19TH
NORTH SAILS RACE WEEK
Long Beach, CA/June 27-29, 2003
Presented by Golison & Golison
and Premiere Racing
www.Premiere-Racing.com
May 27, 2003 For Immediate Release
SAVE 75 BUCKS AND LINE UP WITH
PYEWACKET
LONG
BEACH, Calif.---Saturday, May 31, is the last
day to avoid a late entry fee of $75 for the 19th
North Sails Race Week June 27-29, when the competition
will include one boat better known for its offshore
record-breaking achievements.
Roy
E. Disney's Reichel/Pugh 75, Pyewacket, will make
a rare tour around inshore buoys as it works up
to the finale of its West Coast career in the
Transpacific Yacht Race in July.
"It's
the biggest and fastest boat ever to sail in North
Sails Race Week," organizer Bruce Golison
said.
North
Sails Race Week is co-managed by Golison and Golison
and Premiere Racing. Entry information is available
on the web site: www.Premiere-Racing.com, at
(714) 379-4884 or via e-mail at bruce@golison.com.
Premiere Racing is the event organizer for Key
West 2004---the annual January sailing pilgrimage
for boats from across the U.S. and around the
world.
A
mix of PHRF and one-design classes will compete
on three race courses. Invited one-design classes
include the Farr 40s, J/105s and Schock 35s, all
contesting their Pacific Coast championships,
plus 1D35, Beneteau 40.7, Beneteau 36.7, J/120,
J/80, Melges 24, Santa Cruz 52 and Transpac 52.
Most
of those classes have grown with the event over
the years from a handful competing in handicap
classes to, for example, the 29 J/105s that raced
in 2002. Other one-design classes may petition
a class start and will be considered based on
the number of boats and the event classes that
are established.
This
Pyewacket---Disney's third---has been in a class
of its own for most of the last four years, setting
records in the Transpac, Newport to Bermuda, Chicago-Mac
and, last month, the Newport to Ensenada race.
The exception was a 63-minute loss to Philippe
Kahn's R/P 77 Pegasus in the 2001 Transpac---a
setback Disney hopes to reverse in what will be
his last race on the boat. The next Pyewacket,
a maxZ86, is being built in New Zealand.
Robbie
Haines of North Sails, who is Pyewacket's sailing
master and project manager, said, "We just
want to get more practice for Transpac. I think
we're going to be by ourselves most of the time,
but it will be an opportunity to work on close-quarter
tactics and boat handling. We have raced around
buoys in the Caribbean, but those were a lot more
than one or two miles apart."
Dean
Barker, skipper for Team New Zealand's defense
of the America's Cup, will be aboard Pyewacket
as a new crew member.
Kahn
also will be at North Sails Race Week, but he'll
be racing his Melges 24---also named Pegasus.
Long-time
sponsors North Sails and Team McLube are joined
by official timekeeper and new Day Sponsor Nautica
Watches.
Event
headquarters remains at the SeaPort Marina Hotel,
also the site of related social activities. The
Seaport Marina Hotel is offering a special race
week room rate. Make your reservations by calling
1-562-434-8451 or at www.seaportmarinahotel.com.
In
addition, NSRW has added Ayres Hotels, known for
their European boutique ambience, as the official
luxury hotel for the event. The hotels are owned
by Melges 24 competitor Bruce Ayres and his family.
The nearest Ayres Hotel is in Seal Beach, about
a seven-minute drive from event headquarters (www.ayreshotels.com
or 1-800-653-3230). Early reservations are suggested
for both.
CONTACTS
Golison
& Golison: (714) 379-4884 / fax (714) 379-3865
bruce@golison.com
Premiere
Racing: (781) 639-9545
NSRW@Premiere-Racing.com
PRESS
OFFICER
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
richsail@earthlink.net
web site: www.Premiere-Racing.com
