Non-commissioned officers of the 1/1 Marines at last year's Mess Night at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort. This year's Mess Night will be next Thursday .

On Thursday, March 1, the Balboa Bay Club and Resort will again be the setting for the 7^th Annual Newport Beach 1^st Battalion, 1^st Marines (1/1) Foundation Mess Night. If you have never attended a Mess Night, especially this one, you are missing out on a truly memorable evening.

The black-tie affair, which honors the units’ officers and staff non-commissioned officers, combines the best of what makes any formal event sparkle, not the least of which is a ballroom filled with Marines in their finest dress uniforms with smiles as broad as their faces. It is an evening that brings guests and military leaders together to honor not only the Marines and their fallen comrades, but our country as a whole.

I am never more proud to be an American than when I am standing among those brave men and women.

The relationship between the city of Newport Beach and 1^st Battalion, 1^st Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton began in 2003 when the city “adopted” the battalion, providing community and financial support to them and their families, especially during overseas deployments. Knowing this support is available in turn helps the troops to fully focus on their assigned combat missions.

The 1/1 is one of the most decorated and distinguished units in the Marine Corps. They are an integral part of America’s premier “force-in-readiness” that has historically been first to the fight when conflict arises. The unit has played a major role in the most important military campaigns throughout our nation’s history. Their motto “Ready to Fight” not only reflects 1/1′s ability to respond to any crisis on short notice, but also its eagerness to support and defend the rights and freedoms of every American.

Because the 1/1 returned from Iraq in September  and will be deploying to Afghanistan by the end of the year, this Mess Night will be a special evening for all the Marines who attend. From commanding officers to privates, Mess Night brings all ranks together with civilian supporters in a night of light-hearted camaraderie filled with protocol, tradition, remembrance and fun-loving tomfoolery – a much-needed and well-deserved evening of entertainment for the troops.

The evening will start with a social hour, with Marines of the mess meeting and greeting guests as members of the 1^st Marine Division Band play in the background.

This year’s guest of honor is Col. David Furness, Commanding Officer of the 1^st Marine Regiment, who it so happens, was the 1/1 Battalion Commander back when the Newport Beach 1/1 Mess Night first started.

As the formal dinner of prime rib begins, the mess festivities will be lead by LtCol Michael Targos, Commanding Officer of the 1/1 who has been assigned “President of the Mess” – he controls the flow of events.

1stSgt Dennis Nash will act as vice-president of the mess, or ‘Mr. Vice,’ and will be assisted by his civilian cohort “Madame Vice” Krisztina Scheef, a member of the NB 1/1 Foundation advisory board. Mr. Vice acts as the enforcer of the president’s decisions and regulates who may speak to the president throughout the evening.

Civilian guests play a key role in the event and are a source of the funds raised during the evening for the 1/1 Foundation. During dinner, all members of the mess have the opportunity to charge another with a nominal fine if a legitimate reason is given. This is where the evening gets pretty entertaining, since the charges tend to be farfetched.

If the mess member makes a good case, the president fines the guilty party an amount he sees fit, or forces the defendant to perform a show for the mess. Depending on how creative the president is, the judgments meted out to the members of the mess can be pretty humorous, and all in good fun. Last year, upon being accused of not adequately cleaning his firearm, a gunnery sergeant and members of his unit were charged with singing a Madonna song. It was hilarious.

As the ceremony winds down, formal toasts are given in tribute to soldiers who have served in conflicts throughout history and to those who will fight in the future. A toast is made to fallen comrades and as a bugler plays “Taps,” a spotlight shines on a table set for one which is held empty throughout the evening. The final toast of the night is always to the success of the Marine Corps. With that, the president dismisses the room by asking “Gentleman and ladies, will you join me at the bar?” To which the response is a rousing, unified “Oorah!”

Mess Night is a great opportunity for our community to express its gratitude and appreciation to those who go forward to defend our country’s ideals and interests. It goes beyond making any sort of political statement, and the Marines know it, making the evening that much more enjoyable.

Tickets are still available for this year’s Mess Night. For more information, log on to www.oneonemarines.com or call 949-644-3202.

Columnist Lynn Selich resides in Newport Beach. She can be reached at www.LynnSelich.blogspot.com.

YMCA of Orange County CEO, Jeff McBride with his wife, Lori, in the center with honorees Sally Segerstrom, left, and Sandy Segerstrom-Daniels at the Reach Out Gala. The event raised more than $150,000 for the Y.

Donna and Jim Ashby.

Joseph Hopkins and his wife, Ginger, shake it up on the dance floor.

The 36^th Annual YMCA Reach Out Gala brought out more than 250 guests, who enjoyed a champagne reception and a lively silent and live auction, and raised more than $150,000 for local YMCA programs.

The YMCA Reach Out Gala originally began as a women’s luncheon for the YMCA Foster Care Program, hosted by Orange County philanthropist Donna Crean. In 2009, the event transitioned from YMCA Reach Out Awards into the YMCA Reach Out Gala. In 2010, a new tradition was born, transforming the event into a collaborative fundraiser between the YMCA of Orange County, the YMCA of Orange and the Anaheim Family YMCA.

In 2012, the event was moved to February to highlight the Annual Support Campaigns of three YMCA’s.

Proceeds of this year’s gala will benefit the YMCA’s Financial Assistance Programs throughout the county, providing support to children, individuals and families who would otherwise be unable to participate in Y programs.

The evening marked important milestones for the YMCA, including 125 years of the YMCA in Orange County, the 100^th Anniversary of the Anaheim Family YMCA and the recognition of National YMCA Honor Roll Donors.

The Y recognized 21 individuals, families and family foundations for their contributions totaling $100,000 in their lifetimes to their local YMCA’s, including C.J. Segerstrom and Sons, accepted by Sandy and Sally Segerstrom. Kelly Crean accepted the award on behalf of the family foundation and her grandmother, Donna Crean. Hugh Helm of Newport Beach accepted on behalf of his friends and fellow YMCA OC Board Members, Dave and Pat Lamb.

The YMCA Reach Out Gala was generously sponsored by The Crean Foundation, as a Diamond Sponsor at $25,000 and Dave and Pat Lamb of Newport Beach, as a Gold Sponsor $10,000.

Photos by Ann Chatillon

Nancy and Hugh Helm.

The sell-out crowd during the silent auction and cocktail reception.

Over-65 winner Bob Reilly, left, and overall winner Jeff McDermaid, right, show off their new hardware with Jim Mahaffey of the Southern California Yachting Association.

Jeff McDermaid traveled to Newport Beach from Alamitos Bay and found his name on a Perpetual Trophy that he had won forty years ago. And he won again.

The Southern California Yachting Association’s Midwinters Regatta was held this weekend throughout Southern California at various yacht clubs. Adult Sabot racers convened at Balboa Yacht Club to combine Midwinters racing with their monthly Super Sabot Saturday Series.

A beautiful day and good winds made the first two races enjoyable for the competitors. The winds increased before the third race, encouraging some to watch from the dock, but those that raced all returned safely.

Trophies were presented by Jim Mahaffy, representing SCYA.

McDermaid, of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, emerged as the victor, winning two of the three races. Terese Ivory, also of ABYC came in second, winning the third race. Placing third was Lynn Acosta of BYC.

A historic perpetual trophy from Lido Isle Yacht Club went to McDermaid for the lowest score in the over-40 class.

The second trophy was dedicated long ago by the International Naples Sabot Association. Jeff won the INSA trophy 40 years ago when he was the overall winner. That trophy has since been rededicated to go to the racer older than 65 with the lowest score. Bob Reilly, who placed fourth overall, will have his name engraved on it this year.

The busy traffic and choppy water made racing difficult, but Gator Cook guarded the racers from the rescue boat. Happily no rescues were necessary, especially with the very cold air and water. Pinky Greene served as principal race officer, with Pat Heath as recorder.

- By Nancy Mellon

The likes of Chevron, Intel, Coca Cola, Motorola, Nestle, Shell, Google, Honda, Nike, oh my.

This is a must-attend for any corporation that utilizes in-house teams and funding to establish deal flow to ensure critical technology and core competencies are enhanced by acquiring innovation, establishing competitive advantage, investing in the incubation of potential disruptive technologies, or a neverending search to identify that special ingredient to leapfrog competitors.

I listened with fascination to the discussions about how to formulate the team.  How to prevent the territorial protection of an in house R&D department.  How to manage expectations of leadership.  How to make sure you make a partisan and ally out of the CFO, and not an enemy.

My mind started wandering, as it often does.  This process and deliberation sounded familiar.  I started imagining the city of Newport Beach was a corporation, like the folks at the roundtable.  There was a group of in-house experts, yet presenting issues necessitated consideration of external resources and efforts.

Could this model of Corporate Venturing be tailored to Community Venturing or Civic Venturing?  The answer is that it already has been, in several shapes and forms.  Newport Beach has Planning and Parks commissions.  But also, in a dynamic service-plus-plus City, there is the Arts and Harbor commissions.  All standing commissions.

Former Mayor Keith Curry commissioned a temporary task force in the Citizens Technology Task Force.  This vision was to gather subject-matter experts from the community, put them together with city staff, and wrap minds and arms around a specific topic in a defined period with the work product or deliverable being a recommendation to the City Council.

The opportunity is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the business process, which resulted in a recommendation to the council that an five-year IT strategic plan be developed, with a road map provided.

Author Jim Collins, in his book “Good to Great,” suggests a process using the analogy of a bus.  Before you decide where the bus should drive, you need to decide who gets on the bus:  “First who, then where.”

All commissions and task forces are fine examples of Newport Beach’s enviable position of being able to draw upon the extraordinary talent pool that resides in the city (the “who”) and temporarily apply, or venture, that human capital to achieve a desired outcome beneficial to the city (“where”).

The opportunity to put a Tony Petros, local titan of the transportation industry on the Bicycle Safety Task Force.  The city could not afford the thought capital in the open market, but benefits from a resident investing – venturing – in his community.

These actions by the City Council and the historical responses of the community meet a broad definition of sustainability, beyond tree hugging, more like the community venturing in the days of barn raisings.

If something is ventured, what then is the gain?  Profit is returned in the form of quality of life and a sense of community.  A chance to participate in civic affairs for the benefit of your neighborhood.  A chance at a legacy, to preserve and enhance a city for generations to come.

What are the options for inspired action to bundle your energy and subject matter expertise within the city?  I will leave you with a story.

I once asked my pastor about the challenges of running a church.  He indicated that people would constantly approach him, and tell him what they thought needed to be done.  Very few asked him what help he needed, to get done what is necessary.

Ergo, go ask a Councilmember how you can participate and help an existing project.  Go ask City Manager Dave Kiff where he opportunities are to venture your human capital into the city.  Form your own neighborhood venture capital team around safety or another outcome for the public good.

Lastly, if you are a CEO or leader of a large company, residing in Newport Beach, and there are many, do not miss next year’s corporate venturing conference, nor the chance at community venturing in Newport Beach.

Send ideas for Green Stories to JimFitzEco@gmail.com

Charlotte Day talks with a Malawian grandmother raising an orphaned infant.

We’ve all heard the phrase beginning with: “It takes a village …,” but in Malawi,  it takes many villages of poor elderly women, as well as countless caring men and women across the United States, to help raise the 1.2 million orphaned children struggling to survive.

Most of the children lost their parents to AIDS, leaving over 80 percent of them to be raised by their “gogos,” the country’s word for “grandmothers.” Many of the gogos struggle to feed, clothe and keep as many as three grandchildren in school, while trying to live off the land themselves.

“These are the poorest of the poor,” explained Charlotte Day, grandmother of 13. “But the gogos are strong, resilient and intelligent, though they have no opportunity for education. Once when we distributed fertilizer, some gogos walked barefoot for 2 or 3 miles, and only 6 of the 46 could write their name. The rest had to sign with their thumbprint. But it’s the gogos who are raising the next generation. They need so much; we’re doing everything we can to assist them.”

Gogo Grandmothers, founded in 2005, is an outreach to the elderly gogos, and is a partnership between grandparents in the United States, and in Malawi. The Gogo Grandmothers’ mission is to provide a connection and relationship between grandparents giving and grandparents receiving support spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Charlotte explained that Gogo Grandmothers began as a result of a Christmas trip to Malawi that she and her husband, Dick, took in 1990 to visit their son Dick Jr., who worked with USAID.

“While we were there, we met Dick Jr.’s friends”, Charlotte said. “One of them knew that Dick Sr. had taught at the university level. He asked our son if his father would consider teaching at the University of Malawi. We said we’d pray about it, and realized we needed a Sabbatical after 30 years in Christian ministry. We went with two suitcases for one year, and that was 21 years ago. After the first year, Charlotte also began teaching at the university, initiating early childhood studies.”

The Days raised their children on Balboa Island, and are now residents here, and in Malawi.

“We saw what was happening, we saw people dying. It is just devastating. Malawi is in the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic, it’s a heterosexual disease there,” Charlotte continued.

In 1994, the Days established SAFE, which stands for Sub Saharan African Family Enrichment. It is a faith-based non-governmental organization registered in Malawi to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Later, Charlotte and the SAFE staff developed an Early Childhood Development/Orphans & Vulnerable Children program to address the overwhelming needs. They build preschools, provide nourishment, education and Biblical training for children 8 and younger; some are infected with AIDS, but all are affected by it.

“Dick had written a book with Josh McDowell called ‘Why Wait?’ about abstinence,” Charlotte said, “and the first lady in Malawi wanted something to help their children say no to premarital sex. Since then, SAFE has written a nine-year curriculum for African schools, training thousands of teachers.”

Charlotte was shocked at the number of the children being raised by their grandmothers and she began teaching good nutrition, proper sanitation, and helping them get clean water. Charlotte held her first preschool under a mango tree, and ended up holding her first gathering for the gogos under a mango tree as well.

“On one of our leaves, we came back to Newport and spoke to the Fellowshippers Group at Mariners,” Charlotte said. “We shared what the needs were and what we were doing, and everybody asked what they could do. The response was overwhelming! So Gogo Grandmothers was birthed here in Newport, but it was conceived in Malawi.”

Recent Gogo Grandmother projects include offering fertilizer, blanket distribution, providing mosquito netting and instruction in planting, harvesting and using soy. The organization also seeks to help the grandmothers learn about starting their own income generating activities.

There are twelve Gogo Grandmother groups across the country that meet to raise funds and pray for the many needs. Leslie Lewis, the U.S. coordinator for Gogo Grandmothers, wants people to know that they don’t have to be a grandparent or part of a group to be part of the solution.

“All of us doing our part will make an enormous difference in this ‘human tragedy’ becoming a God-directed ‘human opportunity,’” Leslie said.

“Malawi is the seventh-poorest country in the world, we really want to help these women with their hard lives, ” Charlotte added. “This was not our agenda. It’s God who has put this together and it’s Him we want honored.”

For those interested in starting a Gogo Grandmothers group or for any information, go to www.gogograndmothers.com and www.safeafrica.org. Cindy can be reached at cindy@newportbeachindy.com.

Marine One, the presidential helicopter, leaves John Wayne Airport to take President Obama to LAX and Air Force One, following a million-dollar fundraiser in Newport Beach.

Quinoa Johnny Cake with banana, maple syrup and Greek yogurt at Trud Food Kitchen.

We’ve been to True Food Kitchen in Fashion Island several times since it opened in 2010. We’ve enjoyed the Tuscan Kale Salad as well as many other dishes, but never had time to sample the restaurant’s brunch menu—until now.

True Food Kitchen is serving up a revamped weekend brunch with new additions to help diners eat healthier—if such a thing is possible for an already healthy restaurant.

Their new items include:

• Gluten-free Spice Carrot Muffin with carrots, zucchini, golden raisins and walnuts
• Goji Berry Granola with Greek Yogurt, banana, dried blueberries, walnuts and puff brown rice
• Whole Grain Hot Cereal with steel cut oats, farro, quinoa, coconut milk and dried fruit
• Gluten-free Quinoa Johnny Cake with banana, maple syrup and Greek Yogurt

They also have new cocktails to pair with brunch, including an Acai Pomegranate Mojito with papagayo organic rum, veev liqueur, mint and pomegranate juice, and a concoction called Spontaneous Happiness with ginger and vanilla infused sochu, St. Germain Elderflower and fresh lime. The latter cocktail was crafted in celebration of True Food founder Dr. Andrew Weil’s new book, “Spontaneous Happiness.”

And for those who want a refreshing drink sans alcohol, True Food now has a Kale-Aid, made with kale, apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, and ginger.

Stasha’s been busy rehearsing for her play in Burbank (it opens this weekend), so our faithful (and hungry) editorial assistant, Stephanie, agreed to go along and help sample the new brunch menu.

We arrived at 10:30 on a recent Saturday morning and were seated on the charming outdoor patio. We perused the full brunch menu, which combines lunch items with a handful of breakfast items.

We decided to sample all of the new menu items, so we started by sharing a carrot muffin, which is both gluten-free and vegetarian. This was quickly followed by the Goji Berry Granola, Whole Grain Hot Cereal, and Gluten-Free Quinoa Johnny Cake.

We were impressed with the variety of flavors in both the granola and the cereal, but were dazzled by the Johnny Cake. It was hearty without being overly filling, and the generous serving quickly disappeared from the plate.

Our brunch was accompanied by the Spontaneous Happiness cocktail, which we found to be a little tart yet still fun to sip. The Kale-Aid was refreshing, and Stephanie and I agreed this would make a good “grab-and-go” drink.

“I am so full—but it’s a healthy full,” laughed Stephanie when our meal ended. “This was my first time here, but I’m definitely coming back!”

PACIFIC COAST WINE FESTIVAL

Screaming Eagle. Chateau Margaux. Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

Those notable names are just a few of the wines being poured at the fifth annual Pacific Coast Wine Festival, which brings the best of Napa Valley and beyond­ to Orange County for a sensational evening filled with world-class wines, enticing, rare auction items and a lavish gourmet feast. The event benefits the Pacific Symphony’s artistic and music education programs.

Taking place on Saturday, March 3, at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, this year’s event includes new wines chosen by Advanced Sommelier Jim Houston from Charlie Palmer; a new five-course meal prepared by the Island’s chef David Man, and two rare bottles of Screaming Eagle up for auction.

Roaming sommeliers and winemakers assist guests as they explore the different personalities of wines from the newer cult boutiques in California to the old-world wines of Rhone and Burgundy. Live and silent auctions offer some of the world’s most coveted wines, as well as luxury items and exclusive dining and destination experiences.

Wines being poured include Chappellet, David Arthur Dragonette, Golden State Wine Co., Hudson Vineyards, Kamen Wines, Lail Vineyards, Miner Family, Patz & Hall, Pride Mountain, Ramey Wine Cellars, Robert Kacher Selections, Rudius Wines, Chateau Montelena, Foley Estates, Layer Cake/Cherry Pie, Paul Hobbs Imports, Pine Ridge, Seghesio and Silver Oak.

Other wineries present are Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Leoville Barton, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Cos d’Estournel, Screaming Eagle, Three Sticks and Vega-Sicilia.

Notable auction items include a Mikimoto 8x9mm Akoya (pearl) necklace with matching stud earrings, two tickets to the Newport Beach Film Festival’s Opening Night Film and Gala, VIP wine tours and tastings and exclusive stays in vineyard guesthouses.

The evening concludes with guests enjoying gourmet chocolates and vintage port.

The evening includes a special solo performance by Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra cellist Philip Sheegog.

Tickets start at $375 per person. For information on purchasing tables or tickets, please contact Ricki Shab at (714) 876-2364 or rshabPacificSymphony.org. Visit www.PacificCoastWineFestival.com for more details.

My maternal grandmother has outlived her husband by almost 22 years, and her daughter by 15.  She lived through the Great Depression, worked in a factory during WWII while the boys were overseas, and was a mother of baby boomers.

She remembers where she was when JFK was shot, and when the towers fell.  She has experienced joy, and suffered tragedy.  She is a rock.

Our grandparents’ generation has lived through amazing periods of history, seen unfathomable technological developments, and holds unlimited wisdom, but the thing about amazing stories is that if they aren’t recorded, they die with the teller.

Local author Jean Ardell has recognized the need here, and is running a memoir-writing class at the Main Library on Tuesdays through March 13.

And Berteil Mahoney, an instructor at the OASIS Senior Center, is doing her part to help preserve these amazing life histories.  Beginning on Feb. 21, she will be teaching a course entitled “Memoir: Writing Your Life Stories”.

The description of the six-class course reads, “Everyone has stories to tell.  A memoir is the story or stories of a life as told by the person living it.  In this workshop, participants learn qualities of good memoir writing, read and discuss published memoirs, and write in response to a variety of prompts.  This class will help participants recognize their stories and discover a personal writing voice, style, and purpose.”

As proved by the recent popularity of television shows like “Who do You Think You Are,” a reality show that leads celebrities on journeys through their family history to discover stories about their ancestors, we are all interested in where we came from, and who came before us.

While searching through parish records and newspaper clippings can lead us to interesting stories, how much more vibrant are the tales when told by those who were there, rather than being cobbled together using inference and supposition?

Whether you are still creating stories to tell, or quietly enjoying your twilight days, now is the time to record your history.  Take a class, or just take a moment each day to share your story, I promise there is someone who wants to hear it.

I can assure you that I would treasure a memoir written by my grandmother, even if she thinks her stories have lost their shine.  She is a witness to history, she has lived a life rich with experience, and since I am the daughter of a mother who passed away prematurely, she is my last link to that part of my family.  Stories of my mother’s youth as well will die with her.

At her age, the opportunity to hop on over to the senior center has passed.  She will not be taking any classes, or most likely, writing any stories, but she can still tell them.  Even after more than three decades of having heard her stories, I am still hearing new ones.  Like a sponge, I am trying to soak them all up.  I will become the keeper of the tales, sharing them with family, and hopefully not mangling them too badly.

One day, I will write them down so that my children’s children will know how amazing their great-great grandmother was.  Hopefully, I will have some stories of my own to add – new chapters with new wisdom to pass on, though I can‘t imagine ever having anything to tell that will stack up to what I have been privileged to learn.

For more information on the memoir-writing course, please see the Recreation and Senior Services page at www.newportbeachca.gov.

Funds for the $7.8 million project were about $2 million short of the total, Henn said, and the thought was to go get private donations to make up that gap.

“I am very, very pleased to report tonight that we have just been informed … that the federal government has allocated an additional $2 million for the benefit of Newport Beach for this project,” Henn said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

This is added onto the already assured funding from the federal government of about $2.4 million for the project.

That extra money essentially funds the entire project, with a shortfall of about $250,000, Henn said. He requested that staff consider upping the city’s contribution to the project from $2.5 million to $2.75 million to make up for that shortfall.

“So that the entire project will be funded, with assured funding, by governmental agencies, federal, county and city” Henn said.

Henn called the extra money a “tremendous advance” to ensure the improvement of the harbor, but that it doesn’t let the private harbor community “off the hook,” because there are other dredging opportunities in the harbor that would really complete the project, he said.

Staff will be reviewing other high spots in the harbor, he added, and they are still interested in generating some private donation money to “really do a bang-up job here, with this dredging,” Henn said.

The Tidelands Committee and city staffers have been working together to organize an expanded dredging project for Lower Newport Bay, Henn said.

The city is taking advantage of a unique, low-cost opportunity to dispose of 80 percent of unsuitable seabed material at the Port of Long Beach, Harbor Resources Manager Chris Miller said at a council meeting in December.

The dredging project would take the deepest portion in the lower bay to a depth of minus 11 mean low water.

“Which means that we would cut off the high spots,” Henn said, “to really improve navigability and along the way also clean up a good bit more sediment.”

Henn thanked the city staff, the Army Corps of Engineers, and council members.

“[This project], in conjunction with the Rhine Channel, is just a major advance for the improvement of our harbor,” Henn said.

“I think the Tidelands Management Committee has expressed a deep interest to continue on with the maintenance dredging in our harbor at a prescribed interval of time,” Miller said in December about possible future dredging projects. “So we don’t have the big project we have today.”

The port of Long Beach has set a March deadline to dispose of the unsuitable sediment. The entire project is expected to be completed by June of next year.

“The harbor is one of our most significant economic resources,” Councilmember Keith Curry said at a meeting in December, “and it’s up to us, as stewards of the harbor, to make sure that it continues to be the resource that it is for boaters and people who come to visit our community, and for residents.”

SODA stands for the “SoCal Youth Match Racing – Open Development Acts.”  This is a new event that focuses on developing junior sailors in the discipline of match racing, and the SODA event uses the same Gov Cup 21-foot foot sloops used in BYC’s Governor’s Cup match race each July.

Unlike fleet racing, match races are generally held in a “Round Robin” format with each team pairing off against each one of their competitors in a series of short, quick one-on-one races.  After a complete round robin series, top finishers move on to an elimination series with losing teams successively knocked out.

The America’s Cup is the best known match race sailing event that uses this format, but match racing has long been known internationally for its high level of cutting edge racing competition.  The Congressional Cup in Long Beach and BYC’s Governors Cup are the two other major So Cal events that use this match racing format.

Where fleet racing is relatively unrestrictive in the numbers of competitors and boats that come out, top level match racing requires identical boats and on-the-water umpiring – and due to the costs and logistics required to throw this type of match racing event, the “SODA” regattas are among the relatively few match racing events in the USA that focus on junior racers.

After the first Round Robin at the SODA event, the regatta was led by a young team of BYC juniors: Christopher Killian, Jack Martin, Harrison Vandervort, Andrew Luttrell.  They were followed by Brandon Folkman sailing with BYC’s Ryan Davidson and Riley Gibbs, while Michael Madigan, Jimmy Madigan and Jack Thompson rounded out the top three.  Results flip/flopped in the finals, with the Folkman/Davidson/Gibbs coming out on top ahead of the Killian team (for Indy readers who follow top developing local youth sailors, you might want to keep track of some of these names).

The second part of the SODA series will be held May 5-6 at King Harbor Yacht Club in Redondo Beach, and the final SODA event will be held June 2-3 at San Diego Yacht Club.

Bogart Series #2 and #3 (Avalon and Return), Feb. 11-12, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (PHRF)

Seth Hall’s J124, Marisol, dominated BCYC’s Bogart Series #2 and #3, finishing first on handicap in last weekend’s Bogart Series races over to Avalon and again on their return Sunday.  In addition to taking honors in both races, Hall’s Marisol moves up to second place overall in fleet in the Bogart series behind Jeff Burch’s Hot Ticket.

Steady breezes all weekend saw the majority of the fleet making an upwind crossing to Avalon in just under 5 hours.  Many of the boats managed to make the return trip Sunday in well under four hours (in the case of the fleet’s scratch boat Dare, Bob Kettenhofen and crew crossed the channel in a quick 3 hours and 12 minutes).

Top finishers in “B” fleet was Rob Herzberg’s Baltic 51 on the way to Avalon, while John Szalay’s Peterson 34, Pussycat, won the return leg from Avalon.  In “C” fleet, Bill Apps Catalina 30 “Obsession” was the sole boat that made the trip both ways, but even without any direct competition in her own class, Obsession’s handicap times showed that she sailed every bit as well as many of the larger class A and B boats.

Upcoming Events

Feb. 17-18, NHYC/SDYC – Islands Race – 125 mile offshore Race around Catalina, San Clemente Islands.

Feb. 18-19, 83^rd Annual SCYRA Midwinter Championships – Various classes, locations; for more information go to www.scya.org.

Feb. 25-26, Golden Bear Regatta, UC Berkley – High School Invitational

March 3-4 W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta – One-design “Schock” classes; Harbor 20, Lido 14, Santana 20.

- John Drayton