This Sunday and Monday, which was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 20th and 21st, the Corona del Mar (CdM) sent their sailing team to the Harold Adams Regatta. CdMHS entered a total of two teams in the race. There were 18 teams that participated in the regatta, including the two from CdM. This event was hosted by the Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA). The individual races were held in the Yacht Harbor in front of La Playa. All boats were borrowed by the very generous San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC).

This event was not racing in fleets, as they normally do. The particular event was a team race event, which means three boats per team. Two teams race each other at a time. In order to win the race, a team must have a combined score of ten or below. For example, winning combinations include but are not limited to second, third, and forth place.

The first day brought extremely shifty wind conditions. Despite the wind’s biting cold, the sun was out and shining, warming spectators on the docks. After the rigging and the skippers’ meeting was over, everyone set up their chairs and gear on the dock. The official races started at around 11:00 AM. However, right after getting out on the water, the wind died completely, forcing the SCYA officials to postpone the races until the wind picked up a little more.

Once the wind accumulated enough to race, all boats were sent back out again. The first day consisted of 45 races, or one “round robin”.

After the races finished, the CdMHS team derigged and went to their hotel for the night. Before lights out, the team went to dinner together at a restaurant called Miguel’s, which is a team tradition.

The second day’s conditions were completely different. The wind picked up right away and stayed in the high teens (in knots) all day. The amount of wind was so much that racing was even a little on the dangerous side. Many boats ended up capsizing mid-race, barely avoiding the moored yachts and big boats. On the bright side, because it was so windy, SCYA was able to race two complete round robins.

Once the third round robin of the weekend was completed, the boats came back in to the docks and protests between teams were resolved. The award ceremony immediately followed. CdM’s first team ended up in fifth place in gold fleet, and CdM’s second team placed third in the bronze fleet. Congratulations Sea King Sailing!