The first round of the Vallarta Cup saw great sailing conditions on Banderas Bay, with breezes between 10 and 15 knots carrying very diverse racing fleet around the 18 mile course. Primary Race Officer Randy Hough and Deputy Race Office Jess Coburn officiated, with Randy providing his usual lively play-by-play on VHF 63.
In the Performance Cruising Class, Kevin Reath's "Paladin" edged out Ken and Cheryl Sears' "Blue" to earn her first bullet of the series. Blue crossed the finish line a mere 33 seconds ahead of Paladin, after a fearce last leg reaching battle put Blue ahead of Paladin for the first time in the 18 mile race. Paladin nearly caught Blue on the short upwind leg to the finish, and after handicap corrections, beat her by only 23 seconds. Long time VYC member Dorr Anderson took third place on "Bright Star". We were happy to see Linda Anne Sweet's "Olas Lindas" out for the first time, taking fourth. We'll be watching Olas Lindas in future races - she looks like a fast boat!
In the Multihull Class, the top two positions were taken by Hughes-designed catamarans. Brian Charette's tandem-mast "Cat2Fold" didn't have the waterline to take Richard Spindler's "Profligate", finishing over 20 minutes behind in corrected time. The race committee was overheard saying of Cat2Fold, "With those two sails out like that, I don't know whether she is on port or starboard tack!" Brian and crew did a great job in their first VYC race. Third place was taken by Ken and Felecia Persson's "4ourPlay".
In the Heavy Cruising Fleet, Merle McAssey's Kenta Anae was first over the line and first on corrected time, winning against "Rapture" and Tom Jones' "Charissa". It was clear that the entire fleet had a great day on the water.
A full summary of the race results is here. The next round of the Vallarta Cup is Saturday, January 14. Registrations are still open for individual races or the rest of the series and those who just want to come out for the day and sail around the course are welcome. You will find the full information about the race here.
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