Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup - Cougars versus Keelhaulers
by Los Angeles Yacht Club on 16 Mar 2015
The Harbor Cup fleet sailing towards Angels Gate - Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup Jeremy Leonard / Sail Revolution
http://www.transpacyc.com/
The final day of the Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup was a thriller, with stunning wins by Navy and Massachusetts Maritime, and a near-upset at the top tier.
Going into Sunday’s races, on the final day of the three-day intercollegiate invitational big boat regatta, California Maritime had a one-point lead over College of Charleston; with third place University of Southern California holding off Navy by just four points. Skies were overcast but temps warm, and the westerly breeze lively.
An altercation at the start of Sunday’s first race – number nine in the series – pitted Navy against Cal. Maritime. Cal Berkeley won that start, but it was Navy who torpedoed through the fleet, showing off their proficient and vigorous teamwork and leading from wire to wire, to edge out Cal Maritime and Charleston.
The breeze held steady for the final race of this popular and hard-fought series, with the title still up for grabs. Massachusetts Maritime shook up the docket with a spectacular start, and sped to the right side of the course at the head of the fleet.
Earlier, skipper Priscilla Stoll has admitted she and her team were 'a little rusty,' saying this winter’s extreme weather had kept the crew off the water since November. But the Mass. Buccaneers stole the lead and finished their final race with a bullet.
Navy finished second, to inch the USC Trojans out of third place overall, while California State University Long Beach rebounded from an OCS to take third place in that race and sixth overall.
Back at the dock, Navy dismissed their Race Nine protest – leaving Cal Maritime uncontested at the top, with a three point advantage over Charleston.
The rival Cougars had been in the hunt, admitted Chris Vilicich, Cal Maritime skipper: 'At one point in the race it thought it was all over. I thought to myself, ‘We just have to be really patient, do everything we practiced, and hope for the best.’'
'The team did great,' he continued. 'Our boat handling was almost perfect, we made very few mistakes. I was super happy and very proud of them.'
'I’m really fortunate to have won it this year,' added Vilicich. Defending Cal Maritime’s four-year winning streak put 'a ton of pressure' on the team. 'I’ve been super-nervous the past two weeks – but now that it’s finally over I’m relieved.'
The Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup was initiated in 2008, and is organized and hosted by Los Angeles Yacht Club (LAYC) – a leading fixture in West Coast boating since 1901. Originally founded as the South Coast Yacht Club, it later incorporated Sunset Yacht Club and the Los Angeles Motor Boat Club; moving to San Pedro in the 1930s. It was described at the time, as a 'heterogeneous group of sailors, power boatsmen with their naphtha launches, and sailing dory enthusiasts, but not without a number of larger schooners and fairly fast sloops.'
Harbor Cup races are held in the Pacific outside the LA Harbor breakwater and iconic Angels Gate Lighthouse, beneath the Pt. Fermin landmark, with the impressive Port of Los Angeles as a backdrop. The Port encompasses, 7,500 acres and can accommodate 270 vessels with 86 cranes, including the new post-Panamax vessels. In addition the harbor boasts 3,800 recreational slips and the World Cruise Center at Ports O’ Call, amidst its 43-miles of waterfront.
Please visit website for more information on LAYC and Harbor Cup, and visit our Facebook page. For results go to http://scores.collegesailing.org/s15/port-los-angeles-harbor-cup/
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/132508