Barking Spider, 2 for 2, leads into windy (!) Race 3 PV09 Series

by Rich Roberts on 8 Feb 2009
They're off in Race 3 of Del Rey Yacht Club's PV09 International Race Series to Puerto Vallarta, presented by Corum Swiss Timepieces, with Barking Spider building visions of a sweep.

Although final computations balancing engine use hours against PHRF sailing handicaps were incomplete, David Kory's Catalina 36 MK2 from San Francisco---the smallest boat in the fleet---was confirmed as overall winner for Race 2 from Turtle Bay to Magdalena Bay, matching its performance in Race 1 with two races to go to the final finish at Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican mainland.

'We're thrilled to have two first-place trophies with us, [despite] the extra ballast,' Kory said by satellite phone.

Wind for the next few days was forecast to be much improved over the first half of the series, which may cost Barking Spider its edge after logging fewer engine hours than anybody else so far and thereby paying less of a motoring penalty.

'I think Race 3 is going to be a pure sailing leg,' Kory said. '[The forecast] is 15 to 20 [knots] from the north-northwest, with 10-to-15-foot seas to go with it. Nobody should have to motor.'

A boat may motor when its sailing speed drops below its assigned 'Cross-Over' speed, but it must then motor at least as fast as 75 per cent of its hull speed.

With prospects of conditions building to 20 or 30 knots of wind and big seas by Sunday, the race committee moved Saturday's start in the 152-nautical mile race up from 1 p.m. PST to 10 a.m., hoping to beat the worst weather to their moorings at Puerto Los Cabos at the tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Or, as Kory said, 'We hope to get everybody in Cabo before we get plastered.'

Earlier, the much-anticipated whale-watching in Race 2 was spectacular, but not in Magdalena Bay, the popular breeding site of the gray whales migrating 5,000 miles from the Bering Sea. Instead, the cetaceans fell in step with the racing fleet as the latter approached their anchorage in Santa Maria Bay outside Mag Bay.

'There were tons of whales coming down with us,' Kory said. 'Only a couple of boats bothered to go to Mag Bay.'

Race 3 is only for spinnaker classes A and B. Non-spinnaker A and B will be trolling to Puerto Los Cabos in a fishing tournament that may be no less intense than racing. There will be trophies for that, too.

Meantime, the series saw its first protest. Joel Young's Transformer protested a Non-Spinnaker B class rival, Peter Noonan's Defiance, for employing a headsail in the manner of s spinnaker. A hearing may be delayed until after the final finish in Puerto Vallarta.

The last race will be 286 n.m. across the Gulf of California to Puerto Vallarta on the mainland, starting Tuesday.

Race 2 results
(220 n.m. Turtle Bay to Magdalena Bay; as of 8 a.m. Saturday; more information Sunday)
Spinnaker-A
1. Carmagnole (Beneteau First 45), Dan Howard, DRYC, avg. speed 6.01k/finished Thurs. 23:35:30 hours.
2. Felícita (J/120), Perry Peters, Arizona YC, Phoenix, 5.37k/Fri. 03:59.16.
3. Amazing Grace (Farr 55), James Puckett, Del Rey YC, 6.15 knots/Thurs, 22:45:16.
4. Dare (Beck 60), Bob Kettenhofen, Balboa YC, finished Thurs. approx. 22:25:00 hours, no official report.

Spinnaker-B
1. Barking Spider (Catalina 36 MK2), David Kory, Point Richmond, Calif., 5.66k/Fri. 01:53:1500---0verall winner all fleets.
2. Rose of Sharon (Burgess 59), Byron K. Chamberlain, Newport Harbor YC, 5.01k/Thurs. 23:36:51.
3. Jungle Jim (Jeanneau 49), Jim Maslon, DRYC, 6:01k/Thurs. 23:35:14.
Tranquility (Beneteau First 40.7, Max Lynn, Santa Barbara YC, (withdrawn).

Non-Spinnaker-A
1. Artsea (Grand Soliel 45), Marty Laffer, DRYC, no report.
2. Blue Note (Beneteau 473), Kevin & Rhonda Wixom, Mission Bay YC, 5.86k/Fri. 00:40:56.
3. Lumiere (Beneteau 49), Carl Marusak, MD, DRYC, 5.79k/Fri. 01:08:41. 4. 4. Transformer (Beneteau 49), Joel Young, So. Bay Yacht Racing, 5.93k/Fri. 00:14:55.
5. Defiance (Swan 56), Peter Noonan, St. Francis YC, 6.18k/Thurs. 22:45:46.

Non-Spinnaker-B
1. G-Rated (Catalina 42 MK2), Sid and Mark Lampert, DRYC, 5.28k/Fri. 04:49:47.
2. Rhiannon (Peterson 44), Bill & Stacy Tarr, DRYC, 4.85k/Fri. 08:29:00.

Complete reports: click here

www.pv09.com/