Yesteryear Regatta kicks off, May 10

Yesteryear Regatta kicks off, May 10

SAN DIEGO – The Ancient Mariners Sailing Society (AMSS) will host the 40th annual Yesteryear Regatta on May 10. Special celebrations will help to commemorate the regatta’s long-lasting run.

The Yesteryear Regatta will kick off Thursday night, May 8 with a pre-race photo and memorabilia exhibit at San Diego Yacht Club. Posters of past regattas, race results and pictures will be on display. Boats will dock at the club on Friday, May 9 and be med-tied as part of a dockside celebration complete with cocktails and libations.

Races will take place May 10 at noon. A skipper’s meeting and post-race party that includes an awards presentation will follow the race at the San Digo YC. Racers takes home a memento courtesy of the AMSS, trophies will be awarded to the first three boats on corrected time in each class and the winner of each of the Yesteryear Regatta Perpetual Trophies will be announced.

Donations from local businesses will also be raffled off during the party.

The pursuit-style race features six classes: Classic A, Classic B, Classic C, Pacific Class (Spinnakers allowed), Split Rigs and an L-16 Class. The boats run a 12 mile course that begins at C Level Lounge (where the Rueben E. Lee once sat) and heads to Tom Hams Lighthouse, the bait barge, to Buoy 15, Buoy 5 and Buoy 6 where racers then head to the bay right in front of the Star of India and back to where they initially started.

The biggest boats in this year’s race are Sally, a 59-foot sloop, and Dennis Conner’s 47-foot sloop, Splendor, said Greg Stewart, chairperson for the 2014 Yesteryear Regatta.

Stewart has competed in the race for more than eight years, initially crewing on Sally and then his own boat, Sprig.

An awards ceremony and celebration will be held in the afternoon following the race. Trophies will be presented and a raffle is also scheduled to be held that afternoon.

Launched in 1974 by boating enthusiasts Bill Clark, Doug Smith and Bob Spriggs, the Yesteryear Regatta is one of the three events that make up the California Classic Yacht Series, which consists of the One More Time Regatta in Los Angeles to the McNish Classic in Oxnard. Racers from as far as Oxnard, to as close as San Diego come out to race in the annual event.

A captians meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. the morning of race day. The race starts at noon with racers expected back at the docks by 3 to 4 p.m.

The regatta is sponsored by several individuals and organizations including Southwestern YC, San Diego YC, the 2014 AMSS Board of Directors and Chairs, Sea Breeze Books and Charts, North Sails San Diego, Ullman Sails and many others.

For more information, or to register for the Yesteryear Regatta, visit amss.us.org or call (619) 723-3078.

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