The Yachting Cup will return to San Diego on Friday, May 3rd for an intense three days of racing on the Coronado Roads ocean venue and in San Diego Bay. Spectators can expect to see an estimated 100 remarkable boats in about 10 classes competing in a series of one design and handicap racing.

The Yachting Cup was established in 1972 as a premier offshore sailing event. The regatta was sponsored by Yachting Magazine and often times doubled as the US Ton Cup Championship, a qualifier for Worlds. Through the decades, the Yachting Cup shifted into a two-day event with multiple fleets and the Ton Cup was brought back as a Friday afternoon “tune-up” race to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

New this year is the addition of a non-spinnaker class (or classes) along with the Harbor 20 One-Design class that will be sailing in South San Diego Bay. The non-spinnaker classes will start and finish in South Bay but race up into San Diego Bay on predetermined random leg courses. The goal for 2019 is to continue adding diversity in the fleets that participate in the Yachting Cup and increase participation from our friends in South Bay.

Regatta Chairman Tim Fuller explains, “This is going to be a major change for the Yachting Cup this year. Our intention is to open up the event and attract a wider range of skill levels to participate and get off the docks. You never know who might come out of the novice ranks and develop into full-blown racers. I’m also happy to introduce new fleets to the beautiful venue that is San Diego Yacht Club.”

The 2018 Yachting Cup was well attended and sailing conditions were under blue skies. The regatta kicked off with Friday’s Ton Cup with 33 competitors inside San Diego Bay. See the 2018 results here.

BadPak’s Tom Holthus expresses his excitement. “When the Pac52 class met on its 2019 schedule, it was unanimous that everyone wanted SDYC’s Yachting Cup to be part of the Series. The owners all exclaimed that SDYC puts on the best regatta of any venue where the class races; from its premier location where the boats can be med moored at the Front Dock, to the professional organization of running yacht races, to the social events following racing for the sailors of all classes of boats. The Pac52 class liked it so much that we made the SCYA Midwinters at SDYC part of our 5-regatta series as well.”

Separate from the Yachting Cup, sailors can choose to enter the Ton Cup on Friday afternoon. The Ton Cup is a random leg race in San Diego Bay. The scores from this race will not count towards the Yachting Cup, but feature a Ton Cup awards party with prizes. With the exception of a handful of fleets, most of the racing will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

Each day of racing will conclude with a post-race activities and parties at SDYC. The Yachting Cup Awards Party will be held after the races on Sunday.

SDYC Commodore Jerelyn Biehl comments, “The Yachting Cup hosted by San Diego Yacht Club has grown tremendously over the past 47 years, crowning winners in numerous fleets. We’re excited this year to offer entry to boats over 20′ and for the first time, a non-spinnaker division. By being more inclusive and offering starts for more boats, we hope to encourage more skippers to enter. We’re looking forward to welcoming all racers to SDYC and share in our love of competitive sailing followed by fantastic shore-side events.”

SDYC invites you to take part in this exciting regatta on May 3-5, 2019 and add it to your team’s 2019 sailing calendar! Registration for SDYC’s premier event is open and the Notice of Race has been posted. You can find more information at www.yachtingcup.com.

by Jeff Johnson