Port of Los Angles Harbor Cup Regatta at Los Angeles Yacht Club - Overall
by Betsy Crowfoot 8 Mar 23:18 PDT
March 6-8, 2026
A spirited rally by Cal Poly Maritime and relentless assault by the remainder of the fleet threatened - but couldn't topple - College of Charleston's grasp on the lead at the Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup this weekend, as the Cougars captured their third victory in this prestigious offshore keelboat regatta.
Cal Maritime Keelhaulers finished second and USC Trojans third. The three-day, intercollegiate offshore sailing event is hosted by Los Angles Yacht Club (LAYC), the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), and California Poly Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime).
The Cougars had taken an early lead in the regatta which started Friday March 6, but just a handful of points separated them from USC and the Univ. of Hawaii after Saturday's races. Following a 50-minute postponement Sunday Race Eight started in four to five knots from the southwest.
The difference in conditions - from Saturday's hearty wind to Sunday's zephyrs - proved a challenge for the teams who had mastered the brisker conditions and lumpy seas, and the Cougars found themselves OCS in Race Eight. They made an incredible recovery to a fourth-place finish, but Cal Maritime, who has dominated this regatta since its inception in 2008, won that bout and began an aggressive ascent.
By Race Nine the breeze had crept up slightly and the competition on the heels of Charleston tightened between the Keelhaulers, Trojans, and the advancing Navy Midshipmen. Univ. of Victoria, the fleet's newest competitor, had finally come into their own: familiar with the boats and conditions, they led the fleet around the course to victory in that race. The Keelhaulers finished second, shuffling the leaderboard and putting the squeeze on the Cougars.
Commencing today's final race at 2:15PM the podium was still up for grabs. Hungry for points and position the last start was aggressive and saw three teams OCS. Contenders spread out across San Pedro Bay on flat water beneath sunny skies, with the Trojans and Keelhaulers trading the lead around the track. But when Charleston finished fourth in that race they had triumphed in the Port of LA Harbor Cup, winning by a scant three points.
"Being from the east coast the biggest challenge for us is the waves and different water conditions," explained Cougar helmsman John Polek. The team sails out of Charleston Harbor, "so it's a little tough sailing in the West Coast conditions, but we just try to stay calm and keep doing what we do best."
The Cougars have had a solid season of success, winning the Naval Academy's Kennedy Cup regatta two years in a row, their division in Charleston Race Week, the Navy Shields Trophy Regatta and McMillan Cup, and the Larchmont Yacht Club IOR overall. Said Polek, "Our team has won all these events, and this (Harbor Cup) is the only one I haven't, so I was hoping to get it before I graduate in two months." Mission accomplished!
Charleston did not have a big boat program until the Harbor Cup piqued their interest, according to Coach Ned Goss. The opportunity to compete in this respected, high-level regatta was impetus for them to create their Offshore Sailing Team in 2013: today's victory solidified the validity of that program. "It all started here," Goss pointed out, "so thank you very much to LAYC and the Harbor Cup organization."
The appeal of the Harbor Cup is much more than a few boats tacking around on the water. Competitive racing, a matched fleet of one-design race boats, and precision race management are some of the qualities the teams rave about. There's intense action and rivalries that turn to friendships ashore. Free lodging from host LAYC, who also provides all meals for the teams, plus dinner programs and a keynote speaker; qualities that make Harbor Cup feel like 'a real event' and 'a unique, special and memorable experience, not just a regular regatta.' It's no wonder every year since 2008 scores of academies and colleges vie for an invitation to Los Angeles to battle it out for the highly coveted perpetual trophy and bragging rights.
"If you take all the hopes and goals from when Harbor Cup was conceived, and fast forward 20 years, I feel we've exceeded all our expectations," explained Capt. Jim Morgan, co-founder and 'patron saint' of Harbor Cup. "We took all the best ideas from other regattas and put it all into one. It is fully funded through donations: it doesn't cost the school anything to do this. I'm so proud of my club," continued the LAYC Staff Commodore, "the Port of LA, Cal Maritime, and our entire community. Our goal has been to introduce or perpetuate big boat offshore sailing for our young men and women. And if you think about it, we've had over 1,500 college sailors come through here in the last decade. That's incredible!"
For more information on the POLA Harbor Cup go to www.layc.org/LAYC-harbor-cup.
For complete results visit scores.collegesailing.org/s26/harbor-cup.