Banderas Bay Wednesday Night Beer Can Races

We always look forward to April, when the Beer Can Series usually kick off up and down the coast of California. Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club’s actually starts in March, but April is when the first gun fires for most series. That doesn’t mean things are quiet everywhere on Wednesday nights. We received photos from photographer Wendy Wendy, who’s been sailing and shooting Wednesday night races on Banderas Bay. The shots below are from a few weeks ago as local racers and Baja Ha-Ha cruisers were practicing for the Banderas Bay Regatta.

Wendy wrote in, saying, “The races are a relaxed affair and just an excuse to ‘knock the barnacles off’ and use the boats as they were intended. There are often about 7-15 boats that come out just for fun and for practice on the water, to perfect skills/technique, with crew/new crew, and/or new equipment/sails, etc.”

It’s a reminder to those of us up north that it’s time to sign up for our local Beer Can Racing. To find a nearby series in the Bay Area you can visit our race calendar here. Depending on where you are, the races can be held almost any night of the week. They’re a great midweek break or weekend warm-up. It’s the perfect time to gather friends, and by committing to a Beer Can Series you’ll find yourself using your boat more. It’s also a great excuse to shake the creases out of the main that’s been flaked on the boom for too long, and it’s simply a lot of fun.

If you’re looking for race results you won’t find them. The racing is south-of-the-border casual with starts, buoy rounding, a VHF “thank you” to the race committee volunteers and then gatherings back at the docks. Vallarta Yacht Club and PV Sailing run them on alternating Wednesday nights.