BANDERAS BAY REGATTA —
Above: Andy Barrow's Vallarta-based Beneteau 390 'Hey-Ya' and David Pressley's Frers 33 'Pinocchio' from Richmond YC. Below: Mark and Patty Thompson's Marin County-based Catalina 470 'Agave Azul' won the boat parade.
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he 2019 Banderas Bay Regatta didn't disappoint. Now in its 27th year, this edition of one of the longest-running cruiser's regattas on the West Coast hosted an eclectic mix of 30 boats. Participants included a range of boat types, from cruising boats like Marshall Peabody's Seattle-flagged Roughwater 33 Tenacity and Patsy Verhoeven's Gulfstar 50 Talion out of La Paz, to racing boats like Linda Sweet's PV-based Varianta 44, the MEXORC-winning Olas Lindas, and Mike Seth's mighty J/145 Double Take sailing in her home waters. Conditions for the event on March 7-9 were classic Banderas Bay, with wind speeds ranging from 6-8 knots on Day 1 to almost 20 knots on Day 3. Also as expected in Banderas Bay, not only did competitors enjoy the beautiful mountains surrounding the bay, but many participants reported sightings of whales, dolphins, rays and turtles. Principal Race Officer Don Becker and his team called the courses for the event. The excellent conditions gave him the op-
