Santa Barbara to King Harbor race brings the top yachts to our coastal waters for Friday’s event

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A Southern California boating tradition takes place this Friday with the Santa Barbara to King Harbor yacht race.

This distance race spanning nearly 80 nautical miles has been on the yacht racing schedule for Santa Barbara and King Harbor for 50 years.

For the special anniversary event they are expecting a field of between 80 and 100.

The course starts in Santa Barbara, goes around Anacapa Island, and finishes in Redondo Beach at King Harbor.

That will be followed by an award ceremony and dinner.

"It is very well known deep history, it is our 50th running we have people who have done this race multiple. multiple times," said Santa Barbara Yacht Club commodore David Sadecki.

The event is open to boats whose owners or charterers are members of a yacht club or sailing organization recognized by US Sailing. They must hold a valid rating certificate.

Finding a place for them to dock is always challenging according to race coordinator Rob Miller. It also gives the public an up close look at vessels they will rarely see.
"If you walk around the harbor you will see a bunch of boats you won't always see we will have  four or five boats that are over 70 feet long." 

Some of the competitors will be on course into the dark of the night. Sadecki says, "the race takes anywhere from eight hours to 20 hours depending on the wind and the type of boat you are on."

The Santa Barbara Yacht club, now 151 years old, is welcoming back old friends and spectacular vessels,  for two days of events.

  "This race is a collaboration  between the two yacht clubs we have racers from all over Southern California. We have boats  from as far away as San Diego, we have racers he here from our own city of Santa Barbara we have crew members  that are participating, so it's really everybody from Southern California almost competes."

The race will begin right in front of the Yacht club at noon on Friday. The yachts will go out two at a time and some of the best  viewing will be along Leadbetter Beach, in front of the Yacht Club and along the breakwater wall.

One it starts Sadecki says, you will see "some really big racing sailboats, some really competitive boats, competitive sailors , and they take off and they head towards the islands they put their spinnakers up and it's great to watch."
Many youth sailors will be part of the welcoming team to help the arriving boat crews and provide instructions.

"They help the boats when they come in that's the first person the out of town boats will see. They will help tie them in."

Some of the vessels have arrived and were in the waters during the weekly "Wet Wednesday" event in front of the yacht club.

This year's sponsors include the Santa Barbara Chandlery Yacht Sales, Sea Coast Yacht Sales, Harbor Marine Works, Shoreline Boat Works,  Ullman Sails and the Shoreline Cafe.

Santa Barbara Yacht Club Race Office: racing@sbyc.org / 805-965-8112 or the regatta chairs.

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