Newport Sea Base receives new sailboat

In late 2004 the Newport Sea Base, a youth-oriented maritime

educational program, took possession of a renowned world-class racing

sailboat, formerly known as Bright Star (2001-2004) and Zephyrus IV

(1997-2001). Renamed Scout Spirit, this 78-foot Maxi Turbo Sled is

the only racing boat of this kind owned and operated by a

youth-oriented sailing facility in Southern California..

In her first race as Scout Spirit in January 2005, she upheld the

tradition of success, taking line honors in Del Rey Yacht Club’s

Berger Series Race 1 Malibu and Return. On a churned-up Santa Monica

Bay with 4- to 6-foot swells and a steady 20-plus-knot Southwesterly

breeze, the 22-person crew consisting of advisors, juniors and crew

from Sea Scout Ship 711 sailed a strong race to finish first in the

23 nautical-mile race. The rainy day could not tarnish the smiles on

board as the boat climbed through and left the fleet behind.

Richard Breeden, former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and

Exchange Commission and member of the New York Yacht Club and Storm

Trysail Club, donated the Maxi Turbo Sled to the Newport Sea Base.

“One of our goals is to build a program that keeps youth on the

water in keelboats and helps to teach the teamwork and skills

necessary to bridge the gap from sailing or racing dinghies in high

school and college, to the sailing and racing in big boats the rest

of their lives,” said Ian Vickers, Sailing Chair at the Newport Sea

Base. “Scout Spirit provides an excellent platform for our more

experienced, older sailors to learn about and compete in offshore

racing.”

Under Breeden’s ownership, Bright Star competed in numerous

prestigious races including the Fastnet Race, the Newport-Bermuda

Race and the Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race. Bright Star’s

successes included line honors in both the 2002 Around Long Island

Race and 2001 Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race, and was first in

class at 2001’s Block Island Race Week and Around Block Island Race.

Bright Star was second in class at the America’s Cup 150th

Anniversary Regatta in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Designed by the Reichel-Pugh Yacht team and built in 1997 by James

Betts Enterprises for Robert McNeil, a long-time competitive sailor

and businessman who makes his home in San Francisco, Zephyrus IV

(1997-2001) was a proven race-winner. Her race performance shattered

records in the 2000 MTM Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro international

ocean race and the Middle Sea Race in the Mediterranean, two of the

most competitive and challenging true offshore sailing competitions.

In the first major ocean race of the millennium, the 3,435 nautical

mile-long race from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro, the Zephyrus IV did

not only take line honors but also completed a clean sweep by

correcting to first place in fleet on handicap--winning the coveted

South Atlantic Trophy. Upon completing the race, Zephyrus IV set a

new race record of 12 days, 16 hours, 49 minutes and 41 seconds:

nearly two days off the previous course record. Later that year,

Zephyrus IV smashed the Middle Sea Race course record by eight hours,

with a course time of 64 hours, 49 minutes and 57 seconds. The Middle

Sea Race starts and finishes in Malta, leaving the Island of Sicily

and the volcano Stromboli to Port. Her other significant races

include the 2000 Chicago-to-Mackinac Race, the 1999 Transpacific

Yacht Race and 1999’s Puerto Vallarta Race.

This one-of-a-kind vessel is truly unique not just for

youth-oriented sailing programs, but also for sailing in general. The

Scout Spirit gives young men and women from throughout Southern

California the opportunity to learn about nautical racing aboard a

world-class vessel.

“Competitive sailing requires training at the level where you will

compete,” said Newport Sea Base Director Catherine Malm.