(Newport Beach, California)- As Craig Leweck, of Scuttlebutt Newsletter
fame, so succinctly described it, "When it comes to offshore distance
racing, the prominent California races do a few things right: they are
mostly in solid downwind conditions, they are mostly in warm weather,
and they most certainly finish in desirable locations. The odd-numbered
years are the best, with the 800 mile Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) race in
March providing a good tune-up for the 2,225 mile Los Angeles to
Honolulu Transpac race in July."
But
Mother Nature threw a monstrous "monkey wrench" into this year's
version of the Cabo Race. Starting off mostly in light winds on the
nose, the fleet had to beat upwind at a mere crawling pace for up to
thirty hours before conditions began to break and more traditional
reaching breezes started to fill in as several enormous weather fronts
finally started to move easterly.Early casualties were the two J/125s. But, the lone "big J" hung tough and replete with her air-conditioning, gas-powered oven and stove-top, delicious nine-course meals with some amazing wine and super cozy, comfortable luxurious interiors downstairs (hard to call it a cabin fitted out with UltraSuede!), the gang on Myron Lyon's J/160 INNOCENT MERRIMENT notched a 3rd in PHRF class behind some nicely handicapped PHRF boats, an old Petersen 50 footer and the famous yawl- DORADE! Here's to 2015 when the winds will howl like the "Kraken" and the entire fleet "hangs ten" all the way to Cabo. For more Cabo Race sailing information
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