Bloom Elected SCYA’s Commodore

Mort Bloom of Del Rey Yacht Club, Marina del Rey, was elected commodore of the Southern California Yachting Assn. at the group’s annual meeting. The SCYA, composed of 78 yacht clubs in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, is the governing body of the sport of sailboat racing and sponsors the mammoth Midwinter Regatta, which draws more than 1,000 boats in more than 100 classes in mid-February. Bloom, a past commodore of Del Rey Yacht Club, is also an international arbiter in yacht racing. Other 1985 officers elected were Don Krebs, Mission Bay Yacht Club, vice commodore, and Peggy Gregory, Little Ships Fleet, Long Beach, rear commodore. Gregory is the first woman to attain flag officer status in the SCYA since its inception in 1921. She is also a past commodore of LSF and has been secretary of the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet since 1968. Awards presented at the annual meeting included the Jim Webster Trophy for meritorious service to Helen Bedford of Mission Bay Yacht Club, and the Warren Ewart Trophy for outstanding service to Art DeFever of San Diego Yacht Club. The SCYA was organized in 1921 by the late Dr. Albert Soiland, who is also credited with helping organize the Transpacific Yacht Club, sponsor of the Los Angeles-to-Honolulu race, and the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.