YACHTING CUP RACES
MAY 5TH AND 6TH, 2001
The Yachting Cup, which is hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, is one of the premier races on the west coast. Some of the best boats and crew gather for five races off the coast of San Diego. Team CIA was one of twelve? boats in the PHRF class 3, which included boats rated from 48 to 66. The boats in our class were:
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Name |
Type | Rating |
| Muddy Waters |
Melges 30 |
39 |
| Max Q | Melges 30 | 45 |
| Free Enterprise | Andrews 42 | 48 |
| Power Point | Henderson 30 | 48 |
| Kimba 2 | Frers 40 | 48 |
| Colt 45 | Tripp 40 | 51 |
| Silouette | Beneteau 40.7 | 54 |
| Changes in Altitudes | Beneteau 40.7 | 54 |
| Troublespot | Mumm 30 | 54 |
| Prime Time | Olson 40 | 54 |
| Tripz | Tripp 40 | 54 |
| B Nasty | B 32 | 66 |
| Defiance | B 32 | 66 |
| Wildcat | Cheetah 30 | 66 |
For full race results click here.
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After a delay due to wind shifts, we watched the other two PHRF classes start. |
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We started off well, just in front of Kimba 2, a boat we had tried to keep pace with in the Rum Races.
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We also got very close to our sister boat, Silouette, the other Beneteau 40.7. We would have difficulty keeping up with her, however. |
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It soon became apparent that there were only a few boats that we would be able to compete closely with. One was the Olson 40, Prime Time.
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We finished ahead of Prime Time and Troublespot in race 1. |
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We started race 2 off well again. Again, however, we were left behind, this time by all of the fleet. We came in dead last on race 2, crossing just after Stars and Stripes, which had done an extra two legs. |
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We thought we were finished after race 2, but then realized that we had a third race to do. We were determined not to come in last this time. Unfortunately, the boat that we were able to beat in race 1, Prime Time, collided with TripZ at the start and both had to drop out, and so we were left in the dust. |
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We weren't able to beat any of the other boats in race 3. We also broke the gang cleat on the cabin top. We resolved to regroup and give it another go on Sunday. |
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The next morning, we fixed the cleat, cleaned the bottom, adjusted the diagonals on our shroud. We got an excellent start and fared much better in race 4, beating at least three boats, including both Prime Time and Troublespot. |
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In the fifth and final race, we didn't stat quite as well but battled Prime Time and Troublespot and kept ahead of Trouble Spot until the final downwind leg, where Troublespot was able to outmaneuver us and move faster downwind. Fortunately, we beat Prime Time again, ensuring that we would not be the last place boat! |
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Given that we are still learning how to race CIA as a crew, our boat is still not fully tuned, nor have we invested in a bottom faring or Kevlar main sail, we were pretty happy with our improved performance. |
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In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, we toasted our Tecates to our next race series, the beer cans. |
