Chicagoan Grabs Early Lead in Newport-to-Ensenada Race

Steve Fossett’s 60-foot trimaran Lakota from Chicago’s Columbia Yacht Club had a three-mile lead over more than 400 other entries one hour after the start of the 48th Newport Beach-to-Ensenada race Friday.

Lakota and Bob Hanel’s 75-foot catamaran Double Bullet were seeking to break Dennis Conner’s record of 8 hours 29 minutes set last year, but the winds were a light 7-8 knots at the start, although building.

Nine ULDB 70s, or “sleds,� were expected to set the pace among the monohulls. Entered were Mongoose, Victoria, Kathmandu, Cheetah, Evolution, Holua, Alchemy, Orient Express and Grand Illusion.

The largest entry is the 82-foot schooner Kelpi.