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REVIEWS FESTIVAL NÁUTICO -
VALLARTA RACE WEEK Compiled by Heidi Bollinger Regatta
Chairman 2008, NUEVO VALLARTA, NAYARIT, MEX. This year, the Sixteenth Annual Banderas Bay Regatta was part of the second biennial Festival Náutico Vallarta Race Week which is sponsored by Vallarta Yacht Club under the auspices of Regatas y Deportes Maritimos. The action-packed week brought several hundred sailors from home ports of the U.S. and Mexico to the fair winds of Banderas Bay and the shores of Riviera Nayarit. The Inaugural Fiesta in the Paradise Village Amphitheater was opened with welcoming remarks by Lic. Edwin Hernadez, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Nayarit, who brought the welcome and greetings of the State. As a special gift to the Festival, the State of Nayarit sent us the beautiful young dancers of the Ballet Mexcaltitán for an expressive and colorful performance of dances of South America. On Sunday morning, the Nuevo Vallarta
Port Captain led a festive Governor’s Boat Parade along the shore toward
Bucerias. The usual March afternoon winds picked up and the boats prepared for the Governor’s Cup Race, which is always open to all classes but was also the first of eight races of the week-long Mexican Ocean Racing Circuit regatta (MEXORC). The Governor’s Cup Race is a Festival Náutico tradition honoring the Governor of Nayarit, Lic. Ney Gonzales, who also started the Marietas Islands race on Friday by personally firing the start cannon aboard Terry O’Rourke’s El Moro. The Lay Day on Wednesday was as eventful as any other race day. Two America’s Cup boats took to the water for matches crewed by sailors from both the American and Mexican boats. Spectator boats left from Paradise Village Marina to cheer the competitors and to celebrate with them at the Awards Ceremony in La Cruz. Each day after the races, sailors, friends and family gathered in the beer garden to relax and swap tall tales, surrounded by music and some 250 meters of banners and canvas posters designed by MEXORC’s design studio and printed for us by the State of Nayarit. Regatta sailors and VYC Junior sailors also competed for Laser Race Trophies in the Nuevo Vallarta Harbor. Tim Morris, Bernard Slayback and VYC Jr. Paul McCarthy took 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The 16th Annual Banderas Bay Regatta for cruisers began Thursday. Thirty-one boats in five classes of multi-hull and cruising class vessels had their chance to settle old scores and new. More than half the fleet had competed in previous BB regattas, and among those, skipper Patsy Verhoeven of Talion sailed home to La Paz with a proud first-place finish in class 3, newcomers Dream Seeker and Valerie K. taking second and third. Humu Humu established a clear first place win in class 2 against its perennial rival Profligate, the very close 1.25 second place held by newcomer Pantera. Never doubt that there was not some serious racing going on in all five classes, with a one-point difference between first, second or third place also happening in the other four divisions. The three boats Escape Velocity, Charissa and Captain George were such close contenders for second place after Tomatillo’s great win in class 4, just as Bright Star held its second place over Sooner Magic by one point in class 1, the well earned first place going to Jim Coggan of Auspice. A special award citation was given to the newcomer Jeff Wahl and his Island Mistress, who not only was second in class 5 after the intrepid Saber Vivir, but made the outstanding effort to race with a crew of the Yacht Club’s Junior sailors. Both fleets enjoyed great winds and gentle seas throughout the week, and both regattas ended the week with Gala Award Dinners. The Banderas Bay Regatta awards dinner was held at the Vallarta Yacht Club with mariachi serenading each table. The MEXORC Awards banquet was held in the La Cruz Harbor amphitheater. There are not many regattas without an entry fee, and we thank our sponsors Regatas y Deportes Maritimos and Lloyd’s, Mariners and Bancomer and the State of Nayarit for making it possible to run the annual Banderas Bay Regatta. Our thanks also go to our harbormasters of Paradise Village and La Cruz Marina Riviera Nayarit for giving a 50% discount to participating sailors, and Paradise Village Hotel for greatly reduced hotel rates. And of course our volunteers and the staff of Vallarta Yacht Club were the best. Be sure to keep in touch with Latitude 38’ and www.banderasbayregatta.com to hear about the progress of next year’s new marina Nuevo Vallarta across from Paradise Village. Next year’s Banderas Bay Regatta will be held March 17-21, 2009. You’ll want to be there to race with your friends, old and new. * For race results, Click here. | HOME
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