by Garth Meyer
The 32nd annual Cure Cancer Cup Sailboat Regatta in King Harbor raised $28,000 for a Cedars-Sinai research lab July 13, as 33 boats competed for the Tom Collier Trophy in a pursuit race.
The 20-foot to 40-foot sailboats began with the slowest entries starting first and the fastest last. This year, with start times spanning almost an hour, the first boat out, after 10 miles of racing, won by 27 seconds.
Richard Benner (Palos Verdes Estates) and his crew took first place on their 20-foot catamaran “Smilemaker.”
Other top finishers were Burr Hope of Torrance on “Deja Vu” (20-foot monohull); Len Abbeduto, also of Torrance, on “Another Bad Wolf” (Martin 242); Allison Prizlow with “Marezia” (cruiser); Ferdinand Wright, of Manhattan Beach, on “Sunday Flyer” (youth skipper); and Kelly Silverman of Redondo Beach, with “Nitro” (first female skipper).
Prizlow was the top female cruiser finisher.
The final downwind leg into King Harbor featured the boats flying large, colorful spinnaker sails.
The awards party was held at King Harbor Yacht Club, highlighted by a silent and live auction.
Redondo Beach sailor Tom Collier died at age 31 in 1991. His namesake event has raised more than $750,000 for cancer research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Next weekend, Friday and Saturday, July 26-27, King Harbor Yacht Club hosts the finish of the annual Santa Barbara to King Harbor race. Boats leave from Santa Barbara, round Anacapa, the smallest of the Channel Islands, then turn toward Redondo Beach, many arriving late into the night or early Saturday morning. ER
