For Immediate Release
Pacific Cup Village at RYC -- a Gamble That’s Proving a Success
Point Richmond, CA, July 2, 2014 – Establishing a week of partying and events before a race to Hawaii is definitely something of a gamble – especially with all the time demands prior to a long ocean race – but the 2014 Pacific Cup seems to have come up with a winner. The Pacific Cup Village at Richmond Yacht Club (RYC) on San Francisco Bay, a partnership between RYC and the Pacific Cup Yacht Club (PCYC), opened June 30, a Monday night, with over 200 people in attendance and nearly half of the competitor boats in the harbor. Pyewacket, Roy Disney’s Andrews 68 arrived on Tuesday, and more boats will be berthed at RYC before the Village week ends.
Checking out the race boats in the harbor, which are easy to find since all are flying the Pacific Cup battle flag, is a popular activity for everyone, especially the other competitors. The crew of Custom Barrett Offshore 41 Shoofly, a San Francisco Bay boat racing in the Matson Division, sailed into RYC for a beer and immediately detoured to see Wolfpack, Bill and Melinda Erkelen’s Donovan 30. After loading their gear into the Matson container that will meet the racers at Keneohe Yacht Club (KYC), Lawrence Olsen and Kurt Helmgren, who will be double-handing Humdinger, a Walter Green Acapella trimaran, wanted to look at Terremoto, a water-ballasted Riptide 35.
Supporting competitors from outside the San Francisco area is a key focus of the Village. Shuttle cars provided by sponsor Sonnen BWM are available to transport competitors and their families to local business for provisioning and food. iPhone/iPad and Android device users can download the RYCPacCup app to quickly locate any marine or other services needed for last minute preparations. Most boats in the race have limited or no refrigeration, so the two sub-zero freezers at the club are a big hit, “really great” says Stan Perkins, who is double-handing Mirage, one of four Santa Cruz 27’s in the race, and needed to store “quantities of goulash” prepared by his daughter and crew, Kerry Hallyburton.
The biggest reason for establishing the Village, says Steve Chamberlin, 2014 PCYC Commodore, is that “We wanted to provide an opportunity for competitors to get to know each other before the race.” Out on the Pacific, boats have both a mandatory radio check in each morning and an optional radio opportunity during the truth-not-required late afternoon “children’s hour.” Being able to attach a face to a voice definitely adds to the fun.
And although the Pacific Cup Race, which is held every two years, holds a series of talks and seminars throughout the year preceding the race, there are always questions and more questions. With so many race veterans available at RYC, amateur and professional, there are a lot of answers. Double-hander Cecile Schwedes, who brought her C&C 40 Tall Rig, Aeriagnie to do the Pacific Cup for the first time, says “I just love being here!” and has garnered much useful information from neighbors on C Dock and the RYC volunteers.
Continuing with the educational seminars, and providing access to local experts, the Village includes a lineup of speakers. Kame Richards of Pineapple Sails and veteran of eleven Hawaii races kicked off the opening night of the Village with tips on sailing downwind at night, “a tricky business” since it’s harder to see and to remain alert at night. Kame’s talk utilized technical computer models as well as personal anecdotes to provide practical information on night driving. He concluded with a personal observation about racing to Hawaii: “Sailing downwind on a clear night into the setting moon, when the ocean becomes a golden roadway -- this is the early morning watch when, somehow, the on-watch group neglects to wake the next watch. You can't get happier than sailing this watch. This is the enduring memory of the sail across the ocean for me.”
Scott Easom of Easom Rigging shared some of his Pacific Cup Wisdom, garnered from years of offshore and ocean racing on many major programs including Roy Disney’s Pyewacket (he’s been on the team since 1997). Scott stressed some key safety issues and had lots of other tidbits for staying comfortable, being good crew, boat organization and awareness. Audience members were seen taking lots of notes.
In addition to these keynote speakers, Commodore Chamberlin led two informal sessions on downloading and interpreting weather grib files, since understanding the Pacific High is a key to winning the race.
The final speakers of the week, on Thursday, July 3rd, Alaska Airlines night, are Will Paxton and Jeff Thorpe of Quantum Sails, who will be sharing practical information on sail selection.
“We know how busy everyone is the week leading up to the race, so we’re very pleased with the attendance at the events and the feedback we’ve received,” says Chamberlin. “Everything we’re doing is aimed at ensuring that the “Fun Race to Hawaii” lives up to its name.
The Village ends Saturday, July 5, with the Skippers meeting and a Hawaiian-themed bon voyage party. The first division of the race starts the next day, Sunday, July 6, at 10:30.
Starting times for all divisions can be found Pacific Cup's 2014 Race Entries by Division list. Details and photos will be posted on the Pacific Cup's website andFacebook page.
For more information, please contact:
Karin Knowles
(510) 232-8420
media@pacificcup.org
About Pacific Cup Yacht Club – The Pacific Cup Yacht Club is responsible for organizing the biennial Pacific Cup, dubbed the "FUN RACE to Hawaii." Since 1980, the Pacific Cup has been sailed from San Francisco Bay to Hawaii every other year, and since 1988 the finish has been at the warm and welcoming Kaneohe Yacht Club on Oahu. With an emphasis on pre-race preparation for the 2070-mile race, PCYC’s volunteer membership has helped to ensure that thousands of racers have been delighted with their Pacific Cup experience. For more information about the Pacific Cup, visit http://dev.paccup.org
About Richmond Yacht Club – Since 1932 RYC has been dedicated to serious sailing while at the same time having tremendous fun. The club's Point Richmond location and excellent harbor facilities make it easy to hold both small boat and big boat regattas, and RYC has a proud tradition of hosting world class championships as well as many regattas for Bay Area racers, junior and youth boaters, and its own members. A significant percentage of Pacific Cup competitors have always come from RYC, so it's not surprising that the two clubs joined in partnership to establish RYC as the Start Line headquarters for this year's race. For more information about Richmond Yacht Club, www.richmondyc.org
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