The winds were strong, the weather favorable and the competition on the water was fierce for the iconic Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race.
An estimated 146 boats departed from the start line off the Balboa Pier on Friday, April 26, for the 125-mile jaunt now in its 76th year. About 20 boats were signed up to do a shorter course that ends in San Diego.
“It looks like it’s going to be one of those banner years, really good wind for about 95% of the race,” Newport Ocean Sailing Association commodore Philip Herzfeld said ahead of the start, noting winds were predicted in the 15- to 22-mph range. “There will be a lot of boats finishing early this year.”
The Newport to Ensenada race has a rich history in Southern California, starting in the late ’40s, long before many of the nearby harbors existed and just as yacht clubs were forming and the sport of sailing was growing along the coast. The Newport Ocean Sailing Association created the event to promote the sport of ocean racing and the city’s growing harbor.
In the ’80s, the Newport to Ensenada was touted as the world’s largest international race, with more than 600 yachts entering annually. Among the racers were famous celebrities including Humphrey Bogart, Walter Cronkite and Roy Disney.
Participation has dropped in recent years, but this year saw an upward trend in boat participation since before the pandemic, an increase of about 6%, Herzfeld said.
While organizers haven’t had a chance to analyze why the increase, visits to various yacht clubs up and down the coast in recent months drew enthusiasm from not just long-time Newport to Ensenada racers, but newbies wanting to do the famed race for the first time, he said.
While most boats are from California sailing clubs, several entries came from out of state, including two from Oregon and Mexico, another from land-locked Arizona and a racer from Ontario, Canada, who is competing for the eighth time.
“We get boaters from all over,” Herzfeld said.
The race draws a mix of serious sailors who race multi-million-dollar yachts, alongside weekend warriors who sail decades-old boats, with vessels ranging from small 29-footers to massive 85-foot yachts.
Spectators gathered on the Balboa Pier Friday morning with binoculars and cameras ready to capture the stunning sight on the sea as the boats with their bright sails readied to take off toward the border.
“It’s a phenomenal sight to see all these boats, the mix of large and small, the different colored sails and boat designs and shapes,” Herzfeld said. “It’s really a unique sight.”
For the first few hours, boats race near one another, but as they get into the open ocean boat drivers have to strategize, like deciding whether to sail inside or outside of the Coronado Islands, said Herzfeld, who did his first race in 1986.
“I love the fact that every time I do it, it’s completely different and I never know what to expect,” he said. “I always end up meeting great people and having a great time.”
Longtime Long Beach boater Mike Whalen is no stranger to the race, first joining as a young teenager on his father’s boat.
Now 70, he’s raced on boats that vary in size, sailing in several different classes through the years. But one thing, he said, has remained the same: The thrill of racing on the open ocean.
“I really just love the freedom of it, you get out there and you’re doing all the work,” he said. “There’s no motor.
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“I’m not a great sailor, but I just love it,” he said. “I love the tactics and all the other things involved in racing. You make really good friends for life, it’s fun.”
This year, Whalen is racing the Ramble On for the second year and expected, like most other years, he and his crew from the Shoreline Yacht Club will end up in the middle of the pack.
Back when Whalen first started, Ensenada was a different place, he said, more rural and not as developed, with just one or two hotels at the finish line.
“I had never gone that far anywhere before, really, especially on a boat,” he said of his younger years. “Even though it’s not that far, it’s another culture.”
Whalen started racing with a few older friends, he said, forming bonds and friendships through the years.
“I think that’s why I do it, I have a lot of friends I get to see who want to sail together,” he said.
Some of those friends have passed on through the years, and at some point during the race each year, the crew will lift glasses to toast to their memories out at sea.
“They are all a part of making you a better sailor, and making you a better friend,” Whalen said.
The most memorable races are the really windy one, like three years ago, he said. “It was blowing really well, so a lot of times were set.”
For Whalen, it’s not about setting records or finishing first, he said, it’s about the journey.
“We try to sail the best we can, but our average age is 60 to 65, so you have some younger guys who take more chances,” he said. “We’re not really big risk takers. We do everything slow.”
Last year, Rich Festa earned three perpetual trophies in his class – all of which were destroyed in a fire in December at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, where they were on display.
“It’s quite heartbreaking,” said Festa, who is racing the 46-foot Groundhog Day. “These trophies, as well as others, had a lot of history. One of them started in 1942, there was a lot of big names on these trophies over the years.”
Festa hopes this year he can earn another trophy, but regardless, racing the Newport to Ensenada is a good time, he said.
If wind predictions held up, many of the boats are expected to hit the finish before midnight, Festa said.
“We’re at the bar having a drink before they close,” Festa said. “This is just a quick jaunt down the coast and we all know we are going to have a good time when we get to Ensenada. There’s so many boats involved in the race, we all run into each other when we get on land, it’s fun to see people and enjoy their company.”
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