LA28: Not as cool as I thought it would be

The unexpected decision to have two venues for the Olympic Sailing Program at Los Angeles 2028 was more about politics and money than providing a superior athlete experience. Brendan Huffman, a sailmaker and lifelong racer and cruiser from the Los Angeles area, shares his view:

Maybe moving most of the 2028 Olympic sailing events to Los Angeles Harbor from Long Beach was not as cool as I thought it would be.

The Port of Los Angeles announced how it is terminating the lease for youth and Scouting activities at the Cabrillo Beach Youth Center so that Olympic sailing teams can begin training there January 1st, to be operated by two nearby yacht clubs. This news is not going over well in San Pedro, the community where much of L.A. Harbor is located.

Since 1982, the Scouts have occupied that facility and shared it with Girl Scouts, 4-H clubs, and local schools to give thousands of pre-teens exposure to the outdoors every year such as camping, swimming, kayaking and more. The 12-acre facility was built with funds largely raised by the Scouts, including $3.6 million from American filmmaker Stephen Spielberg.

If the youth groups are displaced until after the 2028 Olympics, as the Port has indicated, much of their funding, volunteer base, and partners will likely disappear.

As a third generation slip lessee in L.A. Harbor, I was excited last June to learn that LA 28, the local Olympic authority, had unexpectedly moved six of the ten Olympic sailing events out of Long Beach to San Pedro in L.A. Harbor.

Since then, often while stuck in traffic due to construction on the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which links the two venues, I have reconsidered my enthusiasm for these reasons:

1. There is not nearly enough infrastructure in L.A. Harbor to accommodate hundreds of Olympic athletes and their equipment, support teams, and families.
2. San Pedro lacks lodging. If you go online to explore hotel rooms in San Pedro, you’ll see what I mean. Two-star motels are not going to cut it. (San Pedro also lacks shops and restaurants, particularly near Cabrillo Beach).
3. Local wind and current conditions are so predictable and right side favored on upwind legs that clean starts are unusual in competitive one-design regattas as the RC Boat end of the line gets excessively crowded in summer time no matter how favored the pin end is set. Kelp and fishing buoys are factors too.
4. The long breakwater and commercial (and recreational) traffic entering and exiting the nation’s busiest seaport is a significant conflict.
5. The coordination of Olympic activities with the high number of federal, state, and local agencies in San Pedro will require a skill-set that few individuals have. I cannot imagine how much it will cost to have a team of professionals coordinate all the permits and schedules with the US Coast Guard, the Port of L.A., the CA Highway Patrol, LA Police Dept., Port Police department, L.A. Dept. of Transportation, CA Dept. of Transportation, US Dept. of Homeland Security, CA Tidelands Trust just to name a few.

Long Beach did a top-notch job in running the sailing events in the 1984 Olympics, and have carried on that tradition as a popular venue for prominent championships. Much of the infrastructure is already in place and is where many Olympic hopefuls have already set up their training programs.

San Pedro may be windier (after all, it is called Hurricane Gulch), Long Beach’s waterfront has far more quality hotel rooms, better viewing, more course options, and wind tendencies that are not as right side favored.

Regardless of where all the Olympic sailing events are held in 2028, local youth groups should not be displaced. This is about the growth and health of the sport, so I hope a solution exists that serves all needs.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program (July 16-28):
First Week – July 16-20
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA

Second Week – July 23-28
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Los Angeles, CA
Men’s Skiff – 49er – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 – Los Angeles, CA

For more details, click here.