A sailor’s haven

John Blaich

It can be said that yachting in Newport Harbor got its start in 1911 when

South Coast Yacht Club of Los Angeles Harbor established a station known

as Station A in Balboa. As a result of the harbor entrance improvements

of 1917-1918, small yachts could enter Newport Harbor with a reasonable

degree of safety, and demand for a local yacht club grew.

So in January 1916, Newport Harbor Yacht Club was formed. The first

clubhouse was a bay-front home at 907 East Bayfront. In May 1919 an

enthusiastic group of yachtsmen purchased the East Newport Pavilion,

built over the water on pilings.

In about 1953, a bulkhead was built around the pier and sand was dredged

under the building. Thus Newport Harbor Yacht Club then rested on firm

ground.

Presently, the club maintains an active junior program called the “Non

Calms,” which started with Snowbird-type sailboats -- a small boat that

is manned by a young skipper and crew member. Today, Sabots and Flying

Junior dinghies are used in the “Non Calm” program.

In 1922 a second yacht club was formed in Newport Harbor, called the

Southland Sailing Club. The club rented a bay-front home on the

peninsula. In the spring of 1925 a clubhouse was built on the tip of

Little Balboa Island. During 1928 the name was changed to the Balboa

Yacht Club. The club has done much to promote the sport of sailing in

Newport Harbor. In 1941, the club moved to its present location on

Bayside Drive in Corona del Mar.

Newport Harbor began to be noticed by yachtsmen from other harbors. The

Newport Harbor Yacht Club hosted the 1925 Southern California Yachting

Association’s summer regatta. Yachts from San Diego to Santa Barbara

congregated at Newport Harbor for a week of racing and social activity.

Newport Harbor became known internationally when it was home to the

International Star Boat Regatta in 1928. Championship Star Boat Skippers

and their crews converged on Newport Harbor for a week of serious racing

and social activities. Also, contributing to Newport Harbor’s reputation

as a world-renowned yachting center was the start of the famous

Transpacific Honolulu Yacht Race on Memorial Day in 1928.

Balboa Island Yacht Club, for “yachtsmen” age 6 to 16 was organized in

1922 to promote interest in water activities for young people. This

organization, which was assisted by the Beek family through the years,

still operates on the south bay-front of Balboa Island near the “Beek

Pier” each summer.

Balboa Island Yacht Club promotes instruction and competition in

swimming, sailing and rowboat racing. It is the only Yacht Club in the

area that provides junior rowboat instruction and racing. Many prominent

local yachtsmen got their start with the Balboa Island Yacht Club.

The Lido Island Yacht Club was formed in 1928 when the Griffith Company

was developing Lido Isle. A beach clubhouse was built for use by Lido

Isle residents.

The club became active after World War II. It continues to support a very

active junior program and hosts many popular regattas.

Voyagers Yacht Club was formed in 1940 to promote ocean racing in larger

yachts. They have staged many well-run regatta’s such as the Around San

Clemente Island race. Their Hot Rum Winter Series of races in the bay

continue to draw large crowds. Voyagers Yacht Club has had several

locations. They are presently leasing part of the old Shark Island Yacht

Club building on Bayside Drive.

The South Shore Yacht club was formed in 1957 to promote family sailing

in small boats. The clubhouse is still on Coast Highway along Mariner’s

Mile. During the summer they sponsor the Hibachi Series, a weekly bay

race.

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club was formed in 1958 as a yachting division of

the Balboa Bay Club. In 1971 they arranged to have their handsome

clubhouse built on Bayside Drive in Corona del Mar. This facility has all

of the amenities of a full-scale yacht club, including a swimming pool.

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club has an active sail training program for young

sailors. It also sponsors several offshore races for larger sailboats.

The yearly party before the Ensenada race is enjoyed by skippers and

crews of the yachts entered in this important race.

The American Legion Yacht Club, our youngest yacht club, was formed in

1986. Located at the American Legion facility on the Balboa Peninsula,

they are known for their spirited regattas and events such as the Old

Glory Fourth of July Boat Parade.

Several other organizations have contributed to the sport of yachting in

Newport Harbor. The Balboa Power Squadron provides educational programs

to enhance the safety and protection of Yachtsmen.

The Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce stages yearly events such as The

Flight of the Snowbirds, which is now called The Fight of the Lazors. The

highly anticipated Christmas Lighted Boat Parade is also sponsored by the

Chamber of Commerce.

Another local yachting group, the Newport Ocean Sailing Association,

sponsors the Ensenada race as well as the Fourteen Mile Bank Ocean

Race.There are now more than 9,000 recreational boats based at Newport

Harbor. This is a far cry from the 100 or so boats that once floated in

Newport Harbor in 1916, when the first yacht club was formed.

JOHN BLAICH, a Corona del Mar resident, is a marine historian who has

owned and operated boats on Newport Harbor since his first boat, a

10-foot Punt, in 1926. He presently sails a Ranger 29 sloop named “Ice

Breaker” and a Twitchell 12 racing dingy named “Joel.” He proudly sails

under the Burgee of Balboa Yacht Club.