Baker hopes big boat is best

After breaking a 22-year-old record at the Marina del Rey to Puerto Vallarta Race in February and finishing first in April’s Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race, Doug Baker is “feeling pretty good” on the eve of the First Team Real Estate Invitational Regatta for the Hoag Cup.

His 80-foot turbo sled, Magnitude 80, is the largest of the 15 big boats participating in the three-day regatta, and Baker is eager to discover if it is also the best.

“It may be the biggest, but we don’t know yet if it’s the fastest, do we?” Baker said. “I’m looking forward to finding out.”

Baker doesn’t like to talk numbers, but he did say that racing and maintaining a boat of this magnitude “is costly.” He plans to have about 20 crew members onboard for the First Team regatta.

As a devotee of downwind racing, the Long Beach resident admitted that he is a bit concerned about navigating around buoys, but he knows the challenge makes for an exciting display.

“These boats are really not designed for buoy racing, and when you get a lot of big, fast boats going around buoys, things can happen — and they happen fast,” he said. “This regatta is definitely designed for maximum spectator appeal.”

Event chairman and avid boat racer Jim Madden, who will skipper his 66-foot Stark Raving Mad III for the event, said the fact that the entirety of the regatta takes place just hundreds of feet off the Newport Beach shoreline adds to the fun.

“A lot of races start here and then go off into the horizon, but not this one.” he said. “Everything takes place right here in Newport Beach.”

Five races are scheduled for the weekend, and spectators are invited to enjoy the regatta for free from the Newport Pier as well as the temporary docks installed off M Street on the Balboa Peninsula. Spectator boat excursions featuring food and expert commentary will run from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days. Tickets are $250.

For more information, go to www.firstteamregatta.com .