Sailing in memory’s waters

Elia Powers

Nearly 500 boats in 23 classes are expected to be entered into the

58th Annual Newport Beach to Ensenada International Yacht Race from

April 22 to April 24.

The Newport Ocean Sailing Assn.’s annual race is advertised as the

world’s largest international regatta, but Newport Beach resident

Bill Lawhorn recalls a time when it wasn’t at that level.

Lawhorn and his father, Hank, came together to form a team for the

first competition in 1948.

“It was a very cold day, and at the time, it was a huge turnout of

boats,” Lawhorn remembers of the late April morning. “I had never

been to an ocean race that had as many boats at one place and at one

time.”

According to a Newport Ocean Sailing Assn. historical report, a

total of 117 boats lined up at the starting line, each paying $22.50

to compete in the 125-mile race from Orange County to Mexico.

Winds were estimated at more than 25 knots, and 65 of the boats

finished the competition.

The event, then called the Governor’s Cup, began when the founding

members of the Newport Ocean Sailing Assn. met in 1947 to organize a

race for sailors coming out of World War II. The first event was

hosted by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.

Lawhorn, once a member of the Balboa Yacht Club, became a race

regular, sailing in all but six of the events, he estimates.

And Lawhorn didn’t wait long to get involved in the sport. His

father purchased a sailboat when Lawhorn was 4, and he learned the

operating details at a young age.

“At first, I couldn’t say I enjoyed it, but later I began to take

a liking to the sport,” he said. “Racing was a big part of my dad’s

life, and it became a big part of my life as well.”

Lawhorn said he used to race every weekend at least nine months

out of the year and twice in the middle of the week. He still keeps

up a heavy routine of sailing.

“I take it seriously,” he said. “I’m more competitive than most.”

The event was renamed the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht

Race, and it brought high-profile celebrities, such as Humphrey

Bogart and Walter Cronkite, to the shores of the harbor.

The Lawhorns lived not far from the water. During races they would

be accompanied by a crew of about six people. Lawhorn was often a

watch captain on the boat.

The team won the competition on several occasions. Lawhorn said

one of the most memorable victories came in 1961 on the sailboat

Vela. Lawhorn said his team finished well ahead of the pack and was

already eating a post-race meal when they saw a group of 100 boats

pushed by a strong tailwind crossing the finish line at the same

time.

“Everyone was yelling for room, but no one was getting it,” he

said.

Lawhorn said in the early years of the race, the boats were much

heavier and took longer to navigate from start to finish.

He stayed competitive throughout the years and well into the

1980s, when a record 675 boats entered the race one year.

And Lawhorn passed along his love of boating to his son.

“It’s nice to be on the water away from land and see the weather

changing,” Lawhorn said. “You feel like you are part of nature.”