San Diego is an odd place. A robust city, lots of money, one of the best yacht clubs in the country, more than one sailing venue, phenomenal weather, blah, blah, blah. Then why the hell is it there are virtually no new race boats in this town? Oh sure, there is a lone Bolt 37 that arrived here a year or so ago (and there most certainly will never be another), and some yahoo has built a TP 52 to race against nothing newer than one decade-old R/P 50′, and one two-decade old R/P 50′, but otherwise there is nothing of any note. No Ker 40’s, no MC 31’s,or 38’s, no C&C 30’s, no big X Yachts, no anything. And we aren’t talking OD, but even there my point is proven. Two of the dullest and poorest light air boats in the world, Etchells and J/70’s, are the reigning kings of OD. Zzzzzzzzzz….
Yes, an odd duck big boat shows up once in a blue moon (a Summit 40 is the latest) only to do nothing and then disappear, never to be heard from again. Bringing my new to me Melges 32 here seems to have stirred the pot (lot’s of whiners bitching about our rating, ludacris protest, more hate), and there are at least two more coming to town!, but it is, after all, still a ten year old design…
So no new boats in a town that should have about a dozen or so, has exposed something bizarre. There is a disturbing ‘trend’ that on one hand is kind of cool, but on the other is incredibly dopey. For fear of being sued, (we wish we could tell you the story) no names will be mentioned, but the amount of money that is being thrown at “refurbishing” old 1970’s production boats by a couple of people in this town is insane. We’ve heard well north ot $100,000…
Now DC has gotten into the act, buying an old Catalina 30 tall rig, (A Catalina 30??? Really, DC?) and doing his magic so that he too can go out and punish Joe Six Pack in PHRF class 5, or is it 6? It seems like an incredibly regressive and ridiculous way to throw money at winning a pickle dish in a souped up 4 knot shit box.
Ah Dago, home of the weird and the stupid. I guess that’s why I fit right in. – ed.
