Time Hasn’t Taken the Wind Out of His Sails

The engines are turned off and there’s not a sound, save the water lapping at the hull. The sails are unfurled, and suddenly, the boat surges.

It’s the briny sea breeze and the wind in his face. It’s a sense of power that Vic Stern said transcends mere words. And he keeps coming back for more.

At 80, Stern plans to compete today in his 42nd consecutive Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race. He’s sailing the same boat this year, the Imi Loa, as he did in 1963.

Each year, more than 3,500 people board 400 to 500 boats for the 125-nautical-mile sprint down the Pacific coast to the Baja California port town. The first boats are scheduled to set sail at noon off Corona del Mar State Beach, and the winners are expected to reach Ensenada about 2 a.m. Saturday.

Much like marathon runners, participants have various motives for entering.

Some, with their multimillion-dollar floating race cars, want to cross the finish line first. Some know they won’t win but hope for a good showing. And many others will leisurely cruise the course for the sheer enjoyment.

Though the event has become known over the years as a rich-man’s frat party, Stern, of Long Beach, takes the race seriously. “The range of emotions on a sailboat goes all the way from rage and frustration to exultation and euphoria,” he said.

The managerial aspect of sailing also attracts him. Stern has a pool of 20 sailors from which to assemble a crew, and six will join him this weekend.

The 42-foot, 10-inch Imi Loa, Hawaiian for “distant wanderer,” averages 18 races a year with Stern at the helm. The boat has logged enough nautical miles to circle the equator three times.

Similarly, Stern has won his division of the Newport to Ensenada race three times, in 1964, 1965 and 1975.

In yacht racing circles, Stern is considered an elder statesman for the race, now in its 57th year. Talk to him about sailing, and his sea-green eyes light up.

He never sailed growing up. After World War II, he earned a doctorate in astrophysics from UC Berkeley and worked for Hughes Aircraft for nearly three decades. On a return flight from a business trip in 1962, Stern picked up a copy of Sports Illustrated. When he read an article extolling the virtues of the catamaran, he became enamored.

“I thought, ‘Ooh, this is for me,’ ” Stern said in his growling, baritone.

When he returned, he contacted a friend about building a yacht.

Less than two years later, Stern won his first Newport to Ensenada race.

Stern, as spry as an 80-year-old could be, is on his hands and knees fixing his boat in a Long Beach marina.

“This is my home away from home,” said Stern, who in preparation for the race has spent 10 hours on the boat each day for the last month.

Stern is hoping to end his 29-year winning drought this weekend. “Since it’s been 29 years, it’s overdue,” he said.

Stern has what he believes is an unbeatable strategy:

“We’ll use experience, determination and subtlety to win over youth.”