Pacific Cup - Two course records set by Bakewell-White designs

by Sail-World.com NZL on 21 Jul 2016 Strong winds propelled Manouch Moshayedi’s super maxi RIO 100 across the Pacific to set a new Pacific Cup Fastest Passage record.

RIO100 crossed the finish at 13:51:13 local Hawaii time (16:51:13 PDT), with an elapsed time of 5 days, 2 hours, 41 mins and 13 seconds.

The Bakewell-White supermaxi, RIO 100 knocked two hours off the record set in 2004 by Robert Miller, whose 139-foot Mari Cha IV finished with an elapsed time of 5 days, 5 hours, 38 minutes and 10 seconds.

RIO 100 sailed a course slightly above the rhumb line for the entire race, taking advantage of breezes fed by the well-behaved Pacific High as well as remnants of Hurricane Celia. Many of this year's crew of 16, including navigator Christopher Branning, were also onboard for the 2015 Transpac when Rio won the prestigious Barn Door Trophy with an elapsed time of 7 days, 5 hours, 34 minutes, and 07 seconds.

RIO100's win breaks the 12 year old Pacific Cup race record and adds to her TransPac Barn Door win, SoCal300 record of last year, and the new race record set earlier this year in the race to Puerto Vallarta.

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.

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.

She is manually powered which is very unusual for a supermaxi, and has a fixed keel only.

For the full story on her re-creation click here

In a double record day for the Auckland based design office, the Bakewell-White TP52 Valkyrie broke the Vic Maui race in fact she didn't just break it but slashed 17 hours off the previous time.

Only hours after the success of her big sister “RIO100”, the Bakewell-White designed TP52 “Valkyrie” skippered by Jason Rhodes and Gavin Brackett took a hatchet to the 16 year old race record, driving the boat hard right to the finish off Maui in a new record time of 8 days, 9 hours, and 18 minutes.

The tired amateur crew sailing for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club were “stunned” by their result in what they described as a “people smasher” of a race. Surprised at the huge welcome party the crew had plenty of tails of torn sails, and broken halyards, but they still managed to party well into the night.