Racing Instead of Cruising

Last weekend we took a break from Volaré to crew on our friend Bruce’s Catalina 34 in the Newport to Ensenada race.  We left the dock in Long Beach at 7:15 Friday morning and motored to the start line off Newport Beach.  We arrived a little after 10:00, which gave us time for a snack and some crew practice before our 11:00 start time. We all identified our positions, took our places and watched the clock. 

 If you've never participated in a race of this magnitude, it’s hard to describe the frenzy of 200 boats motoring and/or sailing up and down the start line, depending on their start time. With multiple classes starting at any given time, the line can get a bit crowded.  But, it is a beautiful sight to see and definitely the most exciting part of the race. After all, once you’re about 10 miles into a 125 mile race, the pack starts to spread out, often times with no other boats in sight.  At that point, the race is all in your head.

This particular race is known for being one with little to no wind.  So, we opted for the outside course hoping to get more wind then those that were following the rhumb line.  This year the winds were in our favor and we had a steady 10-15 knots the entire trip.  We arrived at 12:45, with an elapsed time of 25:47, placing us 7 out of 15.  Although I prefer to be first, as long as we’re not last I’m happy.

Eloté - corn smeared with mayo, cheese,
 hot sauce and a little lime juice. Yummy!

We enjoyed the weekend in Ensenada; eating eloté, visiting the fish market for fresh fish tacos, and a bit of bar hopping.  Town was clean, people were friendly and we felt very safe and welcome.









"My goal in sailing isn't to be brilliant or flashy in individual races, 
just to be consistent over the long run."  Dennis Connor