Re: sailboat race

Posted by Jane G on February 6, 2010, 1:55 pm, in reply to "sailboat race"
187.146.115.70

This was great fun last year! Here's Lois Lane's report from the Guad Reporter: A dozen stalwart seamen set sail in a brisk wind and a feisty chop, vying for the trophy in the 1st Annual La Manzanilla Cup regatta. As first annual events go, this March 2 ‘historic happening’ may have a future as bright as the skies under which it was held. Seven boats – including lasers, sail boats, and a catamaran – competed over the 20-kilometer course in Tenacatita Bay. The rules were simple: Follow the course, and don’t hit another boat. From the starting gate off the middle of La Manzanilla’s beach, the field was close as the boats headed north to sail ‘round the rock at Blue Bay Resort. The race really began when the contenders steered south across the mouth of the bay to circumnavigate a rock at Tamarindo. The 17-foot catamaran, captained by Lew Leibowitz, with Tim Edwards along for ballast, took the lead and kept it. The duo blasted back through the gate in just 61 minutes, with almost a quarter of an hour to take a few victory laps before the rest of the boats returned. Other regatta entrants, in order of their reappearance, were: Richard New, Ross Beckjord, Ron Blett and John Elder, Joe Hostetler and Sandy MacKay, and first-timer David Rutherford. The sail boat co-owned by Tom Oberg and Oso Amarillo, with Kjell Dale crewing, started shipping water shortly after the start of the race and soon limped back to shore. This year’s launch pad for the La Manzanilla Cup was Don Raul’s restaurant, with Barb Hostetler and Alison Rimmer officiating. Oso Amarillo designed the coveted cup, a rusty tin can artfully decorated and nailed to a nice piece of wood. Spectators along the beach may have had front-row seats, but those who watched from private homes on hillsides reported the best view was from on high. Organized in less than a week and advertised mostly by word of mouth, event co-organizer Barb Hostetler said ‘the first annual regatta was just a chance for local sailors to have some fun doing what they love to do before they head back North.’ As it happened, everybody had fun and next year’s race is eagerly anticipated. Another event with humble beginnings, our Fiesta de Toros, has grown into La Manzanilla’s biggest annual tourist extravaganza. In a picturesque little seaside village on a bay that just begs to be sailed, the La Manzanilla Cup regatta could quickly become a contender.

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Be sure to visit www.lamanzanilla.info