NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.---A month before the start there are already more than 200 entries for the 60th Lexus Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race April 27, well ahead of the usual pace.
Peter Bretschger, president of Integrated Marketing Works, the sponsorship marketing company for NOSA over the last three years, said, “This is still one of the largest yacht races in the world with over 3,500 sailors involved, and it's bringing a lot of sponsorship support from companies like Lexus and Porto Hussong keeping the costs down for the boat owners.”
For the first time, entries for the world's largest international yacht race may be filed and fees paid online on the race website. For those planning to race but not yet entered, discount entry fees will rise from $135 to $185 after April 13.
Also, there will be no pre-race inspection as before. Instead, competitors will be personally responsible for complying with the U.S. Coast Guard Equipment List and the PHRF Standard Equipment List for Category 1 races. Boats will then be subject to random inspection after finishing. Details are on the race website.
The last of a series of pre-race seminars will be Wednesday night at Dana Point Yacht Club and April 5 at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. The complete agenda also is covered in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on the race website.
Current entries include Doug Baker's Magnitude 80 and Jim Madden's Stark Raving Mad III, each first to finish in recent races to Mexico. Baker's Andrews 80 from Long Beach smashed the 22-year-old record for Del Rey YC's race to Puerto Vallarta by 31 hours. Madden's Reichel/Pugh 66 from Newport Beach led the way in Newport Harbor YC's race to Cabo San Lucas, beating another Ensenada race entry, Bob Lane's Andrews 63, Medicine Man, by 79 minutes.
Baker briefly held the Newport to Ensenada record of 11 hours 23 minutes 53 seconds set in 2002 until it was bettered by Roy Disney's Pyewacket a year later in 10:44:54, a record that still stands. The multihull record hasn't been seriously challenged since Steve Fossett clocked 6 hours 46 minutes 40 seconds in 1998---the only boat ever to finish before sundown.
The largest number of entries was 675 in 1983.
For this race, Madden has donated a Maxi class trophy for first place on corrected handicap time. To be eligible a boat must have a valid IRC handicap rating certificate.
Also, Ensenada businessman Cesar Juaregui of Bajarama Tours has donated the "Amigo" trophy to be awarded annually to the race's outstanding first-time competitor.
The Torresen Marine Service Department offers tool rental on certain items for the "do it yourselfer". Tools are rented for a 24-hour period with a valid credit card. To set up rental call or e-mail the Torresen Marine Service Department 24 hours prior to pick up. The Service Department is available 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Available Tools:
Fein Vacuum Sanders: $40.00/day
*Fein sanders and vacuum/dust extractor help you keep your workspace cleaner, also making EPA compliance automatic.
*Dust-free sanding allows the sandpaper to ride directly on the work area instead of on a bed of dust. This, in turn, makes the process more efficient while producing a better finish.
Fein Sanders: $40.00/day.
*Fein is a leader in sanding manufacturing. Torresen Marine offers disc and corner sanders for rental purposes.
*The Torresen Marine Ship Store carries an entire line of Fein specific sanding discs.
Heat Guns: $25.00/day
*Heat guns are excellent tools for a number of "not so frequent" jobs. They can be used to dry and strip paint, apply heat shrink tubing, dry out damp wood, bend and weld plastic, soften adhesives, and thaw frozen pipes.
Buffers: $25.00/day
*Makes buffing and polishing quicker, easier, and more efficient.
*The Torresen Marine Ship Store also carries an extensive line off buffing and polishing agents by 3M, Meguirs, Astro Shield, Awlgrip, and Interlux to name a few.
Note: Open sanding is prohibited on Torresen Marine properties.
You have sailed for years, perhaps raced your own or as crew on other boats, and are confident of your abilities. Why should you think about attending a sailing school such as the one here at Torresen Marine? There are at least four good reasons why you should consider checking out our American Sailing Association "School of the Year".
In lieu of course work which could cover much of what you already know, we offer the opportunity to challenge our American Sailing Association (ASA) standards. This entails demonstrating your sailing skills on the water, your boat or ours, and then passing our written exam(s). In half-a-day you can be certified as both a basic sailor and a coastal cruiser sailor. You can then challenge higher standards if you wish. These internationally recognized sailing standards enable you to demonstrate to the charter companies that you are a sailor of proven proficiency.
Another reason for considering sailing school certification is the fact that many insurance companies give discounts to those who have demonstrated their abilities by means of recognized standards. After a few years of such savings your initial cost of certification could be covered.
An additional reason to consider attending our sailing school is to encourage your sailing partner to take one or more of our courses. While you are challenging our standards, your sailing buddy is learning from our experienced instructors, aspects of sailing to make the activity more enjoyable for both of you. By sailing together you can enhance your ability to function as a team. Then, when you say "Lets go for a sail today", you do not get as a response "I can't, I have to clean the bathroom".
A fourth reason is the personal satisfaction you get from the framed certificates on your wall which demonstrate for all to see that you are not only a sailor, but an American Sailing Association certified sailor.
Give Judi Shedd a call at 231-759-8596, e-mail Judi, or register on-line at torresen.com and schedule some time with us here at Torresen Sailing School.
How exciting! I just checked my calendar and spring's almost here!
What? Spring's almost here? How can that be? It seems that we're still recovering from endless holiday gatherings, we are shoveling every day and the only sailing happening within hundreds of miles is being done by iceboaters wearing helmets and track spikes.
Well maybe it's still a ways off, but here in the Torresen Marine service department we're preparing like spring is just around the corner. The TMI service staff is here scheduling, making repairs and discussing projects every day. One of our main objectives is preparing an accurate spring service schedule, but this can only be done if we know what has to be scheduled. All too often we receive an onslaught of calls only weeks before the sailing season starts requesting what becomes an almost insurmountable amount of service orders. This spring "rush" is what sometimes overloads the service schedule and ultimately results in jobs being delayed, sometimes into our already short sailing season.
The best way for you to avoid the "rush" is to get your service requests in as early as possible. Not only does this significantly increase your chances of getting your work done on time; it allows us a better opportunity to give your boat the attention it deserves. The service department is staffed all winter and our technicians are available to help you answer any questions you may have. The chances are that if we schedule your work now, you'll be ready to go sailing as soon the warm temperatures return.
So don't wait, get your spring maintenance list figured out today. Contact the TMI service department and let us get your boat ready for the upcoming season.
The service, called digital selective calling (DSC), allows mariners to instantly send an automatically formatted distress alert to the Coast Guard or other rescue authority anywhere in the world. DSC also provides non-emergency capabilities, allowing you to communicate individually with another boat or group of boats using Maritime Mobile Service Identities (MMSI numbers). You can send and receive each other's positions as well, if your radio and the other vessel's radio are interfaced to GPS. Digital selective calling allows mariners to initiate or receive distress, urgency, safety and routine radiotelephone calls to or from any similarly equipped vessel or shore station, without requiring either party to be near a radio loudspeaker. DSC acts like the dial and bell of a telephone, allowing you to "direct dial" and "ring" other radios, or allow others to "ring" you, without having to listen to a speaker. New VHF and HF radiotelephones have DSC capability.
This year the Coast Guard is scheduled to complete the upgrade of their coastal Search and Rescue capabilities, known as Rescue 21. In the next few years, Rescue 21 will eliminate gaps in VHF coverage over the entire coastal US, allow accurate, precise tracking of the location of mayday signals within 20 miles of the coast, and allow enhanced digital recording and playback of distress calls.
All fixed VHF radios now are required to include DSC capability. If your DSC-equipped radio is interfaced with a GPS receiver it will be able to transmit crucial vessel information, your position and, with some higher-end radios, the nature of your distress call (undesignated, fire, flooding, collision, grounding, capsize, sinking, adrift, abandoning, piracy, MOB). In an emergency, one push of a button will make your DSC radio send an automated digital distress alert—like a VHF-frequency EPIRB—containing your position and Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number to rescue facilities and other DSC-equipped vessels. We think that these automated distress capabilities are the single best reason to consider replacement of your non-DSC radio, even if it is still working like new.
To get the safety benefits of DSC you must obtain your nine-digit MMSI number, and you must connect your VHF radio to a GPS receiver. The BoatU.S. MMSI Program has been certified by both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Coast Guard to assign MMSI numbers to vessels with DSC capable radios. To obtain and register your MMSI number, the Coast Guard recommends logging onto MMSI Registration for VHF/DSC and following the instructions.
Torresen Marine's Ships Store has friendly associates to help you find the new DSC capable VHF radio that is right for you. Stop by and see us, give us a call at 231-759-8596 or e-mail Randy anytime for assistance with this important upgrade to your boat.
It's that time of year again. Spring Thaw 2007 is fast approaching. Join us on Saturday, March 10th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and shake off that cold weather attitude and turn it sunny side up.
We have an exciting new seminar scheduled for 9 a.m. by Tony Palabrica from Interlux Yacht Finishes. Tony will speak on "Choosing and Applying the Correct Antifouling Paint and Blister Prevention and Repair". Get here bright and early, grab a cup of coffee and a cookie and settle in for a talk with Tony. He will be answering any questions at the end of his seminar.
Back by popular demand is Captain Jack Klang from Quantum Sails. Captain Jack is a recognized authority on Great Lakes sailing and will appear at Torresen Marine on Saturday, March 10th to present three of his most popular seminars. Jack has been a featured attraction at Strictly Sail shows, Seven Seas Cruising Association events, and cruising rendezvous from Seattle to San Diego and Miami to Philadelphia. He is a published author, columnist, and television personality on Latitudes and Attitudes television series. After sailing more than 25,000 miles on the Great Lakes and 53 years as a licensed captain, he speaks from experience. His free one-hour seminars and workshops are open to all sailors from liveaboards to weekenders. Everyone will learn something new and useful - guaranteed!
Saturday March 10, 2007
9:00 a.m. Choosing and Applying the Correct Antifouling Paint and Blister Prevention and Repair with Tony Palabrica
11:00 a.m. Docking Single Handed (demonstration using model boats) with Captain Jack Klang
1:00 p.m. Knots and Line Handling (workshop, everyone participates) with Captain Jack Klang
3:00 p.m. Preparing for a Storm (Captain Jack has sailed 25,000 miles on the Great Lakes) with Captain Jack Klang
Don't forget we will have 10% to 50% off everything in the store (excluding engine parts), manufacturer reps on hand to answer questions and a lot of great door prizes. We can't wait to see your smiling faces!
Valencia, Spain. BMW ORACLE Racing today began the final two-boat race training session in the lead-up to Louis Vuitton Act 13 and the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup starting next month in Valencia. The team’s two 2007-generation race yachts USA 98 and USA 87 lined up together for the first time today as skipper Chris Dickson and the sailing team performed a series of tests and in-house races in the waters off Valencia today.
“It is great to be here in Valencia in the race venue with our two race yachts,” Dickson said. “I am satisfied with where we are at this stage – everyone has put in a supreme effort. We’ve achieved a lot but there is still plenty to do. With our end-goal now in sight with racing about to begin, there is a renewed energy and focus within the team. Everyone is aware of how intense the racing will be through the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup. Now the challenge is to reach our maximum performance at the right time.”
The team sea-trialed USA 98 in New Zealand and ran a two-boat race training session there in January and February. USA 98 arrived to Valencia by Antonov February 23 and underwent on-the-water technical checks last week. USA 87 also sailed last week for the first time following winter modifications.
“We now have two 2007-model America’s Cup Class yachts,” Dickson said. “All we learned from USA 87 in 2006 was incorporated into USA 98. The winter period also gave us the opportunity to upgrade USA 87, bringing 87 into the current model year. We now have the hardware in place to do the job.”
BMW ORACLE Racing will continue the two-boat race training programme through March in preparation for the 2007 racing season which begins with Louis Vuitton Act 13 (fleet racing) on 3rd of April. The Louis Vuitton Cup starts 16th of April.
The Mackinac Committee members are also very pleased to announce a number of changes for the 2007 and future Mac events.
For the purposes of RRS 79 and ISAF Regulation 20, the 2007 race is designated 'Category C'. Advertising deemed by the Organizing Authority not to be compliant with ISAF Regulation 20.2 and 20.2.1 may be rejected.
In 2007 we are introducing a new racing division - the Race to Mackinac Crusing Division. This year's event will feature the following four divisions:
The Mackinac Cup Division (ORR certificate required)
The Chicago-Mackinac Trophy Division (ORR certificate required)
The Cruising Division (ORR certificate required)
Multihull Division (GLMRA certificate required)
We are planning several informational seminars on the new Crusing Division. First on the schedule are two events:
Date: March 17, 2007
Time: 9:00AM - 1:00PM
Place: Chicago Yacht Club Monroe Station
Cost: $15.00 includes continental breakfast an d handout materials
Reservations: Call Chicago Yacht Club at 312-861-7777
Date: March 24, 2007
Time: 9:00AM - 10:00AM
Place: Yachtapalooza at Crowley's Yacht Yard
The Mackinac Committee is also announcing new changes in the shore events on Mackinac Island following the Race. In prior years, the flag awards ceremony has been held at the Mackinac Island Yacht Club, with the Mount Gay Rum Sailors' Party immediately following on the grounds of the Island House. For 2007 the Mackinac Committee is moving both events to the Grand Hotel's Tea Garden. This site will offer more room for skippers, crews, and guests, and will allow everyone to enjoy stunning views of the hotel and the Straits. The awards ceremony will begin at 2 PM EDT on July 17, 2007, with the sailors' party beginning at 3 P.M. EDT.
In addition, the sailors' party has been lengthened to three and a half hours and each party guest will receive a certain number of drink tickets, for Mount Gay rum drinks or Heineken draft beer. This new procedure will ensure that everyone will receive their fair share of complimentary rum and beer. Hot dogs, burgers, chips, baked goods and additional drink tickets will be available for purchase at reasonable prices. A DJ will be on hand to provide music for your enjoyment.
The Grand Hotel is very pleased to be working with us to make the sailors' party a great experience for all, and will be offering a special hotel room rate of $299 per night during the Race. Contact the Grand directly at 1-800-33-GRAND for further details.
These precedent setting changes are direct r esults of the feed back the Mackinac Committee has received from race participants, skippers and crews. We thank everyone who participated in our electronic surveys and certainly hope these changes enhance your Mac experience.
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (March 4, 2007)—Under a sky decorated with lazy clouds, a proud symbol of bygone days gracefully slipped into Charleston’s Cooper River Sunday afternoon marking new era of maritime heritage for this historic seaside city. The Spirit of South Carolina, a 140-foot traditional tall ship, was lowered into the water today for the first time, culminating over six years of effort on the part of countless individuals. Suspended briefly in the air, the ship’s elegant white topsides gleamed in the sun, and her name and homeport, painted in gold leaf on the transom, shone proudly, portending great deeds for the future.
Just before the ship was lifted in her slings, Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Congressman Henry Brown, South Carolina Maritime Foundation Executive Director Brad Van Liew and Chairman John H. Hofford addressed a gathering of VIP guests. Brown presented a special certificate, in recognition of a flag currently flown over the South Carolina state house in Columbia. Then, Allison Baker, a fifth grader from Chapin, S.C., who had won the privilege of christening the tall ship, read her brief essay on what the Spirit of South Carolina embodies for her. Then she stepped up and swung a bottle across the bow and officially christened the ship.
Fittingly, this christening took place on almost the exact spot where Samuel J. Pregnall and his workers launched the Frances Elizabeth some 218 years ago. (That pilot schooner served as a model for the Spirit’s design.). And even before the bubbly was dry on her timbers, the Spirit continued her journey.
It had taken two days to inch the 150-ton ship from her birthplace in Ansonborough Field to the launch site at Union Pier a half mile south. Then, after the largest barge crane on the East Coast, the Charleston Giant, lifted the Spirit off her temporary trailer and nestled her into the briney waters, she motored another half mile north and berthed at the Charleston Maritime Center. There, she was greeted with thunderous cheers from hundreds of well wishers.
Mayor Joe Riley, a longtime supporter of this project told the crowd: “Charlestonians now have another important resource of which they can be very proud,” said Riley. “This tall ship was born of humble origins, but it represents a tremendous accomplishment as well as a strong hope for the future of our state. The Spirit of South Carolina will be a teacher to us all, but especially the young people of our state. The ship will develop tomorrow’s leaders and teach our young people to become engaged, committed citizens.”
Moored alongside the pier, the Spirit of South Carolina drew admiring comments from all onlookers. Her teak decks glowed in the afternoon light, and her varnished cabin houses sparkled. Though the vessel still lacks her masts, booms, and rigging, she is nonetheless an impressive sight. In the coming months, those elements will be added, and she’ll ultimately set out on her inaugural voyage. When she does so, she’ll carry not only the Palmetto state’s youth, but also her creators’ ambitions for generating renewed interest in the rich maritime traditions of this state.
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico---David Kory and Gil Maguire were like rival candidates sweating out razor-thin election returns. A day after finishing they watched anxiously Thursday as race administrator Peggy Redler ran the numbers for the Salsa Division in Del Rey Yacht Club's 19th International Yacht Race to Puerto Vallarta, presented by Corum.
After three legs Kory's Barking Spider 3, from Point Richmond, Calif., and Maguire's Tenacity, Marina del Rey, had wound up tied for first place with Jim Puckett's Amazing Grace, Pacific Palisades, Calif., on overall corrected time based on handicap ratings, engine use time and penalties, each with six points.
The tiebreaker: which boat won the last leg: The winner: Barking Spider 3.
Kory's MacGregor 65, the fastest-rated boat, finished first on every leg but was always counting time in its wake because it owed its Spinnaker A class rivals so much time. Maguire's J/133 won overall on Leg 1 to Turtle Bay and Puckett's Farr 55 prevailed on Leg 2 to Point Lazaro before Barking Spider 3 corrected out against both on Leg 3 to Puerto Vallarta.
"We were within four hours of one another on corrected time for the whole race," Kory said. "It was exciting and a well-sailed race for everyone."
And it also was nice to be fast.
"The only boat that beat us here was Magnitude 80," Kory said, noting that he had a one-week head start on the Andrews 80 that Doug Baker and his crew sailed to a race record elapsed time of 3 days 15 hours 51 minutes 39 seconds, obliterating Joss's 22-year-old standard by about 31 hours.
Jim McCone's Voice of Reason, an Ericson 32 from Lomita, Calif., won Spinnaker B class, while Patrick Hearne's Far Niente, a Catalina 42 from Dana Point, Calif., won the non-spinnaker class.
Barking Spider 3 used its engine fewer hours (20) for less distance (163 nautical miles) than any other Salsa boat in the 1,125-nautical mile race. At the top end of those scales were Jean Rooryck's Vision (102 hours) and Peter Hirsch's Segue (586 miles).
"That means a lot to me, too," Kory said, "because it is a sailboat race."
Awards will be presented at separate banquets in Puerto Vallarta Friday and Saturday. Corum, the lead sponsor, will present the Admiral's Cup Trophy 41 watch to the winner of each class within each division. The timepiece with a 41mm stainless steel case and nautical pennants instead of numerals to indicate the hours was introduced by Corum before the 2005 race.
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico---It's not so easy to cast off a MacGregor 65. No sooner did Doug Baker's Magnitude 80 deep-six Joss's 22-year-old record a day earlier than David Kory's sister ship kept the legend alive Wednesday by winning the third and last leg of the Salsa Division in Del Rey Yacht Club's 19th International Yacht Race to Puerto Vallarta, presented by Corum.
The overall final Salsa standings were yet to be computed, involving handicap ratings and engine use time, but Kory's dark blue Macgregor 65, fastest rated in the Salsa fleet, finished first on all three legs, and he was confident that he would correct out on everybody for Leg 3, if not the entire race.
The race was especially satisfying for him because he had to drop out of the previous one two years ago after the slugs holding his main sail to the mast blew out. Even then he docked the boat and flew with his crew down to Puerto Vallarta for the finishes and parties.
"This is unfinished business for us," the sailor from Point Richmond, Calif. said Wednesday. "We wanted to come back and get it done right."
Other finishers Wednesday included Lorenzo Berho's J/145, Raincloud, from Puerto Vallarta and the only other Racing Division boat besides Magnitude 80 to finish. Mag 80 had to play catch-up after spotting Raincloud a two-day head start.
"We put some pressure on Magnitude," Berho said with a not-so-straight face. "Being second place to a new record isn't so bad."
Raincloud's elapsed time of 7 days 0 hours 11 minutes 39 seconds was somewhat off Mag 80's record of 3:15:51:39, but the latter is rated 140 seconds per miles faster, and it was the first race together for Berho's crew in preparation for the Transpacific Yacht Race this summer.
"We had two or three great days of sailing with winds of 30 knots, and the wind got warmer all the time," he said.
Barking Spider 3's closest rival was Jim Puckett sailing his father Allen's Farr 55, Amazing Grace, which finished nearly four hours behind early Wednesday afternoon as 15 knots of beam winds kicked up the surf on the beach in front of the Westin Hotel.
Jim Puckett greeted Allen, a longtime racer, and his mother Marilyn at the Opequimar dock and said, "It's fine, dad, not a scratch on it."
The younger Puckett also said, "We had unbelievable conditions and some good stops on the way. That's what makes this race special."
Kory said, "I don't know why more races aren't this way . . . motor when there's no wind . . . stop and fish or have fun together now and then. It's great."
Awards will be presented at separate banquets in Puerto Vallarta Saturday and Sunday. Corum, the lead sponsor, will present the Admiral's Cup Trophy 41 watch to the winner of each class within each division. The timepiece with a 41mm stainless steel case and nautical pennants instead of numerals to indicate the hours was introduced by Corum before the 2005 race.