Columbia 30 wins inaugural Newport to San Diego

by Justin Wallin, Columbia Yachts on 11 Aug 2005 The new Columbia 30, Uncontrollable Urge, won first in class and first overall in the annual Newport to San Diego offshore race on July 30, 2005.

The crew which had been delivered just six weeks before beat seventeen other entrants to take the win and make a profound statement that Columbia Yachts was back.

‘Only two boats beat us for the Barn Door - an Andrews 70 and a trimaran. The boat was really fast - we were surfing between 9-11 knots most of the race in 11-16 knots of wind,’ enthused James Gilmore, who owns Urge with his brother, Chris. ‘The crew was totally focused and we sailed a fast course.’

Vince Valdes, president of Columbia Yachts, said ‘What I like most about this win is that these aren’t professional sailors, and they didn’t have professional sailors aboard – Chris and James just sailed a great race and leveraged the Columbia’s strengths. The fact that it was their first race is great as well.’

The annual Newport to San Diego offshore race is hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club. Full results can be found online (http://sdyc.org/raceinfo/results05/newportSD_res.htm).


About Columbia Yachts

Columbia Yacht Corporation builds high performance Sport Yachts™ in Fullerton, CA. The Columbia 30 is a 30 foot sailboat designed to meet the needs of a large and growing group of sailors – those that want to race (and win) as well as daysail and overnight/weekend cruise with their friends and family.

The company relies on superior design, materials, components and build-quality to drive unprecedented value in the marketplace.

For more information about Columbia Yachts, including race results, photos and more, visit www.columbiayachts.com.