 By Connie Ellig & David Hopps
STAFF WRITER
On October 3 & 4, nearly 100 boats will participate in one of Southern California’s premier sailing competitions, the 45th Annual San Diego-Ensenada International Yacht Race. Organized by the Southwestern Yacht Club of San Diego, the event attracts entrants from San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Ensenada who compete in eleven classes including PHRF, Multihull, Ancient Mariner and Cruising. The 62-nautical-mile race starts at 11 a.m. just east of San Diego’s Zuniga Point Light on Friday morning. To officially finish the race, a vessel must cross the finish line outside the Ensenada breakwater by 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Although many of the yachts finish after dark on Friday night, some of the larger, faster boats have been known to finish in the late afternoon or early evening if wind and weather conditions are favorable. The best locations in Ensenada to view the race during daylight hours on Friday and Saturday are from Chapultepec Hill or the “El Mosquito” rest area just north of town.
The Ensenada race headquarters is the Hotel San Nicolás, which will host Saturday’s pre-awards party at noon followed by awards presentation at 3 p.m. In addition to first place class trophies sponsored by Corona Beer, there are a number of perpetual trophies provided by the Unified Port of San Diego, the Port of Ensenada, the Mayor of Ensenada, the Baja California State Tourism Secretariat, Hussong’s Cantina, Sano’s Steak House, Corsair Marine, and Douglas K. Smith. After the awards ceremony, members of Club Náutico Baja will host a festive paella party for their fellow yacht racers.
Although many of the Southern California boaters begin their journey home early on Sunday morning to be on time for work on Monday, others will remain in Ensenada to compete in the 3rd Annual Todos Santos International Yacht Regatta, organized by Club Náutico Baja, that sets sail at 11 a.m. Approximately 25 boats from Mexico and the U.S. are expected to participate in this 20-nautical-mile sailing race around Todos Santos Island that starts and finishes near the entrance to the marina at Hotel Coral, located three miles north of central Ensenada. The fastest record time for this race, set by an American boat in 2006, is approximately three hours. Good locations to view this regatta include Playitas beach and Chapultepec Hill.
Trophies provided by the Mayor of Ensenada, Hospital Velmar and other sponsors will be presented at the awards ceremony held on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Sano’s Steak House. The Todos Santos Regatta is open to all classes of sailboats. Entry fee is $30 dlls. For registration information or to inquire about available crew space, contact Dr. Joel Velasco at Hospital Velmar at (646) 173-4500, ext. 400; cell tel. (646) 171-5132; e-mail: velasco@hospitalvelmar.com
The San Diego-Ensenada International Yacht Race and Todos Santos International Yacht Regatta are the second and third events of a three-race series that began on Sunday, September 28, with a 14-nautical-mile pre-Ensenada warm-up race in San Diego. For more information (including race results), log on to www.southwesternyc.org or contact the Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego at (619) 222-0438.
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