On the Harbor: Summer sailing season will soon be behind

It's Raab by a nose!

Just like that and the 2017 summer sailing season has come to a close. Like always, the early warning signs were out with the closing of the Orange County Fair, football season starting and the arrival of Halloween candy on the store shelves.

The events that have fastened to my mind this summer are the Transpac race, Sabot Nationals, Lido 14 Championships, Taco Tuesdays at BCYC and NHYC Thursday night Twilight races.

I have already talked about the Transpac race this summer and, yes, I am still carrying around a big smile for winning our division in this year’s race to Hawaii aboard Horizon. I also have happened to notice a couple of other people around the harbor with the same type of smile.

Jake Mayol 2017 Sabot Champ!

Looking all the way back in time to 1948, less than 15 people have won the Junior National Naples Sabot Championships, Nina Nielsen Memorial Trophy, more than one time. This year BCYC member Jake Mayol is one of these 15 people. Mayol had to earn it with close racing down to the end, sailing on Mission Bay the first part of August. Peter Busch and NHYC member Erik Hou were all within three points of each other at the end. Other Newport Beach sailors did very well in this year’s Sabot Championships: Morgan Pinckney finished fourth, Sophia Devling was sixth and Gray Hemans was 10th. An outstanding performance from these junior sailors.

I was humbled by the names of the past repeat winners on the Nielsen trophy: Charles Merrill, Jerry Thompson, Earl Elms, Brian Thomas, Nina Nielsen, John Shadden, Jim Otis, Bill Hardesty, Tyler Sinks, Jake La Dow, Max Brill and now Jake Mayol. Very impressive, Mr. Mayol – for a job well done.

Out on the harbor in mid-August, the 2017 Lido 14 Championships were sailed with 31 boats showing up looking for a shot at the title. Friday, the first day, was a qualifying round splitting half the fleet in Silver and Gold Divisions. The favorites quickly moved to the top of the fleet, all past Lido 14 Champions. Mark Ryan had a small lead after the first day of racing followed closely by Mark Gaudio. Chris Raab, a top favorite, had two forgettable races on Saturday and fell to the back of the pack after six races. Sunday started with Gaudio taking a comfortable lead, if you can imagine a horse race announcer calling the race when the horse in the back breaks to the outside and quickly moves through the pack. That horse was Chris Raab and he flew through the fleet taking three firsts and a second in the last four races to win by a nose. I was out on the water spectating and it was some of the best racing I have watched in a long time. Other teams to watch were the 17-year-old Porter Killian, sailing my Lido, taking 4th and Jeff Lenhart, the 60-year-old who still knows how to hunt in these physical boats grabbing 5th place. I learned a lot by watching this regatta and hope to bring some of that knowledge with me into the upcoming Harbor 20 Fleet championships this year.

Speaking of the Harbor 20s, we have wrapped up our summer sailing season with BCYC Taco Tuesdays and NHYC Thursday night Twilight races. For me, Taco Tuesdays is the big night with 37 races this summer. In C fleet, with 15 boats competing, Robert McDonald showed that he wanted to take the entire summer series by putting in the best effort, and turning in his taco for the whole enchilada. In second and third place this summer were Richard Somers and Emile Pilafidis. In B fleet, there were 10 boats competing with Cole Pomeroy punching in his time card and taking the overall win. He was followed by PJ Kohl in second and Debra Haynes in third. No one wanted A fleet more than Mark Conzelman who made sure his boat was on the race course for every race with him and some of our harbor’s best at the helm. Conzelman crushed the fleet this summer with me garnering second and Gary Throne taking third.

NHYC Thursday night Twilight Series had 41 boats sign up this summer and 28 races. The Twilights are split up with monthly winners and the competition is intensified from Tuesday nights. Top finishers in C fleet this year were O’Sullivan, Twist and Swigart. In B Fleet it was Hause, Springer and Haynes. A fleet has Conzelman, Bissell and Menninger winning the golden ticket each month.

So, what’s coming up in September? We have the BCYC Club Championships on the 17th with Family and Champion divisions sailing in the Harbor 20s. There are also two Harbor 20 high point races that prepare the fleet for the upcoming championship during the first part of October.

On Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m., the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Marine Committee meeting at Marina Park will have our new Harbormaster Dennis Durgan review the progress made in the harbor.

For my paddleboard readers, make sure you have your life jackets on or attached to your boards. Rumor has it that the authorities are ticketing people without their life jackets.

With the summer sailing season over, I am hoping to get back on schedule and provide two columns each month. I have some good ideas … so please stay tuned.

Sea ya’

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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for StuNewsNewport.