Fun for all- race, cruise or bus to Ensenada

by Rich Roberts on 19 Nov 2008 Next spring's 62nd Newport to Ensenada Race could be even more fun with friends and families joining the sailors in Mexico, without sailing a boat.

The Newport Ocean Sailing Association (NOSA) is arranging for non-sailors keen on the world's largest international yacht race to watch the starts on Friday, April 24, and then proceed to Baja California by cruise ship or tour bus, if they choose not to drive their cars.

SevenSeasTravel.com of Long Beach is offering special passage aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' Paradise, leaving Long Beach at 5:30 p.m. Friday a few hours after the sequence of starts for the several hundred boats that afternoon. It will arrive in Ensenada at 9 a.m. Saturday, with time for celebrating the race and a day tour of the Ensenada area before departing that evening. The Paradise will arrive back in Long Beach at 8 a.m. Monday. Rates start at $289 per person with double occupancy.

Participants will be able to watch the starts off the entrance to Newport Bay from viewpoints on land or from the water on board actor George C. Scott's former yacht, the Mojo, for $50 extra. The latter then will proceed by bus (included in the package) to the Paradise at the cruise terminal in Long Beach and depart for Ensenada. They will probably arrive the next morning in time to welcome most of the fleet, depending on wind conditions.

Activity schedule and pricing details at http://sevenseastravel.com/newport09.html or 800.951.5581.

An alternative offered by NOSA will be transportation from Newport Beach to Ensenada by tour bus following the starts and returning Sunday. Details are still being developed.

The plans are designed not only to enhance the race experience but to ease concerns about security in driving to Mexico, although there have been no reported incidents involving U.S. citizens driving past Tijuana at the border and on to Ensenada and returning after the race weekend.

NOSA Commodore Jerry Montgomery said, 'The NOSA officers have made numerous trips to Ensenada, meeting with the city authorities, with no problems.'

The event could also be a week-long affair in Newport Beach leading up to the starts. There will be a pre-race seminar to acquaint race newcomers with rules and conditions for sailing to Mexico, and the City of Newport Beach, a race sponsor, is involved in arranging special events.

Free mooring will be offered to out-of-town racers, including those competing in the prestigious Ahmanson Cup regatta the previous weekend. The Hyatt Regency Newport Beach is offering a special room rate of $139 per night per person for the days leading up to and through the Ensenada starts, April 15-28.

Meanwhile, leaders of the fleet are revving up for their best shots at two durable standards in the 125-nautical mile race: the record for monohulls of 10 hours 44 minutes 54 seconds set by Roy E. Disney's Pyewacket in 2003, and the multihull record of 6 hours 46 minutes 40 seconds set by the late Steve Fossett's Stars & Stripes catamaran in 1998.

More information and to view video: http://www.nosa.org/

Event sponsors and supporters include The City of Newport Beach, Orange Coast Magazine, the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, Carnival Cruise Lines and Mt. Gay Rum.

Newport Beach, an opulent seaside community located on the Orange County coastline between Los Angeles and San Diego, epitomizes the quintessential Southern California lifestyle. Known for its picturesque views of the Pacific and one of the world's largest small yacht harbors, the city is acclaimed for its beaches, yachting community, sophisticated atmosphere, international film festival, three annual epicurean festivals and the oldest holiday boat parade in the nation. Newport Beach was named 'one of the top 10 resort towns in the U.S.' by AOL Travel in 2008. For more information, call (800) 94-COAST or visit online