In the balance

Magnitude 80 slows in Puerto Vallarta race

By no choice of its own, Magnitude 80 is drawing out the drama in her run at the record in Del Rey Yacht Club's 19th International Yacht Race to Puerto Vallarta, presented by Corum. Because of the variability of winds across the Gulf of California, the finish time was projected at sometime between 0430 and 0800 Tuesday morning.

Despite slowing down, Magnitude 80 would need to finish only by noon PST Wednesday (1400 Puerto Vallarta time) to beat the record.

Monday morning's 0800 PST official roll call position report had Doug Bakers' Andrews 80 making only 8.5 knots in 9 knots of breeze - about half what it found in its fun run from the start down to Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Baja California - with 203 nautical miles to go.

Later, at about 1400 PST, the tracking showed the Long Beach boat sailing at 103 knots with 135 miles remaining before it could wrest the record from the 22-year grip of Joss, the MacGregor 65 that sailed the 1,125 miles in 4 days 23 hours 14 seconds in 1985.

Magnitude 80 passed Raincloud late Sunday and by Monday afternoon had left Lorenzo Berho's J/145 98 miles behind, with the other boat taking a more northerly course to its home port, making 5.9 knots with 233 miles to go. The Mexican entry had a two-day head start in PHRF-B class.

The Salsa fleet started its third and last leg around mid-day Monday with three boats - Jim Puckett's Amazing Grace (3-1), David Kory's Barking Spider 3 (1-3)and Gil Maguire's Tenacity (2-2) - sharing the lead with four points each in the spinnaker class on overall handicap time. They were expected to cross the gulf in two or more days.

Standings:

Racing Division
(Official positions at 8 a.m. PST Monday; handicap ratings in seconds per mile in parentheses)
PHRF A (started Feb. 23)
Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach (-165), 203 miles to go (avg. speed 13.7 knots).
RETIRED---Scout Spirit (Reichel/Pugh 77), David Janes, Newport Beach (-123).
PHRF B (started Feb. 21)
1. Raincloud (J/145), Lorenzo Berho, Puerto Vallarta (-25), 248 miles to go (avg. speed 5.9 knots).
Salsa Division / Started Feb. 16
(Positions through Friday)
Leg 2
(Leg 2 finishes boat for boat; handicap ratings
to be computed at finish)
Spinnaker A
1. Barking Spider 3 (MacGregor 65), David Kory, Concord, Calif. (-24), finished Thursday at 15:49:24.
2. Amazing Grace (Farr 55), Jim Puckett, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (12), Thursday 17:01:10.
3. Tenacity (J/133), Gil Maguire, Marina del Rey (9), Thursday 17:13:20.
Spinnaker B
1. Classic Impulse (Catalina 40), Sean Roll, Riverside, Calif. (102), 34 Friday 00:58:23. 2. Voice of Reason (Ericson 32), Jim McCone/Mike Verla, Lomita, Calif. (180), Friday 03:28:15.
RETIRED---Jungle Jim (Jeanneau 49), Jim Maslon, Marina del Rey (69).
Non-spinnaker
1. Far Niente (Catalina 42), Pat Hearne, Monarch Beach, Calif. (102), Friday 00:31:50. 2. Polaire (Tayana 52), Hideshige Seki, Tokyo, Japan (87), Friday 02:15:58.
3. Vision (Tayana 48), Jean Rooryck, Woodland Hills, Calif. (78), Friday 03:28:15.
4. Aquarius (Jeanneau 43), Hiro Funaoku, Marina del Rey (117), Friday 03:42:13.
5. Segue (Island Packet 485), Peter Hirsch, Santa Monica, Calif. (114), Friday 04:37:41.