Anticipation is building for the 2018 Puerto Vallarta Race as race entries begin to roll in. So far, a mix of boats including Santa Cruz 50 and 52s, Pac 52s, TP 52s, and two multihulls will be back for the next installment.

When checking in with a handful of the race’s past competitors, we discovered what the race means to them, why they register year after year, and for some, how it feels to win the event.

Dennis Pennell, skipper of Blue Blazes, will be back in 2018 to attempt a third win. “I have had the good fortune with my Reichel/Pugh 50 Blue Blazes to have been the overall winner in the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta race twice- in 2006 and 2012. In my 60 plus years of racing sailboats those two wins were the highlight of my racing career. I am doing it in 2018 in my 80th year because for me it represents a thousand miles of sheer fun!”

Ten international teams of four women each gathered in Valle de Bravo, Mexico to compete in the 2017 International Women’s Keelboat Regatta (IWKR). The IWKR is a US Sailing championship with a rich history dating back to its inauguration in 1985. The championship alternates between a national and international venue each year and has most recently been sailed in J70s. The race format is based on the Championship League format where races are targeted to run approximately 15 minutes and breaks in between are often five minutes or less.

This fall SDYC is hosting the 2017 Moth and A-Cat North American Championships in the waters off of Crown Cove on Coronado Island. This location is new for us as most of SDYC’s races are held in San Diego Bay or Coronado Roads. For a local perspective, we interviewed Peace Officer/Lifeguard John Anderson of California State Parks & Recreation who shared some insight on the area.

A massive round of congratulations is in order for newly crowned Drew Freides on PACIFIC YANKEE. He and his team which includes Morgan Reeser and Charlie Smythe are the 2017 Melges 20 U.S. National Champions.

It took eight challenging races over the course of three days and Freides’ extremely consistent performances to ultimately win the event by one point, ahead of John Kilroy’s SAMBA PA TI finishing second. Jason Michas’ MIDNIGHT BLUE came third, Liam Kilroy’s WILDMAN was fourth and Jim Wilson’s OLEANDER rounded out the final top five standings.

Today was an exciting last day of the 2017 Etchells North American Championship hosted by San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) and Etchells Fleet 13. Twenty-nine teams completed the last two races in Coronado Roads, culminating in a new North American Champion after eight total races.