Pyewacket Sails to Record Finish

Pyewacket, named for a witch’s mystical cat, cast a spell over the Sea of Cortez, found its private wind and sailed to a record finish in the ninth biennial San Diego-to-Manzanillo race Wednesday.

Roy Disney Jr.’s Santa Cruz 70 completed the 1,100-mile run in 5 days, 3 hours and about 48 minutes to obliterate the record of 5 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 43 seconds set by Jake Woods’ 82-foot maxi sloop Sorcery in 1986.

The time will be recorded officially today.

However, Disney wasn’t aboard but in Florida for a meeting. His son Roy “Pat” Disney was the skipper, assisted by Robbie Haines, a veteran ocean racer and ’84 Olympic gold medalist from Huntington Beach.

Pyewacket finished 40 or 50 miles ahead of the next boats.

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” Haines said by phone from Manzanillo. “We were slightly ahead at the Cape by maybe 10 miles. All of a sudden the next morning we were 60 miles ahead of everybody.

“We had real steady 15-to-20-knot winds, but there was never a lot of wind. We ‘stopped’ at the Cape for about an hour and a half when we were making only 1 to 2 knots . . . (but) the other competitors probably had more difficulty rounding Cabo than we did.”

Pyewacket gave Cabo San Lucas a wide, 30-mile berth, trying to stay in the Pacific breeze. The boat averaged about 9 knots for the run.

“At times we were going 13 to 15 knots in 20 knots of wind, and it was effortless,” Haines said. “Roy put together a talented crew. He should have most of the credit.”