Well now, that looked like Banderas Bay.

Day One of racing gave the fleet exactly what people come here hoping for: sunshine, blue water, and a steady 10–15 knots to send everybody south to the Puerto Vallarta Sea Buoy, then back north toward La Cruz, with enough breeze to keep things honest and enough beauty to remind everyone why this is one of the great sailing venues anywhere. If you ever needed an example of what makes Banderas Bay special, yesterday was a pretty convincing argument.

And the fleet got right down to business. In the Margarita Division, Patsy Verhoeven’s Talion came out swinging and took the first bullet, with Eric & Kim Rimkus aboard Gladiator close behind in second despite doing it the hard way with just the two of them. Geoff Gudewill’s Azulejo landed third, Brad Hunter’s California Stars was fourth, and Hey Ya rounded out the day in fifth. On corrected time, Talion’s margin over Gladiator was real enough to earn bragging rights at the bar.

In the Cheeseburger Division, Fredrick Roswold’s Wings—newly settled into the cruising division—promptly reminded everybody that “cruising” and “performing” are not mutually exclusive. Wings took the win, with Joe Heinzmann’s Swan Fun second and David Reed’s Beep Beep third. Lee Suzuki’s Mony, also sailing double-handed, worked around the course with just two aboard and finished fourth, while Anthony Day’s Alcyone came home fifth.

The Flip Flop Division was a proper multihull scrap, with Carlos Sainz on Copiar taking first and Bart Goodell on Paladin just behind in second. In third was a boat with plenty of heart behind her: the late Randy Hough’s Farrier 22 Cricket, sailed this year by VYC Afloat Director Dave Gould. That one brought a few smiles all by itself.

Over in the Pirate Division, John Matejczyk’s Edwina led the way, followed by Linda Sweet’s Olas Lindas in second and Daniel Rodriguez Cabrera’s Atlantis in third. Jim Brainard’s Brainwaves was fourth, Jeffrey Davies’ Por La Vida fifth, Juan Felipe Karam’s Belat sixth, Carla Moreno’s Dreadnought seventh, Daniel Kelsey’s Jazzy2 eighth, and Roberto Medrano Gomez’s Crew2 ninth. Tight racing, good breeze, and plenty of chances for everyone to claim they were “really going much better than the results show.”

Back ashore, the clubhouse got its own workout. Bangity Bob was a big hit, the Buffett covers landed exactly where they were supposed to, and the club was rocking well into the evening with sailors doing what sailors do best after a good race day: telling stories, revising stories, and improving stories.

Today the fleet switches gears for Race Two, the pursuit race. The posted start sheet has Talion off first at 13:05:00, followed by Hey Ya and Azulejo at 13:10:46, Cricket at 13:15:27, and Gladiator at 13:15:43. At the sharp end of the later starters, Por La Vida goes at 13:41:34, while Copiar and Paladin are the last two away at 13:42:57. In other words: if you like boats hunting each other down all over the bay, today is your kind of day.

Forecasts are looking pretty similar to yesterday, and if that holds, we should get another fine run around Course 8: up toward the northern shore, then back to Mark S off Vidanta Reef, then down again to Mark L and home. That has all the ingredients for one of those classic Banderas Bay afternoons where the standings get interesting in a hurry.

And when the boats come in, the party rolls right back to Vallarta Yacht Club. Tonight’s official After Race Party at VYC starts at 5:30 PM, with a dinner special of fajitas with your choice of shrimp, beef, or chicken, followed by house-made flan for $350 MXN. The schedule promises a chance to compare strategies, celebrate victories, refuel, and keep the regatta spirit going—which is a very polite way of saying: show up, eat well, and tell us how you almost had them.

A slideshow of Charity Palmatier's excellent photography is here: 

Day Three in Vallartaville is underway.
Go race hard, sail smart, and save a little fuel in the storytelling tank for tonight.

Here's a few more pictures. What a day!

Well now, that was another proper day on Banderas Bay.

Day Two of racing sent the fleet all the way over to the north coast, with some boats working the shoreline on the tack up to M Mark before turning loose for a long, glorious spinnaker reach back toward the safety mark off Vidanta Reef. It was one of those afternoons that reminds everybody exactly why Banderas Bay is such a wonderful sailing venue: sunshine, blue water, breeze on, and a racecourse that gave everyone something to think about.

And the wind did not disappoint. It was excellent all day, building into the high teens near La Cruz, with not a trace of the dreaded La Cruz Eddy. No strange hole, no disappearing act, no soft corner waiting to ruin anybody’s afternoon. Just solid pressure all the way around the bay and the kind of sailing that keeps crews smiling even while they are busy pretending to be serious.

Of course, no race day comes without a little drama. Alcyone could not come out due to transmission problems, and Mony had to drop out so her crew could go be good dads and handle some evening family obligations. Out on the course, Dreadnought had sail problems, while Hey Ya could not seem to keep either the tack line or the spinnaker halyard in one piece. Before long, there was enough gear in the water to make it look suspiciously like they had switched from sailboat racing to shrimp fishing.

Even with the breakage, breakdowns, and family calls to duty, it was still a first-class day of racing.

In the Margarita Division, Patsy Verhoeven’s Talion stayed perfect with another bullet and now leads the fleet on 2 points. Eric & Kim Rimkus aboard Gladiator, still doing it double-handed, matched their opening-day second place and sit comfortably in second overall on 4 points. Geoff Gudewill’s Azulejo held steady in third on 6 points. Behind them, Andy Barrow’s Hey Ya and Brad Hunter’s California Stars are tied on 9 points, with Hey Ya holding fourth on the tiebreak. In other words: Talion is setting the pace, but there is still plenty of room for dock talk and fleet rearrangement behind them.

In the Cheeseburger Division, Fredrick Roswold’s Wings has made herself right at home in cruising division and now sits on a flawless 2 points after another win. Wings may be new to the division, but she has already reminded everybody that she still performs just fine, thank you very much. Joe Heinzmann’s Swan Fun is holding second on 4 points, and David Reed’s Beep Beep remains third on 6 points. Lee Suzuki’s Mony, despite dropping out yesterday evening, is still fourth overall on 10 points, and Anthony Day’s Alcyione, after the transmission troubles and a DNS, sits fifth on 11 points.

The Flip Flop Division remains a proper two-boat knife fight at the top, with Carlos Sainz’s Copiar staying perfect on 2 points and Bart Goodell’s Paladin right behind on 4 points. The late Randy Hough’s Farrier 22 Cricket, sailed by VYC Afloat Director Dave Gould, remains a very respectable third on 6 points and continues to earn smiles all over the bay.

Over in the Pirate Division, John Matejczyk’s Edwina also kept the card clean with another first and now leads on 2 points. Behind her, things are deliciously messy. Daniel Rodriguez Cabrera’s Atlantis moved up into second overall on 5 points, tied with Linda Sweet’s Olas Lindas, who also sits on 5 points. Jim Brainard’s Brainwaves is fourth on 8 points. Then comes a tie at 11 points between Juan Felipe Karam’s Belat and Jeffrey Davies’ Por La Vida, followed by Daniel Kelsey’s Jazzy2 on 15, Carla Moreno’s Dreadnought on 16, and Roberto Medrano Gomez’s Crew2 on 17. Plenty still to play for there, especially if somebody has one more good day in them and somebody else forgets which end of the spinnaker goes up.

All in all, it was an excellent day of racing for everyone who got out there, and the bay absolutely showed off.

Today, the Race Committee will declare shorter courses to get everyone back in time for the evening Awards Party on Paradise Village Beach.

Pirate Class: Course 6
You like your windward-leewards, so there you go. Have fun.

Margarita, Cheeseburger, and Flip-Flop: Course 7
Just some simple triangles. What could possibly go wrong?

Today’s forecast is looking very similar to the excellent conditions we’ve been seeing throughout Banderas Bay Regatta, so there is every reason to expect one more fine day on the water before the trophies, sea stories, and tropical foolishness begin in earnest.

And speaking of that: wear your Parrothead gear. Loud shirts, leis, fake parrots, beach hats, tropical nonsense, all of it. It is always a good party. Let’s make it legendary this year.

If you just could not purchase tickets before the event, a table will be set up just outside the entrance of Paradise Village. Please bring cash — we don’t trust them with a credit card machine.

We hope you are loving Banderas Bay Regatta XXXIII as much as we are loving putting it on.

See you on the water and see you at the party. Fins UP!

Well now, the warm-up laps are over and the shirts have already been judged.

Yesterday gave us the Tales from Vallartaville Boat Parade, Start Your Heart Out, and the weekly Beer Can Rally—a proper opening act with parrots, pirate gear, loud shirts, practice starts, and at least a few crews proving that dignity is optional at Banderas Bay Regatta. Today, though, is a different animal. Thursday, March 19 is BBR Racing Day 1, with racing scheduled from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Today's course will the Course 5. Our PRO has spoken!

This is the day your racing skills and performance really count. So shake out the sails, tighten up the crew work, and try to look like yesterday’s tropical foolishness was all part of a carefully designed performance plan.

By now, the stories are already beginning to pile up. Somebody nailed the start. Somebody swears they had the lift of the day. Somebody else is still explaining why that one maneuver “would have worked beautifully if everyone had done exactly what I meant instead of what I said.” That, friends, is regatta magic.

And after the first real day of racing, nobody should be heading straight home to behave responsibly.

Tonight it’s the Day 1 After Race Party at Vallarta Yacht Club, starting at 6:00 PM, with live music, good vibes, and a dinner special of Pasta Alfredo or Pomodoro with shrimp or chicken, or Pasta Bolognese, followed by a chocolate brownie for dessert, for $350 MXN.

And this one comes with a little extra salt and lime: Bangity Bob will be at the club tonight, kicking things off at 6:00 PM with Buffett covers and other good stuff, which is about as perfect a soundtrack for Vallartaville as anyone could ask for.

So competitors, come in, cool off, grab some dinner, raise a glass, and enjoy the party. Tell the story about the great start, the bad tack, the lucky puff, the near miss, the perfect lane, or the one that got away. Listen to a few lies from other boats. Nod politely. Tell better lies of your own.

That’s part of the deal here.

Race hard this afternoon. Then come ashore and do the social side of BBR properly—good food, live music, a little Buffett, a few sea stories, and a yacht club full of sailors who are all pretty sure they would have won if not for that one tiny thing.

Day Two in Vallartaville is officially underway.
Go make it worth talking about tonight.

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