Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week - Day 1
by Long Beach Race Week 27 Jun 19:13 UTC
June 26-28, 2026
Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week - Day 1 © Long Beach Yacht Club
The sailboats of Long Beach Race Week took over the horizon line from Alamitos Bay to the entrance to the Pacific Ocean on day one of the West Coast's largest keelboat regatta.
With better conditions than expected, 97 performance yachts in 3 racing areas crossed the start line at 1 PM in 10 knots of breeze on their first upwind leg of the weekend.
Patience and precision were the order of the day. Windspeeds and ocean swell built as the afternoon progressed, creating opportunities that rewarded focus and challenges that brutally punished tactical mistakes. Distance racers on the three Random Leg courses experienced their share of roundups, spinnaker wraps, and even a weather buoy whose anchor chain wrapped itself around a competitor's keel.
"Everyone in our fleet wrapped a spinnaker today," said Timeshaver bowman Jackson McCoy, whose fleet saw 20 kt gusts outside the break wall on the Random Leg B distance course.
McCoy admitted the crew spent much of the race expecting to be overtaken by faster competition.
"I was pretty sure the 1D35 was coming for our lunch money downwind," he said, adding that good decision-making during the race allowed them to hang on to their lead despite the conditions. Skipper Viggo Torbenson's early positioning and tactical choices proved enough to keep the faster boats behind them and secure the class win.
Thompson 32 Klexy, whose crew won the King Harbor to Long Beach distance race in the week before Long Beach Race Week saw conditions that knocked them out of Day 1 racing altogether.
"We were in first place when the main blew up," said trimmer Brandon Folkman.
Undaunted, Folkman and crewmate Dylan Lancaster said they have no plans to quit, with another sail scheduled for overnight delivery and a backup ready to borrow from a fellow fleet mate.
"Two bullets and we're back in the game," said Lancaster of their designs on first place for the next two days of racing.
Competitors elsewhere across the racecourses found ways to capitalize on the changing conditions. Aboard 2nd place finisher Javelin, Jeff Thorpe said their crew executed a near-perfect race to finish near the front of their fleet despite giving away speed to larger, higher-rated boats.
"We won the start and were right there with all the big boats at the weather mark," said Thorpe. "We're not giving up. We're going to fight tomorrow and see what comes out of it."
Blue Crush also opened the regatta on a high note, with a consistent crew delivering a winning performance on their Friday course before shifting gears for buoy racing over the weekend.
"We sail together a lot, so we were able to rely on that consistency," said skipper Bob Little. "There are a lot of good teams out here, so we have to stay sharp and keep up the momentum."
Racers agreed that Long Beach Race Week's opening day illustrated exactly what makes Long Beach Race Week unique.
"There's no special training you can do to get ready for this," said Obsidian crew member and owner of regatta title sponsor Ullman Sails Bruce Cooper during the post-race party at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. "You come to the start line hoping you have the rig set up right, the right sails chosen, that you can survive the first spinnaker hoist, and stay in the race. It's a challenge no matter what harbor you come from."
Racing resumes today with three windward-leeward races scheduled for the Alpha and Charlie courses at noon while the PHRF fleets return to Random Leg racing for another tactical test off Long Beach.
The Mt. Gay Rum Party will take place tonight at 5 PM at Long Beach Yacht Club and feature entertainment from DJ Steve Steiner. Race sponsor Pirates Lair remains on-site daily at Long Beach Yacht Club from 4 PM until close.
Hosted jointly by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach Race Week sees participation from a wide mix of one design and PHRF competitors, from veteran campaigners to first-time entrants eager to test themselves against the region's top sailors. It is the largest yacht race on the West Coast.
For full schedule, results, and more, go to lbrw.org