South Coast Club to Sail in Cressy Regatta

Have you ever heard of 420s? I hadn’t.

And none of the members of the South Coast Sailing Club’s team, representing San Clemente High School, has sailed one, either.

But they will May 3, when the six-member team acquires a feel for the 420 sailboats and begins practice on the Severn River in Annapolis, Md., for the Cressy Trophy Regatta, sponsored by the U.S. Naval Academy.

According to the team’s coach and adviser, Mike Reed, a San Clemente High English and journalism teacher, a 420 is 13-foot open dinghy with a jib and a mainsail. Reed says they’re similar to the West Coast Lido 14s and Coronado 15s, aboard which our local sailors have become expert skippers.

The South Coast Sailing Club’s team is made up of Santa Clemente High’s Geoffrey Becker, Dan Bunce and Erik Wold, Dana Hills’ Mark Reardon and Capistrano Valley twins Ken and Bruce Cooper. Dr. Don Becker of the Capistrano Bay Yacht Club is organizing the trip east and will serve as team manager.

(Incidentally, expenses for the team’s trip are $3,000, and the San Clemente Boosters Club will be delighted to accept tax-deductible donations.)

Twenty-two school teams from throughout the nation have been invited to race in the Cressy Regatta. An invitation is considered a high honor. The race will be May 4 and 5. The local sailing team will leave here May 1. They have been practicing diligently near Dana Point Harbor on sabots, lasers and Lido 14s.

Sailing Notes

The Coast Guard is proposing special local regulations to restrict vessel traffic during the following events to ensure safety of life and property on navigable waters. Interested parties have been requested to participate in the rule making by submitting written comments to Commander, 11th Coast Guard District, Union Bank Building, Suite 901, 400 Oceangate Blvd., Long Beach 90822. The events are the 38th Annual Newport to Ensenada Race (April 27-29), sponsored by the Newport Ocean Sailing Assn., which involves 700 sailboats from 24-85 feet in length; and the California Cup (May 24-27), sponsored by the California Yacht Club, Santa Monica Bay west of the pier, involving 12 sailboats at 70-foot lengths.

For 12-meter racing enthusiasts here’s a schedule of Eagle Syndicate’s schedule in preparation for the America’s Cup challenge: April 17-26, North Sail testing on Magic against Victory ’83. Leave shipyard in Alamitos Bay, Long Beach, about noon. Full crew sailing of Magic and the Yacht Club Italiano’s Victory ’83 out of Long Beach, April 27-May 5. Magic against Victory ‘83, full race course out of Long Beach, race committee, press boats, spectator boats, April 27-28. Los Angeles to Newport Harbor Harbor race of Magic and Victory ‘83, May 3. Guest sailing off Newport, May 6-7. Magic visits Lido Isle Yacht Club, May 8.

Some boaters have received information that the masthead light and stern light may be combined into the same fixture on boats up to 20 meters in length. This is incorrect. The proper rules of the road provide for a masthead light forward, except that a vessel of less than 20 meters need not exhibit this light forward of amid ships, but shall exhibit it as far forward as practical. Sidelights and stern light shall be exhibited.

Cleanup operations are continuing above Upper Newport Bay to make sure additional cleaning solvents from a spill at the U.S. Marine Corps Helicopter Station, Tustin, did not reach the environmentally sensitive ecological reserve.