Sleds head upwind after the start of a race in the '99 Yachting Cup at the San Diego Yacht Club.

SAN DIEGO, CA — Approximately 140 entries make up the fleet set to compete in the Yachting Cup, the first event of three that make up the Volvo Inshore Championship series. (The other two are Cal Race Week, May 27-28, and Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week, June 23-25.) This weekend's event will feature six one-design classes (Schock 35, Melges 24, J/105, Farr 40, J/120, and 1D35) as well as several PHRF classes and a ULDB 70 group.
Promoters of the event are bandying about some significant names in the sailboat-racing world as participants in the Volvo series. Dennis Conner is expected to compete aboard a new J/120 that he co-owns with Mike Herman, and they'll have America's Cup aspirants Ken Read and Eric Doyle on board. But it's in the Farr 40 class where much of the talent will appear: Peter Stoneberg's Shadow will have America's Cup participants Kimo Worthington and Stu Argo on board, David Thompson has recruited John Cutler, Eric Arndt, and Stever Gruver to help him around the course aboard Peregrine, and Peter Holmberg will be calling the shots on Philippe Kahn's Orion. Also, Olympic medalist Robbie Haines has signed on to direct the action on Alexandra Geremia's Crocodile Rock, while Jeff Madrigali will lead the charge aboard Michael Condon's Endurance.
Activities start on Friday evening with the Volvo Leukemia Regatta, a short-course event scheduled to take place inside the bay. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Leukemia Society.