LBRW - Beautiful day on water – but a good day to stay out of water

by Betsy Crowfoot on 26 Jun 2016 Shark Week arrived a day early this year, muscling in on Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week (LBRW) with several great white sharks sighted off the peninsula this morning, prompting a marine safety advisory here. While the juvenile sharks (four to seven feet) fed in the shallows, there was another feeding frenzy going on offshore.

On “A” course, the Race Committee was on their toes as nearly four dozen Farr 40s, Fast 50s, J/70s and J/120s converged on the finish line almost at once, in Race Three. It was a testament to the tight racing LBRW is known for, which has drawn sailors from up and down the Pacific Coast for more than 35 years.

In the Fast 50s division Margaritaville was outfoxed by Victor Wild’s new TP52: they were in first and second place (respectively) at press time, pending a protest.

Competition was equally fierce in the Farr 40 division. Temptress was in second place after three races, until she retired due to a crew injury (not critical). Ray Godwin’s team expects to return to the course tomorrow, to challenge Insanity, who tops the leaderboard.

The J/35 Rival remained unrivaled in PHRF B, with five bullets; Relapse enjoyed similar results in the Flying Tigers class. In the 16-boat Viper 640 fleet, Jeff Grange’s Venom dominated, as they vie for the Pacific Coast Championship title. Also racing for Pacific Coast honors are the Schock 35s, with Robert Marcus’ Code Blue leading the charge.

Flojito y Cooperando moved to the top of the leaderboard in J/70s, with all top 10 finishes; five points ahead of second place Sugoi – a Corinthian Class boat owned by Chris Raab and Dale Williams.

Random Leg participants enjoyed a 25-mile jaunt to Platform Eva and back. Medicine Man was at the head of “RL A” class, while Shockwave and Gator tied for first in “B.”

In the Catalina 37 Nationals defending champion Dave Hood and his Long Beach Yacht Club Team clung to their lead by one point, holding off challenger Team Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.

Despite the clashes on the race course, competitiors agreed on one thing: it was a beautiful day on the water, with cooling southwest breezes in the eight to 12 knot range. Skies were hazy and temperatures sublime – particularly as it grazed 100-degrees inland.

LBRW racing will continue tomorrow, Sunday June 26, for 120 yachts in 14 classes, beginning at 1155AM. Prize-giving will follow at approximately 5PM at Long Beach Yacht Club.