Short Sightings of California Sailing
The 77th Newport to Ensenada Starts on Friday
This Friday, April 25, more than 130 boats and over 800 sailors will line up off Newport Beach for the 77th edition of the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race. It’s a longstanding SoCal spring tradition as boats sail south across the border to be welcomed by our friendly Mexican neighbors. It’s one of the shorter, more pleasant downwind ocean races available, and the finish is celebrated with cold cervezas and margaritas.
The 135-mile course from Newport Beach to Ensenada also has shorter options, with starts in San Diego or Dana Point. The current forecast looks like enough light northwesterlies to get most boats to the destination.
Back again this year is John Raymont’s Fast Exit, the boat that smoked the course last year in just over 10 hours. Among the performance contenders is Greg Dorn’s TP52 Favonius 2 — the race will serve as a good warm-up for this summer’s Transpac. Another revered Transpac entry that will be on the Newport to Ensenda course is 63-year-old Kiwi-built legend Ragtime. Originally designed by John Spencer, Ragtime’s ultralight, plywood design helped rewrite Pacific offshore sailing in the ’60s and ’70s. She won Ensenada in 1977, and now, under the ownership of Tina Roberts, she’s back fully restored, refreshed, and tuning up for the run to Hawaii.
SailGP Not Coming to California in 2026?
SailGP has confirmed some of its 2026 season locations, but so far the stops do not include California. After two years with L.A. and San Francisco events, including the early years’ season finals on San Francisco Bay, the SailGP circuit has yet to confirm plans to race on the Bay. The schedule also has two events in Australia and does not show an event in New Zealand.
January – Perth Sail Grand Prix – Australia
February – Sydney Sail Grand Prix – Australia
April – Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix – Brazil
May – Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix – Bermuda
May – Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix – USA
June – Canada Sail Grand Prix | Halifax – Canada
July – Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth – England
September – ROCKWOOL France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez – France
November – Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix – UAE
November – Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2026 Season Grand Final – UAE
It looks as if it would be hard to fit California into this lineup.
2028 Olympics in Long Beach or San Pedro?
We’d presumed it was settled: The 1984 Olympic sailing events were successfully held in Long Beach, so it was thought that’s where they’d be in 2028. However, despite the City of Long Beach prematurely issuing a press release saying so, the LA28 Organizing Committee has still not confirmed the location. This is because Los Angeles is submitting a bid to be the host in the San Pedro area.
What we do know is the racing will be held from July 21 to August 6 and there are 10 classes competing, providing gender balance between men’s and women’s single- and doublehanded classes, as well as two mixed-gender classes. The following classes are racing:
Men’s One-Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 (Formerly Laser)
Women’s One-Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 (Formerly Laser)
Mixed Two-Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17
US Sailing and Olympic sailors are already in Long Beach to practice for the summer 2028 event. Are they practicing at the wrong venue? A final decision is expected by mid-May. And, like our current understanding of the world, everything is subject to change.