Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week - Day 2
by Betsy Crowfoot 23 Jun 2019 17:41 NZST
21-23 June 2019
Racers were rockin' and rollin' on and off the water at the 2019 Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week here today. Ullman Sails LBRW is hosted annually by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and Long Beach Yacht Club.
Conditions on Day Two of the three-day event cranked up from a modest 11 to 13 knots at the onset, to sporty seas and breeze in the high teens by late afternoon. Buoy racers in 10 different divisions, competing on three courses, enjoyed a trio of lively races; while Random Leg racers took a scenic tour of San Pedro Bay in distance courses ranging from 12 to 23nm. In that category, Elyxir moved to the top of the leaderboard of RL A; DistraXion posted a second bullet and firmed up their lead in RL B; while Gator snapped up first place in RL C.
Midlife Crisis and Minor Threat ended Day Two tied for first in J/70s. Amidst that competitive 18 boat fleet is Ullman Sails owner and LBRW sponsor Bruce Cooper, racing aboard USA32, in sixth place.
Ullman Sails has been hosting a nightly debrief for J/70 racers, and tonight's talk was aptly about 'dealing with chop' and 'communications onboard in heavy and noisy conditions.'
Holding a 10-point lead over rivals in the Viper 640 fleet was Nice Asp. Code Blue blew Whiplash out of first place in Schock 35s, with a 2-2-1-1-1 record. Also clocking only top-two finishes was Raptor, in PHRF C: 2-1-1-2-2. In PHRF A, Santa Barbara Yacht Club's Argo stood in first place, with Lugano the frontrunner in PHRF B. In the Catalina 37 Nationals, a home-town rivalry shaped up, with LBYC teams DH3 moving to first place and D-Ives nipping at their heels.
Today's conditions provided spectacular viewing for competitors, spectators, and the 70-some volunteers on the water. A panorama of colorful sails spanned the horizon atop white-capped seas, where dolphins and sea lions cavorted.
Nowhere was the excitement more evident than Bravo course, where the big boats played. Farr 40 skipper Rick Goebel, flying a Canadian flag off a hockey stick astern Insanity, said the racing was, "not for the faint of heart." Insanity, in second place after today's racing, is tuning up for the Farr 40 Worlds, to be held here in October, and illustrates the international pedigree of LBRW racers. While Goebel is Canadian, Farr 40 leader Struntje hails from Germany; TP52 competitors Nimbus and Patches are from Mexico. PHRF A fleet's Kite35 is also from Canada, and Aussie Airwaves from the Land Down Under.
Sailors were rockin' and rollin' each night at LBRW as well. Following up Friday evening's rousing party on the lawn at ABYC was a Mount Gay Rum party poolside at LBYC tonight. Rivalries melted as friendly competitors danced and shared racing tales and cocktails as the sun sank low.
Sailing continues Sunday June 23 for LBRW daily and overall honors, plus the Kent Golison Family Trophy, Satariano (one-design) Boat of the Week and PHRF Boat of the Week awards, the Yacht Club Challenge, Catalina 37 National and and Schock 35 Pacific Coast championship titles. Races start at 11:55am tomorrow, with a prize-giving at LBYC at 5:00pm.