Jessica Uniack Memorial Beach to Bay Race at Long Beach Yacht Club

Competitors gather near the committee boat in preparation for the start © Cameron MacLaren

It was family fun day at the 32nd annual Jessica Uniack Memorial Beach to Bay Race Thursday, July 18! The event for seven to 17-year old's saw 122 boats race along a five-mile course that took 12 classes of dinghies, helmed by 144 young sailors, from the corner of Alamitos Beach near Island Grissom, off Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier to the finish line by the long dock of the race's host, Long Beach Yacht Club.

Principal Race Officer Alexis Hall, a former coach for racers in this event, had the first class of boats under way at 10:30 a.m. following a 30-minute delay until the wind picked up. It was the largest race the 20-year-old PRO Rookie of the Year had organized. For some of the boats, it's the only race of the year they leave the protection of Alamitos Bay and venture into the waters of the harbor.

The morning started with a skipper's meeting on the beach - photo © Cameron MacLaren

Although last to start, the 29-boat CFJ fleet quickly weaved through the other competitors. Tate Christopher, of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and crew Stewart McCaleb, crossed the finish at about 12:30 p.m. to claim the overall winner title. The pair were just eight boat lengths ahead of LBYC's Alex Lech with his crew; brother Nicky Lech, who were followed closely by twins Scott Pearl and Chloe Pearl of ABYC.

"It was a great day on the water," said Race Director and event Chairman Jess Gerry. "With clearing blue skies, winds that started at 5 to 7 knots and building to 7 to 9 created simply perfect conditions for these young sailors."

Race is underway, the small sails dotting the waters just outside Alamitos Bay - photo © Cameron MacLaren

The event was very much family-friendly and spectator-friendly, with coaches and parents cheering on the youngsters from shore, the pier or in dinghies, he said. In addition to the Lech's and the Pearls who sailed together, Christopher's brother Gage (who placed first in the O'pen Bic fleet) and 18 other sets of siblings participated.

With the majority of racers representing local yacht and sailing clubs, the race also had a strong neighborhood, community, and social vibe.

After the race, the kids quickly put away their boats and gear and hit the poolside deck for the burger bash. It was a scene from Caddyshack by the pool, Gerry said of the fun and camaraderie shared by the competitors.

"Beach to Bay is a regatta that both the coaches and sailors look forward to all summer long," said Hall. "There is something special about watching 120 kids race with big smiles on their face and then enjoy a fun pool party."

The burger bash was topped only by the awards ceremony where the Jessica Uniack Perpetual Trophy was awarded to ABYC's Cole Barth for being the winning sailor in the largest fleet - the Sabot C3s.

A crowd gathers for the presentation of the Jessica Uniack Memorial Trophy, awarded to the winning sailing of the largest fleet. - photo © Cameron MacLaren

The event is named for Jessica Uniack, a dedicated volunteer and supporter of junior sailing who died in 1994. Her husband, Staff Commodore Bill Uniack, attended Thursday's race. Her son Billy Uniack helped the kids launch their boats, assisted with the recording finish times and presenting trophies.

At the ceremony, LBYC's Preston Woodward picked up yet another trophy!

Last month, Woodward and Lech crewed for Trent Turigliatto at the Junior Match Racing Invitational and placed third. Yesterday, the 14-year-old borrowed a Laser Radial from LBYC coach Sawyer Gibbs; raced it for the first time and won the class.

Prizes were awarded to the top three finishers in each fleet:

Sabot C3
1st - ABYC - Cole Barth
2nd - Leeway - Asher Douglas
3rd - Leeway - Jacob Balster

Lasers Full Fleet
1st - Leeway - Kai Jorda
2nd - HHYC - Ben Hagadorn
3rd - SLBYC - Isaac Sweeney

Laser Radial
1st - LBYC - Preston Woodworth
2nd - ABYC - Tanner Jolly
3rd - SLBYC - Matthew Sas

Bic
1st - ABYC - Gage Christopher
2nd - HHYC - Ryan Misterly
3rd - HHYC - Miles Burnett

RS Tera
1st - WLYC - Emily Rychlik
2nd - SMWYC - Miles Gordon
3rd - DPYC - Christopher Daher

Sabot C1
1st - LBYC - Hannah Crompton
2nd - LBYC - Madison Mansour
3rd - Leeway - Claire Williams

Sabot C2
1st - LBYC - Taylor Carty
2nd - LBYC - Sophia Corzine
3rd - LBYC - Victoria Messano

Optimist
1st - ABYC - Jorge Alessandro Lettera
2nd - ABYC - Megan Farmer
3rd - ABYC - Fiona Barbeito

CFJ
1st - ABYC - Tate Christopher - Stewart McCaleb
2nd - LBYC - Alex Lech - Nicky Lech
3rd - ABYC - Scott Pearl - Chloe Pearl

Full results available here.