Skip to content
November 30, 2007

Meditating on the Size of the Banderas Bay Blast Fleet

Ooooommmmm, 15, ooooommmm, 20, ooooommmm 25?

latitude/Richard
©2007 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Today’s Photo of the Day is of Eugenie "all the stories you’ve ever heard about me are true" Russell, Commodore of the Punta Mita Yacht & Surf Club, meditating on the number of boats that will participate in next weekend’s first-ever Banderas Bay Bash.

The BBB, a three-race series that includes a seven-mile reach from Paradise Marina to La Cruz, a 10-mile beat from La Cruz to Punta Mita, and a 12-mile heavenly spinnaker run from Punta Mita to Paradise Marina — is to be an annual event pitting the rival Vallarta YC against the Punta Mita Yacht & Surf Club to raise money for various worthy youth charities around Banderas Bay. That last of three races is the infamous Pirates for Pupils Spinnaker Run, for which everyone is encouraged to — as in walk the plank if you don’t — dress appropriately.

There are two ways to participate. One is with your own boat. The clubs are expecting anywhere from 15 to 25 boats, as many as eight of them large catamarans, to show up. All these entries will pay a modest entry fee, 100% of which goes to charity. In addition, many of the larger boats — such as Profligate, which will be match racing John Haste’s Perry 52 cat Little Wing — are willing to take folks as crew who have made a donation to the charities. To get a ride on Profligate, you only need donate $20/day or $50 for all three days. Plus, you get to bring your own food and beer.

It would help both the clubs — and the organizers — if they could get a better handle on the number of boats and crew that are expected to attend. Commodore Eugenie has been doing the best she can meditating to come up with an accurate number, but having seen steam coming out of her ears, we’ve decided that it would be easier if you folks planning to participate would merely email Richard and tell us if you and your boat plan on participating, and for how many legs. Yes, this is a Ha-Ha style event, in which the emphasis is on having fun raising money for a good cause, so it’s no big deal if you miss a leg or two.

Did we mention there will be social activites — to put it euphemistically — at Philo’s in La Cruz on Friday night, at the Punta Mita Yacht & Surf Club on Saturday night, and back at the Vallarta YC in Nuevo Vallarta on Sunday? And that there will be a ‘surf contest’ before the race on Sunday? If you know how to have fun and you want to be a part of fun racing history, you’ll not want to miss it.

December Latitude 38 Out Today

As you read this, the December issue of Latitude 38 is being delivered to marinas, yacht clubs, boatyards and chandleries all over the Bay Area — just in time for the weekend! Get the gory details on the Baja Ha-Ha, learn more on troubleshooting your diesel, witness a spectacular dinghy disaster and glean some hotshot photo-taking tips from Max Ebb. Get yours today!

Just When You Thought The America’s Cup Couldn’t Get Any Worse

In the latest of a long line of legal squabbles that have tarnished the America’s Cup, Grant Dalton, head of Team New Zealand, has sent a letter to Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli, demanding compensation for the postponement of the America’s Cup to after ’09. We don’t know how much he’s asking for, but Dalton wrote that the Kiwis would lose about $24 million if the America’s Cup is put back to ’10, and $36 million if it’s put back to ’11. This is partly based on a side deal that Alinghi made with the Kiwis.

Anyone remember when the America’s Cup was about sailing rather than lawyering?

© ACM 2007 Guido Trombetta

The demand was reportedly presented to Bertarelli just 24 hours before Justice Herman Cahn of the New York Supreme Court found in favor of Larry Ellison and BMW Oracle and against Alinghi in their lawsuit. As it stands now, BMW Oracle and Alinghi are hoping to quickly reach an agreement that would prevent them from having to resort to the default — which would be racing in 90-ft multihulls.

Chalk up a point for Larry Ellison. The New York State Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Golden Gate YC’s challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup is, in fact, valid – that is, GGYC, rather than the Spanish CNEV, will be the Challenger of Record.
"Man overboard!" "Man overboard again!" Despite light winds since the November 25th start, the 235 boats in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers fleet have already reported two crewmembers have gone overboard.
Although the breeze was light, competition was intense at yesterday’s Big Sail. © Chris Ray Although Cal Berkeley’s Golden Bears may be favored over the Stanford Cardinal in the so-called ‘Big Game’ this Saturday, both Stanford’s varsity and alumni sailors triumphed over Cal in yesterday’s J/105 match racing in the Central Bay.