More Than 70 Boats Competed in the 87th Annual Flight of Newport Beach on July 16
By Jim Collins – July 19, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent www.newportbeachindy.com/more-than-70-boats-competed-in-the-87th-annual-flight-of-newport-beach-on-july-16/
The 2023 Flight of Newport Beach / photo by Jim Collins
More than 70 boats competed in the 87th Annual Flight of Newport Beach, presented by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the Balboa Yacht Club.
Initially known as the Flight of the Snowbirds and later the Flight of the Lasers, the Flight of Newport had three different classes of boats racing to circumvent Newport Harbor.
The 2023 Flight of Newport Beach / photo by Jim Collins
Among the winners: Lynn Acosta from Dana Point Yacht Club (Top Female), Leela McClain from Balboa Island Yacht Club (Top Youngest Girl), Tucker Strasser from Del Ray Yacht Club (Top Radial), Alden Morales from Balboa Island Yacht Club (Top Youngest Boy), Rod Turner and Ashley Turner from Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Top Parent/Child), Rich and Karen Luttrell from Balboa Yacht Club (Top Married Couple), and David Tingler from Lido Isle Yacht Club. For more information, visit https://flightofnewportbeach.com
The 2023 Flight of Newport Beach / photo by Jim Collins
By Jim Collins – July 19, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent www.newportbeachindy.com/more-than-70-boats-competed-in-the-87th-annual-flight-of-newport-beach-on-july-16/
If you have started to hear Christmas music and noticed holiday TV ads, then you know it’s time for my annual recognition of our harbor’s sailing awards.
I’ll start with the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club’s (BCYC) awards night and the juniors. Sailing director Carolyn Smith stepped up to the podium for her first time presenting awards at BCYC, and she nailed it. One can always tell if the event is someone’s first rodeo, however, Smith’s a pro and she made the night fun and memorable with clear descriptions of the awards she was presenting. The Juniors awards always brings back good times, or even more so by diluting the agony of defeat.
Nine years ago, when the 106th Annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade was held, a few of us thought something was missing.
Not that there was anything wrong with the parade, which was going to feature its usual holiday splendor. But a few people felt it needed a little extra touch that many other parades around the country usually feature.
It was a Grand Marshal.
It almost seems impossible that a parade of this caliber can be held for more than a century without a Grand Marshal. Even much smaller parades in Orange County have them, with some even having multiples for the same parade (Say you Garden Grove Strawberry Festival).
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort has announced their Inaugural Fire & Ice Festival, featuring one of Orange County’s largest waterfront ice rinks, spanning 4,000 square feet. The festival kicks off a season of holiday fun at Newport Dunes with an opening night celebration on November 24, alongside the 33rd Annual Lighting of the Bay, and runs daily through January 1, 2024.
“This year, we celebrate the return of our beloved Lighting of the Bay with a magical holiday experience like never before,” said Phil Ravenna, general manager of Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. “We are excited to bring a waterfront ice rink to Newport Beach. Skaters can enjoy the lights of the bay as well as our Fire & Ice Festival. We welcome the community to usher in the holidays with loved ones and create new holiday memories in our idyllic bayfront setting in the heart of Newport Beach.”
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