Registration open for Long Beach Race Week
by LBYC Race Office 4 Jun 11:41 NZST
June 21-23, 2024
Long Beach Race Week © Bronny Daniels / Joysailing
In just a few weeks, the 19th edition of Long Beach Race Week kicks off. A favorite west coast regatta with three days of racing and fabulous post-racing parties by hosts Long Beach Yacht Club (LBYC) and Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC), entries are coming in fast. It's not too late to enter for this iconic sailing event for all classes planning to race so sign up now at www.lbrw.org .
Registration is open through June 18, 6:00 PM. Check-in will be held at Long Beach Yacht Club in the afternoon on Thursday, June 20. Race Day One begins Friday, June 21 with a weather briefing at 10:15 AM by Ullman Sails, and a skipper's meeting at 10:30 AM upstairs at LBYC. The first race warning will sound at 12:55 PM on Friday, and at 11:55 AM on Saturday and Sunday. Conditions permitting, it is expected that two races will be sailed in most classes on Friday, three races on Saturday, and two races on Sunday.
LBRW is open to multiple classes and additionally, in 2024 is proud to host the Catalina 37 National Championship, the J/109 Pacific Coast Championship, the Schock 35 Pacific Coast Championship, the Viper 640 Pacific Coast Championship, the Melges 15 West Coast Championship, and the J/70, J/80, J/105, J/109, and J/120 Southern California High Point Series. Long Beach Yacht Club's recently refurbished fleet of modified Club Solings are also available to charter for the first time -- contact the LBYC Race Office for charter information.
The event is grateful to the generosity and support of its 2024 sponsors including Ullman Sails, Evans, Clarke Marine Insurance, Cabrillo Boat Shop, Durant Design and Construction, Mt Gay Rum, Pirates Lair, The Oriana Shea Group, and Tom Walker Photography.
Bruce Cooper, owner of Ullman Sails Newport Beach, brings Ullman back again as title sponsor. He maintains that if you do one regatta, it should be the Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week.
"SoCal racers have so many race options available to them, but LBRW is the special regatta where skippers and crew can compete in the best SoCal conditions and show off what they have got," Cooper commented. "It's where skippers and crew can really test themselves against the top racers from across the region. I hear so many sailors talk about the great winds in Long Beach and they are not sure if their boat and crew are up to the challenge, so I tell them there is only one way to find out. After seven or so races under their belt at the end of the regatta, they're usually talking it up at Sunday's post-racing party having discovered that they could do it after all!"
Racers can look forward to the typical prevailing conditions for LBRW: clearing westerlies every day and about 75-78 degrees, which is the essence of what makes this event special. Ryan Cox (VYC/ABYC) enjoys racing in the optimal conditions as well as catching up with old friends. In 2023, he won the J70 Corinthian Class on his boat DJ; this year will be his third LBRW on the J70, although he has also raced the regatta on other boats.
"I am looking forward to the breeze; it's a great place to sail," Cox said. "Seeing old friends that I grew up racing against is another great part of Long Beach Race Week - sometimes it feels like a reunion. I was talking to a friend last night who's new to the area and didn't know that Long Beach has the best wind in Southern California. I told him, "We know we're going to go fast; you need to race this event!"
Parties featuring music and dancing will be hosted by ABYC on Friday night, then Saturday & Sunday night at LBYC. Prize-giving will be held at LBYC on Sunday at 5:30 PM. Competitors are invited to enjoy both the clubs' services and amenities including the ice machine, and free water taxi service between the clubs until 9:00 PM Friday and Saturday. For details on entry, schedule, mooring requests and more, visit www.lbrw.org.