The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Presents Annual Flight of Newport July 14
By Newport Indy Staff – July 07, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/newport-beach-chamber-of-commerce-presents-annual-flight-of-newport-july-14/
The Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the Balboa Yacht Club will present the 88th annual Flight of Newport on Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Newport Harbor.
Originally called the Flight of the Snowbirds (named for the wooden boats participating in the race), the event was renamed Flight of the Lasers in 1975 after organizers decided to replace the aging, wooden crafts with more modern, fiberglass boats, known as Lasers.
More than 70 boats competed in the 2023 Flight of Newport Beach / Photo by Jim Collins
The Lasers were seen in small boat races at the time including in the Olympics. In 2020 the race was again renamed, the Flight of Newport, to be more inclusive, opening entries to ILCA (formerly known as Lasers), Harbor 20 and Tera RS boats.
The Flight of Newport will begin at 1 p.m. near the Balboa Pavilion and it will take about 90 minutes to complete the course, which circumvents the entire bay. The first-place winner in the ILCA fleet will receive the Albert Soiland Trophy, named after the first Commodore of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club along with a new sail provided by Vela LA.
Other placing racers first to cross the finish line in these categories will also receive prizes: ILCA fleet, the First Girl, Youngest Boy, Youngest Girl, Oldest Person and First Married Couple.
Flight of Newport Beach / Photo by Jim Collins
The Albert Soiland Trophy is engraved with the names of past winners; the trophy has frequently been awarded to sailors who have gone on to participate in bigger races, including the America’s Cup.
“The Flight of Newport is a great community tradition and carries many happy memories from those that have participated in the past regattas. Ages range from young aspiring skippers to legends of the bay like Seymour Beek and Dave Tingler. Everyone wins during this special event on the water,” said Lawrence Jones, Chair of the 2024 Flight of Newport
There is no charge to enter the race. Each registered participant will receive a Flight of Newport T-shirt and, also, must provide their own boat.
For more information including sailing instructions and to register for the race, visit https://flightofnewportbeach.com.
By Newport Indy Staff – July 07, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/newport-beach-chamber-of-commerce-presents-annual-flight-of-newport-july-14/
On May 23, the City Council approved a pilot program to change the harbor mooring fields configuration and approved changes to the Harbor Code to accommodate the proposed pilot program and the long-term plan for all the moorings in the harbor.
Speak Up Newport is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, June 14 to discuss the mooring plan with guest speaker Bill Kenney, the former Harbor Commission Chair. He will describe the Harbor Commission’s Open Water Initiative and the reasons for the changes to the mooring fields.
The valves, which were built in the 1970s to replace a system from the early 1900s, are necessary to prevent flooding in low-lying areas. They are manually operated, and need to be closed during high tides to prevent seawater from flooding the streets. Once the tide recedes, crews reopen the valves — nearly 90 in total — to allow water to flow from streets to the bay.
City Council this week unanimously approved a pilot project, called the open water initiative, related to mooring field design.
Councilmembers voted 7-0 on Tuesday (May 23) in support of the ordinance that would amend Title 17 (the city’s harbor code) related to mooring standards and permits. The approved action, stemming from Harbor Commission recommendations, will reconfigure mooring field C, which sits between Bay Island and the Balboa Peninsula ferry station.
March showers have given way to April flowers. The recent storms left in their wake perfect conditions throughout Southern California for thriving vegetation – a super bloom resulting in lush landscapes carpeted with abundant wildflowers.
The storms also replenished many of our major water supply reservoirs and significantly refilled our groundwater basin, resulting in higher-than-average levels compared to many years when these resources remained in limited supply indefinitely.
These same storms have another, less favorable effect on our community, as Newport Beach is at the end of the water “pipe” when it comes to trash and debris flow.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!