In early March, the Vallarta Yacht Club hosted its second bi-annual Festival Nautico – Vallarta Race Week. The action packed week brought both high level and novice sailors to the fair winds of Banderas Bay and the shores of Riviera Nayarit.

The Week began with the finish at Punta Mita of a 1000 mile blue water ocean race from San Diego. These 18 Gran Prix racers came to compete in the week long International MEXORC (Mexican Ocean Racing Circuit) Regatta against Mexico’s Grand Prix fleet up from Acapulco. Each San Diego race boat was personally met at the dock by a Vallarta yacht club host family in the nautical tradition of the Transpac Races to Hawaii. The overall winners were: Peligroso, Magnitude 80, & Akela placing 1st, 2nd & 3rd.

The Inaugural Fiesta was held Saturday in the Paradise Village Amphitheater with welcoming remarks made by Lic. Edwin Hernandez , Nayarit Secretary of Tourism, VYC Commodore John Moore, SDYC Commodore Wayne Terry, Ernesto Amtmann, Mexorc Chairman and, Ralph Nelles, president of the Mexican Sailing Federation, and followed by a very colorful Ballet Folklorico featuring dances of South America by the Nayarit Ballet Folklorico “Mexcaltitan”.

The week’s festivities were started Sunday morning with the Governors Parade. Thirty boats of all sizes and shapes, some decorated and some ready to race, were lead by the Nuevo Puerto Port Captain’s launch north along the Riviera Nayarit to Bucerias. Local business also joined the Governors Parade, such as Toyota of Puerto Vallarta, Vallarta Choppers, Opequimar and Zaragozas Marine Hardware.

Following the Governors Parade, as the wind picked up, the boats cued to compete in the first race of the MEXORC series, called the Governors Cup Race. This race, open to all sailboats in the bay, kicked off the weeklong series of water competition and honored the Governor of Nayarit, Lic. Ney Gonzales, who also started the Marietas Island race by personally firing the start cannon aboard Terry O’Rourke’s El Moro.

The MEXORC Regatta continued until Saturday, March 8 with a series of both long distance and short course races. Long distance races traveled around the bay, including one to Vallarta Adventure’s Las Caletas, where the fleet enjoyed a fire side dinner show in the late movie director, John Huston’s, private compound.

Wednesday was a day off, but not for all, as Vallarta Adventure’s Americas Cup Race boats took to the water for matches crewed by sailors from both the American and Mexican boats. Regatta sailors also competed in Lasers in the Nuevo Vallarta Harbor against the VYC Junior sailors. Tim Morris, Bernard Slayback and VYC Jr., Paul McCarthy took 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

The 16th Annual Banderas Bay Regatta for cruisers and non-serious racers began Thursday and ran consecutively with the MEXORC on the north end of the bay. More than thirty boats in five race classes, including multi hull, cruising and day pleasure boats competed in this regatta.

Both fleets enjoyed great winds and gentle seas through out the week and both Regattas ended the week with Gala Award Dinners. The Banderas Bay Regatta awards dinner was held at the Vallarta Yacht Club to the sounds of a local mariachi band and Chef Israel’s Mexican cuisine. The Mexorc Awards banquet was held in the La Cruz Harbor amphitheater.

The Festival organizers especially thank the generosity of their sponsors and the hard work of their volunteers, both of whom, made these nautical events possible.

Everyone is looking forward to an even bigger Festival Nautico in 2010!