17TH
MARINA DEL REY TO PUERTO VALLARTA INTERNATIONAL
YACHT RACE
Del Rey Yacht Club / Starts Feb. 7-14, 2003
Feb. 13, 2003 For Immediate Release
PYEWACKET
CHASES RIVALS AND THE RECORD; BLACK KNIGHT DROPS
OUT
 |
| Sorcery
makes little more headway than Mr. Pelican
in light wind before PHRF-B start. Photo By
Rich Roberts |
MARINA
DEL REY, Calif.---The chase is on Friday for Roy
Disney's Pyewacket, the last, lonely starter in
Del Rey Yacht Club's 17th biennial race to Puerto
Vallarta. The Reichel/Pugh 75 maxi sled seeks
not only to overtake all of the earlier starters
but Joss's 18-year-old record, as well.
This
is Disney's third Pyewacket, which already holds
the Transpac, Newport-Bermuda and Chicago-Mac
records. His original Pyewacket, a conventional
ULDB 70, was first to finish this race in 1991,
as were many of the West Coast's hottest racers
through the years.
While
none has been able to eclipse Joss's elapsed time
of 4 days 23 hours 0 minutes 4 seconds achieved
in 1985, forecasts are for marginally favorable
conditions into next week, at least as far as
Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Baja California.
With north-northwest winds anticipated, Pyewacket
should be able to keep its spinnaker filled for
most of the 1,125 nautical miles, although the
breeze may be as variable as 3 to 25 knots.
Two
PHRF-A boats---Jake Wood's Mull 82 Sorcery and
Winslow Lincoln's Andrews 45 Locomotion, with
Keith Kilpatrick as skipper---started Thursday
in a weak inshore 6 1/2-knot headwind, in contrast
to a day earlier when six PHRF-B boats flew away
in an offshore reaching breeze of 13-16 knots.
 |
| Gunsmoke hangs in the air
as Locomotion leads Sorcery across the starting
line in 6 1/2 knots of wind. Photo by Rich
Roberts |
However,
Black Knight, Phillip Friedman's Farr 39ML that
won the PHRF-B start, blew its main sail to shreds
less than an hour into the race when the wind
piped to 30 knots. Black Knight returned to Marina
del Rey to collect a heavier main, but the delay
was so costly that Friedman then decided to withdraw.
He also faced the prospect of a protest for using
a sail that was not aboard at the start.
There
also was trouble at Turtle Bay down Baja way.
The 14 Salsa Division boats tried to restart Wednesday
after their first scheduled layover and were chased
back into the bay by 40-knot headwinds. They finally
got under way Thursday but without Principessa,
Greg Daley's Newport 41S that won the Salsa Non-Spinnaker
B start last week.
Earlier,
Daley reported by e-mail an ordeal of re-anchoring
for shelter on the opposite side of the bay Wednesday
in six-foot swells and winds of 35 knots. Principessa
remained in Turtle Bay.
 |
| Sorcery,
despite almost twice as much waterline, was
unable to keep pace with Locomotion in early
moments. Photo by Rich Roberts |
Also,
the Racing Division's two escort boats, the power
yachts Magic Dolphin and Tuutsea, turned back
because of exceptionally rough seas that measured
seven-foot swells at nine-second intervals. Atalanta,
Richard Hedreen's Tripp 74 ketch from Seattle
competing in PHRF-B, is continuing as the communications
vessel.
Off
the wind, Pyewacket and some of the other racers
might thrive in those conditions. Kilpatrick,
who sailed part of the Volvo Ocean Race with Amer
Sports One, said, "We just want to get kites
up. We'll need at least a westerly [breeze], but
we're restricted by having to take [Santa] Catalina
[Island] to starboard. Anytime we're two-sail
sailing, Sorcery is going to waterline us to death."
But
Locomotion, little more than half the size of
its class rival, led Sorcery off the line by two
boat lengths and continued to extend its lead
as the boats sailed close-hauled toward the corner
of the Palos Verdes peninsula.
Lincoln,
Locomotion's owner, put Kilpatrick in charge for
this race. "I just asked Keith if he'd like
to be listed as skipper," Lincoln said. "He
didn't charter it, but he's been so much a part
of this boat that I thought it would be appropriate.
Maybe I'll ask him for a dollar just to make it
official."
 |
| Keith Kilpatrick drives Locomotion
in the opening beat toward the San Pedro Channel.
Photo by Rich Roberts |
The
eight-person crew also includes Bridget Suckling,
the New Zealander who worked the bow for Amer
Sports Too's all-woman boat in the Volvo.
Immediately
after the completion of the race, North Sails
and the Mexican Sailing Association are sponsoring
a new five-day regatta in Banderas Bay called
Vallarta Race Week. All Marina del Rey-Puerto
Vallarta participants were invited to take part.
More
information and photos: www.dryc.org.
RACING
DIVISION
(Boat/Type,
Sail Number, Skipper, Yacht Club, Rating/Time
Allowance)
PHRF
AA (starts Feb. 14)
Pyewacket
(R/P 75), USA-4, Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles, -153/-47:48:45.
PHRF
A (starts Feb. 13)
Locomotion
(Andrews 45), US-46860, Keith Kilpatrick, South
Shore, -45/-14:03:45.
Sorcery
(Mull 82), US-1777, Jacob Wood, California, -48/-15:00:00.
PHRF
B (started Feb. 12)
1.
Ghost II (Farr 395), Al Berg, Santa Monica Windjammers,
99 miles since start/1,025 miles to go.
2.
Bay Wolf (S/C 50), Richard Parlette, Cabrillo
Beach YC, 96/1,029.
3.
Horizon (S/CD 50M), Jack Taylor, Dana Point YC,
92/1,037.
4.
Atalanta (Tripp 74 ketch), Richard Hedreen, Corinthian
YC, Seattle, 89/1,038.
5.
Zamazaan (Farr 52C), Charles Weghorn, St. Francis
YC, 63/1,062.
6.
Black Knight (Farr 39ML), Phillip Friedman, Del
Rey YC, retired.
SALSA
DIVISION (started Feb. 7)
Order
of finish on corrected time, Leg 1 (includes handicaps
and engine time penalties)
SPINNAKER
1.
Between the Sheets (Jeanneau 52.2), Ross Pearlman,
Santa Monica Windjammers YC.
2.
Gold Digger (N/M 50), David Fell, Seal Beach YC.
3.
Misty (Cal 39-2), Harold Alexander, Seal Beach
YC.
4.
Broadway Babe (C&C 110), Jim Maslon, Del Rey
YC.
5.
Amazing Grace (Farr 55), Allen Puckett, California
YC.
6.
Cheyenne (Whiting 49), Alan Blunt/David Fox, California/Santa
Cruz YCs.
NON-SPINNAKER
A
1.
Quamichan (Davidson 44), Sandy Clark, South Coast
Corinthian YC.
2.
Quest (Davidson 53), Scott/Jean Adam, Del Rey/California
YCs.
3.
Sunseeker (Tayana 55), Alfred Benaroya, Seattle
YC.
NON-SPINNAKER
B
1.
Principessa (Newport 41S), Gregory Daley, Del
Rey YC (retired).
2. Fly'n Bry'n (Catalina 42), Jerry Bryan, American
Legion YC.
3. Firelight (Catalina 470T), Patrick Mickle,
Dana Point YC.
4. Seaker II (Farr 33), Wes Stone, Cabrillo Beach
YC.
5. Valerie K (Columbia 43), Ron Hoskin, Hawaii
YC.
NOTE: In Salsa Division, time allowance is computed
at end of each leg for distance sailed. Engine
use permitted with penalty applied. In Spinnaker
class, all boats race with PHRF off-wind course
(OWC) rating on all legs. In Non-Spinnaker class,
initial "cruising" ratings are adjusted
after each leg.
RACE
CHAIRMAN
Ron Jacobs
(310) 274-7200
rj2sail@pacbell.net
ENTRY
CHAIRMAN
Mike Guccione
(818) 731-1030
innov8@pacbell.net
PRESS
OFFICER
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
cell: (310) 766-6547
richsail@earthlink.net
