Novia Del Mar was a 90-foot racing yacht that participated in the 1966 Los Angeles to Mazatlán race. The yacht belonged to John Paul Scripps of the Scripps newspaper family. The Newport Ocean Sailing Association, formed in 1947, was dedicated to promoting yacht racing and cruising in Southern California, particularly ocean events. Mazatlán was not the only destination for races at the time; San Diego had been hosting races to Acapulco since 1953.
In a later incident in 1971, while returning from the Long Beach to Baja California race, the Novia Del Mar caught fire in her engine room and sank off Baja California, about 300 miles south of San Diego, resulting in the rescue of three crewmen.