17TH MARINA DEL REY TO PUERTO VALLARTA
INTERNATIONAL YACHT RACE
Del Rey Yacht Club / Starts Feb. 7-14, 2003 www.dryc.org
Nov. 18, 2002 For Immediate Release
PYEWACKET WILL CHASE ELUSIVE MEXICAN RECORD
MARINA DEL REY, Calif.---Pyewacket has
Puerto Vallarta in its sights.
One significant record that has eluded
Roy E. Disney's Reichel/Pugh 74 maxi sled in its four years
of successful campaigning is the Del Rey Yacht Club's biennial
race from Marina del Rey to the Mexican resort. The 17th running
of the oldest continuous race to Mexico's mainland is scheduled
to start Feb. 7-14, and this may be Pyewacket's last chance.
After next summer's Transpac to Hawaii,
Disney will be moving up to his fourth Pyewacket, a larger
maxZ86, a new class of ocean racers. Meanwhile, he wants to
complete the present Pyewacket's dance card, which already
includes records for the Transpac, West Marine Pacific Cup
and, just this year on a cross-country tour, Newport to Bermuda
and Chicago to Mackinac Island.
But Puerto Vallarta has been an elusive
target for some of the world's best ocean racers. The race
has been run since 1971 and the record has stood since 1985
when Dick and Camille Daniels enjoyed an exceptionally breezy
run and sailed their MacGregor 65, Joss, the 1,125 nautical
miles in 4 days 23 hours 0 minutes 4 seconds, with an average
speed of 9 1/2 knots.
"There is a shot at breaking that
record," Disney said, "and we're still racing the
boat in its 'turbo' configuration, as we did the Newport-Bermuda
and Chicago-Mac, with the keel a foot and a half deeper and
a mast that's five feet taller."
He said that configuration is "significantly
faster" than the restricted mode Pyewacket had in 1999
when it set the Transpac record of 7 1/2 days, averaging 12.4
knots.
"It would be great fun if we could
pull that off," Disney said.
In 2001 Pegasus, Philippe Kahn's Andrews
70 turbo sled, was first to Puerto Vallarta in 5 1/2 days.
Later that year he won Transpac with his R/P 75 maxi sled
of the same name.
Records aside, the "Fast Forty"
fleet will have its own competition. There is already a handful
of potential entries in that group, including Phillip Friedman's
Farr 39ML, Black Knight, and Al Berg's Farr 395, Ghost II.
Organizers will score any group of five or more boats according
to their own ratings for class awards, in addition to being
eligible for overall PHRF prizes.
Additionally, the 2003 race will be
followed by a new five-day series of races in Banderas Bay
called Puerto Vallarta Race Week. The regatta, sponsored by
North Sails and the Mexican Sailing Federation, replaces the
MEXORC series, which is now held only in even-numbered years.
Among 37 boat owners already requesting entry packets in the
Racing and Salsa divisions are competitors from San Francisco
to San Diego. The Salsa fleet will have overnight stops scheduled
at Turtle Bay, Santa Maria and Cabo San Lucas on the Baja
California peninsula before crossing the Gulf of California
to Puerto Vallarta.
Officials in Puerto Vallarta reported
that last month's Hurricane Kenna blew through with great
force but did no significant damage to the Westin Regina,
the P.V. Race host hotel, or the ultra-modern Marina Vallarta
where the race boats will be berthed.
Del Rey Yacht club has presented a series
of preparation seminars for the race. The final one is scheduled
Thursday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m. at the club, 13900 Palawan Way,
in Marina del Rey. Coffee, tea and snacks will be served.
Emphasis will be on provisioning, the return trip and special
documentation required for entering and returning from Mexico.
More information, including boats currently
requesting entry packets and the Notice of Race, is available
at www.dryc.org.
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
richsail@earthlink.net
