Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The second round of the Vallarta Cup started off from the La Cruz Marina, with Performance Cruisers heading upwind to a turning mark near Point Pantoque, while the other three fleets went on a reaching course to Nuevo Vallarta.

Wind conditions varied during the day from flat calm to almost 15 knots. As PRO Randy Hough put it, "There was some great racing on the bay today. I think every boat will have a story to tell. The Cat/Cruising class finishes saw some of the best boat for boat sailing I've seen in a long time ... Escape Velocity, two 40 something Cats, Maloose, and our treasurer Al Benaroya in Sunseeker were 100% intense fighting to get to the finish ... I can't wait to hear Al's version of the port/starboard between Sunseeker and one of the Cats less than 200 meters from the finish ..."

In the Performance Cruising class, Dorr Anderson's "Bright Star" took first place, beating out last week's winner "Paladin", who took line honors for that division, but was behind by over 2 minutes on corrected time. Paladin remains first in the series at this point. Ken and Cheryl Sears' "Blue" was third, and Linda Sweet's "Olas Lindas", with Junior Sailing Coach Eugenie Russell aboard, took fourth place.

In the multi-hull class, magazine publisher Richard Spindler won for the second week in a row in "Profligate". Richard's boat often looks more like a sailing cocktail party than a boat in a race - it was clear that everyone aboard was enjoying the beautiful day. Ken and Felicia Persson's "4ourPlay" was second this week, and newcomer Deb Caldwell finished third in "Our Shangra La".

Merle McAssey's "Kenta Anae" is proving to be the boat to watch in the Heavy Cruisers division, winning her second bullet of the series. Second was Rush Faville in "Escape Velocity", and third was Dennis Brittian's "Rapture", giving Dennis a second overall in the series to this point. Fourth was Tom Jones in "Charissa".

Finally, VYC Treasurer Al Benaroya enjoyed a great day of sailing in the Non-Scored division in "Sunseeker". The great thing about the non-scored class is that everyone is a winner!

Primary Race Officer Randy Hough continued to provide his excellent race commentary on VHF 63. He was assisted by Deputy Race Officer Jesse Coburn. Our sincere thanks to everyone who helped make Saturday's race a great success. Full race results can be seen HERE.

The next race of the Vallarta Cup is Saturday, January 21. Registrations are still open for anyone who wishes to participate.