San Diego Yacht Club’s race to Puerto Vallarta, Day 1 is in the books for Class 6 (Thursday start) and to sum up their race so far: angles. Twenty hours into their 2022 Puerto Vallarta Race at the 0800 morning, email check-in had the three Class 6 boats 120-135 miles down the course. White Cloud and Envolee were within a half mile of each other having morning coffee (or their equivalent). Such Fast stands only a few miles behind the other two in terms of distance to finish, but in a more offshore position. Clearly different pages from the Mexico Race play book.
Nathalie Criou, Envolee skipper:
“Awesome sailing last night - 17 to 20 knots of breeze which has turned into s**t about a hundred miles from Cedros. Battling it out with White Cloud but we’ve lost track of Such Fast. Team morale is good and we are all rested as the weather tests our patience."
The 2022 Puerto Vallarta Race hosted by San Diego Yacht Club is the 36th running of the biennial yacht race from San Diego to the Mexican mainland. The previous edition in March 2020 took place in the last waning days prior to the wide-scale Covid 19 shutdown in the US, which literally broke while the competitors were racing to Puerto Vallarta. Two years later, a strong fleet of 30 boats set sail on the 1000nm course, some as their first distance race of the last two years.
Teams drawing mostly from the US west coast, but as far as Australia, are looking forward to the competition of this race, but also the picturesque, springtime destination of Puerto Vallarta. Those from the colder climates in Northern California and Washington see this race as the perfect winter getaway with temperatures in the 80s awaiting in Puerto Vallarta.
This week on the San Diego Yacht Club Sailcast, host Alli Bell welcomes Professional Sailor Erik Shampain to speak about his big successes this year and in the past, including being a finalist for the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year.
Erik and Alli start the episode with light banter about sailing Sabots together as kids. Erik recaps his childhood sailing experience, including Oceanside Yacht Club, FJs and Radials, being home schooled while cruising in Mexico, and following in his father’s sailing footsteps.
The Etchells West Coast Spring Series kicked off this weekend with the Pacific Coast Championship, the first of four regattas in the Series. Tom Carruthers team set the standard for the Series, finishing 1st with 20 points, 4 points over 2nd place Chris Busch. In third, Jim Cunningham finished with 27 points.
1st Place: Tom Carruthers, Bill Hardesty, Jeff Reynolds
2nd Place: Chris Busch, Ben Mitchell, Patrick Powell
3rd Place: Jim Cunningham, Steve Hunt, Erik Shampain, Serena Village
1st Corinthian: Will La Dow, Andy La Dow, Parker Shinn, Jonah Wozniak
Typically sailed on the Pacific Ocean course, day one of the PCC’s was relocated to South San Diego Bay, due to an elevated sea state. In South San Diego Bay, sailors raced in 20+ knots, unique conditions for San Diego. On day two, the final day of the regatta, the fleet was towed out to their originally assigned course in the Pacific. Today’s ocean course saw more traditional San Diego weather with lighter winds and swells.
Built on tradition, camaraderie and competitive sailing, San Diego Yacht Club is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its signature regatta, the Yachting Cup, on April 29 - May 1, 2022. Compiled of competitive buoy racing and random leg racing for a variety of classes, the Yachting Cup encompasses an aspect of sailing that is cherished in the community: inclusion and a love for the water. Over 50 years, the Yachting Cup has evolved into a great weekend of high-profile racing for those with a passion for the sport of sailing.
Orange Bowl was an especially challenging event this year. The C420 fleet was stacked with great sailors, and the conditions made it tricky to navigate the race course. The first few days I was out in Florida looked pretty average, if any day in Florida could be considered average, that is. There were random spells of rain and odd wind that accompanied it. By the time the regatta rolled around, the wind had started to cooperate. However, the sea state did not. It was incredibly choppy, which made it especially hard to keep the boat powered up. We did the best we could, and crushed it in the qualifying rounds! We won a race and got second in another.