Final start for San Diego Vallarta Race

San Diego, CA (March 12, 2022) – The final wave of starters for the 2022 San Diego to Vallarta International Yacht Race featured Class 1 and 2 boats with veteran ocean racers like Roy P. Disney’s modified Volvo 70 Pyewacket 70, Manouch Moshayedi’s Bakewell White design Rio100 (monohull course record-holder), and Doug Baker’s Dencho/Kernan 68 Peligroso.

This year stands as Peligroso’s ninth consecutive PV Race dating back to 2006, and includes 3x 1st in Class and 2x 1st Overall. Class 2 is composed of classics like the Santa Cruz 70s including Marchetta / Furey’s Mirage and Jack Jennings’ Pied Piper.

As for those already on the 1050 nm course, if yesterday’s summary word-of-the race was “angles,” today’s words are “VMC” or “Velocity Made on Course.”

Watching the Class 6 boats beat their way out of San Diego Bay in a southerly wind was a tough way to start a distance race. At 0800 Roll Call today, they were generally passing San Carlos/Turtle Bay. By contrast, the Class 3, 4, and 5 boats got a nice westerly breeze at the start that built through the evening and allowed them to fast reach directly toward the finish.

Despite starting a day later, their 0800 boat positions today are less than 100 nm astern, about parallel to Guadalupe Island. Watching the YB Tracker, you can see the dramatic difference in course choices. By 0400 or 0500, the day two starters opted to gybe back toward the Baja coast and stay closer to the rhumbline, the most direct course to the finish.

All these weather factors and course choices are now showing up in the overall standings with the day two classes populating the top of the list. The “slowest” rated boat in the this group (Class 5 – Olson 40 Akaw!) is currently the projected leader after their first 20 hours on course. They are keeping up with the faster rated boats like Class 3’s Rogers 46 Lucky Duck, who is projected 3rd overall. All the class boats in this second wave are within 30 miles of one another, making use of lots of passing lanes.

The 0800 reports from the competitors shared a similarly fantastic night of sailing:

Ivan Batanov, Zero Gravity, Soto 40, Class 3:
“The first night was one of the best night-time sailing we’ve ever done. Fantastic downwind run in 16-18kn breeze with the boat fully powered up and under control. Everyone loved it so much that we did not have any time for old sailing stories. We had a close encounter with a 900ft cargo vessel which was moving at 1.5kn across our bow.”

Roger Gatewood, Katara, J/145, Class 4:
“Champagne sailing! The kind of stuff they put on magazine covers!”

Wayne Zittel, J World’s Hula Girl, Santa Cruz 52, Class 4:
“Wonderful conditions for the first day! One of our veterans of many Hawaii races has discovered the sweetness of the pleasant exit. I’ve withheld from him the fact that they are not all like this, but wow it’s nice when they are!”

Nathalie Criou, Envolee, Beneteau Figaro 2, Class 6:
“Had a great night with 20 knot winds and dolphins playing around the boat. We almost had a really close crossing with another sailing vessel around 0400 until the incoming crew pointed out that it was a star. This made it much easier to avoid.”

Event information – Race details – Entry list – Tracking – March 12 roll call – Photos

Note: The tracking has a 4-hour delay.

Start schedule for 30 entrants:
March 10 – Division 6
March 11 – Division 3, 4, 5
March 12 – Division 1, 2

Source: SDYC