NEWPORT BEACH — A tradition that began with 15 guests aboard a single sailboat more than three decades ago will return to Newport Harbor Oct. 10, 2026, when the American Legion Yacht Club hosts the annual Bonnie Lou Gibson Memorial Sail for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The event, commonly known as SVI, brings blind and visually impaired participants and their escorts from throughout Southern California to Newport Beach for a day of sailing with volunteer skippers and crews. This year’s event begins at 9:00 a.m. at the American Legion Yacht Club, 215 15th Street.
SVI dates back to 1990, when Bonnie Gibson and Bobbie Reed of the Women’s Sailing Association – Orange County took 15 blind guests sailing aboard a single 40-foot sailboat.
The following year, American Legion Yacht Club Commodore J.T. Tarwater established ALYC as the event’s permanent host. Since then, the program has grown into one of the club’s longstanding philanthropic traditions and one of the larger events of its kind in Newport Harbor…