10 • Mar. 25 - Apr. 7, 2016 • The Log


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ta with his crew ranging in age from 14 to 61 aboard Adios. “We have done everything but win,”


said Bretschger who came in fourth in 2015. His wife has participated in 16 of the 18 races, and two of his crew has been with him for eight years. This year the team plans to sail just outside the Coronado Islands in hopes of making a good break down to Ensenada. For Bob Siemon, 65, and team


Notable Entries • Taxi Dancer with an R/P68 rating of -84 from Santa Barbara Yacht Club, the fastest boat entered at press time.


• Aszhou, with an R/P63 rating of -143. •The fastest ORCA multihull entered is Uni, a Seacart 30 trimaran.


Free Seminars for Racers • Southwestern YC will also host a free seminar for participants on March 31. Visit new- porttoensenada.com.


• U.S. Sailing Coastal Safety At Sea Seminar: 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., April 2 at Dana Point Yacht Club, 24399 Dana Drive in Dana Point. Visit newporttoensenada.com to register.


Race From page 3


at 5 p.m. off Shelter Island in San Diego. Southwestern Yacht Club will host


pre-race events in the San Diego area for racers about to sail on the new 62- nautical-mile course that ends in Ensenada. The short course will be a San Diego PHRF rating of 50 or higher. NOSA also experimented with an


alternative course last year in conjunc- tion with the Transpac 2015 Race to allow for a longer 150-mile course around San Clemente Island as a quali- fying race. The association’s hard work has begun to pay off as last year’s race wit- nessed a growth in numbers with more than 175 boats participating in the race. At press time, 159 boats had signed up for the 2016 race with the number expected to land anywhere between 225 and 240 by race day. Several first time racers have


already signed up – indicating the past is in the past. “We had almost 40 new boats last


year, and I think that shows we are turning the corner of safety concerns in Mexico,” Shockley said. Officials are also expecting more people to make the drive down to Ensenada to meet the racers, which will only help to increase the experience, Bretschger said. “We have not heard any concerns about going down to Mexico this year as we have in the past,” he said. “It’s as though everything has been lifted.” Wayne Hopkins, of Ventura, had no hesitation signing up for the race despite a Travel Warning for Mexico updated on Jan. 19, 2016 by the U.S. Department of State warning U.S. citi- zens about the risk of travel to certain places in Mexico. “Exercise caution in the northern


state of Baja California, particularly at night. According to the Baja State Secretariat for Public Security, Tijuana and Rosarito continued to experience an increase in homicide rates from January to October 2015 compared to the same period in the previous year,” the U.S. Department of State warning reads. “While most of these homicides


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Pictured left to right: A crowd of spectators gathers at the Newport Pier to cheer on racers at the start of the race. Sundaze, a Beneteau Oceanis 38 owned by Bob Siemon will hit the race course on April 22.


appeared to be targeted criminal organization assassinations, turf bat- tles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas fre- quented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents, in which innocent bystanders have been injured, have occurred during daylight hours.” Hopkins, who will be racing on his


Fisher 34, Mistress Mine, is not con- cerned for his safety. “I do a lot of business in Mexico; it


feels safer,” he said. “Ensenada is a well-run port. The race organizers do a really good job of helping racers check in; we were able to rent two slips in advance that will be ready for us.” Hopkins will race alongside daugh-


ter, Ashley, who is also competing for the first time in her Merit 25, Swell. The senior in college will race with an all female crew. He is more concerned with his


daughter’s safety on the water than what can happen once in port. “As a father there’s a healthy con-


cern but I have to trust her training and her experience,” he said. Hopkins was initially drawn to the Ensenada race after competing in the Islands Series. “It got us thinking about doing something longer and offshore instead of going around buoys.” As for first-race strategies, Hopkins’s is keeping it simple: “I’m open to have a good time,” he said. “It’s just the experience of it.” The camaraderie keeps Bretschger coming back for more. This year marks his 18th year participating in the regat-


aboard his Beneteau Oceanis 38, Sundaze, the race is a bucket list item that many are excited to finally experi- ence. “What intrigued me about the


Newport to Ensenada race is that it is open ocean racing and it’s a nice long haul,” said Siemon, who grew up sail- ing and set a goal for himself in 2015 to compete in this year’s race. The first step was purchasing the boat from South Coast Yachts; the next was put- ting together a crew. First timers include Siemon,


Beneteau sales professional Jody Krimstock, and local lawyer and friend Ray Lee. Two experienced racers, including Roger Floyd who just com- pleted the 2015 Transpac, round up the crew along with Siemon’s son Caleb, who attended a sailing academy grow- ing up.“It’s a neat thing to have my son involved,” said Siemon. “That was one of the hugest motivations for me to do this.”


The team plans to continue to attend NOSA’s free seminars and get out on the water as much as possible until race day. “The whole team is looking at it as an adventure, almost a bucket list thing; a lifetime adventure,” said Siemon. “We want to do everything we can to place in our Cruising Division but we also want to have a good time.” Shockley offers a few words of advice to those still on the fence about joining in the 69th annual race: “This is an opportunity to do something spe- cial and you shouldn’t let it pass you by,” he said. “Become part of the tradi- tion.” Pre- and post-race parties are scheduled with a new social gathering scheduled prior to race day where race boats will be on display. Visit newport- toensenada.com to register or to learn more about the schedule of events.


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Laurie Morrison for NOSA photo


Jody Krimstock photo


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