Point Richmond, CA, July 18, 2014 – The Pacific Cup Village (PCV), a week of festivities and logistic support before the 2014 Pacific Cup race, opens at Richmond Yacht Club on June 30th and will run through July 5th. New this year, the Village, a partnership between the Pacific Yacht Club (PCYC) and the Richmond Yacht Club (RYC), was created to promote the friendly socializing for which the “Fun Race to Hawaii” is famous and assist competitors with last minute preparations. The event is open to the racers, their families, friends and all interested comers.
“We wanted to provide an opportunity for competitors to get to know each other before the race,” says PCYC Commodore, Steve Chamberlain. “It’s also a wonderful opportunity to host, welcome, and support the boats that travel to the Bay Area for the event, as well as a great venue for non-participants to see the boats and meet the competitors."
Competitor boats from outside the Bay Area are invited to berth at RYC, and with eight member boats participating in this year’s race, a substantial portion of the fleet will be docked at the RYC Village. RYC support for these boats begins June 23rd and will continue until July 11th, the last race division’s start date. Support services include a concierge, marine businesses, and Sonnen BMW shuttles to local businesses for last minute equipment, supplies, and provisioning.
To help Village users connect with these services, the free RYCPacCup app is now available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Especially useful to out-of-town competitors, this first-of-its-kind app provides quick access to race and Village information, local businesses, and event tickets. To download the app, search for “RYCPacCup” in the iTunes Store or Google Play store, or visit pacificcup.org/app for direct download links.
The Village week also includes a series of events including speakers’ nights, delicious food, live music and entertainment. Opening night, Monday, June 30th, features Kame Richards, Pineapple Sails owner and ten-time Pacific Cup competitor (sailing this year on Surprise), sharing his insights on an important aspect of any off-shore distance race, “Night Driving.” The night will also feature a “Taste of Point Richmond”, with local restaurants providing a sampling of their diverse dishes.
On Tuesday evening, Scott Easom, respected rigger and racer with seventeen Hawaii races under his belt (his eighteenth coming soon on Pyewacket in the Pacific Cup) will share his insights on some of the more personal and non-technical aspects of the race in “Transpacific Wisdom.” Food for the night will be provided by an assortment of popular food trucks serving a variety of cuisines.
On Wednesday evening, everyone is invited to join in the RYC Beer Ban Bace followed by a Chili Cook-off Buffet and live music.
Alaska Airlines night, Thursday, July 3rd, features a raffle for competitors of four tickets to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies. The evening’s speakers, both accomplished Pacific Cup racers, are Jeff Thorpe and Will Paxton of Quantum Sails, talking about “Winning Sail Strategy.” Well-known artist Jim DeWitt will be signing the official race poster, Dry Creek Vineyards will be pouring wine, and RYC Chef Michael Catalli will be serving up heaps of oysters, prawns, salmon, and ahi at the seafood bar.
On July 4th, everyone is invited to RYC’s annual Fourth of July barbeque extravaganza, with a great rock-and-roll band, and the annual expired flare firing.
Village events culminate Saturday, July 5th with the mandatory Skippers’ Meeting and Hawaiian-themed Bon Voyage party. Sponsored by Sonnen BMW, there will be Hawaiian- and Tahitian-themed food stations, the Ka Ehu Kai Hawaiian band, and a special performance by Siva Polynesia, Tahitian Fire Pole Dancers.
The first division of the 2014 Pacific Cup race, the Cruising Division, starts the next day, Sunday July 6th.
Pacific Cup Village at RYC promises to be a fun, informative and busy week. Some events are ticketed and have limited attendance. For a complete schedule of events and to purchase tickets, go to www.pacificcup.org or use the new PRCPacCup app.
18 Jun 2014
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