Fleet Growing in Newport to Ensenada Race

Newport Beach, CA (April 23, 2015) – Spectators can expect a lot of new faces in the annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race this year. According to organizers of the Newport Oceanic Sailing Association, there are 41 new entries. About 200 boats have entered the race, Commodore David Shockley said. “It’s the most new entries we’ve had in a long time,” Shockley said. “We’re trying to reach out and open up the race to a lot more people.”

Sailors will take off from Newport Beach’s harbor at 11 a.m. Friday and sail the 125 nautical miles down to Ensenada. They’ll pull into the Hotel Coral’s marina sometime Saturday, Friday night if they’re fast. About 160 boats participated in the race last year.

On top of new entrants, the race has opened to new classes of boats. Long Beach, CA resident John Sangmeister, the president and CEO of restaurant Gladstone’s Long Beach, will head up the new “Unlimited” class of nontraditional boats in the race with his NACRA F20 carbon full-foiling catamaran.

“We’re really excited about the race,” Sangmeister said. “We think it’s a great tradition.”

Sangmeister said he’s participated in the Newport-to-Ensenada race many times, but never in a boat like this. The boat can reach speeds over 30 knots in perfect conditions and can lift its hull out of the water to reduce drag. With that kind of speed, Sangmeister said he wants to be in Ensenada before sundown.

“I get scared in the dark,” Sangmeister said, laughing.

Laguna Niguel resident Federico Pavoncelli said he bought a boat “after living 20 years four miles from the beach and never enjoying it.” Now he’s part of the group of newcomers in the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race.

“When I bought a boat, I noticed how beautiful the California coastline is,” Pavoncelli said. “But you can only go to Catalina or San Diego so many times. I figured, at least let it become a sport (for us).”

Pavoncelli will be part of a crew of six sailing his Beneteau Oceanis 41, called Marilu’. Still, the newcomer said he’s not sure whether he’s feeling more anticipation or anxiety. It’s his first time racing at night, and Pavoncelli said things could get complicated.

Patrice Bonnefoi of Simi Valley, also a new racer, said he has attended several seminars put on by the sailing association and others. He said he has no “pretension of winning” the Newport-to-Ensenada race but is trying get more time on the water to eventually meet his goal of sailing around the world.

“I did (the seminars) just to get ready, get insights from people with a lot more experience than myself,” Bonnefoi said.

The race started 68 years ago as a race for sailors coming out of World War II. In its heyday, the race drew sailors such as Steve Fossett, Dennis Conner, Bill Ficker and Dave Ullman and even a few celebrities such as Humphrey Bogart, Buddy Ebsen and Walter Cronkite.

It will be Newport Beach, CA resident John Szalay’s 51st race, and he said he has no intention of stopping. He had to turn around near Oceanside last year after some serious engine problems but says he’ll make it this year.

“It’s a relatively short race, and racing at night is always fun,” Szalay said. “It’s just nice going down there.”

The 200-plus entries this year are a long way from the 450-550 boats Szalay remembers seeing a decade ago. The organizers have opened the race to more boat categories, and he suspects that the majority of new entries are cruisers.

Shockley said the recession drove a lot of people out of sailing but the increase in entries this year could signal a turnaround.

There was also concern over boats getting impounded a few years ago. Mexican officials impounded more than 300 U.S. and Canadian-owned boats in marinas south of the border for paperwork issues in 2013, scaring off racers.

But the sailing organizers have ironed out issues with officials in Ensenada and ensure that every racer has proper documentation, said Newport Ocean Sailing Association chief marketing officer Peter Bretschger. And those permits? They’re good for 10 years.

“We’ve worked hard to foster relationships in Ensenada,” Shockley said. “I can’t emphasize how friendly and inviting the people are to us.”

Event Website