Greetings Sailing Anarchists. Once again it is time for me to find a way to interest you in racing in the 2013 Lexus Newport to Ensenada (N2E) yacht race. Last year I believe we set the record for incorporating more Sailing Anarchy suggestions than any other sailboat race in the history of the world! We lost our blue blazers, moved the finish line and moved the venue to Hotel Coral, reversed the order of the start, had new sponsors, better swag and better parties, and a marina with hot showers. Once again there will be a $50 race entry fee discount for people who register in the month of December. The awards ceremony was MC’d by our own Gator Cook, a noticeable improvement over prior years (I had no idea he was so funny). Participation was up 21% in 2012 over 2011 and to top it off, the great majority of feedback on the improvements has been very positive. A lot of people liked the nice rooms and facilities at the Hotel Coral (like my crew). Downtown was a short taxi ride away, and many of us had a good time there as well. You’ll be happy to know we are keeping all the improvements.
N2E 2012 wasn’t all fun and games. We had the first fatalities in our 65 year history with the loss of Aegean. It is stark reminder that even a light-air sailboat race can be dangerous. There is no room for complacency at sea. NOSA looks forward to the publishing of the USCG incident report and the US Sailing incident review, as we hope to learn how to improve safety for everyone. The NOSA pre-race seminars will focus more on safety issues this year, such as maintaining a good watch and navigation. Consider attending one. No one can be too safe.
I don’t mean to suggest that N2E can’t be improved further. We have an improvement thread going, which among other things, has identified beer service speed, beer price, and no Corona girls as big problems at the awards ceremony. We’re working on it. We even have some controversy going (what would SA be without controversy?). There are several people , including DoRag, SA’s own Master Baiter (a Mr. Clean suggested title), who are frankly offended that N2E offers the “separate but equal” cruising classes which can run motors at night. Don’t be shy, jump in with your own opinions on this or any race topic. NOSA doesn’t promise to act on all suggestions, but they will be considered and discussed. With SA’s help we can keep N2E the biggest and the best race in SoCal.
