Southland Sailing : Entry Deadline Is Extended for Yacht Race to Manzanillo

Only 28 International Offshore Rule (IOR) yachts, the fewest in the history of the event, were signed for San Diego Yacht Club’s sixth biennial 1,100-mile race to Manzanillo, Mexico, when entries closed Jan. 10, so race officials extended the deadline a week.

The race will start off Point Loma Feb. 8.

The inaugural race in 1976 drew 43 entries, there were 45 in 1978, 38 in each 1980 and ‘82, and 44 in ’84.

The race to the glamour port of Manzanillo replaced the once popular San Diego-to-Acapulco race that started in 1953. It eventually died because of customary light winds during the last 300 miles.

The new race caught on with Southland yachtsmen when the glamorous Las Hadas resort hotel was chosen as the terminal point. Another attraction was the Mexican Ocean Racing Circuit (MORC) which follows the Manzanillo race with a series of races along Mexico’s gold coast between Manzanillo and Acapulco. Many yachtsmen remain in Mexico to participate in that six-race series, which this year will run Feb. 20-27.

The elapsed-time record for the San Diego-to-Manzanillo race is 6 days 2 hours, set by the 67-foot Merlin in 1978. First to finish in 1984 was Nick Frazee’s Nelson-Marek 68, Swiftsure III, with an elapsed time of 6 days 21 hours.

The race is open to any yacht whose owner or charter is a member of a recognized yacht club and has a valid IOR measurement certificate. Overall length of the entry must be 30.1 feet or more.