SCYA Midwinter Regatta is firing up for competition

by Rich Roberts on 7 Feb 2014 The Southern California Yachting Association's 85th Midwinter Regatta is firing up for competition February 15-16 at 24 venues from San Diego to Ventura and Arizona, none busier than Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach.

ABYC expects to host up to a hundred boats in as many as 11 classes---505, C-15, CFJ, F-18, Etchells, Finn, I-420, I-14, Laser Master, Lido 14, Viper 640---most launching from the beach adjacent to the club because of ongoing reconstruction of Basin 5 at the club. Online entry is available.

First staged in 1928, it's the longest-running regatta in Southern California, surviving the Great Depression, a full range of weather and interrupted only by World War II. SCYA and the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce teamed up in 1928 to sponsor the first Midwinters in L.A. Harbor, which was promoted as the sports 'paradise' that Southern California offered in the winter.

Until the 60s all the boats were wooden but some of the sailors were legendary. Humphrey Bogart sailed his Santana to second place in a handicap class in 1947, and Jim Kilroy raced Kialoa II in 1967, more than a decade after Long Beach's Barney Flam blew onto the scene. Flam, now 89, would probably be sailing his Cal 20 in this event if the hoists were available at ABYC. Maybe next year.

ABYC's racing will be in the Long Beach outer harbor inside the breakwater, except for Lido 14s inside Alamitos Bay. Races will start at noon each day, conditions permitting.

2013 class winners at ABYC

505 (6 boats)---Holt Condon/Reeve Dunne, St. Francis YC, 1-2-1-1-1-(3)-1, 7 points.

A-CAT (4)---Matt Strube, San Diego, (1)-1-1-1-1-1-1, 6.

Coronado 15 (6)—Barrett Sprout, SSC, 1-2-1-1, 5.

Cal 20 (9)---Freddie Stevens/Dennis Allison, ABYC, 2-1-(3)-1-1-1-1, 7.

Formula 18 (7)---Scott Miller/Patty Miller, Mission Bay YC, 2-3-1-(4)-2-1-2, 11.

Finn (5)---Phil Toth, Mooloolaba YC, 1-1-2-1-(4)-3-1, 9.

International 14 (8)---Paul Galvez, Dana Point YC, 2-1-3-1-(4)-2-2, 11.

Laser Master (11)---Jay Golison (Master), ABYC, (1)-1-1-1-1-1-1, 18.

Viper 640 (8)---James Sears/Rachel Ellis, ABYC, 2-1-3-1-(4)-2-2, 11.

Lido 14A (13)---Stu Robertson/Sammy Elsharhawy, ABYC, 1-(4)-2-1-2-5-2-2-1, 20.

Lido 14B (8)---Michael Eisenberg/Julia Rychlik, Del Rey YC, (2)-2-2-1-1-1-2-1-1, 13. SCYA Website