Enter PV09 and take advtantage of free seminars

by Rich Roberts on 9 Oct 2008 In light of current events, there's a case to be made that sailing off to Mexico in Del Rey Yacht Club's PV09 International Race Series to Puerto Vallarta next Jan. 31 makes economic sense for several reasons.

Those who sign up by Oct. 31 for the 20th biennial event, presented by CORUM Swiss Timepieces, will get a $200 discount on their entry fees (only four slots remain to fill the limit of 40 boats).

Forget gas---wind power is free.

Also, free mooring at Del Rey YC before the race and at Marina Vallarta until Feb. 15, plus all pre-race, mid-race and post-race shore activities.

And, free seminars on boat preparation, GPS operation and other offshore necessities, plus a $20 all-day safety-at-sea seminar offered by the Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA).

All but the last of the seminars, which start Oct. 23, are open to all sailors, not just for PV09 entries, with no commitment. But you're likely to get hooked, as Sandy Sinclair did a few races ago.

Sinclair, a DRYC member who will sail his Beneteau 47, Vianne, in this race, recalled recently, 'I was fascinated and a bit intimidated by the possibility of taking such a huge step, knowing that my experience to date had involved only local coastal and Catalina Island sailing. During that [seminar] I spoke to several veterans of the PV race and began to realize that this was something I might be able to do.'

Sinclair had misgivings. 'I was working full time and could not afford to take [much time] off, which caused some cruisers to discourage me from taking this challenge. We struggled with this and finally decided that even if we could not spend a lot of time with our boat in Mexico, we should grab whatever time we could and enjoy the adventure.'

There were no regrets.

'We had the honor of taking last place in two legs and an amazing third in one,' Sinclair said. 'That was fine with us, as we were there to have fun, not break records. After becoming hooked, I returned with my new Catalina 42 in PV01, took first place in class, and crewed on a friend’s boat (first place in our class) in PV05.

'I am ready to go again! The overall experience of the trip down Baja, seeing dozens of whales in Mag Bay, the camaraderie, the parties and our short but sweet cruising time in Mexico was a life-changing experience.'

(Ed.: The foregoing was not a paid commercial. Honest. Sinclair's complete letter click here)

In the event's new format of four races in one, the object is to provide serious racers an opportunity to compete between layovers at Turtle Bay, Magdalena Bay and Cabo San Lucas for as many legs as they choose to sail. There are currently 36 preliminary entries. The limit of 40 boats going as far as Cabo or Puerto Vallarta is because of mooring limitations at those ports.

Pre-race seminars:

Thursday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m., Preparation Seminar:
Race overview by Tom Redler;
Party overview by Debbie Wasserman;
Cruising Mexico by Pat Raines;
Panel discussion led by Sandy Sinclair and Peter Hirsch, followed by Q&A.

Sunday, Nov. 2, 9 a.m., Southern California Yachting Assn. (SCYA) Safety at Sea program (morning-afternoon):
Medical and other emergencies at sea, Jerry Kornfeld and Bruce Brown.

(Fee for this all-day program is $20. All other seminars are free of charge.)

Saturday, Nov. 8, 10:30 a.m.-noon, introductory GPS (global positioning system) course at DRYC hosted by Jim Puckett. No charge.

Thursday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m., PV race preparation:
Radio communications, Gordon West;
Provisioning, Marilyn Henley;
Boat prep and ditch bag, Jean Adam;
Rules and handicapping, Peggy Redler;
Coping with adverse weather, Tim Tunks;
International document and paper processing, Ita Gordon.

Saturday, Jan. 10, 9 a.m., workshop for paid entrants (morning-afternoon):
Scoring system details, Peggy Redler;
Entering ports from sea, David Feinstein;
Fishing tournament, Larry Silver;
Re-entering U.S., Renee Stokes, Customs and Border Control officer;
Using GPS and charts to find unmarked finish lines, Alison Osinski.

All seminars, except for the last 'Workshop for Paid Entrants,' are open to the public. An RSVP to the host DRYC (310.823.4664) would be appreciated.

Request for online entry click here

Charter boats are available - visit http://www.pv09.com/ for details

Video: the whole experience click here

CORUM is an independent, family owned company producing high-quality and prestigious Swiss watches since 1955. The Admiral’s Cup collection, along with the complete CORUM line, may be seen at www.CORUM.ch