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/
The city of Newport Beach, steadily considered a premier boating destination, has made strides, in the last year, to improve services, amenities and educational information available to recreational boaters, residents and tourists. A model was also introduced for a freshly conceived Harbor Department, which also happens to be “new to the world,” according to several city officials.
“A lot has happened/is happening with harbor operations over the past year,” Tara Finnigan, Deputy City Manager, said in an email to The Log. “A lot of thought and effort went into the department structure that the city council approved on June 12.”
In addition to approving the department structure, council members approved the new budget of $1.1 million – up around $200,000 from last year’s budget – to be included in the 2018-19 fiscal year at the June 26 meeting.
Photo Credit: Devon Warren/The Log
The Newport Beach City Council approved an agreement with a firm for federal advocacy services related to harbor dredging efforts and programs, Feb. 27. Carpi & Clay was retained to represent Newport Beach at the federal level in hopes the firm would help bring the city’s issues to the forefront when it comes to harbor dredging.
“The city has been actively working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers … and to a limited extent, federal elected representatives, to present and educate them on our dredging needs in Newport Harbor, as well as to get our project on the Corps’ upcoming project funding list,” city staff told council members in a report. “Keeping our project in focus and on the recommended funding list of both the Corps and the many elected representatives that need to review and approve it is, and continues to be, a significant challenge particularly because we do not have a presence in Washington, D.C.”
An Army Corps study in 2017 revealed there is about 650,000 cubic yards of sediment remaining in federal waters and must be dredged to “maintain adequate navigation.”
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