San Diego Yacht Club began hosting the Beneteau Cup in 2003 for 36.7 and 40.7 one design racing. After noticing a drop in participation in 2008 and 2009, longtime race organizers Rick Day and Barrett Canfield approached the 2010 race with a new focus. Starting in 2010, the race was restructured as a fun and educational way to invite Beneteau owners, especially cruisers that are not built for racing, out on the water.
For these participants who are new to racing, South Coast Yachts and UK Sails provide classroom training sessions on the Friday night before the Cup to teach participants about the basics of sailboat racing. These classes cover an overview of the race course, how to navigate a starting line, tips on mark roundings, etc. As expected, these classroom sessions appeal to new racers although Day and Canfield have found that many racers who have participated in previous Beneteau Cups attend the course multiple times as a refresher.
Onboard “coaching” is another key component to the Beneteau Cup that makes it a unique race. A crew/coach list is solicited from the local San Diego racing community to support new or novice racers. These “coaches” are not professionals and they are not paid, but they are extremely helpful to those participants who are new to racing and would prefer to have a knowledgeable leader on board during their first few races.
This strategy, coupled with the fact that there is now a handicap system for this class, has started a new trend of people entering their cruising boats in other races besides the Beneteau Cup. Day and Canfield have noticed cruising boats participating in Hot Rums, Beer Cans and even Long Point Race Week. The Beneteau Cup participation has almost doubled since the new format was started, with about 22 boats the first year and over 40 boats expected for this year’s race.
The 2016 Beneteau Cup will feature many notable entries including Lowell Potiker (SDYC), whose Oceanis 55, Sereine, just placed second in its class at Long Point Race Week. David Normandin (DPYC), will race the Cup for the first time in his Oceanis 48, Freedom, after having finished first in his class at the Newport to Ensenada Race. The 36.7 Fleet will use the Beneteau Cup as part of their Pacific Coast Championships.
The boats participating in Beneteau Cup will fill SDYC’s guest dock over the September 10 & 11 weekend. In addition to the Friday night classroom session and lively racing throughout the weekend, there will be a party for participants on Saturday night with delicious food and live music from the local band, The Lifted Tack. The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday afternoon after racing is completed.
With such great results, it is no surprise that Beneteau, a 130-year-old brand with about 400 offices worldwide, has started to adopt this format of inviting cruising boats on a global scale and has also added performance versions to their cruising boat offerings as cruisers become enamored with racing.