E.E. Manning Regatta for all ages but watch out for the kids!

by Rich Roberts on 8 Mar 2009
The Southern California Yachting Association's annual E.E. Manning Regatta dates to 1935. It's for sailors of all ages, but the kids are taking over.

Leaders of the three largest classes after Saturday in the two-day event organized and hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club were 17-year-old Chris Barnard of Newport Beach in Lasers, Nevin Snow and crew Marly Isler, each 15, of San Diego, among 40 CFJs, and 12-year-old Riley Gibbs in Naples Sabots.

'It was kind of my first time sailing against the older guys in full rig [Lasers],' said Barnard, who two months ago on the same waters won the right to sail a lighter powered Laser Radial for the U.S. in the 39th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship at Buzios, Brazil July 9-18.

Barnard scored finishes of 3-1-1 as a cool, brisk southwest sea breeze built from 8 to 13 knots through the clear 65-degree afternoon on the outer Long Beach Harbor.

'It was my conditions,' said Barnard, who at 165 pounds is 10 to 15 under the ideal weight for a Laser. 'It was just on the verge of getting unmanageable. It's only the second time I've sailed a full rig, and I know I'll have to step up to that eventually. It's a little different. Downwind you power up so it's easier to accelerate over the waves.

'I really enjoyed sailing with those older guys. It's a privilege.'

One of the older guys, ABYC member Chris Raab, a former Laser Masters national champion, said of Barnard, 'He's trained really hard. He'll represent the U.S. well at the Youth Worlds.'

Snow and Isler had a hot string of 1-2-1 finishes to build a five-point lead in CFJs, which are concluding their four-stop Shadden Series with this event. They finished sixth in their only other regatta sailing together, but Isler has good bloodlines for the sport. She is the daughter of Olympic silver medalist JJ Isler and America's Cup veteran Peter Isler.

Tactics were a big part of their plan from the start, literally.

'With this many boats there was a lot of [starting] line sag,' Snow said, 'so we took advantage of that by starting in the middle and going right, like you typically do at Long Beach, and getting the lead to the first mark.'

Pease Glaser, who won Olympic silver crewing a 470 for JJ Isler at Sydney in 2000, this time had the helm with husband Jay Glaser---also an Olympic silver winner with Randy Smyth on a Tornado here in 1984---as crew. They won all three races on an F/18 catamaran in the Portsmouth handicap class for boats that lacked the numbers to make their own class.

Inside on Alamitos Bay, Gibbs, disdaining the Sabot C class for juniors, was 4-1-1 among 19 boats sailed mostly by grownups.

Racing continues Sunday at 11:30 a.m. PDT, conditions permitting.

Complete results: click here