Pirates for Pupils and the BBR

When an event is as fun and beneficial to the local community as is the Pirates for Pupils Spinnaker Run for Charity, it can’t be held just once a year. That’s why it’s held twice a year, in early December and in March. In the case of this spring, it’s March 6.

How can the Pirates for Pupils not be fun? Not only do you get to dress up as pirates and wenches, but the 12-mile downwind course from Punta Mita to Paradise Marina is about as delightful as pleasure sailing gets. We’re talking tropical warmth, flat water, and winds from aft of the beam at between 10 and 18 knots.

All participants are encouraged to contribute a minimum of 150 pesos — a little less than $15. The money is collected by Ronnie Tea Lady, who then carefully administers the use of the funds. For those rightfully skeptical of ‘non-profits’ that feature lucrative paydays for organizers, rest assured that the PforP organizers don’t deduct anything for their efforts or expenses, and Ronnie’s nickname is ‘Ms. Probity’.

There will be a March 5 feeder sail to get the boats from Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and La Cruz to Punta Mita. Details on the entire event will be available on the Banderas Bay Net each morning.

Please note that the Pirates for Pupils itself is a feeder for the really big cruisers’ sailing event of the year on Banderas Bay, the Vallarta YC’s 19th annual Banderas Bay Regatta. Inexplicably there is no entry fee for this five-days-of-socializing-and-three-days-of-‘nothing-too-serious-racing’ event, as it features some of the best cruiser racing conditions in the world, along with a terrific venue and host club.

We’re pleased to note that there are already over 50 entries in the Banderas Bay Regatta, which is way up from previous years, and might even be a record. The entries are as old as Richard Kipp’s 43-year-old Cheoy Lee Offshore 50 Vangabundo, as small as a couple of Catalina 30s, and as large as David Griffin’s 80-ft Kialoa III, one of most legendary yachts in the history of sailing. There’s even an entry named Cupcake!

Be there or be square!