The UCLA Marina Aquatic Center (or MAC) is a waterfront recreation facility located in

Marina del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

at the northeastern end of the Entrance Channel, which is owned and operated by the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

. The MAC, which is operated by UCLA Recreation, was opened in 1965 to house the Collegiate Rowing and Sailing programs. Since that time the MAC has expanded to offer recreational classes in small boat sailing,

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...

ing,

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

and stand-up paddle boarding to UCLA students. Construction on the facility began in 1965. A cinder block

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

was built to replace a wooden boathouse structure on

Ballona Creek Ballona Creek (pronunciation: “Bah-yo-nuh” or “Buy-yo-nah” ) is an channelized stream in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, that was once a “year-round river lined with sycamores and willows.” Ballona Creek ...

. In 1967 a dock was added to the entrance channel. In 1984 the installation of new trailers (which were previously used for the Los Angeles Olympics) was added to the facility.

Sailing

The UCLA MAC currently provides classes in small boat sailing (under 16 feet in length). At one time there was an active

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

program but it is no longer present at the facility. Beginning classes are taught in Capris and intermediate classes are taught in Lasers or RS Visions. The UCLA Learn to Sail Manual is available free to the general public. The MAC is also home to the UCLA Sailing Team, a recognized Collegiate Club Sport which competes within the

Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference The Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference (PCCSC) is one of the seven conferences within the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, the governing body for collegiate competition in the sport of sailing. The PCCSC consists mostly of teams fro ...

and the

Intercollegiate Sailing Association The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is a volunteer organization that serves as the governing authority for all sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. History The fi ...

Kayaking

Recreational kayaking is taught at the UCLA MAC. "Sit-On-Top" kayaks as well as sea kayaks are used. The MAC is also home to the UCLA

Kayak Polo Canoe polo, also known as kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of kayaking. The sport is also known simply as "polo" by its players and supporters. Each team has five players on the pitch (and up to three substitutes), who compete t ...

team.

Rowing

UCLA Women's Rowing is an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

varsity sport. UCLA Men's Rowing is a club sport. Both are housed at the UCLA MAC.

Surfing

Recreational surfing classes are conducted at the MAC. The UCLA surf club is not connected to the MAC.

Windsurfing

Windsurfing is a seasonal program that operates during the summer.

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding

Stand-up paddleboard rentals and instruction are offered year round.

References

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External links

Official UCLA Marina Aquatic Center website
UCLA Bruins rowing Marina Aquatic Center Marina del Rey, California