On the Water: Alamitos Bay Yacht Club hosts Midwinters West Regatta
Grunion columnist Jo Murray writes about all things water related in and around Long Beach. The Alamitos Bay Yacht Club hosted the 2024 ILCA, 29er & I420 Midwinters West Regatta over the weekend, marking the biggest regatta in Long Beach in three decades. Over 200 entries were registered, with many young people from around the world preparing for the 2028 Olympics. Regatta co-chair Ed Spotskey commended the yacht club's staff, including volunteers Judy Mathias and Mary Riddick, for their commitment and dedication to ABYC. The regatta also featured the Collegiate Rowing Regatta at Marine Stadium, featuring four races for the men’s crews. The 12th annual Adler Paddle also took place in Alamits Bay commemorating Steve Adler, who died from a genetic disorder. All proceeds from raffle ticket and T-shirt sales went to The John Ritter Foundation.
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The Alamitos Bay Yacht Club hosted the 2024 ILCA, 29er & I420 Midwinters West Regatta over the weekend, with more than 200 entries participating — making it the biggest regatta in Long Beach in three decades.
As a part of the trophy presentation on Sunday, regatta co-chair Ed Spotskey commended the yacht club’s staff.
“The staff is always just taken for granted: they ran a clinic, had one day off and then started five days of the biggest regatta in 30 years,” Spotskey said. “It was an absolute honor to bring them in front of all those people and I actually left the podium and stood out front and talked about them as being the backbone of this property. With endless 12-hour days, silently behind the scenes.”
Besides recognizing ABYC’s staff contribution to the regatta’s success, volunteers Judy Mathias and Mary Riddick – both more than 90 year old – were lauded for their commitment and dedication to ABYC.
The club was buzzing with young people from all over the world, many getting their first taste of being in Long Beach as they gear up for the 2028 Olympics.
All four days of the regatta, I kept thinking about what kind of first impression the city made on those young people.
It did seem, after all, as if the weekend highlighted the quintessential Long Beach experience.
I looked at Marine Stadium and there were university students competing in the Gruenberg Cup (more on that later). As I drove by the sailing center on Sunday morning, folks were getting ready for the 12th Annual Adler paddle out.
Saturday night brought Landslide, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band to the Long Beach Arena, where they performed “Tusk” with Poly’s marching band.
It was special to see so many of the people that had volunteered at the regatta over the weekend.
I’ve often thought that we live in a pretty extraordinary place: Alamitos’s Bay is almost a storybook land for our children to learn how to swim and learn various water sports in a safe, happy environment with so many spectacular events.
As I watched those young sailors that dream of coming back to Long Beach for the Olympics, I was convinced we made a great first impression.
The Collegiate Rowing Regatta took place on Saturday, March 23, at Marine Stadium.
The hosts, Long Beach State, competed against San Diego State and USC the 2,000-meter races the Gruenberg Cup, with the Trojans taking top honors.
The regatta featured four races for the men’s crews. On the women’s side, the event was only a scrimmaging opportunity for the three teams.
The 12th annual Adler Paddle, which took place in Alamitos Bay on Sunday, March 24, featured 40 people competing in the race commemorating Steve Adler, who died from a genetic disorder called a thoracic aortic dissection.
Organizers reminded everyone of the importance of knowing your genetic health history, as it can save your life or a loved one’s life. All proceeds from raffle ticket and T-shirt sales went to The John Ritter Foundation.
Racing was canceled on the opening day of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch because of dolphin activity on the course for the duration of the race window.
In line with SailGP protocol, racing was delayed to allow the dolphin to pass through safely. Unfortunately, it did not move outside the course area, which prevented racing from taking place.
ESPN+’s new series “Tryouts” will premiere on April 10 — and will highlight Long Beach’s lifeguards as they try to earn a spot on the elite rescue team.
Candidates must prove they have the physical and mental fortitude to endure the ocean and make quick, lifesaving decisions.
Nearly 100 applicants test their abilities in swimming and running, as well as a high-pressure interview, to prove they have what it takes to be a Long Beach Lifeguard.
Due to an editing glitch a couple of weeks ago, the USC sailing team was not properly acknowledged for taking second place in the college keel boat regatta hosted by Los Angeles Yacht Club. USC was leading the regatta going into the final day on Sunday.
The sailing team trains locally out of the US Sailing Center Long Beach and Executive Director Mike Segerblom, a USC alum and All-American SC sailor, coached the USC team at the Harbor Cup.
Most of the USC sailors had no keelboat experience; instead, they only had dinghy experience. Segerblom coached the USC team over several practice sessions within a month of the Harbor Cup on a Catalina 37, according to an email from team member Tim Smith.
The USC skipper was sophomore Morgana Manti, from Italy, and she was the only female skipper at this year’s Harbor Cup.