Junior sailors ride aboard the Mighty Merloe

Newport Harbor Yacht Club junior sailor Tate Oyler steers the elite trimaran Mighty Merloe with guidance from helmsman Franck Proffit during a practice session off Newport Harbor on Wednesday.

The 60-foot trimaran Mighty Merloe sails in Newport Harbor during a practice session Wednesday with junior sailors from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club aboard.

The 60-foot trimaran Mighty Merloe goes out in Newport Harbor for a practice session Wednesday for this weekend’s Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race.

Crew members help Newport Harbor Yacht Club junior sailors board the elite trimaran Mighty Merloe as they head out for a practice run in Newport Harbor on Wednesday.

Newport Harbor Yacht Club junior sailors rest aboard the racing trimaran Mighty Merloe on Wednesday in the harbor.

Junior sailors Brady Kennedy, Tate Oyler and Matt Andrews, from left, of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club listen to a crew member as they sail aboard the racing trimaran Mighty Merloe on Wednesday during a practice session for the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race.

Helmsman Franck Proffit sets off for a practice sail with junior sailors on the trimaran Mighty Merloe outside Newport Harbor on Wednesday.

Junior sailor Brady Kennedy, right, enjoys a sail aboard the elite trimaran Mighty Merloe during a practice session Wednesday off Newport Harbor.

The 60-foot trimaran Mighty Merloe smashed the record in the Transpac regatta from San Pedro to Honolulu in July.

The 60-foot trimaran Mighty Merloe dwarfs a smaller boat cruising by in Newport Harbor on Wednesday.

Newport Harbor Yacht Club junior sailors stand on the “trampoline” webbing aboard the trimaran Mighty Merloe in Newport Harbor on Wednesday.

The main sail of the trimaran Mighty Merloe towers above Newport Harbor during the boat’s practice session Wednesday.