Roger's take on the Race

Banderas Bay Regatta

Every year the highlight of our season seems to be the Banderas Bay Regatta.  It is soooo much fun to get together with friends and folks who want to sail in such an outstanding venue with warm winds and water.  It all starts with a parade out of Paradise Village just before noon for three or four hours of racing.  All the boats work feverishly trying to be assigned a phrf handicap that represents what the boat can do if sailed to it’s potential!

Di’s Dream parade ready with crew ready to go!

Start line with 470 “Cest La Vie” and Di’s Dream

Day one sailing was very good and we managed a

4 ^th place in Class C.  We did pick the wrong side

 of  the course on the second downwind leg and

 let  a few boats get back ahead of us.

Day two we were ready to go but with the Tsunami in Japan and everyone was concerned about a tsunami wave hitting the west coast. We were hit in the Puerto Vallarta area with strong enough currents and tides that the racing for the day was cancelled.  By 12 noon we heard much about the damage to Cresent City and Santa Cruz and made the decision to take the boat offshore before 1 pm to avoid possible damage in the Marina by the torrents of water rushing in and out of the breakwater.

After sailing for 8 hours we were prepared to try to re enter the Marina but the Mexican Port Captains had closed the ports at all three harbors. Dave’s wife Leslie and I had to tough it out by anchoring out, watching the sun go down and having some nice wine and munchies till well after nightfall.  Dave watched us closely!

Then after the patrol boats vacated the area and fellow boats called us on the radio suggesting it was safe to return we returned under the cloak of darkness.

Day three was all clear and we were ready to go again !!!!  We had found on our Friday sail that the La Cruz side of the Bay seemed favored late afternoon so decided on a strategy to tack back to better wind on the second and third legs which proved to be more far more effective on the last day of racing .

Final results we managed to be third. But the greatest fun was sailing with our buddies Kieth and Susan on 470 # 33 Cest La Vie, Orlando and Linda on “Cubre Libra 3” along with their sailing therapist, and Eric and Maryln on Full Shell for the Regatta festivities.

Lou on “Cirque” was for the third year in a row the winner in Class A, Chip and Katie

on “Miss Teak” a Morgan did well and finished 2^nd in Class E as well!  Congrats!!

Kieth and Susan on 470 # 33 “Cest La Vie”

Chip and Katie on “Miss Teak” Morgan 45

Roger, Terry, Dave and Leslie  on “Di’s Dream” Catalina 470 # 147

Terry and Michelle from “Coastal Passage” were able to be down with us and a special thanks goes to Dave and Leslie from “Sunshine Daydream”  for all their help and support during such an outstanding race and event!  They may even bring their new Catalina 445 down next year along with friends Mark and Mimi on their 440.

Lou and Laura on “Cirque “  Always FAST!

Great friends Mike and Sylvia ”Sabatical”

To whom we owe huge thanks to for a sail repair

and assistance getting home to Puerto Vallarta

Andy and Liz phrf handicaps extraordinary,  thank you for taking our washer/dryer into consideration!

Orlando and Linda with     "sailing therapist"!

Eric and Maryln on

“440 Full Shell”

Valerie and Ron   Columbia  43 “Valerie K”

A very special thank you goes to the photographer of race, Jay Ailworth.  Without you none of us would have any memories of the fantastic two days of sailing.  Thank you for all your amazing work

It was as always, a fabulous time with great folks in a fabulous location.

Happy Roger

If you think Roger is only happy out sailing his boat you may have to change your mind about him! He arrived back in the Caymans late Monday after flying from PV to Dallas at 7:30 am, on to Miami and then finally to Georgetown at 9pm. Tues was spent recuperating while Nicholas went in for his six week checkup, he is up to 5 lbs 12 oz!

Wednesday Rog got to go to the local hardware/lumber yard with his two most favorite people, Jennifer and Nicholas! What a great trip too. He figured out how to hang mosquito netting around the pavilion so future basketball games cane be enjoyed outside

It is a wrap!

After all the excitement of leaving the marina on Friday and waiting for the tsunami to arrive the Banderas Bay Regatta got back underway on Saturday. Roger start was in class C right after the very fast boats and then the catamarans and you do want them ahead of you. They extended the race to three times around the course instead of the stardard two times to give everyone more time on the water.

Roger and crew had a fantastic sail and felt much more competitive than day one. However, as the blog title suggests there was one major spinnaker wrap that almost stopped Di's Dream cold. With Terry and Dave working frantically the spinnaker finally flew free after having to head up into the wind for a good ten minutes. Everyone thought the race was over for the day but with Rog holding a steady course and Leslie releasing the jib sheets on cue Terry and Dave were able to reset the sails like pros!

Without knowing the results of day two racing all I can report is that Roger and crew took third overall in their class! Good job.

Banderas Bay Regatta

The first day of the regatta went off without a major catastrophe. Roger and his crew of Terry Willis, Dave Farrington and his wife Leslie navigated the course without a major hic up! Never an easy chore when you are flying the spinnaker or having to jibe it at the mark. I understand that the final take down of the spinnaker was not so pretty but it got done and put away for another day. I am still confused as to the placement of our Catalina 470 in the same class as the much smaller and decidedly lighter J80 but handicaping should help.

I was not on board but still down with Nicholas in the Caymans making sure he was getting bigger. Just as difficult as keeping the palm tree sail flying high.

Day two of the races did not go off as scheduled due to the tsunami warning issued for the entire Pacific Coast. Roger and many of the other race boats did leave the marina in Paradise Village thinking the surge would arrive around one pm. It was much later than expected but did put on quite a show for our friends that remained in the marina. Currents of up to 14 knots were reported at the mouth of the entrance and La Cruz marina trotted one surge of 5 1/2 feet. I will try to confirm this and post an accurate update later. I am sure lectronic latitude will have factual information as Profligate is normally in a slip at Paradise. She was taken out for the duration along with many others. The marina finally reaped around 8:30 last night.

Where are the Frizzelles

I know it has been a long time since my last post but I had warned that I was off playing Grandmother and might not get back to my blog for a bit. Playing Grandmother is a wonderful job as many of my friends know and even better when you have a Nicholas to share time with. He loves to cuddle even at the tender age of four weeks and understands that his main job is to eat often and with gusto. He is already up to five pounds and knows how to make the moms in the house take time to pick him up. I know, he can not be smiling yet but when you speak he certainly turns his head in your direction to acknowledge your presence. What a ham! So by now you have figured out I am at Nicholas's house down in the Caymans

Rog is back in Puerto Vallarta after a brief visit to meet his grandson. He had a wonderful week here getting the crib and other assorted sleeping contraptions put together. Nicholas various areas in the house to take his all important naps. I never knew there were so many ways to keep a wee one happy.

We did take a week out of our very busy Grandparents schedule to return to Los Angeles. Roger's mother passed away at the age of 90 after a very long fight with heart disease. Rog had spent three days visiting her just before she passed and has wonderful memories of his last visit. Our boys and their wives also visited with Mary while he was there.

Larry Young is currently staying with Rog as he prepares the boat for the Banderas Bay Regatta that starts on Thursday. They have put the repaired jib back on the boat, emptied the Jerry cans of fuel into the regular fuel tanks, removed the bow thruster for repair and even fixed the washer dryer! Yes, we finally got the right part and I will be able to do wash on my own boat. What a good guy he is.

I will try and post results and some pictures from the regatta so stay tuned