MEXORC: Quality Racing in the Tropics
The 2018 edition of the Mexican Ocean Racing Championships (MEXORC) has just drawn to a close, capping off a few solid weeks of sailing for many of the West Coast’s finest sailors and programs. Taking place in and around beautiful Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay immediately after the fleet races down from California (this year it was the San Diego to PV Race that served as the ‘feeder’ race; more on that in the April issue of Latitude 38), MEXORC incorporates a beautiful tropical destination with quality — though not too terribly serious — racing and a diverse fleet of yachts from Mexico and the US. With windward-leeward racing, ‘random leg’ racing, point-to-point racing and more, MEXORC is a bucket-list regatta for many.
Fresh after racing down and claiming a first-in-class and second overall in the PV Race, Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 Timeshaver was getting into her groove after a slow start to her MEXORC regatta when the masthead crane broke off! Fortunately the rig stayed upright and no one was hurt. The other J/125 in the fleet, Mark Surber’s San Diego-based Derivative went on to win the entire MEXORC regatta overall, putting up a near picket fence of firsts, with their only second place being to Timeshaver. In a fleet of 29 yachts ranging from 37-ft cruisers to Farr 40s to TP52s to 70-ft sleds, the legendary J/125 has again shown her legendary speed and versatility. Second overall was the Club Swan 42 Supersonico, followed by a trio of Farr 40 one-design racers rounding out the top five.
Right after MEXORC ended on Wednesday, a dozen teams prepared themselves and their boats to race down to Acapulco as the third and final leg of their winter adventure. With many of the best racing boats in Mexico (and on the West Coast) being based in Acapulco, this is essentially a delivery race back home after a long month of sailing that went as far north as San Diego. Cruisers and Farr 40s started yesterday, while the sleds and maxis start today.