Long Beach Yacht Club

The City Council, over the objections of the city Tidelands Agency, has approved an expansion requested by the Long Beach Yacht Club. The council Tuesday voted 7-1 to approve an increase in the size of the restaurant, lounge and bar facilities from 19,579 to 21,009 square feet. The expansion drew the objections of Carolyn S. Sutter, Tidelands Agency general manager.

It had turned into a beautiful day. The sun was up, seagulls were swooping overhead, and out on the water off Long Beach, 10 matching boats unfurled red, white and blue sails. Onshore, a cell phone rang. "I'm at the Long Beach Grand Prix," the man who answered it told his wife, drawing loud guffaws from the few dozen people sitting on bleachers at the edge of Long Beach's Belmont Pier. The three-day auto grand prix may be the big crowd-drawer in Long Beach this weekend.

Emmy-winning actress RUE McCLANAHAN--who played man-crazy Southern belle Blanche Devereaux in "The Golden Girls" and "The Golden Palace" sitcoms--has purchased a getaway apartment overlooking the Seine in Paris for slightly more than $1 million. McClanahan, who was also a regular for years on the TV series "Mama's Family" and "Maud," appeared as the ruler-brandishing Mother Superior in the musical-comedy "Nunsense," which premiered Jan. 6 on A&E.

Mike Holleren's Nelson/Marek 70 Starship I from the Long Beach Yacht Club leaped from sixth to first place and had a 12-mile lead with 134 miles to go in the Los Angeles club's race to Cabo San Lucas. Mike Campbell's Victoria, also from LBYC, is second.

Six ultralight 70 sleds, spotting 20 smaller boats a 24-hour head start, set out from Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas in a 10-knot southwesterly breeze Sunday. Among Saturday's starters, Robert Lane's Medicine Man was farthest down the course Sunday, 151.5 miles along in the 790-nautical mile race. However, the Andrews 56 from the Long Beach Yacht Club was only 10th overall on corrected time in the International Offshore Rule fleet because of its handicap.

Cheetah drifted across the finish line in almost no wind but nearly 11 hours ahead of the next boat to sweep the line, IOR-A and PHRF-A handicap honors in the 13th biennial race from Long Beach to Cabo San Lucas. The Peterson 66, co-skippered by Phil Murray and Dick Penningston of Long Beach Yacht Club, sailed past the cape of Baja California at 10:43 p.m. Wednesday. Mitchell Rouse's Taxi Dancer, also of Long Beach Yacht Club, was next at 9:34 a.m. Thursday.

Mike Holleren's Nelson/Marek 70 Starship I from the Long Beach Yacht Club leaped from sixth to first place and had a 12-mile lead with 134 miles to go in the Los Angeles club's race to Cabo San Lucas. Mike Campbell's Victoria, also from LBYC, is second.

Next stop for the World Match Racing Conference after last month's Mazda World Championship at Long Beach: the ACY Cup in Croatia Sept. 28-Oct. 4. New Zealand's Chris Dickson isn't going. Although he is the world's top-ranked match racer--at least before finishing fourth at Long Beach--the event doesn't appeal to him. "There's a war going on in Yugoslavia," he said. "I don't go to wars."

Two boats blew out their mainsails and a sailor fell overboard as strong winds whipped the fleet toward the tip of Baja California in the biennial race from Long Beach early Tuesday. The unidentified sailor was recovered safely after falling off Mike Turi's Fastrack from Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. Battling winds reported to be 28 to 30 knots northwest of Magdalena Bay, Fastrack dropped its sails and motored back to pick him up, then resumed the race.

Roy Disney's Pyewacket has had the ULDB 70 season championship wrapped up since summer, but the Long Beach-to-Cabo San Lucas race under way might be a preview of next season. The 23 entrants include the newest sled, Mike Campbell's Victoria, which is barely a week in the water since its launching at Dencho Marine in Long Beach but appears to be sailing away with the race.

Courtenay Becker, J.J. Isler, Jody Swanson, Dawn Riley, Cathy Chapin, Jackie Golison--those names might soon be as familiar in sailing as Topsiders and Catalina. Female sailors have earned respect in this country. Allison Jolly and Lynne Jewell won America's only Olympic sailing gold medal in severe conditions at Pusan, South Korea, in 1988. The others will compete in the U.S. Women's Championships Saturday through next Tuesday at Coronado.

YACHT RACE: The second annual American Cancer Society Cup, Long Beach Invitational Yacht Race will kick off National Cancer Awareness Month; Long Beach Yacht Club, 6201 Appian Way, Long Beach; 9:30 a.m. today. HOME AND GARDEN TOUR: Five homes and gardens will be showcased in a citywide self-guided tour as the Assistance League of Long Beach holds its annual Luncheon Home and Garden Tour; Assistance League of Long Beach, 386 Roswell Ave., Long Beach; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The 62-foot Ragtime, skippered by Pat Farrah of the Long Beach Yacht Club, was setting a fast pace in the San Diego to Manzanillo race Sunday with 261 miles logged after the first 19 hours. Strong northerly winds were making it a Class A race during the early stages as the top three elapsed-time leaders were holding down overall and class handicap advantages.

Six ultralight 70 sleds, spotting 20 smaller boats a 24-hour head start, set out from Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas in a 10-knot southwesterly breeze Sunday. Among Saturday's starters, Robert Lane's Medicine Man was farthest down the course Sunday, 151.5 miles along in the 790-nautical mile race. However, the Andrews 56 from the Long Beach Yacht Club was only 10th overall on corrected time in the International Offshore Rule fleet because of its handicap.

The sailing community was stunned by the recent, sudden death of Peggy Slater at 72. She seemed indestructible. As sailor, yacht broker or all-around good person, with her flaming red hair and a trademark flower over her left ear, Slater was a match for anyone. Peggy Slater taught Humphrey Bogart to sail. On her advice, he bought his sailboat, "Santana," from another actor, Dick Powell. Stories such as that will be told in Slater's book "An Affair With the Sea," due out in February.