During the first two weeks of March, the iQFoil International Regatta will take place in Cadiz, Spain. If you haven’t seen an iQFoil yet, don’t blink. They can zip past you at 35 miles per hour. I cannot imagine the stress on a competitor’s back, arms and legs. It’s definitely a young person’s sport.

Mark your calendar for July 2028 and watch the iQFoil “Marathon” competition in Long Beach during the 2028 Olympics. Competitors will race for 60 minutes…do the math…that’s about 35 miles standing up (Avalon is only 26 miles) …and then do one last lap before finishing.

Closer to home, and definitely more my speed, are BCYC’s Angelman, Bogart and Weiss Races. Rather than talk about the races, here are a few items of trivia about them you might find interesting.

ANGELMAN SERIES – The three-race ocean series is named after Hugh Angelman, the designer of the 35-foot ketch, Sea Witch. She won the Transpac race from California to Honolulu in 1951 with a corrected time of 8 days, 12 hours, 00 minutes and 01 second. I’d recommend reading a short bio of Angelman at https://www.heritech.com/seawitch/angelman.htm. Be sure to check out the paragraph about the HMS Bounty.

BOGART SERIES – This two-day race to Avalon and back is named after Humphrey Bogart. Most people know “Bogie” as an actor, but he was also an avid sailor. He frequently raced his 55-foot yawl, Santana. He won the Around San Clemente Island Race three years in a row and won his class in the first race from Newport to Ensenada in 1948. Because of his knowledge of boats, he was cast in a number of boat-related movies, like “The African Queen” and “The Caine Mutiny.” In case you didn’t already know, the wheel at the entrance to the Columbia Room is from Santana (be sure to read the plaque at the top).

WEISS SERIES – Named after BCYC Staff Commodore, Lorin Weiss, the three race days of windward-leeward competition for Harbor 20s is a staple in Newport Beach. Lorin was also commodore of the Newport Ocean Sailing Association (NOSA) in 1990. You can find his name on many perpetual trophies, in particular the Elmer Carvey for the person who contributed most to the sailing community. In case you didn’t already know, the bell in the Columbia Room is a trophy – retired for display – from the Lorin Weiss Series. A few years back, we would ring the bell to alert people in the Columbia Room that we were about to announce race results for the Weiss Series.

Paul deCapua, Sail Fleet