Newport Scouts on top of the world

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy,

It is sailing time and sailors are out on the water, practicing

their skills while dreaming of winning the America’s Cup. Well, guess

what? We do have a couple of winners in Newport Beach, and they’re

sailing, not from a yacht club, but from the Newport Sea Scout Base.

For the second time, Sea Scout Ship 711, the Del Mar, has placed

first in both the William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup and the

BoatU.S. National Sea Scout Sailing Championship. Congratulations to

Skipper Trevor Gurley and Corey Kemp for winning the trophies after

competing for four days in Buzzards Bay, Mass., hosted by the

Massachusetts Maritime Academy. This biennial event pitted two-person

Sea Scout crews from 11 states, as well as teams from Norway,

England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand against each other in

sleek 420 class sailboats.

Eric Loss and Ryan Schweitzer from Dana Point’s Sea Scout Ship

Mariner won second place, giving California sailors the top two

positions. Sea Scouts Simon Gray and Paul Parzynski of Ship 1993,

from Towson, Md., won third place.

Richard Schwartz, BoatU.S. chairman and founder, said, “These fine

young sailors have the commitment and perseverance that will lead

them to great things in life, but today they deserve the respect of

competitive sailors everywhere.”

William Koch, who won the America’s Cup in 1992, created this

international championship to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Sea

Scouting.

“While the winning team clearly shined on water, I believe all the

Sea Scouts should be proud of their performance,” Koch told attendees

at the awards ceremony. “Everyone exhibited good sportsmanship,

camaraderie and a superior attitude.”

As a complement to the Koch Cup, BoatU.S., the nation’s largest

organization of recreational boaters, created a national trophy the

same year, reviving a Sea Scout competition not sailed since World

War II.

A total of 56 Sea Scouts competed in the events, and their level

of sailing skill caught the attention of three-time America’s Cup

winner, Russell Coutts, guest of honor at the awards dinner.

“I was impressed by the standards of sailing I saw out there today

and the tactics used, particularly under such shifty conditions,”

Coutts told the young sailors. “The values you develop through

sailing and through Sea Scouting will carry you well through life.”

Congratulations once again to the Sea Scouts of Newport Beach and

Dana Point, and let’s not forget to give thumbs-up to Mike Stewart,

who is Ship 711 volunteer adult skipper.

TIP OF THE WEEK

I wanted to forewarn you that the bay will soon become alive with

Snowbirds ... wait, that was in 1936. Today, the Snowbirds have been

replaced by Lasers. I am not talking about birds or the oscillations

of atoms generating electromagnetic radiation, but a very popular

sailboat race in Newport Harbor.

The Commodore’s Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce is

hosting the 96th annual Flight of the Lasers on July 25, in

conjunction with the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Originally, the race

was called the Flight of the Snowbirds, but was later changed. The

Flight typically has 60 to 80 boats. Thanks again to Seymour Beek,

who is the chairman and whose family operates the Balboa Ferry

Service.

Last year, the race did include the Byte class of boats and the

Flight is open to everyone who can beg, borrow or steal a Laser or a

Byte. The starting line will be between the Balboa Peninsula and

Balboa Island, just a quarter mile east of the Pavilion in the Balboa

Reach (about halfway between channel markers 8 and 10).

You can preregister by contacting the NHYC or the NBCC. I think I

will watch the race riding back and forth across the bay on Seymour’s

auto ferry.

Recognized as the #1 boating talk radio show in the nation, “Capt.

Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show” airs every Saturday from noon

to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell and Eric

Hovland on my radio show by calling the listener line at (888)

344-1170, and you can listen worldwide at https://www.

BoathouseRadio.com.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send

him your thoughts and story suggestions by e-mail to

mike@boathousetv.com.