Smooth Sailing: 52nd Annual Santa Barbara to King Harbor Regatta
On July 25-26, fifty-six sailboats entered this annual race, hosted by Santa Barbara Yacht Club and King Harbor Yacht Club.
The course, of 80 nautical miles, provides great scenery, as the sailboats go around Ana Capa Island, followed by a long run down the coast, to finish in the South Bay.
Competitors from 27 different yacht clubs participated, and were grouped into 9 fleets, based on similar boat speeds. The fleets included a ‘Cruising’ fleet, that was allowed to run auxiliary power part-time, and a ‘Multihull’ fleet that included catamarans and trimarans. The boats ranged in size from 24-feet to an impressive 77-foot sloop.
The first fleets started at noon, with moderate winds, which continued to build through the afternoon. Whereas, last year, very light winds resulted in the boats finishing between 6:00 am and 2:00 pm the next day, consistent breezes brought the first-place boat to the finish line just before 7:00 pm, and even the slowest boats were finishing by just after 1:00 am.
“Zephyrus”, skippered by Damon Guizot
The first boat to finish, with the lowest elapsed time, was the 77-foot, “Zephyrus”, skippered by Damon Guizot, of Los Angeles Yacht Club. Local KHYC members Brian and Sara McMartin were part of the crew.
The overall winner, with the lowest corrected time, adjusted for the boat’s handicap rating, was “Scoundrel”, one of the smallest boats, skippered by Cameron Feves of Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club.
The first to finish multihull was “Wahoo”, skippered by Bill Gibbs, from Pierpont Bay Bay Yacht Club. KHYC member Scott Haisman was part of that crew. The first overall multihull on corrected time, was “Rascal”, skippered by Ryan McCord, of the Santa Brabara Sailing Club.
“Triggerfish V”, skippered by Andy Beggs, with 2nd place
Top KHYC finishers included “Triggerfish V”, skippered by Andy Beggs, with 2nd place in the PHRF B class, and “Wahoo”, skippered by Paul Zambriski, with a 3rd place in the ULDB D class.
They were actually also 6th place overall in the entire fleet.
KHYC’s “Flying Dutchman”, skippered by Jason Herring, also broke into the top 10, with a 9th place overall.
KHYC’s Mare’zia, skippered by Robert Schramm, earned 3 rd place in the Cruising Fleet.
An all-youth team, from KHYC, led by Parker Johnson, also participated in the Cruising Class!
The competitors were treated to multiple socials at the host clubs, including a cocktail party and barbecue at SBYC, and the awards party and traditional shrimp feed at KHYC.
Full results and race info: www.sbyc.org/sb-kh
Photo Credits: Diana MacDougall
www.bigdmacphotography.com