Dates changed for 2009 Invitational Regatta for Hoag Cup

by Rich Roberts on 27 Jan 2009
Racing dates for the 2009 Invitational Regatta for the Hoag Cup have been changed to June 12-14, Friday through Sunday, to avert a conflict for the charitable event that arose when another Southern California regatta involving similar boats was scheduled on the same weekend.

The third biennial Hoag Regatta, the most successful charitable regatta in the nation, has raised more than $700,000 for Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute through the 2005 and 2007 regattas. The fleet is limited to fast monohull yachts of 50 feet and larger. Those include ageless ULDB 70s like Ed McDowell and Patrick O'Brien's Grand Illusion that won overall in 2007, and West Coast sailing's ongoing icon of offshore racing: Ragtime.

Chris Welsh's 45-year-old Spencer 65 has competed in the two previous Hoag Regattas and has been on a roll through the Southern Hemisphere. Just a few months younger than its owner, it started with last summer's Tahiti Race from Los Angeles where it won overall honors and from where it went on to an extraordinary run of success in the land of its origin Down Under.

After Christmas Welsh and a crew including four New Zealanders, sailing the only American entry, won Division 2 in the annual Sydney to Hobart Race and later finished first and second in IRC handicap scoring in New Zealand's offshore White Island and Bay of Islands races.

The Hoag Regatta strikes a personal chord with Welsh, who is a longtime member of the 552 Club, a community-based support group of individual volunteers and donors founded in 1966 dedicated to promoting and financially supporting the non-profit Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

'I helped them start the 552 Juniors about 23 years ago,' Welsh said. 'It was [originally] started to add 552 beds to Hoag Hospital with a $100 contribution per member per year.

'They have top programs in each discipline for health care. I've been there twice for staph infections, five years ago and three years ago . . . 104-105-degree temperatures for four or five days. I was surfing down in Fiji and got nicked on coral.'

For Welsh, the last several months in that part of the world were a lot more fun.

Ragtime was known as Infidel when it was launched in 1964 and until it came to the U.S. in the early 70s to win successive Barn Doors for first to finish in the Transpacific Yacht Race. Even with a different name, it was remembered fondly and found to be very popular among the Kiwis.

'There were people coming by constantly,' Welsh said. 'It was a problem to get things done, but it was enjoyable. We had a TV cameraman sailing with us on the White Island and Bay of Islands races.'

Welsh will bring Ragtime home to Newport Beach in April to rejoin the usual Southern California schedule, including the Hoag Regatta.

More information - http://www.hoagcupregatta.com/