Date: Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 8:33 PM
Subject: Back in Mexico….

Hola from Hula….
Well all right now.  This morning, the intrepid Team J World started
the 800 mile sprint down the West Coast from Newport Beach, CA to Cabo
San Lucas….. Land’s end, Baja California!  Our gang of nine started
about a half mile off the end of the Newport pier into a light
westerly.  With the big #1 jib up, we were able to punch out at the
start and seemed to have great boatspeed.  We climbed away from the
coast in an attempt to get to a bit more breeze offshore, and it
seemed to be working great.

Then there came a bit of a bluffing and waiting game…  all the boats
around us knew that as the wind freshened, it would shift around
behind us, and it would be time to hoist the bigger sails, and the
“Code Zero” would be the call.  We were poised and ready and wanted to
make the move with the first boat, but no earlier since we didn’t want
to separate from the pack.  Horizon, another SC50,  was the first to
go…  they got the sail most of the way up, then had a bit of a
problem, but sorted it out quickly.  By that point, we were going up
with ours too, and suddenly we has almost the same problem they had…
except we weren’t able to sort our out as easily.  The top of the
sail came unfurled during the hoist, making the sail impossible to
unfurl all the way.  We were forced to go back to the #1 jib and drop
the code zero to sort out the issue…  as we watched all the boats we
had managed to get behind us sail right by…  Before long, we got the
code zero up, dropped the jib, and set a genoa staysail.  Five or 6
knots of breeeze, sailing at 7-8 knots.  Nice.

The wind shifted farther behind us, and it was time again to change
sails…  down with the code zero, up with the 2A spinnaker.  We stuck
with that sail until about 5:30-, when the wind shifted back towards
the south a bit, and we changed to the 1A with a spinnaker staysail.
So that’s where we are right now.  True wind is about 12 knots.  We
are doing 9 to 10 knots, and we just crossed the border into Mexico.
We are picking a lane to keep us outside the light coastal breezes,
but a bit inside out competition…  it’s tough to say no to the nice
header we are getting right now, and we need to make up some of the
time we lost with the sail snafu earlier.

And we need to push south quickly.  There’s a cold front moving into
the area tomorrow, brining with is some strong headwinds.   We want to
be well down the Baja Coast before it gets here.  Andele!
We have just finished a full rotation on the helm (everyone has had a
chance to drive).  And the stew dinner wend down nicely, just as the
(nearly) full moon came up.  Man, it is beautiful outside right now.
Seriously beautiful.  The moon, the shimmering reflections on the
water, the distant coastal glow of San Diego, Tijuana, the Hula Girl
scooting along into the night.

Time to take a look at weather, then maybe go sit in the cockpit for a
while.  I’ll be in touch again soon…

All the best,

Wayne Zittel & the Hula Girl Crew
32° 27N 117° 33W

So our program for the 2011 Transpac, the legendary race from LA to Hawaii every other year, has been sold out since last September…  BUT we have just had a couple cancel, so we now have two berths available on the 50 foot turbo sled, Hula Girl.  

The Transpac is arguably the world’s most famous offshore yacht race.  And one of the best.  Two-thousand miles of (mostly) downwind surfing through crystal clear waters and the warm trades.  There are already 65 entries signed up, including SIX Santa Cruz 50s…  this is going to be an epic fleet in an epic race.

J/World’s Hula Girl Reaching into Hawaii

Our Hula Girl programs set off with six crew and three of our world-class coaches.  Everyone gets an opportunity to participate in everything aboard, including navigating, trimming, and driving.  Our offshore racing programs have earned quite the reputation for being a ton of fun and tremendously beneficial…  and if you miss out on this opportunity, the next chance to get aboard won’t be until 2012.

For more about Hula Girl, visit here.  For more about the Transpac with J/World, go here.

To learn about specifics or get a copy of the Team brief, contact us!

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

So we put the Strictly Sail Boatshow in Chicago to bed, and got out of town just before the weather turned really ugly.  Hopped on a big ol’ jet airliner and went from this (ice sculptures in the park outside Navy Pier, Chicago)

to this (sailing in shorts and flip-flops)

in about four hours!   And the J World gang weren’t the only boats out on the water, by a long shot.  The annual WesMex Regatta was going on, and this is a sight to behold.  WesMex is a youth event in Optimists and Lasers, and  is the sole Mexican qualifier for young sailors from all over Mexico to advance to the North American and European Optimist Championships.  

Hosted by the Vallarta Yacht Club and sponsored by Toyota, this event drew over 60 young sailors to the warm waters and fantastic sailing conditions in Banderas Bay.  It’s truly a great thing to see the growth of youth sailing here in Mexico, and all of the sponsors, supporters, and volunteers who make these events possible are to be commended.  And a special thanks to Jay of Strange Bird Photography for sharing these great shots.    

Lots of stuff going on down here for us old folks too.  We have a racing week (intro and advanced) running next week (starting Feb 14),  and of course Learn to Sail Classes and other courses running all the time.  Our annual Banderas Bay Clinic and Regatta starting March 6 is almost sold out (only one space left)….  and then our offshore team is taking off on the 2011 Newport to Cabo Race.  


So if you are looking to get some sailing in sometime in February or March, you should contact us soon…  we’re getting pretty busy!


All the best,


Wayne Zittel
J World Performance Sailing School and Club

Yep, another tough weekend down here in Mexico.  Josh and Drew got released from the J World salt mines last weekend and went off to play in the local Capri 37 fleet… they’ve got a handful of them down here, and they hit the water monthly with highly competitive one-design racing.   Josh issued this report today:

This weekend saw a fleet of five boats turn out for two days of racing.   On the first day, the fleet saw conditions ranging from 8-10 knots for race number one, picking up to around 14 knots for the second race, then slowly dying for the third race of the day.  These changes in pressure were also accompanied with some major shifts, keeping the fleet on their toes and constantly trying to find the favored side of the course for that extra edge.

Drew and I  were on board with Team Azteca to help fill spots at the mast, mainsail and tactics.  For the first race, we found ourselves in good position on the starting line with good speed and were able to hold on to the lead for a 1st place finish.  For race two, we climbed back from a bad start to battle it out with Crew Dos and  Dreadnought,  and managed to pull off second.  Race three saw the whole fleet getting a solid start.  A left shift favored us and Crew Dos, and we managed to prevail over them after the run for another win.

On day two, the fleet saw slightly more breeze.  Race four started in around 12 knots of breeze at around 230 degrees.  Throughout the race the breeze clocked to around 240, favoring the right side of the course.  At the end of the race Azteca finished first with a Dreadnought and Crew Dos in a heavy fight for second, in which Crew Dos was victorious.  As race five started, the wind started to climb and the fleet found themselves in 20 knots of breeze and carnage started to appear on the course.  Dreadnought pulled the bullet, Chivas second, and we wrapped the weekend with a third.

The weekend was full of close competition and challenging conditions making a great weekend of racing.  A big thanks to the guys aboard Azteca for having a couple of J World gringos along for the race!

And thank you for the report, Josh!  Lots of great sailing going on around here right now: Our Learn-to-Sail classes are running almost continually at our Puerto Vallarta Sailing Center, and there are lots of sailing charters to boot.

Our San Francisco Sailing School is starting to book springtime courses, so don’t be left on the dock, give us a call now!

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

For those of you who don’t frequent the lands south of the border, it is hard to describe the great diversity that you can stumble across in such a small area as Banderas Bay.  This morning I read the account of a day in the life of cruising in Mexico by Latitude 38’s Wanderer, and was struck with what a great job he did at characterizing the overall feel of the area and community that we are so fortunate to be a part of.  Then last night our friend Rita (faithful followers will know her as one of the lovely ladies who graced our crew in the cover shot of our J/120 in the 2008 Baja-Ha-Ha) was getting ready to head back to the wintry north, and she showed us some of her beautiful photos snapped during her stay in Vallarta.  She got a ton of fantastic shots, so I figured it would be fun to share some…  this isn’t as much about the sailing here (we report on that all the time), but just a bit of local color.

First up: Bucerias.  This smaller town just to the north of PV hosts a fantastic mix of local flavor and tourist attractions…

Here’s the beach in Bucerias in the afternoon…

… and here’s your table!  Then turn around and stroll up into the plaza…

…here you’ll find all sorts of food, goods, people, etc…

 

And when you have explored a bit and worked up an appetite, there are all manners of restaurants in the area…  from the most awesome tacos on the street, to sports bars blaring NFL and NHL, to fancy dining with fabulous wines…

Next we are off to Sayulita, the little beach town over the hill to the north.  The highway from PV drops down to a two lane jungle road, and after a beautiful trip thru lush greenery, you stumble across a couple of gems.  Sayulita is more popular than ever and has been bustling with travelers (and for good reason), while San Pancho / San Francisco just up the road a bit is still a lot sleepier, so you choose your flavor!

The stables at the San Pancho polo field.

Taking a break on the beach in Sayulita.

How about this?  Looks like a throwback to another era.

But it’s actually Jan 2, 2011.

Explore up the streets a bit in Sayulita, and you’ll find some pretty sweet houses.  Ever want to live in a jungle?  Swiss Family Robinson done in style!  Seriously, there are so many amazing homes and unique places that we start taking them for granted down here.

I lived in Sayulita for two years, and am still impressed by how many great places to eat there are.  Even more so now than ever.  There are stylish places like the one above facing the plaza.  And there are simple local places, including my favorite street taco ‘restaurant’, which is still putting tables and chairs out on the cobblestone road each night, and you can get the tastiest carne asada quesadilla with grilled onions and all the fixings for $2.  Seriously good.  Or maybe you are ready for something a bit finer…

…we saved you a seat at the bar of the distinctive Los Afortunados in Sayulita…

say hi to our friend Greg and sit out on the beautiful patio for a memorable dinner and experience…  don’t miss it!

Banderas Bay is defined on the northern boundary by the beautiful Punta Mita.  At the base of this point is the town of La Cruz and a new marina, complete with fuel dock and boatyard.  And, like the rest of the area, the whole point has a huge amount to offer…

The surf out at Ancolote, the inside of Punta Mita.  Small that day, but you can see the potential.  And while the swell might not have shown up, neither did the neoprene.  There are a lot of things right about surfing in trunks and bikinis during the first week of January!

Now that you’ve worked up an appetite, how about a fish tacos plate for $5 right on the beach…  this shot was taken from the exact same place as the surfing one above.  Beach lover’s paradise indeed.

Or if you want to be more pampered, there are truly exceptional accommodations.  This is in La Cruz, but the options abound, including a very popular Four Seasons Resort at Punt Mita.

Boat trip!  Ok, I know it’s not a sailboat, but our friend Gil runs a great charter boat on the Bay…  here Rita has set her camera down for a moment to test the comfort factor.  But it’s not all lounging about…  soon the whales are spotted, Rita springs into action, and check these out:

Hey Gil, do yourself a favor and keep a safe distance!  Hopefully, this was with a pretty big zoom…  but the whales are all over the Bay right now, and we are  regularly forced to take evasive actions to keep well away from them.  Maybe we’re a bit gun shy, but who can blame us?   Besides, the whales deserve to have a bit of peace and quiet…

… and here is why.  Mother and calf.

Back ashore in La Cruz now…

The boardwalk along the marina in La Cruz.

 

Oh, and here’s a travel tip:  when the waiter tells you they serve Margititas as big as dogs, it’s probably a good idea to get a bit more information.  Cha-cha the chihuahua clearly found no humor in the situation.

Anyway, that the sailing-less report from down here in Puerto Vallarta last week…  and many huge thanks to Rita for sharing her photos with us!  And for those of you who have seen the reports of doom and gloom and violence down here as portrayed by the media, I just feel compelled to comment that it really just doesn’t match up with the reality that we are living in down here.  To be sure, there are lots of areas to avoid in Mexico, but that’s the same in the US!

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team