Description
The Story Behind Always Won at Night
This oil painting, “Always Won at Night”, started as a sketch. It developed from my impressions of sailing into Todos Santos bay at night. This was during a race in the sixties when I was still a teenager.
We were quietly gliding in with the moon hovering over the mountains south of the bay that makes Punta Banda.
The Commodore, then Jerry Shandera, had expressed that the race was, in fact, always won at night. This comment from him and my old impressions melded into this piece.
This Newport to Ensenada Race has been a well-loved tradition in Southern California since 1948 – with Humphrey Bogart being one of the original instigators. At every race, the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club hosts pre-race seminars as well as a Thursday night party before the Friday morning start.
Spectators would gather on Balboa Pier, the Corona del Mar highlands and nearby beaches to witness the start. Crowds also gathered in Ensenada for celebrations and the trophy awards.
Seasoned sailors and navigators from several countries have participated throughout the nearly 70 years of this event – Dennis Connor being one of them. Many new sailors also got their first experience at sea without the sight of land on this 125 nautical mile international yacht race.
I did quite a few study sketches and zinc plate etchings to convey the Mexican influence and camaraderie of this race. Images of my works sold on tee shirts, sweat shirts, posters and also in the official race magazine each year.
I made many friends over the years with race members and organizers. I was especially pleased to become the official artist for the race for almost every year from 1988 to 2005.
More artwork from N2E
Check out the oil painting “Birds to Baja”, the watercolor painting “Off the Coronado’s”, and other Newport to Baja regatta artwork by Scott Kennedy.
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