Beyond the podium: Looking back at 2026 Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week
by Long Beach Race Week 19 Jul 05:01 PDT
June 26-28, 2026
2026 Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week © Long Beach Yacht Club
Every June, competitors arrive at Long Beach Race Week hoping to win races, and many do. A great many more leave with snapshots of lasting moments: post-race dinners, new friendships, and crews that grew a little closer after a few special days on the water.
The trophies have been handed out and racing crews have returned home, but like every Long Beach Race Week, fond memories linger in the imaginations of the sailors who shared them.
"We're competitive. We always want to win," said J/125 Javelin skipper and PHRF of Southern California Vice President Dan Murphy. "But we always, always want to really enjoy each other's company along the way."
Across three days of wind and water at the West Coast's largest keelboat regatta, racers were tested in different ways on different days. From Friday's building breeze and rolling swell to the softening conditions that defined Saturday and Sunday's racing, Long Beach offered up unique challenges that brought out the best in those who could adapt.
For many of this year's champions, that flexibility came down to one thing: crew cohesion.
For J/109 skipper and class champion Bob Little, whose crew aboard Blue Crush cycled between distance and buoy racing during the weekend, it was a well-sailed crew that made the difference.
"We sail together a lot," he said. "We were able to rely on that consistency."
That emphasis on communication carried across the racecourse. In the Melges 15 fleet, where constant shifts in breeze demanded decisiveness and clean boat handling, first place finishers Allie Blecher and Katie Moran aboard Sancha described conditions that favored synergy in the boat.
"The teams that stayed patient, communicated well, and kept making good decisions were the ones who stayed near the front," said Moran.
But success at Long Beach Race Week wasn't gauged solely by where boats finished. Some of the weekend's standout moments shone when crews banded together to solve problems and help each other out.
The crew aboard Thompson 32 Klexy, for example, were adamant that they would not let their week end in DNF after suffering a catastrophic mainsail failure on Friday. With help from fellow competitor Jeff Janov, a loaner sail was sourced overnight, allowing the boat to return to racing the following morning.
Racers were persistent and ready to come to one another's aid across all the fleets. When PHRF B sailor John Snook saw that a competitor in the PHRF A fleet had hooked their keel on a weather buoy, miles outside the break water, he and his crew aboard SV JIM stopped their race and immediately went to offer assistance. The stuck vessel did not retire from racing, instead finishing their race weekend with determined aplomb.
These examples of grit and sportsmanship have long been part of the tradition at Long Beach Race Week, where fierce competition on the water gives way to dockside chats, shared repairs, and evenings spent together rehashing the day over hard-earned cocktails at the host clubs. The balance between high-level competition and camaraderie is one of the many reasons so many sailors return to the race year after year.
"Long Beach Race Week pushes everybody," said Bruce Cooper, the owner of title sponsor Ullman Sails who raced on J/111 Obsidian. "You spend the day trying to beat each other up, then you're back on the dock sharing what you learned. That's a pretty unique culture."
For Melges 32 The Baby Screams skipper Jeff Janov, that very sentiment is why the regatta remains a fixture after more than two decades.
"Long Beach Race Week is indispensable on our calendar," said Janov, who captured another championship in PHRF A alongside his sons and crew.
Janov noted that the event once again attracted an exceptional level of talent, including Olympic campaigners and international sailors.
Oft abeam on the course to these world-class athletes were crew rosters that featured relative newcomers to the sport. Beneteau 36.7 Teaser skipper Mike Guccione spent the weekend racing with several, including one friend experiencing their first time on a sailboat.
"The part I love most is watching a crew become coordinated," said Guccione. "By the end, our crew work was perfect."
For Guccione, who possesses three national sailing championship titles, the weekend's success wasn't all measured in hardware.
"It's not about the trophies," he said after a one-design podium finish in third. "It's about the respect you give to and get from your competitors."
For the organizers who have spent more than two decades building LBRW into the West Coast's largest keelboat regatta, these kinds of stories remain the event's greatest achievement.
"The results matter, but they're only part of the story," said Long Beach Race Week organizer and two-time Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Staff Commodore Chuck Clay. "What sticks with people are the experiences they share - the crews that grow together over the course of the weekend and the people who make this event part of their lives."
"That's been the heartbeat of Long Beach Race Week from the very beginning," added LBRW Co-Chair John Busch. "The competition is outstanding, but it's the people who make it special."
Hosted jointly by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach Race Week sees participation from a wide mix of one design and PHRF competitors, from veteran campaigners to first-time entrants eager to test themselves against the region's top sailors. It is the largest yacht race on the West Coast.
For full schedule, results, and more, go to lbrw.org