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Local sailors earn wins during championship regatta in Newport Beach
It was smooth sailing during a three-day regatta in the Newport Beach Harbor, with two local racers earning a prestigious US Sailing National Championship title.
Newport Beach sailors Jake La Dow and Alex Curtiss earned first place after winning six races and placing in the top four in 17 of the 21 races held from Friday, Oct. 9 through Sunday, Oct. 11.
Typically, there’s about two dozen US Sailing championship events held throughout the country each year, but with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the event over the weekend is the only for 2020, with organizers given only a few weeks to pull the event together after gaining approvals, according to event spokesman Peter Bretschger.
Sailors have their boats covid disinfected as they swap boats after three races on a pontoon raft to even things up while they race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
A man and his dog paddle by as sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
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Sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Spectators cruise by as sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Regatta Chairpersons, Walter and Leann Johnson of the Balboa Yacht Club wait for the race to start as sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Sailors round a mark as they race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Sailors cross the start line as they race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Sailors Bud Brown and Keith Hankins of Toms River New York, 5, and Ben and Jennifer Braden of Port Madison, Wisconsin, 2, race in tight quarters as they race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Sailors round a mark as they race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Sailors line up for the start of one of the races as they race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Sailors head downwind as they race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
The boat with Chris Raab and Robert Kinney of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club lead one of the races as sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
The boat with Bill Menninger and Brian Bissell of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club compete as sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
The boat with Jake LaDow and Alex Curtiss from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club are in the overall lead as sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
The red boat with Trey Sheehan and Brad Boston from Edgewater, Florida leads the race downwind as sailors race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 46th Annual Championship of Champions, sailboat race hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club Saturday Oct. 10, 2020 in Corona del Mar. The race has 19 two man teams from all over the USA sailing Harbor 20’s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach.
(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
The race had 19 two-man teams, with the competitors sailing Harbor 20s, a sailboat designed in Newport Beach. Balboa Yacht Club in Corona del Mar hosted the race.
It was the 46th year for the contest. The final day had near-perfect conditions, with 8- to 9-knot winds to make for an exciting day of racing.
The “Championship of Champions,” as it’s called in the sailing world, is a unique regatta that draws sailors who have won past events to earn a slot in the US Sailing championship. Racers compete for the Jack Brown Trophy.
“Everyone who is here knows how to win,” said La Dow, in an interview with race organizers after the event. “That’s what’s cool about this kind of event. Sailing against all these legends is incredible.”
Chris Raab, a sailor from Sunset Beach who is La Dow’s father-in-law, took second place, and Bill Menninger, of Newport Beach, earned third.
All who placed in the top three are Newport Harbor Yacht Club sailors accustom to racing the Harbor 20 class in the Newport Harbor.
Safety protocols were put in place, including the sailboats being regularly sanitized and wiped down between races.
“All the competitors felt comfortable being here and racing at this championship,” La Dow said. “The Balboa Yacht Club … and all the competitors did a great job of social distancing, staying outside, and being safe.”
