Port of Los Angles Harbor Cup Regatta at Los Angeles Yacht Club - Day 2
by Betsy Crowfoot 7 Mar 20:06 PDT
March 6-8, 2026
Strong gusting breeze forced a nearly four-hour postponement of racing on Day Two of the 2026 Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup here today. But as northerly winds eased Principal Race Officer Tom Trujillo took a mid-afternoon gamble, dropped the striped AP flag, and sent the sailors out.
"Today we had a predicted northeasterly that came in strong but stayed stronger than we thought it would," said Trujillo, who is also Co-chair of this prestigious three-day intercollegiate regatta hosted by LAYC, POLA and Cal Poly Maritime. Although conditions remained prohibitive for several hours Trujillo and Co-chair Marjorie Irvin refused to call the races, keeping the postponement flag up and teams 'at the ready' in case the wind subsided. Around 2:30PM it finally did.
And the co-eds were eager to race! Although three races constitute a series and Friday's four bouts satisfied the Sailing Instructions: that did not satisfy the racers. "We definitely want to finish as many races as possible," said Arden Rathkopf, Univ. of Hawaii. "By the end of the day yesterday we felt we had everything figured out, and want to keep that momentum going!"
Going into today in third place, astern Univ. of Charleston and USC, every point counts for Hawaii. "We had one bad race yesterday but the fourth race of the day was the most perfect race I've ever sailed," said the Rainbows' mastman. "Perfect start at the pin, crossed the fleet, hit the lay line and set perfectly... I was thinking 'Right on! We are going to win this race!' So for sure we want to keep that momentum going."
Earlier in the day the Race Committee boat had poked its nose out to check conditions, thinking it might be favorable inside the San Pedro breakwater. Alas, Trujillo said, "The sea state was flatter but it was gusting 30 knots. We did a 180 and came back in, but are holding on to hope for the day." The fleet of identical 37-foot Catalina keelboats from the Long Beach Sailing Foundation have a limited sail inventory: one jib, one spinnaker and a mainsail which does not reef; thus races cannot start in winds of 20 knots or more.
When the wind eased to 14 knots racing recommenced at 3:15 and three fast and furious races ensued. Marking his first year at Harbor Cup, Maine Maritime skipper Issac Thompson noted just three of their eight co-ed crew members have previously competed in the regatta. "Some teams have a lot of experience on the boats which is an advantage," he said, "but the more time we get onboard, the more we can even out the playing field." He added, "And we're not really familiar with West Coast conditions, how that westerly wind moves right like clockwork, it's insane!" A lifelong Mainer, Thompson and the Mariners are certainly enjoying the California sunshine. "It's been a pretty rugged winter at home but the weather here is unbelievable. It's just the coolest thing: I have been hearing about this regatta since I was a freshman and have been looking forward to racing here ever since."
At day's end the Charleston Cougars clung to the lead with 19 points, while USC Trojans, just five points astern, held off the Rainbows by one point. Navy's Midshipmen advanced from fifth place to fourth, edging out the Cal Poly teams. And Victoria's Vikes celebrated their first win of the regatta in Race Seven, the final once-around bolt about the course in the waning winter sun.
Today's races set the stage for a rousing final day of Harbor Cup competition tomorrow. "Fortunately we got four races in yesterday, under most ideal conditions you could ask for in San Pedro, then everyone persevered and got these three races in this afternoon," exclaimed Trujillo. As for tomorrow? "Sunday is traditionally an unpredictable day due to the time change from Pacific Standard Time to Pacific Daylight Time. Even though we set our clocks ahead, the sun, moon, and rotation of the Earth don't. So when we're out on the course at 11:30, it's really 10:30 in Mother Nature's eyes," Trujillo added. Time will tell, but at least, he continued, "we are giving our competitors great weather, great food and lots of opportunity to tan on board."
Racing commences tomorrow Sunday March 8 at 11:30AM and culminates with a prize-giving at LAYC when the victorious team will be presented the prestigious Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup Perpetual Trophy.
This evening LAYC will host a Saturday night dinner featuring keynote speaker and winner of the 2025 Transpacific Yacht Race Alli Bell. Bell and her team aboard the Cal 40 Restless won the King Kalakaua Trophy for First Overall on Corrected Time in Transpac 2025. Bell is the first female skipper to claim that title in the 119-year history of this legendary race and comes from a long line of Transpac 'royalty' - following in the footsteps of her grandparents who started racing Transpac in the 1950s, and two successive generations.
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.