Halloween Regatta sets sail for fun

Alex Coolman

NEWPORT BEACH -- Lauren Gautschi was dressed to sail: done up in

layers of gauzy fabric that created an outfit reminiscent of “I Dream of

Genie.”

On an ordinary day, the eccentric get-up might have raised eyebrows,

but 12-year-old Lauren looked right at home Sunday at the Lido Isle Yacht

Club.

The club was holding its Halloween Regatta, a sailing event in which

imaginative costumes are encouraged. While Lauren chose genie garb,

12-year-old Tricia Treaccar was outfitted as a cheetah and several young

men were wearing clothes that suggested a paramilitary theme.

Lauren’s genie silks were considerably more cumbersome than the

typical T-shirt and shorts, but she was undaunted.

“It does not bother me,” she said regally.

The regatta was an event for several classes of boats and all ages of

sailors, and it took place on a day when crystal blue skies and moderate

southeasterly breezes made for pleasant sailing.

Former Lido Isle Yacht Club Commodore Bob Yates conceded that

mid-October was perhaps a little early for a Halloween-themed event, but

he said the timing was the necessary consequence of avoiding conflicts

with other yacht clubs’ events.

Moreover, Yates noted, it was exciting for club members to see their

kids have the chance to show off their sailing skills after a whole

summer of lessons.

“It’s so nice to be here in the fall times, when all the tourists go

home and we get to come out and see the sailing,” he said.

But many of the regatta participants seemed less concerned about high

performance than about a bit of Halloween-ish clowning.

Skimmer, the sabot belonging to 7-year-old Lido resident Rebecca

Arnold, was decorated with a skeleton in a bridal outfit, an accessory

that had nothing to do with speed and everything to do with getting into

the spirit of the event.

“The older kids don’t want to decorate their boats because they figure

it adds weight and they won’t go as fast,” said Nancy Arnold, Rebecca’s

mother.

Fortunately, for this regatta, Rebecca’s priorities favored the

fanciful.