College team heads north on Interstate 5

The college keelboat circuit comes west for the 16th running of The Port of Los Angeles/Cal Maritime Harbor Cup Regatta on March 8-10 in San Pedro, CA. While the field includes heavy-hitters like eight-time Harbor Cup champion Cal Maritime and defending champion University of Hawai’I, the new University of California San Diego offshore sailing team will be making their debut.

“Over the past few years, the UCSD Sailing Team has been expanding our knowledge, from FJ sailing to practicing on keelboats as well,” said Robert Capita, UCSD Sailing Team Coach, who credited the ‘amazing San Diego sailing community’ with making connections and opportunities for the coeds, which has led to the creation of an offshore sailing team.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, UCSD is highly touted for its science and engineering programs, and was selected from a large field of applicants as one of ten teams to compete in Catalina 37s. Since its founding in 2008, the Harbor Cup has hosted 154 varsity sailing squads from 30 different universities and institutions: over 1,320 varsity athletes and coaches.

“We truly enjoy the energy that 80-plus students bring to Los Angeles and to our yacht club each year,” said Tom Trujillo, Harbor Cup Race Chairman and Principal Race Officer, with the students and their coaches fully hosted by Los Angeles Yacht Club members, with all housing and meals provided.

In addition, the three-day event includes a Saturday evening dinner program at LAYC featuring yacht racing icon Roy P. Disney as this year’s keynote speaker. Disney, owner and skipper of Pyewacket, is a lifelong competitive offshore sailor, with his team recently as the overall winner of the 2024 San Diego to Puerto Vallarta International Yacht Race.

Details: https://www.layc.org/LAYC-harbor-cup