Blast to the Past -- John Blaich

It was Friday morning, April 23, 1948, and the day of the start of the

first Ensenada race had dawned bright and clear with a slight westerly

breeze. I was a bit late and in a hurry to board the Dragoon, a 66-foot

double-ended Ketch owned and skippered by Commodore Henry Grandin of

Newport Harbor Yacht Club. I charged through the clubhouse onto the dock,

boarding the shoreboat for a short run to Dragoon, who was laying on a

mooring off the club.

We got underway about 10:30 a.m. just as a weatherfront was coming

from the west. As we powered down the day, the wind velocity quickly

increased to 20 to 25 knots, with gusts up to 30 knots. We had a wild

rail down series of tacks up to the starting line off the Balboa Pier.

(In those days, all ocean races were started off the Balboa Pier). It was

now noon (the starting time) and the committee boat had barely arrived. A

starting line had not been set. We were anxious to be underway, so we

sailed by the committee boat and headed south to Ensenada.

I estimate that only 10% of the Ensenada racers were able to get up to

the starting line at the Balboa Pier due to the heavy wind and seas. They

just came out of the harbor and ran off toward Ensenada. One boat later

had trouble and was blown onto the beach near Encinitas (San Diego

County).

The heavy westerly lasted until after sundown. We slatted around the

rest of the night. Saturday morning, the westerly returned, allowing most

of the boats to finish by Saturday afternoon.

The Hotel Playa had just been renovated after being used by the

Mexican Navy during the war. It was the center for Ensenada race

participants and the families that “drove down.”

I attended a private cocktail party in one of the rooms on Saturday

evening and ran across Russ Craig, the Harbor Master from Newport Harbor.

Russ and an official from the customs office at San Diego had been

established at a table on the front deck of Newport Harbor Yacht Club to

“check-in” race participants. The customs official from San Diego was a

former shipmate of mine during the war. He had observed my name on the

crew list and was prepared to give me a hard time during check-in. But,

as I had “charged” through the yacht club without checking in -- Russ

informed me that I was now in Mexico illegally.

Saturday night, we attended an elegant dinner dance in the main

ballroom of the Hotel Playa. This was a “black tie” affair for racers,

officials and guests. It was even attended by Lauren Bacall and Humphrey

Bogart. Ms. Bacall had “raced” down on the 55-foot Yawl “Santana,” owned

and skippered by Bogart. There was no evidence of the “rowdy” element

that was quite common during later Ensenada races.

Sunday morning was warm and sunny. Many of the “Mexican Bum Boats”

(large, dirty wooden skiffs powered by outboard motors, which were used

as shore boats) made a special effort to go by Santana and see Bacall

taking a sunbath on the foredeck.

The trophy presentation was Sunday afternoon in the courtyard of the

Hotel Playa. There was standing room only and not much of that. However,

when “Bogie” and “Betty” arrived, there was suddenly a clear pathway

through the crowd. Two chairs mysteriously appeared for them to sit on up

front. Shortly after their arrival, the award ceremony started.

The Dragoon powered back to San Diego Sunday night. I hid down below

during the customs check-in, so that I could get back into the United

States without any problems as I had never “officially” left the country

in the first place.

* JOHN BLAICH is a Corona del Mar resident and volunteer at the

Newport Harbor Nautical Museum.