are in town, please stop by the club today or tonight for the clinic, completion of registration and to check out the Notice Board.
San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup This Weekend
April 30, 2010, (San Diego, CA) – While horses jockey for a passing lane at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby on May 1st, crews will be fighting for clear air off the starting lines and around the buoys set by San Diego Yacht Club during Yachting Cup.
With fifteen boats, the J105’s will turnout the largest one-design fleet in the regatta and the Melges 24’s are close behind with an even dozen. The Melges 24 sailors are sailing three races in San Diego’s South Bay on Friday in the California Cup, a three-day Melges series incorporated into Yachting Cup. For all sailors interested Melges 24’s or anyone wanting to pick up sail trim and boat handling tips from Vince Brun of North Sails Once Design, Brian Porter and Charlie McKee, stop by SDYC at 5:00 pm on Friday for clinic near the hoist, which will be followed by a casual pre-regatta reception. Fleet breaks will be posted on the notice board on Friday evening also.
Saturday Night BBQ Dinner Tickets and Regatta Shirts are also on sale. Purchase them with your regatta entry, or separately here: Tickets & Shirts Order Form
Chuck Nichols' CC Rider was low point in the 9-boat J/120 fleet on Saturday and Sunday. CC Rider's victory in the most competitive fleet earned the team the 2010 Yachting Cup. John Snook's JIM and Peter Zarcades' Meltemi were second and third overall. They were tied on points with 16.
Melges 24 California Cup Starts Today as Part of Yachting Cup