The Racers Have Come To Town…

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It’s always an interesting time of year when the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Racers pull into town… a whole fleet of friends come thru town, and is always feels a bit strange to see the familiar faces in this context. It would be like having your whole weekend cycling club or soccer team showing up at your office building on some random Tuesday…


Congratulations to Peligroso, the Kernan designed 70 footer which has chalked up another win, this time under new Mexican ownership (Lorenzo Berho). They sailed a well-played race and even broke the previous record. Unfortunately for them, the RP 78 Akela led them to the finish, nabbing line honors and the record, but the corrected win overall went to Peligroso. By all reports, it was an epic year, with tales of wild surfing rides abounding.

Peligroso now sails under a Mexican flag…

So everyone rolled into town, and the crews drenched their thirsts and dried their gear… and now…


… and now we are into MEXORC, six days of buoy and short distance racing in Banderas Bay. The event includes most of the boats that raced into town from California, some local teams, and a number of boats who come up from Acapulco. Run every two years, this event is always a huge production. This year, the President of Mexico oversaw the opening of the event!

Four fleets are competing, and J World has entered a J/120 with a team of coaches and students. We also have staff members racing onboard the brand-spanking-new 70 foot Pendragon VI and yours truly is aboard the Transpac 52 Flash.

Anyway, more reports soon…

Wayne Zittel

Hola Hula Girl…

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Adios, Amiga….

Many of you already know about the loss of one of our most traveled boats, and the great responses of the instructors and crew aboard her at the time of the crisis. Many thanks to everyone for all the kind words and support offered up… it meant a lot to us!

For those of you who have not heard, we sadly report that in early November, approximately 200 miles south of San Diego, while participating in a large cruising rally off the coast of Baja, our J/120 was struck by whales and sank quickly. The US Coast Guard did a fantastic job getting all the crew to safety very quickly, and they have earned our eternal gratitude! I invite everyone to take a look at our blog for a full account of the incident. That’s our cover-girl in the picture on the same rally in 2007. Truly amazing story…. I miss the ol’ girl, and the whole thing still has me in shock…

Hola Hula Girl….

But, as they say, when a door closes, a door opens. We here at J/World couldn’t sit idle and needed a boat to continue our renowned offshore and racing programs. And what a boat we have found.

J World is proud to announce the newest member to our fleet, Hula Girl, a turboed Santa Cruz 50 which needs no introduction to most West Coast racers. Formerly Gone With the Wind, and most recently the personal boat of Paul Cayard (one of the most accomplished yacht racers in the world), she has a fantastic race record and became the stuff of legend when – among many other accomplishments – she surfed to victory in Coastal Cup, hitting 27.5 knots!! For more about Hula Girl, visit here.
We are very excited to have Hula Girl in our stables. In race mode, she will be used for coached programs in Transpac, Pacific Cup, the Newport to Cabo Race, and the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Race. She will also be available for charter in select events, including Big Boat Series, MEXORC, Long Beach Race Week, and Newport to Ensenada.
In cruising mode, she will be doing our annual West Coast Cruise from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta, and our annual cruise from Hawaii to San Francisco.

Upcoming Events…

It’s time to plan your winter training! We have racing weeks running monthly in Puerto Vallarta (next one starts Feb 15 and is shaping up to be a great one), and in March there are a couple of racing events, including MEXORC and our annual Clinic + Banderas Bay Regatta.

MEXORC is held every two years following the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Race. The California based boats, local racers, and a large contingent from Acapulco converge on Banderas Bay for seven days of windward-leeward and distance races. The race organizers always put together a phenomenal social agenda to complement the on-the-water activities, and this year’s host resort (the Marival) is offering deeply discounted accommodations, and we here at J World were able to put together an all-inclusive package. Our team of six clients and three coaches will be racing aboard a J/130… there is only one space left available, so click here for more info…

The BANDERAS BAY CLINIC and REGATTA is our most popular event each year. Come join us for an three day clinic/workshop aboard our J/80s, then race in the Banderas Bay Regatta! This is a great way to sharpen your skills and have a really fun time doing it. Come as an individual or a group… Click here for more info….