About the PV09 Race

In 1966, several skippers from the Del Rey Yacht Club decided to establish a sailboat race to Mexico that ended at Puerto Vallarta in the splendid shadow of Banderas Bay. “The course to Puerto Vallarta is a skipper’s dream and a challenge to his navigation. There is an ocean to sail, a cape to pass, a sea to traverse, islands to skirt and a bay to glide into,” said race founder Gerry Blankfort.

Over the past 40 years, this event has evolved into one of the most recognized sailboat races in the world, bringing together hundreds of sailors. The race attracts some of the most famous blue water racers in the world. Such well-known yachts as Ticonderoga, Windward Passage, Ragtime, Sorcery, and Roy Disney’s Pyewacket take turns vying for the elusive elapsed time record. In 2007, Doug Baker broke a twenty year old standard by skippering the Magnitude 80 to victory in 3 days, 15 hours, 51 minutes and 39 seconds.

The Puerto Vallarta race now includes both spinnaker and non-spinnaker classes, making it one of the best ways to race a well-equipped boat down to Mexico with similar boats, at a time of year to enjoy the best Mexico has to offer. In 2009, this event will be the first long distance Mexican Regatta to offer a series of four separate races stretching from Marina del Rey to Marina Vallarta, with stops in beautiful anchorages down the coast of Baja California.

An innovative scoring system computes each boat’s handicap and corrected time based on actual time sailed. This system equalizes the speed potential between different sizes and styles of boats to place the emphasis on each crew’s sailing skill.

The first leg of the race is from Marina Del Rey to Cedros Island (376 nm) with a layover in Turtle Bay. The second leg starts outside of Turtle Bay and ends at Punta Lazaro (220 nm) with a layover in Santa Maria. The third is from Mag Bay to Cabo Falso (152 nm) with a stop in the new marina at Puerto San Jose, and finally, the last race is across the Gulf of California to Puerto Vallarta (286 nm).

Due to limited slip availability in Marina Vallarta, this race is limited to 40 entries. As of the end of September, 35 entries have been posted.

The Puerto Vallarta race format gives skippers a chance to test their competitive racing skills while still being able to enjoy some of the most beautiful sights that Mexico has to offer.

You can find out all about this race at the www.pv09.com website.