Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week - Preview
by Betsy Crowfoot 14 Jun 2019 09:09 NZST
21-23 June 2019
2018 Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week - Day 3 © Tom Walker
Excitement is building for this year's Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week: the fiercest, funnest regatta on the West Coast! Hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and Long Beach Yacht Club, Ullman Sails LBRW is the favorite regatta for sailors who want to race, race, race and dance, dance, dance all weekend long!
More than 100 teams have already entered the June 21 to 23 event, which draws sailors from Arizona to Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Starting at 12:55pm Friday June 21, competitors will vie in a series of seven windward/leeward or three random leg races, in both one-design and PHRF fleets.
Racing continues Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23, beginning at 11:55am.
Long Beach is known for model sailing conditions, with reliable westerly breezes filling in each afternoon. Fleets racing inside the Federal Breakwater enjoy the idyllic combination of stiff wind and flat water, while outside courses get the added challenge of a lively sea state. Already forecasts are predicting sunny skies with winds of 10 to 15 knots for the June 21 to 23 timeframe.
Sailing for championship trophies are the Schock 35 fleet and Catalina 37s. Farr 40, TP52 and J/70 classes will also be well represented, while a burgeoning Viper 640 fleet takes advantage of Ullman Sails LBRW to tune-up their skills in advance of their August World Championships.
Prizes a-plenty are the name of the game at Ullman Sails LBRW. Boat of the Day and daily awards are presented to Friday and Saturday winners in each established fleet, in addition to overall series awards.
But there's more! For the highest placing boat sailed by at least three immediate family members, there's the Kent Golison Family Trophy; while the Travel Trophy is given to the boat owner traveling the furthest to compete. The Satariano Boat of the Week award recognizes the one-design class winner of the tightest, most competitive division; and the PHRF Boat of the Week prize goes to the same, in their category. Plus, a battle for honors in the Yacht Club Challenge is sure to ensue: awarded to the club whose team has the lowest combined score in Catalina 37 and two other divisions. There's even a bonus award spurring a rivalry off the course: a distinctive bottle of rum for the fleet with the most boats. As close of entries approaches - Tuesday June 18 at 6:00pm PST - the Viper 640s and J/70s remain in a tight contest for those liquid laurels.
As if that's not enough, Ullmans Sails LBRW is also renowned for exceptional nightlife. Parties hosted Friday from 5:00 to 9:00pm at ABYC and at LBYC Saturday from 5:00 to 9:00pm include music and entertainment, food, drinks and cash bar. Sunday's post-race festivities and prize-giving begin at LBYC at 4:00pm.
From the free gourmet coffee at the US Sailing-sponsored Buzz Bar in the mornings, to special charter deals from The Moorings, to yacht club capers in the evening, and last call on Second Street: Ullmans Sails LBRW is the favorite regatta of sailboat racers for four decades. So whether you 'Can't Stop the Feeling' to 'just dance, dance, dance' - as Justin Timberlake puts it; or find the opportunity to race, race, race irresistible; or both - put some 'sunshine in your pocket' and enter today!
For more details go to www.lbrw.org
Close of entries is 6:00pm PST Tuesday June 18, 2019.