Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week June 24-26

by Rich Roberts on 6 May 2011 Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week June 24-26 offers free moorings, free nightly parties with free hors d'ouevres wrapped around three days of prime time sailing with ten fleet championships and other special awards at stake, but there's just one catch if you're keen to race in the West Coast's largest keelboat regatta: you need to sign up.
Online entries --- you don't even need a postage stamp --- are already arriving for the traditional event hosted by the Long Beach and Alamitos Bay Yacht Clubs.

Early entry fees range from $165 for boats 30 feet and less to $350 for those over 50 feet, but on June 1 those will jump to $215 and $400, respectively.

One-design boats with six entries will have their own classes; others with ratings of 222 and less will be assigned to PHRF classes. Free berthing is available to all boats, including competitors in next month's Coastal Cup race from San Francisco to Santa Catalina Island who may contact LBYC for a limited number of guest moorings at 562.598.9401 or by email at raceoffice@lbyc.org.

A year ago, despite the economic slump, there was a five-year high of 147 boats in 20 classes, including several from out of state.

Bob Miller's Giggity, a Viper from El Paso, Tex., won its eight-boat class and One-Design Boat of the Week honors for winning what was rated as the most competitive class. Miller overcame a broken main halyard and a battle with kelp Saturday to stay in contention with Alamitos Bay YC's Tim Carter until the last day.

But the award for the longest trip to get here went to Australia's Alan Brierty, the husky retired miner from Perth under the big black hat whose high-tech Reichel/Pugh 63, Limit, won the big-boat IRC class in a free-for-all with Lorenzo Berho's Kernan 70 Peligroso from Mexico.

But while, boat-for-boat, Limit finished first in every race with Peligroso next, LBYC's Ed Feo quietly sailed his Andrews 45 Locomotion to first place on handicap time over seven races.

Feo said his tactics were basic, commenting, 'It's better just to stay away from those big boats, or sooner or later the lights would go out. I have no idea what they're doing.'

Special award opportunities also include the Yacht Club Challenge for teams chartering the Long Beach Sailing Foundation's Catalina 37s---they're not just for match racing---and the Kent Golison family trophy for the regatta's highest placing boat sailed by three or more members of an immediate family.

Click here for more details about entry, awards, accommodations and other information.

Ullman Sails is the title sponsor. Other sponsors and supporters are DISC Sports and Spine Center, Gladstone's Restaurant, West Marine, EFG Bank, Open Sailing USA, Ayres Hotel Seal Beach, Mount Gay Rum, The Pirates Lair, the Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Bureau, and Long Beach the Aquatic Capital of America.

2010 class winners
(7 races; no discards)

FAST 50 (11 boats)---Locomotion (Andrews 45), Ed Feo, Long Beach/Alamitos Bay YCs, 6-6 (scoring penalty)-2-2-2-9-5, 32 points.

FAST 40 (11)---Derivative, Mark Surber, Coronado YC, 2-1-2-1-1-2-1, 10.

FARR 40 (11)---Dark Star, Jeff Janov, California YC, 1-2-2-1-2-1-2, 11.

TP52 (3)---Rebel Yell, David O. Team, Newport Harbor YC, 2-1-1-3-1-2-1, 11.

IRC (5)---Limit, Alan Brierty, Cruising YC of Australia, 2.-5-1-2-1-1-1, 13.

PHRF 3 (5)—Rival, Dick Velthoen, Ventura YC, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1, 7.

FARR 30 (5)---Huckleberry, Jim Murrell, King Harbor YC, 1-5-1-1-2-2-2, 14.

FLYING TIGER 10 (7)---Ruckus, Eric Schlagater, Anacapa YC, 2-1-1-3-1-2-1, 11.

J/120 (10)---Jim, John Snook, Long Beach YC, 11/DNS-11/DNS-2-1-1-1-3, 30.

CATALINA 37 (7)---Team LBYC, Dave Hood, Long Beach YC, 1-4-1-1-3-3-5, 18.

OPEN 5.70 (15)---Tracey Kenney, South Coast Corinthian YC, 2-2-6-1-2-2-1, 16.

VIPER 640 (7)---Giggity, Robert Miller, Rio Grande YC, 2-2-1-7-5-1-1, 19.

RANDOM LEG PHRF (9)---Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach YC, 1-1-1, 3.

BENETEAU 36.7 (7)---Kraken, Greg Lynn, South Bay Yacht Racing Club, 1-1-3-1-3-1-2, 12.

J/105 (9)---Current Obsession, Gary Mozer, Long Beach YC, 1-1-1-4-3-1-1, 12.

J/109 (5)---Electra, Thomas Brott, Seal Beach YC, 1-2-2-1-3-1-1, 11.

J/24 (4)---USA 2233, Susan Taylor, California YC, 2-3-3-1-2-2-1, 14.

J/29 (5)---Sedona, Bruce Lotz, Dana Point YC, 1-2-2-2-2-1-1, 10.

J/80 (8)---Avet, Curt Johnson, California YC, 2-1-1-3-1-4-4/SCP, 16.

SCHOCK 35 (6)---Code Blue, Robert Marcus, Alamitos Bay YC, 3-2-2-1-1-1-1, 11.