Port of Los Angles Harbor Cup Regatta at Los Angeles Yacht Club - Day 1
by Betsy Crowfoot 6 Mar 19:44 PST
March 6-8, 2026
POLA Harbor Cup 2026 © Joysailing
The College of Charleston Cougars took an early lead on Day One of the Port of Los Angles Harbor Cup regatta with a solid record of 1-1-1-3 in the first four races of the 10-race, three-day series.
Since 2008 Los Angeles Yacht Club has hosted this prestigious intercollegiate invitational regatta along with the Port of LA and Cal Poly Maritime Academy. Severe wind forecasts threatened the first day, but the shifty gusts eased and prevailing westerly miraculously filled in, producing fair conditions for idyllic racing off San Pedro. In northwesterly winds ranging from eight to 11 knots the 10 competitors completed four races. This year's contenders include: 2025 defending champions Univ. of Southern California, host Cal Poly Maritime, College of Charleston, Univ. of Hawaii, US Naval Academy, US Coast Guard Academy, Maine Maritime Academy, Cal Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, Merchant Marine Academy and Univ. of Victoria, BC Canada.
For the UV Vikes it was only the second time competing at this preeminent regatta. Head coach and crew member Nathan Lemke pointed out that last year, "the team had a bit of a rough start, but then really pulled ourselves together, so were super excited about coming back - it was a highlight of our season." Several teams have participated in most, if not all, of the Harbor Cup regattas, giving them a distinct edge in competition. "We've only been here once before but we know how to set the boat up now, rig it and sail it," Lemke said, "so I'm confident we'll be able to work out any issues quickly."
"It looks like we're going to have some tricky wind today, so we're hoping that will level the playing field a bit," continued Lemke. We've got a wealth of experience in boats this size and larger: the tricky part's going to be bringing it all together and working together as a team. But everybody has that same challenge," he concluded. And by the final race of the day they looked sharp, with a fourth-place finish in that match.
USC Trojans, winners of the 2025 event, stood second on the leaderboard at the end of the day with a strong 2-2-2-5 record, tailed by the Univ. of Hawaii Rainbows at 3-7-4-1, who triumphed in this regatta in 2023. Racing will continue tomorrow and Sunday, March 7 and 8, commencing at 11:30AM and culminating with a prize-giving Sunday evening, when the victorious team will be presented the prestigious Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup Perpetual Trophy.
For more information on the POLA Harbor Cup go to www.layc.org/LAYC-harbor-cup.
For results visit scores.collegesailing.org/s26/harbor-cup.