Ullman Long Beach Race Week - Day 2
by Long Beach Race Week 25 Jun 2023 16:19 NZST
June 23-25, 2023
Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week © Bronny Daniels
The breeze was lighter than the forecasts predicted for Day 2 of Long Beach Race Week, which kicked off at noon on Saturday. Conditions proved that competitors needed flexibility in their tactics to do well, noted Bruce Cooper, owner of Ullman Sails Newport Beach and event lead sponsor.
"Racing on the inside course we saw 9-13 knots with the wind starting at 225-235 degrees and going left about 15-20 degrees in the second race then back to 230 in the third race," Cooper said. "Starts were a premium because there were very few passing lanes with the smooth water and the one-sided racecourse, which was more to the left today, so the good results came from those who had the best starts."
PRO Steve Kuritz managing the Alpha course on the outside concurred, "Today was an odd day for Long Beach, it was lighter than expected and the wind during the day went left instead of the typical Long Beach "going right." But sailors figured it out and it was a great sailing day."
Today was all about consolidation with clear leaders emerging in most fleets.
In the Farr 40 class, Blade II leads with five bullets, White Knight helmed by Zoltan Katinszky (CBYC) is in second with 12 points, and in third with 15 points is Dark Star helmed by Steve Brown (BCYC). The crew sailing Blade II have borrowed the boat from the owner who is out of town for this regatta but wanted to make sure his boat was represented as it has raced at LBRW for more than twenty years. Helmsman Nick Mercier is from New Hampshire and racing a Farr 40 for the first time with crew mostly from Los Angeles.
"We are very thankful to the wind gods who have brought sunny blue skies and good breeze," Mercier smiled. "Our results on both days have been wonderful because of our dedicated crew. The competition is fun and the one design aspect makes it a lot more fun for me because that's what I enjoy most. I was very lucky to come out here and race with these guys. We're having a GREAT time."
Rob Anderson helmed his Catalina 37 crew racing as Shore Team to lead the class with 12 points, ahead of Team LBYC and Team D-Ives Plus who are even with 15 points each. Anderson, who is from Pullman, WA, is racing with a group of friends who have not sailed together for 28 years; they used to work in sail lofts together and race on San Francisco Bay. Will Benedict (RYC) and Dominic Marchal (ABYC) chartered the Catalina 37 to reunite the group, which includes two of their original crew who have come from England to race.
"These boats are so competitive; their speeds are not the fastest but they're all the same speed so inches matter. I was just amazed at how competitive the fleet is, really good sailors, very close racing - you can go from first to fifth really easily. Today was that Alamitos Bay light and lumpy but still you got thrown in some shifts to keep things interesting and it wasn't just a peel off to the right day - there were little shifts in there that you had to be aware of. It was a great day of sailing - every day down here has been beautiful. This group were always the best people to sail with, no attitude and always fun and it's carried over 28 years later."
Lisa Meier, LBYC Rear Commodore sailing on Team LBYC, praised Anderson and his crew, "They did really well and took over first place from us today. Long Beach showed off champagne conditions again and the sporty breeze gave everyone the opportunity to excel. We had to work hard, and we took advantage of the shifts and the breeze. All the competitors stepped up and the competition in this fleet is really stiff. The race committee set courses that provided great racing for all classes on the Charlie course."
Carlos Robles is trimming main and calling tactics on Nimbus, the J/70 skippered by Eduardo Saens (SDYC), which is in first with six points. Behind in second is Jeff Janov (CYC) on Minor Threat with 11 points, followed by Ryan Cox (VYC/ABYC) on DJ with 17 points.
"The competition has been great - Minor Threat, Sloop John B and DJ have been pushing us very hard," Robles said. "There is very even boat speed amongst all of us so it's anyone's game. We performed well, starting on the biased side of the line with speed in most of the starts, which has helped us be at the top from the beginning. Eduardo and the rest of the team have done a great job making the boat go fast which makes my job easier!"
Brad Thompson (ABYC) has five bullets and is leading the new Melges 15 fleet, followed by Allie Blecher (CYC) in second with 13 points and James Baurley (ABYC) in third with 19 points.
"It helps to have a great crew and I have Kevin Taugher who is magic," Thompson said. "It's been a little bit of everything, we've had some great boat handling, yesterday was a little different in the bigger breeze where we just powered through and basically just kept boat speed up. We were hitting 16 knots yesterday in breeze downwind and the big boat guys were clapping us on as we blew by them. Today was a little more strategic watching shifts and puffs and finding places on the course."
Results for all classes are available here.
The first race warning will sound at 11:55 AM on Sunday, the final day of racing for LBRW 2023. Conditions permitting, two races will be sailed in most classes. Prize giving will be held at LBYC on Sunday at 5:00 PM.
Long Beach Race Week (LBRW) is hosted by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) and the Long Beach Yacht Club (LBYC). LBRW is open to multiple classes and this year is proud to host the Catalina 37 National Championship, the Schock 35 Pacific Coast Championship, the Viper 640 Pacific Coast Championship, and the J/70, J/80, J/105, J/109, and J/120 Southern California High Point Series. Competing for the first time is the Melges 15 class.
The event is grateful to the generosity and support of its 2023 sponsors including Ullman Sails, Evans, Clarke Marine Insurance, Cabrillo Boat Shop, The Oriana Shea Group, Tom Walker Photography, Pirates Lair, Durant Design and Construction, and Mount Gay Rum. Regatta info at www.lbrw.org.