A slow but sure win for Barking Spider - PV09 Series

by Rich Roberts on 5 Feb 2009 When the apostle Matthew wrote, 'So the last will be first . . . ,' (NIV, 20:16) he wasn't thinking about sailboat racing. But Del Rey Yacht Club's PV09 International Race Series to Puerto Vallarta, presented by Corum Swiss Timepieces, is making believers of some competitors.

When the final computations involving PHRF handicaps and engine use were finished at Turtle Bay Wednesday, the smallest boat in the fleet of 14 was declared overall winner of the first race. David Kory and his compact crew, sailing the 36-foot Barking Spider, a Catalina 36 MK2 from San Francisco, finished ahead of only two boats but played the new formula for engine use precisely to claim top honors for the 376-nautical mile run from Marina del Rey to the first finish line at Cedros Island.

The unique system allows a boat to motor when its sailing speed drops below its assigned 'Cross-Over' speed, which factors in the PHRF rating. But in each case it must motor for a minimum of one hour and pay a penalty for the distance it covers under power.

Despite consistently light wind from the start, Barking Spider motored for only 21 1/2 hours, a fraction more than Jim Puckett's Farr 55, Amazing Grace, while rivals ran their engines as many as 51 hours and paid a heavy penalty price to get halfway down the Baja California peninsula. The 20th biennial event that will end on the Mexican mainland at Puerto Vallarta around Feb 12.

The second best corrected time? Byron Chamberlain's Rose of Sharon, only three-plus hours behind Barking Spider's calculation. More impressive, the 79-year-old, 51-foot wooden schooner's elapsed time of 64 hours was fourth best in the fleet. The Rose motored only 24.7667 hours, third lowest in the fleet.

Dan Howard's Carmagnole (pronounced karmen-yole), a Beneteau First 45, won Spinnaker-A class, although Bob Kettenhofen's Dare, a Beck 60, beat it boat for boat by more than 13 hours. But Carmagnole motored only 27 hours to Dare's 34.

Kory said, 'We were almost the last boat in [but] it paid off for us to sail at 3 1/2 knots . . . that was our crossover speed. It took us a little longer getting here but, with the new formula, not motoring made the difference for us. You have to sail when you can sail.'

Kory's crew consists of four friends: navigator Marianne Wheeler, Steve Felte and Michael Gregg. Wheeler also sailed in 2007 when Kory raced a MacGregor 65 also called Barking Spider to first place overall in the Salsa Division. In that race, with good wind all the way, they logged only 21 hours of engine use for the entire distance to Puerto Vallarta---less than one more than the first phase of this race.

'We're pretty pleased,' Kory said. 'Two years ago we had the fastest boat [in the Salsa Division] and took first. Now we're back with the slowest boat, and we'll see if we can do it again. This is only one leg.'

Following their short layover and a Tuesday night party feast in Turtle Bay, the fleet found better breeze---about 10 or 12 knots from the south---to start the next race of 220 n.m. to Magdalena Bay, where the word was that the whales were frolicking.

The final legs will be 152 n.m. to Puerto Los Cabos at the tip of the Baja peninsula and the last 286 n.m. across the Gulf of California to Puerto Vallarta on the mainland. Restart dates are Saturday from Magdalena Bay and Tuesday from Cabo Falso.

Final results race 1

Spinnaker-A
1. Carmagnole (Beneteau First 45), Dan Howard, DRYC, elapsed time 64.1472 hours/motor hours 27.0999, corrected time 78.8824.
2. Amazing Grace (Farr 55), James Puckett, Del Rey YC, ET 64.1842; MH 21.4001, CT 80.7113.
3. Dare (Beck 60), Bob Kettenhofen, Balboa YC, ET 50.7667, MH 34.1667, CT 85.0599.
4. Felícita (J/120), Perry Peters, Arizona YC, Phoenix, ET 65.8800, MH 31.1331, CT 91.4369.

Spinnaker-B
1. Barking Spider (Catalina 36 MK2), David Kory, Point Richmond, Calif., ET 69.1911, MH 21.5665, CT 73.0222.
2. Rose of Sharon (Burgess 59), Byron K. Chamberlain, Newport Harbor YC, ET 64.0042, MH 24.7667, CT 76.1650.
3. Jungle Jim (Jeanneau 49), Jim Maslon, DRYC, ET 62.4486, MH 30.6832, CT 80.2682.
4. Tranquility (Beneteau First 40.7, Max Lynn, Santa Barbara YC, (withdrawn).

Non-Spinnaker-A
1. Defiance (Swan 56), Peter Noonan, St. Francis YC, ET 62.5711, MH 22.9835, CT 84.9538.
2. Artsea (Grand Soliel 45), Marty Laffer, DRYC, ET 64.2733, MH 26.4166, CT 86.3988.
3. Blue Note (Beneteau 473), Kevin & Rhonda Wixom, Mission Bay YC, ET 64.1172, MH 28.1500, CT 87.8103.
4. Lumiere (Beneteau 49), Carl Marusak, MD, DRYC, 65.8517, MH 34.4666, CT 89.8369.
5. Transformer (Beneteau 49), Joel Young, So. Bay Yacht Racing, ET 66.0178, MH 31.3166, CT 95.4633.

Non-Spinnaker-B
1. G-Rated (Catalina 42 MK2), Sid and Mark Lampert, DRYC, ET 70.1875, MH 47.2000, CT 96.0707.
2. Rhiannon (Peterson 44), Bill & Stacy Tarr, DRYC, ET 70.7303, MH 51.0500, CT 111.1865.

Complete finish information - http://www.pv09.com/Rpts/PV09Stdgs-Race1.HTML

http://www.pv09.com/