Dana Point Yacht Club’s fundraising charity regatta returns for 21st year

DANA POINT—Dana Point Yacht Club is again hosting a charity regatta to benefit the South Orange County city’s 5th Marine Regiment Support Group. The yacht club will be hosting the 21st annual Richard Henry Dana Charity Regatta, Sept. 14 and 15, with the hopes of raising money for the 5th Marine Regiment Support Group for a second year in a row.

This year’s regatta features several events, such as the Marine Corps Twilight Fishing Tournament, standup paddleboard races, youth and adult dinghy racing, silent auctions, yacht racing, a VIP/sponsor cocktail reception and a regatta gala/race party with entertainment.

Local charities have received more than $750,000 from the Richard Henry Dana Charity Regatta through the years, according to Dana Point YC staff.

The Richard Henry Dana Charity Regatta will be a Category C event, according to the Notice of Race; the regatta is open to all boats in the PHRF Spinnaker, Non-Spinnaker and multihull classes. An entry fee payment of $100 must be paid to Dana Point YC by 6 p.m. Sept. 11. Visit dpyc.org for more information about registration. The entry fee after the Sept. 11 deadline is $150.

Anyone who raises $1,000 or more will have his or her entry fee waived; the skipper will receive tickets to the Mount Gay Rum Party and be granted sponsor benefits for the amount of donations received.

Ratings for Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker classes will be adjusted based upon the amount of money raised by each team. The adjustment is as follows:

• $100 = +2 seconds
• $200 = +4 seconds
• $300 = +6 seconds
• $400 = +8 seconds
• $500 = +12 seconds
• $750 = +18 seconds
• $1,000 or more = +30 seconds.

A continental breakfast will be available from 8-10 a.m. on Sept. 14; the skippers’ meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. The first warning signal will be at 11:55 a.m., followed by the Mount Gay Rum Party and Auction after racing.

The first warning signal for Sept. 15 will also be at 11:55 a.m. Trophy presentations will take place after racing on Sept. 15. Four races are scheduled for the Spinnaker fleet, and two races for the Non-Spinnaker fleet.

The 5th Marine Regiment Support Group provides civilian assistance and support to members of the 5th Marine Regiment, who served out of Camp Pendleton just south of San Clemente, and their families. The support group was founded in 2007.

Contact Ed Kooij, Dana Point YC’s race chair, at race@dpyc.org for more information. You can also contact Dana Point YC at 949-496-2900 or visit dpyc.org.