Southwinds Sailing June 2004 - Southwinds Magazine

XXXVI REGATTA DEL SOLSt. PetersburgYacht Club’s456 mile raceto Isla Mujeres,MexicoBy George CrookStart of the Regata del Sol al Sol in St. Petersburg.True Cruising and Non-Spinnakerboats started off the 36th Regata delSol al Sol on April 20 with 8 to 10knot winds at the starting line in TampaBay. The afternoon breeze set in at 3:30p.m., and the boats were off to a great race with winds of 10to 25 knots. Multihull and Spinnaker boats started the followingday. After leaving Tampa Bay all boats were on a reachfor the balance of the race. Steve Mills, on his J125 Velox, hadthe fastest time to Isla Mujeres with an elapsed time of 63hours, 30 minutes, 15 seconds. Steve was within 1 hour, 44minutes of the record set by Rosebud in 2003. James Fauske’sLagoon 47, Sierra Hotel, established a new record for multihullboats with an elapsed time of 66 hours, 48 minutes, 40 seconds.First overall was Ryan Cox’s Island Packet 42, SouthernCross, with a corrected time of 44 hours, 12 minutes.True cruising was the largest class with 16 boats. FredBickley’s Irwin 44, Mango Latitudes, was first in True Cruising1; Ryan Cox, on his Island Packet 42, Southern Cross, was firstin True Cruising 2, and Kenneth McKinney’s Hunter 37,Quidam, came in first in True Cruising 3. Sierra Hotel was firstin Spinnaker class, and Mitchell Massie’s Island Packet 42,Reflection, was first in Non-Spinnaker.Each boat reported their coordinates daily, and their locationswere available to family and friends on the regattaWeb site, www.regatadelsolalsol.org. The Mexican navy hada vessel at the finish line, and a courtesy boat escorted eachsailboat to a dock to check in at customs and to its designatedslip. This worked extremely well during the evening hours.Island activities started on Sunday, April 25 with a WelcomeBeach Party. On Monday was a special reception atStart of the Regata del Sol al Sol in St. Petersburg.Commodore Lima’s Casa de las Rocas for skippers, navigatorsand authorities. Commodore Lima is 92 years of age andwas the founder of the Isla Mujeres race 36 years ago.A reception was held by Mayor Paulino Adame at theIsla Mujeres City Hall where skippers, commodores, officialsand race committee chairman were declared DistinguishedGuests of the Island.After the reception Miss Regata del Sol al Sol wascrowned, followed by Mexican dancers on the square by theCity Hall. The race committee presented numerous suppliesto the local firemen to supplement the fire truck donated bySt. Petersburg Yacht Club and Pinellas County last year.A beach party with volleyball competition was onWednesday. The Regata del Sol al Sol trophy presentation washeld at Hotel Maria del Mar on the beach on Thursdayevening. This was an elegant party with tables on the sandwith white embroidered tablecloths and silverware. Sailorsenjoyed the outdoor environment and an elegant dinner withtheir feet in the sand.On Friday a basketball game between the sailors and thelocal Isla Mujeres team took place with the local team winningin a close match. Regatta sailors have won only twice in30 years of competition. The Amigo Regata was on Saturday.Boats with Isla Mujeres children aboard raced around the island.T-shirts, toys and gifts were given to the children afterthe race. The Amigo Regata awards dinner took place on thebeach. Mexican Navy Admiral Arturo Bernal, St. PetersburgYacht Club Commodore Cox, Club Yates de Isla Mujeres CommodoreLima and Mexican officials attended.On Sunday boats were on their way home. Family andfriends took the ferry to Cancun, then by air to their homes. Agreat time was had by all. Get your boat ready to join yourfellow sailors next year to sail in the Regata del Sol al Sol toMexico and enjoy the regatta and cultural experience.34Sail to Mexico in the 37th Regata del Sol al Sol in 2005!DEPARTURE DATESApril 29th for True Cruising and Non-SpinnakerApril 30th for Spinnaker and Multihull.CONTACT:Sailing Secretary, St. Petersburg Yacht Club (727) 822-3873or spsailsec@aol.com or www.regatadelsolalsol.orgJune 2004 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindssailing.com