THE CROWD:

Newport’s Barry Levy, yachtsman and former commodore of the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Corona del Mar, sailed out of the docks of the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco last weekend under the Golden Gate and out into the Pacific, racing in the Pacific Cup headed for the island of Oahu.

Levy was part of the crew onboard the yacht Velos, owned by skipper Kjeld Hestehave, who is also taking charge of the yacht as its navigator. The Velos is a Class F yacht with a Pacific Cup rating of 449. The rig is a custom-made sloop and hails from the sailing port of Delaware. Hestehave’s yacht club affiliation is the San Diego Yacht Club.

Joining Hestehave and Levy onboard are Borge Hestehave, John Adriany, Erica Adriany, Jim Beck, Kers Clausen, Jon Dekker, Tim Han, Dave Koenig, Chuck Skewes, Tom Gilbert, Barbara Clausen and Victoria Stanton. The Pacific Cup competitors arrived in Honolulu, and are being met by spouses and significant others for a little weekend fun in the Hawaiian sun and surf, with plenty of celebrating to be done.

From the wild taming of the Pacific Ocean to a sedate garden party in Corona del Mar, a confederation of serious-minded women gathered under the banner of the Designing Women Guild to raise funds and awareness for a cause known as “Working Wardrobes.”

The party took place earlier this summer at the Five Crowns restaurant in Corona del Mar, as a gathering of ladies showing off their pretty summer wardrobes got together to help women less fortunate and in need of appropriate attire to sustain regular and lasting employment. The afternoon reception was a prelude to a larger fundraiser labeled “Baubles, Bangles & Bags” also in support of the Working Wardrobes cause.

High-profile gals associated with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising — known simply as FIDM — got behind the project led by Dorothy Metcalfe, FIDM’s regional campus director and major advocate of Working Wardrobes. The members of the Designing Women Guild, which supports the Working Wardrobes cause, paid tribute to Metcalfe as guild President Christy Marlin paid homage to her. In addition, Irvine Mayor Beth Krom presented Metcalfe with a city plaque recognizing her efforts. Working Wardrobes was originally founded by Jerri Rosen.

Five Crowns generously hosted the party. General manager Chris Szechenyi joined restaurant owner Richard R. Frank and a host of guests including Suzanne Ellingson, Donna Stoffel, Stacey Bryant, Joyce Salter, Kathy Leek, Terry Rose, Leslie Cole, Cathy Fitzpatrick and Susan Ballou. For more information on the work of Working Wardrobes, please call Ballou at (949) 477-3070 or go to SusanBallou@att.net.

The Environmental Nature Center held a Saturday evening bash welcoming the community at large to its new learning center located adjacent to Newport Harbor High School. What started more than 36 years ago in a little trailer has grown into an impressive new building on a 3.5-acre preserve, which is home to 15 native plant communities.

The arriving crush took tours of the 9,000-square-foot facility, which has been designated as a LEED Platinum structure by the U.S. Green Building Council. Fewer than 3% of LEED-certified buildings nationwide ever receive platinum status. The Environmental Nature Center was awarded with the first award of this kind in Orange County. Perhaps even more significant is that this energy-efficient structure will save an estimated $20,000 plus a year in energy costs.

Bo Glover, executive director of the Environmental Nature Center, was on hand to welcome the crowd paying tribute to founder Robert House, a former science teacher at Newport Harbor High School. The library at the Environmental Nature Center has been dedicated to him for his long-standing devotion.

Also front and center were Tony Petros, Roger Torriero and Rick D’Amato. All three men were closely involved with the creation of the new center. Other important VIPs on hand were Paul Gentosi, Charlie Young, David Duff, Gary Chubb, Rich Moore and Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau. Catering duties were handled by the popular Haute Cakes on Westcliff Drive, delighting patrons including Jan and Don Webb, Robert Shelton, Karly Bennett, Fran Bennett, Jennifer Martin and the dedicated event chairwoman and Environmental Nature Center board member, Kristen Petros.

THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.