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Perfect Weather for Vallarta Race Week

Five of the 19 boats in the MEXORC fleet have at it in ideal conditions during the second of two races on Tuesday.

latitude/Richard
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

After what’s generally considered to have been a surprisingly cool winter cruising season in Mexico, somebody flipped on the switch labeled Perfect Weather for Vallarta Race Week. The new and improved Race Week, which runs through Saturday, consists of the Parade of Boats, the Governor’s Cup, the week-long MEXORC for the hot racing boats from California and Mexico, the three-day Banderas Bay Regatta for cruising boats, and the U.S. versus Mexico match race in modern America’s Cup boats.

Looking particularly hot was Akela – leader of the wolfpack – owned by Bill Turpin and David Janes, the latter of Newport Beach. Although built in ’97, she’s been re-turbo’d with the addition of a sprit, five feet to the mast, and two feet to the keel. After four races, she had three bullets and a second in class.

latitude/Richard
©2008 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Halfway into the week, the weather has been glorious. The skies have been blue, the temperatures in the mid-80s, but most importantly, the wind has been blowing 12 to 20 knots for the races.

For example, in yesterday’s Bahias Las Caletas Race — a 26-miler that saw the fleet race upwind from Paradise Marina to Punta Mita, then down to the jungle-lined shore of Las Caletas — Bill Turpin, the Silicon Valley-based co-owner of Akela, reports they covered the course in about two hours. Breaking out the calculator, we determined that the R/P 75/77 (ex- Zephyrus IV, Bright Star, and Scout Spirit) averaged about 13 knots for the entire course. "We were always at 15 knots on the downwind leg," said crewman Pete Heck.

Brightened by the success of Akela in the early going, Bill Turpin, seen here, and co-owner David Janes, hope to do the St. Francis Big Boat Series this fall.

latitude/Richard
©2008 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

As it was, that was only good for third overall in a fleet of 19 boats which, thanks to a good rating system and uniformly fine sailing, finished within 17 minutes of each other. Top honors went to Morpheus, Jim Gregory’s Richmond-based
Schumacher 50,  which appeared to us to have had a superb upwind leg. To show how well Dan Nolan’s tweaked rating system worked, each of the first three boats in the pursuit race were from a different division.

With five more races to go, Jim Gregory, who topped the 19-boat fleet in the 26-miler with his Morpheus, digs into the energy food at the post-race buffet.

latitude/Richard
©2008 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Although today is a lay day, there will be a featured United States versus Mexico match race in recent vintage America’s Cup boats provided by Vallarta Adventures. Spectators will be able to view the action from the third floor Sky Bar at the new Nayarit Riviera Marina at La Cruz.

When the cruising boats start racing in the Banderas Bay Regatta tomorrow, they can expect the MEXORC-like conditions to continue.

latitude/Richard
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

As for the cruising boats, the action starts for them tomorrow with the first of three ‘nothing serious’ races. The MEXORC fleet will resume racing until Saturday, with the last of their nine races. All in all, the action is just heating up, with more MEXORC races, the Banderas Bay Regatta, the whales, the big rays, and so much more.

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If you’re lucky enough to be sailing around the Northern Caribbean next week, you won’t want to miss a special celebration (March 14 & 15) on the tiny island of Jost Van Dyke.