On the Harbor: My sail from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta

Horizon & Lucky Duck after the start of the 2018 SD to PV Race

The clocks have moved forward and spring sailing season is underway. This last week I was sailing aboard the yacht “Horizon” in the 2018 San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Yacht Race.

The Newport Beach entries were John Raymont Andrews 40 “Fast Exit,” Steve Sellinger Santa Cruz 52 “Triumph,” John Shulze Santa Cruz 50 “Horizon,” Manouch Moshayedi Bakewell White 100 “RIO” and Tom Corkett Andrews 70 “Runaway.” “Horizon” started on Friday, March 2 in Division 5 with the other Santa Cruz 50’s & 52’s.

The forecast was for a light sea breeze out of the south and dying off as we reached Ensenada. This forecast left Friday starters with a bit of a hindrance because the smaller boats in Division 7 had started the day before with a clearing westerly and there were reports of 40-knot squalls and blown up spinnakers. Saturday starters are the big boats like the 100-footer “Rio,” Andrews 70 “Runaway” and Roy Disney Andrews 70 “Pyewacket.” Their forecast was for 15 knots out of the southwest.

With that aside and a 1,000 mile-race to Puerto Vallarta, we knew that there would be many opportunities for us to make that time up on the other boats for the overall standings. One thing that always comes to mind is that the race is never over until you cross the finish in a Mexico race. I first heard this saying from Newport Beach City Councilmember Brad Avery back in the ‘80s and have always remembered it. 

Out of the starting gate, it was our class favorites “Horizon” and “Lucky Duck” side by side reaching out of San Diego harbor and pointed for the Coronado Islands. At this point, on “Horizon” it officially became duck season. The two boats exchanged the lead at least five times down the Baja coast, always staying within eyesight of each, and crossing jibes under the light of the full moon at night. When two competitors meet up like this, they normally push their boats that much harder with the sail changes happening with each wind shift rather than giving it the old five-minute rule and waiting to see if the wind will shift back.

Crew of Horizon

Life aboard “Horizon” goes into a four-hour off, three-hour on watch system after the first dinner with three people staying on deck, unless we have to make maneuvers and everyone is called on deck. With each maneuver, be it sail changes or gybing each crew member, the assigned position throughout the race never changes. For example, the same person will drive the boat, just like the same person will be in charge of pulling up and letting down the halyards that lift the sails up and down.

I am also listed as the chef aboard the boat and by today’s race boat standards that is not too far from the truth. In an effort to save weight, most competitors are chocking down freeze dried foods which I hear are not that bad if you can add your favorite hot sauce. Aboard “Horizon,” breakfast consists of yogurt and granola or cereal with fresh fruit. Every other day I will warm up some Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, which are always well received. There is nothing more appreciated than a warm meal while you are out to sea. For lunch, I’ll fix deli meat sandwiches with avocado, onion, and lettuce, and on odd days serve up hot dogs, which have seemed to be the crew’s favorite. For dinner, we ask for volunteers to provide the boat with dinner casseroles with favorites being beef stroganoff, pasta bake, and enchilada pie. Each dinner is served with a fresh salad and choice of dressing. After the galley is cleaned up, I’ll fill a container with candy bars, trail mix and or some dried fruit along with leaving the Starbucks instant coffee and hot chocolate packets out for the crew. Now that might not seem as much of an effort on my part, but have you ever tried boiling water for hot dogs while tight reaching with the 3A spinnaker up and the boat leaned over in a mixed sea? It is rather challenging just serving the meals to the crew.

One of the largest obstacles of this race is navigating past Cabo hole, which can block the wind as much as 30 miles away, before entering the Baja Gulf on your way to Puerto Vallarta. So, there we are with the Duck just close enough that we can talk to them. As night falls and the full moon has not yet risen, the two boats split so that we can’t make out our running lights. This is when our navigator, Alex Steele, puts his plan into effect on how to work our way through the Cabo hole as fast as possible. Steel put in a ton of time studying this part of the course and just crushed it. The next morning, the Duck was more than 30 miles behind us in four knots of wind, while we were close reaching in at 15 knots headed straight for the finish line.

Like I mentioned before, a Mexico race is never over until it’s over, and we kept the throttle down until we crossed the line with a first in our class and seventh overall. Another great race with a solid group of sailors from our harbor! This years’ crew was John Shulze, Len Bose, Alex Steele, Justin Law, Tom Okeefe, Craig Chamberlain, Andrew Dippel, Doug Cary and Greg Newman. Now we have to get the boat home and start getting ready for the upcoming Ensenada race.

Sea ya!

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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for StuNewsNewport.