YACHTING CUP NEWS

The third and final day of the 2017 Yachting Cup concluded today with a change of course due to more atypical San Diego weather. Race Committee decided early this morning to change all courses from the ocean to inside the San Diego Bay where waters were much calmer. All of the boats that sailed in Saturday's Near Roads course sailed in the South Bay and all the boats that sailed in the Middle and Far Roads courses sailed in the North Bay. All of the fleets sailed course 1 which was 7.28nm except the Pac52s and the Division AA boats. These bigger boats sailed course 2 which totaled 10.53nm. 

The breeze was on for the second day of the 2017 Yachting Cup! It was a busy and challenging day of racing, with almost 100 boats competing on three courses in the ocean. Following today, the Yachting Cup will conclude Sunday with racing on the same three ocean course venues. With the breeze hovering around 15-20 knots, it was certainly a windy day on the San Diego ocean. Coupled with 3-5 foot swells that were frequent and close together, it was a lumpy and bumpy ride out there. And if that's not enough, there was a sprinkling of rain showers every so often just to keep the sailors on their toes. Several competitors claimed the conditions reminded them of a typical day of sailing in San Francisco Bay. 

Day one of the 2017 Yachting Cup wrapped up early this evening after an exciting day on the water. With gray skies and temperatures in the mid-60s, racing occurred in the ocean and in San Diego Bay. The Yachting Cup will continue on Saturday and Sunday with racing on three ocean course venues each day. While the rest of the city was out celebrating Cinco de Mayo, the Pac52s were celebrating their inaugural race as a Class out on the ocean course. Four boats (Fox, Invisible Hand, Rio, and Bad Pak) competed in three races on an especially long course, each leg measuring 1.7nm. After a slight postponement while the wind picked up, racing began at noon in about 10 knots of wind.

Check out the awards for this year's Yachting Cup. Featuring the new Yachting Cup logo courtesy of Lois Harrington, these brushed medal awards will go to top finishers in each class.

Just in time for summer, the San Diego Yacht Club has a new partnership with sunscreen brand Bare Republic to encourage sun safety on and off the water. Perfect for active individuals, Bare Republic makes lightweight sunscreens that are non-whitening and non-greasy for both your face and your body. Their sunscreens are naturally scented, broad spectrum, and are great for both adults and children. Our favorite part is that Bare Republic is local to San Diego and is extremely eco-friendly.

Jackets, vests, duffel bags, backpacks, short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, hats and more! All available for pre-order now, and for sale during Yachting Cup Weekend at San Diego Yacht Club. Thanks for Pirates Lair for providing the gear, featuring the new Yachting Cup logo! http://store.pirateslair.com/yachting-cup/

San Diego Yacht Club’s signature spring event, the Yachting Cup regatta, returns on May 5-7, 2017 for the 45th year. Over 80 entries are expected for this year’s regatta from numerous yacht clubs around Southern California as well as international yacht clubs from Canada, Uruguay, and Bermuda. The 2017 Yachting Cup will feature ocean buoy racing on Friday for the Pac52 and West Coast 70 classes. These scores from Friday will count towards their overall Yachting Cup class standings. Also taking place on Friday afternoon is the Ton Cup, a random leg race inside San Diego Bay. Racing continues on Saturday and Sunday with two venues out on the Pacific Ocean and one in San Diego Bay. Each day will feature post-race activities and parties back at SDYC after racing.

One of San Diego Yacht Club’s most anticipated spring events, the Yachting Cup regatta, takes place for the 45th year on May 5-7, 2017. Over 80 entries are expected for this year’s regatta from numerous yacht clubs around Southern California. Early entries for this year’s race include a handful of West Coast 70s including 2017 Islands Race winner Roy Disney’s Andrews 70 Pyewacket. The Pac52 Class will compete in their inaugural event including Victor Wild’s Fox who won the Friday Ton Cup race in the 2016 Yachting Cup. Several past overall and class winners have already entered this year's event. Back to capture another title is the 2015 overall winner, Neil Fraser on his 1D35 Mexican Divorce.

With two months to go until the 2017 Yachting Cup, we caught up with one of the event chairs, Joanne O'Dea. Joanne has a long history of volunteering her time on SDYC committees and has chaired numerous SDYC events. Most recently, Joanne was awarded the SDYC 2016 Alonso de Jessop Memorial Award for her exceptional services to the yachting community.