Clubs to race the open seas

The Newport Harbor Yacht Club will defend its title at the fifth annual Corinthian Cup Regatta, a two-day event this weekend expected to draw more than 100 participants in four, one-design sailboat classes.

NHYC won the trophy for the main event last year, but the Balboa Yacht Club and Long Beach’s Alamitos Bay Yacht Club are widely considered to be strong contenders for the team prize.

“It’s going to be fierce competition for the team trophy, more so than ever before,” said Terese Ivory, regatta chairwoman and event founder.

The team to watch will be Alamitos, which has come close to winning in past years, Ivory said.

The event that has proven itself to be popular in the past has broken its own attendance record with applications still coming in on Friday at the hosting club, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.

“When I started this five years ago, I said that I wanted to see us break 100,” Ivory said. “So, I am just so excited.”

Part of what has made this popular is the team event, which is not ordinarily the focus of a junior sailing competition, she said.

Many first-time competitors — children between the ages of 7 and 18 can enter the regatta — choose this regatta because of both the ability to place individually and win as a team, Ivory said.

“Sailing is usually a very individual sport,” Ivory said. “This brings a whole team together and kids are proud go be a part of that.”

Olympic-style medals are given to each member of the winning team and to each individual placement winner in the four classes: Sabot, Laser Radial, Laser and Club Flying Junior.

Additionally, Bahia Corinthian chooses two sailors to be the recipients of the Sportsmanship Awards.

Children can win the award for doing things such as helping out a capsized boat or yielding to another sailboat during the competition, she said.

“Corinthian means, to kids, to be a good sport,” Ivory said. “And that means to be gentlemanly or ladylike even when they’re competing.”

If You Go:

What: 5th Annual Corinthian Cup Regatta

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Saturday

Where: Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 1601 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar

Information: (949) 644-9530