Pacific Cup - Images of RIO100 snatching the course record

by Sail-World.com NZL on 22 Jul 2016 Local photographer Lauren Easley was in the skies for the finish of the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Honolulu, as the Bakewell-White designed supermaxi, RIO100 creamed the Trans-Pacific course record.

Following a reconfiguration carried out at Cookson Boats in New Zealand in 2014, the Bakewell-White designed Supermaxi “RIO100” has been racking up the race titles and race records for her owner Manouch Moshayedi and crew.

The yacht was optimised toward winning the prestigious Barn Door Trophy in the 2015 TransPac which she achieved with an elapsed time of 7 days, 5 hours, 34 minutes, and 07 seconds.

Many of the same crew were aboard this week when “RIO100”, sailing a near rhumbline course set a new Pacific Cup Fastest Passage Record when she crossed the finish line at Kaneohe Bay early afternoon July 20th with an elapsed time of 5 days, 2 hours, 41 mins and 13 seconds, Rio 100 knocked three hours off the record set in 2004 by Robert Miller’s 139-foot “Mari Cha IV”. Steady conditions and the remnants of Hurricane Celia provided great sailing conditions but picking the correct time to gybe toward Hawaii was crucial to the end result.

Since arriving in her new home port of Newport Beach “RIO100” has been running up the miles with wins in the Cabo Race, Puerto Vallarda, So Cal300, TransPac, and now the Pacific Cup.