Beer Can Race Born From a Bar Bet

Published – May 6, 2024

Source: Scuttlebutt.com – https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/05/06/beer-can-race-born-from-a-bar-bet/

When the question was asked as to when and where the first beer can race was held, there were several virtual hands raised with the same answer: Balboa Yacht Club’s Thursday evening Beer Cans Summer Series.

A 1988 story in the Los Angeles Times recalls a bar bet 25 years earlier that got it started, which would put the 2024 season as the 62nd edition. Here’s what they’ve been doing inside this Southern California harbor for a long time:

They knew their sailboats were far too big for a practical race inside Newport Harbor. But 25 years ago, over a summer afternoon cold one, the crew of the 60-foot Hilaria boasted about their maneuvering ability.

So they issued a $1,000 challenge for a race the length of the harbor back. Days later, the match between two of the area’s best known racing yachts drew a crowd of more than 200, many with their own side bets. In the end, Jack Bailie’s Hilaria won.

And for the rest of the summer, one evening a week after work, Bailie said, he was called upon to defend his record.

Editor’s note: Is this ground zero for beer can racing? If you know of an older weekday series, send an email to 

ed****@sa****************.com











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Source: Scuttlebutt.com – https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/05/06/beer-can-race-born-from-a-bar-bet/

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Hello friends of the Newport Harbor Foundation,

There is an urgent issue we need a little help with… something that impacts one of our favorite local playgrounds – the Newport Harbor.

After years of lobbying the federal government for help, the City of Newport Beach has obtained grants of almost $16 million to pay for dredging of the harbor which will significantly enhance the quality of water and create safer boat passage in the harbor. Along with the dredging process, there is a process called CAD (contained aquatic disposal) which places unsuitable material now existing in the harbor into a safe and secure location deep below the harbor bed. This process is totally safe and has been used for many years all over the country, including harbors in California.

By Phillip Palmer
ABC Eyewitness News, Los Angeles

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — Keeping garbage out of the ocean isn’t easy. So enter Mr. Trash Wheel, the 70-square-foot barge gobbling up garbage by the ton to keep the beach and ocean pristine.

Trash in the streets ends up in the river and then from the river, the ocean.

Hoping to reduce the amount of trash making it to the ocean, Newport Beach is set to become the first west coast city to use a water wheel system to scoop up trash headed toward Upper Newport Bay.

“We really need to knock that trash load down. This is not going to be a silver bullet, it’s not going to get everything, but it’s going to get a big slug of stuff,” said John Kappeler, a senior engineer for the city of Newport Beach.

By Matt Morrison

For a generation of youngsters who grew up around the Newport Harbor, there’s a legacy to perpetuate. OK, maybe they’re only considered youngsters on a geologic scale, yet together they’ve accumulated decades of passion for the fabulous waterway central to our community. The goal now is to preserve it for generations to come.

We might compare it to fixing up a stately landmark home; the curb appeal is still magnificent but the bones need attention. Dennis Durgan can certainly relate to the analogy.

A residential real estate professional in the community for more than four decades, Durgan grew up on the harbor, beginning in the early 1960’s when it was a seasonal recreation destination. He learned to sail here, then went on to crew in three America’s Cup competitions working with both Ted Turner and Dennis Connor. Now it’s a cause for the future, and not just his own.

“There are numerous issues the harbor has, and will continue to have, as we move forward. There’s more and more people that want to use it,” Durgan explains. “I used to call it the sandbox. Well, the sandbox is overflowing with kids that want to play.”

“With all of their toys…” chimes in Val Lyon, like Durgan, a board member of the Newport Harbor Foundation, established in 2019.

Newport Harbor Fiscal Area