The Sugar Bowl Regatta has been held since 1934. The races have taken place on
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from wes ...
every year since 1935, except during World War II and immediately after Hurricane Katrina in 2006. Lake Pontchartrain is a 630 square mile lake with a mean depth of 10–16 feet.
The sailing competition is divided into two separate phases, over four two-day periods, beginning in late November and concluding on New Year's Eve. The sailing competition typically features more than 200 sailboats divided into separate divisions. Sailing crews from all over the United States, including intercollegiate and high school teams compete in the regatta.
The races were originally conducted by the
Southern Yacht Club
The Southern Yacht Club is located in New Orleans, Louisiana's West End neighborhood, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Established on July 21, 1849, it is the fifthe oldest yacht club in the United States and a founding member of the Gulf Y ...
(SYC), America's second-oldest yacht club, but are currently conducted in conjunction with the
New Orleans Yacht Club
The New Orleans Yacht Club (NOYC) was founded in June 1949 and is dedicated to further the sport of yacht racing, marine safety and seamanship. The club is located at West End's Municipal Yacht Harbor on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain and is ...
.
History
The Sugar Bowl Regatta was established in 1934 by the Midwinter Sports Association to be part of a winter carnival of sports offerings in conjunction with the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed on ...
football game. The regatta is the only non-football event that has continued in the same format for the entirety of the Sugar Bowl organization. The "Race of Champions" (ROC) has been a premier Sugar Bowl Regatta race involving the Gulf Yachting Association one-design boats since Davis Wuescher of the
Southern Yacht Club
The Southern Yacht Club is located in New Orleans, Louisiana's West End neighborhood, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Established on July 21, 1849, it is the fifthe oldest yacht club in the United States and a founding member of the Gulf Y ...
captured the first title in 1934.
Since that time, the regatta has expanded to its current form that includes many additional classes such as Performance Handicap, Rhodes-19s, Finns, Lightnings, Flying Scots, many Board Boat classes, and several J-Boat fleets. The Sugar Bowl also sponsors the Optimist Mid-winter Championship, the Great Oaks Regatta, and high school and intercollegiate sailing competitions. The "Race of Champions" began as a Gulf Yachting Association inter-club competition sailed in the then-popular wooden-hulled gaff-rigged Fish Class, but eventually changed to adopt the fiberglass design, Flying Scott.
The Sugar Bowl Regatta has featured multiple Olympians, including
Gilbert Gray
Gilbert T. Gray (June 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was an American sailor who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international mult ...
, who captured Olympic Gold in the STAR class in the
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held dur ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
.
George Friedrichs
George Shelby Friedrichs Jr. (February 15, 1940 in New Orleans – March 20, 1991), known as "Buddy", was an American sailor and Olympic champion. He was Dragon Class World Champion in 1967 before competing at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Me ...
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
in
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
in the Dragon class.
John C. Lovell
John C. Lovell (born October 11, 1967) is an Americans, American competitive sailor, four-time Olympian, and Olympic silver medalist. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Career
Lovell has competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Oly ...
Athens, Greece
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...
and competed in the 1996, 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics. John Dane III became America's oldest Olympian, sailing in the 2008 Summer Olympics in
Beijing, China
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
The Sugar Bowl "Race of Champions" trophy has become a nationally-prestigious prize in sailing.
Gilbert Gray
Gilbert T. Gray (June 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was an American sailor who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international mult ...
won it in 1941, 1946 and 1947, becoming the first sailor to win it three consecutive times (the regatta was not contested during World War II). John Dane III was the first to win in the "Race of Champions" in three consecutive years in 1986-88.
2006 Sugar Bowl
The 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl was played on January 2, 2006, as part of the Bowl Championship Series. This 72nd edition of the Sugar Bowl featured the West Virginia Mountaineers, champions of the Big East, and the Southeastern Conference Champion Georg ...
football classic was moved to
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
and the regatta committee held the intercollegiate races on
Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier) is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee ...
in the Atlanta-area thanks to the Lake Lanier Sailing Club and the
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part o ...
sailing team. The balance of the regatta was held on
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from wes ...
in New Orleans.
See also
*
New Orleans Yacht Club
The New Orleans Yacht Club (NOYC) was founded in June 1949 and is dedicated to further the sport of yacht racing, marine safety and seamanship. The club is located at West End's Municipal Yacht Harbor on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain and is ...
*
Southern Yacht Club
The Southern Yacht Club is located in New Orleans, Louisiana's West End neighborhood, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Established on July 21, 1849, it is the fifthe oldest yacht club in the United States and a founding member of the Gulf Y ...
*
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed on ...
Sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' ( sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' ( iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...