Battle of big boats at Newport Beach

by Rich Roberts on 19 May 2005 Big, fast and in your face is the prospect this weekend when 17 world-class sailboats clash in the inaugural First Team Real Estate Invitational Regatta Friday through Sunday. Registration and social activities start Thursday.

Averaging more than $1 million in value, the fleet ranges from Randall Pittman's 90-foot Genuine Risk and Roy Disney's 86-foot Pyewacket to 48-footers, ULDB 70s and Transpac 52s, and if they were racing any closer to the beach they'd need wheels.

Balboa and Newport Harbor Yacht Clubs have combined resources to organise and manage the event. Special projects include a temporary dock built inside the entrance to Newport Bay to accommodate the largest boats with drafts too deep for normal mooring.

A start-finish line for upwind-downwind, twice-around courses will be set within shouting distance of the Newport Pier. The schedule calls for one race Friday and two each Saturday and Sunday starting at 1 p.m., wind conditions permitting.

Such inshore competition is rare for big boats in Southern California where they are usually seen starting races to Mexico or Hawaii and then vanishing over the horizon. Here, they'll cross tacks and jibes in close quarters and then sweep toward shore to finish under bright billowing spinnakers.

Friday's start should be spectacular when all boats go off together. On Saturday and Sunday they'll be separated into two or three classes according to performance ratings.

For locals, the most familiar boat may be Paul and Laura Sharp's bright yellow Taxi Dancer, one of the original ULDB 70 ‘sleds’ that has been featured on promotional posters and advertising.

‘It's been getting a lot of press,’ Paul Sharp quipped. ‘I'd better put it up for sale real quick.’

Sharp is a Newport Beach boat distributor who grew up sailing in England. He bought the colorful boat last year and is extending its successful history dating to the 1989 Transpacific Yacht Race when it finished in 8 1/2 days, still the 25th fastest elapsed time for the race.

‘It's been a very successful boat, and we just revamped it, built new keels and everything,’ Sharp said. ‘It should be up to scratch now.’

Although the days are past when ULDB 70s like Taxi Dancer dominated offshore racing, Sharp is keen for this weekend's competition.

‘We sail against these guys all the time,’ he said. ‘We raced against all the big boys to Ensenada and got fourth in class and fourth overall and beat Genuine Risk and Pyewacket.’

That was on handicap rating, not boat for boat.

‘Those guys' ratings are bad,’ Sharp conceded,
‘but it will be interesting to see how they do in short course racing.’

Principal race officer Mike Wathen explained, ‘we will be using the Time on Distance mode of the Americap II scoring system.

'This will be enhanced by a new electronic scratch sheet [developed by US Sailing offshore chairman] Dan Nowlan, which should make it very easy for boats to know how they are doing on the course.

‘Dan also will have the capability to provide a running mark by mark narrative to the spectator boats, as well as informing the race boats of corrected times shortly after finishing each race.’

Genuine Risk and Pyewacket will be eager to hear that, if not overly optimistic. They would be expected to finish 1-2 in every race but not so well with their handicaps factored in.

This will be the next-to-last event of Disney's racing career. He has said he'll leave the game after his 15th Transpac in July.

The biggest boats' nearest threats, boat for boat, should come from Doug Baker's Magnitude 80 from Long Beach and Scout Spirit, the Newport Sea Base's 78-foot maxi sled with its skipper-for-the-weekend, David Team, who submitted a $30,000 bid for the privilege.

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian received a $25,000 share and the Newport Sea Base the other $5,000.

The best boat-for-boat fight could be among the four 70 sleds - Taxi Dancer, Ed McDowell's Grand Illusion, Doug Ayres' Skylark and Al and Vicki Schultz's Vicki - and three Transpac 52s from the world's fastest growing big boat class: Mark Jones's Flash, Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud and Fred Detwiler's Trader.

First Team Real Estate is the title sponsor, playing a key role in the event preparation and sponsorship support. Silver Sponsors include Bank of America, Daily Pilot, Hewitt, LNR Property Corporation, Mellon, Merrill Lynch, MKA Capital and PIMCO.

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Event proceeds will benefit Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute.

Entries to date:

America's Challenge (Volvo 60), Neil Barth, Newport Beach.

Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach.

Chayah (1D48), Oscar Krinsky, Long Beach.

Flash (Transpac 52), Mark Jones, San Francisco.

Genuine Risk (Dubois 90), Randall Pittman, San Diego.

Grand Illusion (Santa Cruz 70), Ed McDowell, Lahaina, H.I.

It's OK (1D48), Lew Beery, Glendora, Calif.

Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, Calif.

Pendragon IV (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Los Angeles.

Pyewacket (Reichel/Pugh maxZ86), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles.

Ragtime (Spencer 65), Peterson/Welsh/Richards/Zimmer, Newport Beach.

Rosebud (Transpac 52), Roger Sturgeon, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Scout Spirit (Reichel/Pugh 78), David Team, Newport Beach.

Skylark (Santa Cruz 70), Doug Ayres, Newport Beach.

Stark Raving Mad (J/145), Jim Madden, Newport Beach.

Taxi Dancer (Reichel/Pugh 68), Paul Sharp, Newport Beach.

Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler, Detroit.

Vicki (Andrews 68), Al and Vicki Schultz, Long Beach.