The Harbor Report: Busy Sunday includes some impressive boats

Last Sunday was a perfect summer’s day. Not a cloud in the sky, an 8- to 12-knot breeze out of the west.

I spent most of the day team racing Harbor 20s just off M Mark, just west of the mooring field in front of the Balboa Yacht Club. To say that the harbor was active on the last day of the Fourth of July holiday week is an understatement.

One of the first things that caught my eye was that both Newport Harbor and Balboa Yacht Clubs Junior sailors were out on their Governor’s Cup 21s boats, practicing for the for the 46th annual Governor’s Cup on July 17 till 22. As always the racing will be exciting, and there’s a very good chance that another Southern California junior sailor will win this year’s Cup.

I would like to give a big shout out to this year’s banner sponsor, Sterling BMW. This is Sterling’s second year sponsoring the event so when you notice the Governor’s Cup 21 boat on their display lot, please stop by and ask them which one of their cars will perform best around your course.

Two observations always bring a big smile to my face each year I see these two people on the water. The first one is Betty Andrews and her crew returning, late in the afternoon, from the Fourth of July weekend in Catalina’s Whites Cove aboard Antares, her Ranger 33.

Without even asking, I know that she sailed there and back, only starting the engine to pick up her moorings. I am not going to give away Betty’s age, but I am always full of envy each time I see her neatly folding her main onto the boom after the long weekend on the island.

The other person I noticed was Jane Farwell aboard her 12.5-foot Herreshoff Cape Cod Bull’s Eye.

Nat Herreshoff designed and built the wooden hull in 1914. Originally named the Herreshoff Bull’s Eye, the boat was available in gaff or marconi rig, with a thin water way and a through transom tiller.

In 1938, the boat was modified with a wider water way and an above transom tiller, and was named The Fishers Island Sound Bull’s Eye. In 1947, the rights to build the Herreshoffs were purchased by Cape Cod Shipbuilding Co. In 1949, work began on a fiberglass model of the Fishers Island Sound Bull’s Eye. I did not get the name of Jane’s boat but anyone sailing that smartly and fast in such a good looking boat always puts a smile on my face.

This Saturday, the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club will run the Gil Knudson regatta. Back in the day, Gil Knudson was one of the good old boys out of South Shore Yacht Club. He used to sail Tigress, his Hinkley 38, to the podium of most of the races he entered.

I recall that he preferred random leg races such as the races to the Oil Platforms off Huntington Beach and he won first overall in the Newport to Ensenada Race during a year when there were 500 entries.

This is fourth event of the Newport High Point Series, and it’s still anyone race! Tango, Roy Jones’s J-133, still holds the pole position with 44 points, followed closely by The Richly Family’s Amante, with 36 points, and Team Kettenhofen aboard Dare, with 33 Points.

For the Newport High Point series scoreboard, please go to my blog at lenboseyachts.blogspot.com.

I was hoping to obtain some annual city parking permits to award to the winners of the High Point Series, but, alas, my simple minded thoughts were disregarded like sea weed on a rudder. Life’s too short to fret about such matters, so I am going back to Catalina with the family.

Sea ya

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.