2016 FMV Cup - MEXORC International Regatta - Day 4

by Panos Marinopoulos on 5 Mar 2016 2016 FMV Cup - MEXORC International Regatta - This is the famous race at MEXORC where flat out speed will win the race. Winds were light and more south at the start near the beach at Paradise Village. Race five has all the boats starting at the same time and on one much longer start line.

To keep the fleet from having an all-out sprint to the Marietta's, the race committee put an offset windward mark approx half mile from the start line that all the boats must pass to starboard. This makes an exciting first half mile of racing as boats try to jockey for position similarly that Formula One does from the start grid into turn one! If your boat can get to and out into the bay from 'turn one', you were at a huge advantage over the other boats.

The first four boats that rounded the offset windward mark were Peligroso, Vincitore, Horizon and Ruahatu. They were off and flying up the race course. The SC-52 Bandido and the Farr 40 Gladiator had some last minute positioning and fight for getting around the offset mark before exiting to the bay. Tight, very tight racing!

The wind controls this race in two ways. First, the more wind, the faster you go and if it's very windy, the lighter displacement boats will have a sleigh ride back into the bay with the spinnakers pulling. It can be a game changer for sure. Second, the wind shift from the left bay breeze to the right shore breeze and then back again to the bay breeze as you race from the lower part of the bay to the outer entrance of the bay and back to the lower part. There are not many tactics other than connect the wind shifts with your optimum heading out or back into the bay.

Trimmed and heading out of the bay on port tack with sails just eased a bit for speed and not pointing, the fleet picked their lane to sail heading for the outer bay and the anticipated right shore wind shift. Peligroso and Vincitore led the fleet while Horizon and Ruahatu tried to stay ahead of Bandido, with Timeshaver falling in line with Horizon and Ruahatu. The SC-50 Deception looked low on the course to the right, but that is a position with a lot of leverage when the shore wind comes in!

Peligroso led Vincitore around the buoy with Bandido trying to play catch up (not going to happen) with Horizon and Ruahatu rounding within 30 seconds of each other. Trigarante and Timeshaver were the next boats about five minutes back. Gibe set with the spinnaker was the call to keep in the pressure from the shore and get you down the bay fast with the building breeze. The thunderhead clouds were growing vertically over the land, so it was certain the wind would continue to get stronger.

At this point the wind was about 13-14 knots, but the wind was building to 16-18 knots and from Ruahatu's vantage point, we could see the J125 Timeshaver and the Soto 40 Negra coming on fast with their spinnakers pulling them faster and faster as the started to sail 'on the step' planing on the water rather than pushing through the water. Peligroso, Vinciore were way in front with Bandido chasing down the front boats. Ruahatu led the rest of the fleet over to the La Cruz side of the bay preparing for the final gibe back to the bottom end of the bay and finish in front of the Paradise Village breakwater.

Strategy, boat speed, sail trim and boat handling had been real clean for Ruahatu up to this point in the race. We were pleased. As soon as we gibed all the other boats behind us gibed which worried me. Ruahatu was now leveraged on or below laylline for the sprint to the finish. With the wind continuing to build to over 18 and reaching 20 knots.

At the end of the day, speed wins races, but this race course speed really does win!

• Vincitore placed first in Class A followed by Negra in second and Ruahatu in thurd.
• Timeshaver placed first in Class B (and overall fleet) with Horizon second and Akelarre third.
• Azteca placed first in Class C with Olas Lindas second and Belat third.