A BBY Boat Wins it All on the West Coast

Chris Gorog didn’t begin sailing until later in his life. After selling his company in 2010, he promptly bought a boat after catching the sailing bug from his brother. His first boat was a 37’ Beneteau that he named California Dream, and he housed her at the California Yacht Club. He says, “The guy across from me kept trying to convince me to race my boat.” Eventually, Chris decided to give it a shot. For a few years, he raced with mentors then raced on his own after learning the ropes.

“I got better and better,” Chris says, “Over the last five years, we got quite competitive.”

Also at CYC were two Brooklin Boat Yard-built boats: Foggy and a 48’ Stephens Waring & White-designed boat named Va Pensiero. “I’d always admired her,” Chris says of “the Brooklin,” as he calls Va Pensiero. “She was a real head-turner. I thought she was really fast.” By this point, though, Chris asserts he wasn’t going to make such a huge decision without the support of his racing team. “You know, we were going to be moving from a 37’ to a 48’. It wasn’t a small decision.” So, he asked them if they wanted to make the switch. They were on board.

Chris bought “the Brooklin” in the fall of 2021, renamed her Spirit of California, then promptly did some updating. Following the updates, the team spent a lot of time in December of 2021 training on the new vessel to get ready for racing season.

Then, as it does every year in sunny California at CYC, the racing season kicked off in January. “We won our first race,” Chris says, “Then, we won the whole series!” Spirit of California proceeded to win five perpetual trophies in 2022, a first for her and the team.

Chris acknowledges that a lot of people assume their ratings are at play, but he is quick to point out these races were won by small margins. Furthermore, one race was a tie but Spirit of California’s former win pushed them over the edge to first place.

“I didn’t want just a racing boat,” Chris says, “I want to spend more time cruising, and this boat is so beautiful for that, too.” When Chris talks about racing and his love for his team, it’s easy to understand why so much time on the water is spent racing, though. The team has a great camaraderie and are clearly doing something right.

Today, there are three Brooklin Boat Yard-built boats who call CYC home: Foggy, Spirit of California, and Equipoise (the Va Pensiero owner’s new, all electric boat).