17TH
MARINA DEL REY TO PUERTO VALLARTA INTERNATIONAL
YACHT RACE
Del Rey Yacht Club
Feb. 19, 2003 For Immediate Release
LOCOMOTION
FIRST TO FINISH AS PYEWACKET PURSUES FASTEST TIME
 |
| The
crew of Locomotion relaxing in their Puerto
Vallarta slip after their "First to Finish".
Photo by Rich Roberts |
PUERTO
VALLARTA, Mexico---Skipper Keith Kilpatrick had
just sailed Winslow Lincoln's Locomotion across
the finish line with Roy Disney's Pyewacket less
than 100 miles at sea Wednesday morning, but the
owner wasn't conceding anything in Del Rey Yacht
Club's 17th biennial Marina del Rey to Puerto
Vallarta International Yacht Race.
Besides
being first to finish the 1,125-nautical mile
race, Lincoln also hoped to post the fastest elapsed
time after starting one day ahead of the celebrated
record breaker.
"We're
holding out," Lincoln said as he hoisted
brews with his crew at dock in Marina Vallarta.
"We had a blessed run. We're willing to put
our boat up against any other boat."
The
three-year-old Andrews 45 seemed certain to collect
two-thirds of a sweep as first to finish and first
overall on corrected time, but Pyewacket-due to
arrive Wednesday afternoon or evening---probably
would slip in under Locomotion's pure elapsed
time of 5 days 17 hours 39 minutes 18 seconds
but without threatening Joss's 1985 record of
4:23:00:04.
Following
Locomotion were, in order, Jake Wood's Mull 82
Sorcery, the only other PHRF A class entry, then
the Santa Cruz 50s Horizon and Bay Wolf that started
a day earlier and have been waging a dogfight
for PHRF B honors ever since. Horizon had a four-mile
lead at Wednesday morning's position report. Pyewacket,
Disney's Reichel/Pugh 75, would be next.
Kilpatrick,
a veteran designated as skipper by Lincoln for
this race, said although a brisk northwesterly
breeze that blew as strong as 30 knots faded past
Cabo San Lucas, they were able to fly spinnakers
95 per cent of the time.
"Anytime
we have the spinnaker up on this boat we're halfway
there," he said. "We never got parked
badly except the day after Cabo. We thought we
were had."
Watch
captain Randy Smith said, "We took the main
sail down because it was just slatting."
"But
in 15 minutes it changed and we were off again,"
Kilpatrick said.
The
45-foot boat carried a 28-foot spinnaker pole,
and the entire setup, Lincoln said, "was
just the right conditions this boat enjoys."
 |
| Photo
of Locomotion approaching Finish Line. Photo
by Rich Roberts |
Besides
Kilpatrick, Lincoln and Smith, other crew members
were Melinda Lincoln, Bridget Suckling, Jib Kelly,
Allan Lindsay and Doug McLean. All rotated at
the helm, although Suckling, who sailed with the
Amer Sports Too all-woman team in the 2001-02
Volvo Ocean Race, also spent her usual time up
the mast tending to business.
"It
was such a tiny mast that it's nothing like I'm
used to," she said, laughing.
The
Salsa Division boats also were due to arrive Wednesday,
but two of the Racing Division escort boats didn't
make it because of rough head seas and a breakdown
early on. Exodus II lost both of its engines because
of fuel contamination. While it rolled helplessly
in heavy seas for an hour and a half, two Salsa
entries---Allen Puckett's Amazing Grace and Wes
Stone's Seaker II---stood by to assist until the
Mexican Navy patrol vessel Uribe arrived to tow
Exodus II 200 miles from Bahia Maria to Cabo San
Lucas.
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
Positions at 9 a.m. Feb. 19
PHRF
AA (started Feb. 14)
1. Pyewacket (R/P 75), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles
YC, 207 miles in last 24 hours/85 miles to go.
PHRF
A (started Feb. 13)
1. Locomotion (Andrews 45), Keith Kilpatrick,
South Shore YC, finished 06:39:18 PST 2-19.
2. Sorcery (Mull 82), Jacob Wood, California YC,
177/21.
PHRF
B (started Feb. 12)
1. Horizon (S/CD 50M), Jack Taylor, Dana Point
YC, 164/34.
2. Bay Wolf (S/C 50), Richard Parlette, Cabrillo
Beach YC, 154/38.
3. Ghost II (Farr 395), Al Berg, Santa Monica
Windjammers, 134/105.
4. Atalanta (Tripp 74 ketch), Richard Hedreen,
Corinthian YC, Seattle, 105/104.
5. Zamazaan (Farr 52C), Charles Weghorn, St. Francis
YC, 127/217.
6. Black Knight (Farr 39ML), Phillip Friedman,
Del Rey YC, retired.
SALSA DIVISION
Started race Feb. 7; started Leg 2 Feb. 13
Leg
1 order of finish on corrected time (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
