Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race

The starting gun goes off at noon today for what many consider the biggest international yacht race in the world. You’ll want to have a good seat because it’ll be quite a show.

More than 400 yachts of all sizes from around the world are registered to sail in the celebrated Newport to Ensenada race that kicks off today just outside Newport Harbor.

IN A BOAT

The best seat in the house is undoubtedly aboard one of the yachts competing in the 125-nautical-mile jaunt down the coast to Ensenada, Mexico. The starting line will be packed with boats heading out at staggered start times beginning at noon.

If you’re not a skipper or crew member aboard one of the racing boats, you can still see the action from the water. Recreational boats are allowed to view the race, but they must stay on the seaward side of the start lines, not between the start and the beach, said boating radio host Mike Whitehead, who is also a Daily Pilot columnist.

Spectator boats coming from Newport Harbor should pass through the jetties before 11:30 a.m. because the thoroughfare will get really busy, Whitehead said.

ON THE BLUFFS

If a fear of seasickness steered you away from a floating viewpoint, head to the bluffs above Big Corona, for an aerial view of the race start.

“It’s good because it looks down on the race,” said Whitehead, who will broadcast live from the bluffs for his boating radio show, beginning at noon.

If you come to the bluffs, don’t expect to be there alone. A crowd of 200 to 300 people is expected around the noon start time, Whitehead said.

Although it is possible to see the start from the beach, it’s better to be up high ? that way you can see all the boats, Whitehead said.

WHAT TO SEE

The first boats to start will be the Maxi class ? the biggest and the fastest. For these boats ? which include Orange Coast College’s Pyewacket, donated to the school by Roy Disney ? the start is important because they’re the boats that will likely finish first overall.

“They want to get off quick and get the good air and get their course,” Whitehead said.

The big boats will set the pace, but the Newport Ocean Sailing Assn. ? the race organizer ? tells the Maxi skippers not to push too hard at the start, said association commodore Jane Benson.

“We always tell the skippers that the race is won at night,” Benson said. “At night, winds die down and it’s the skill of the skippers on finding the wind.”

For the cruising class ? the boats just along for the ride ? the start doesn’t matter quite as much, Whitehead said.

“They’ve got a long sail ahead of them,” he said.