1987 Long Beach-to-Cabo San Lucas Race Sets a Record--It’s the Slowest

With only 29 of the 53 starters having finished by 5 p.m Thursday, the third biennial Long Beach-to-Cabo San Lucas sailing race has become the slowest in the six-year history of the event.

More than half of the field was stalled in a marine parking lot at Cabo Falso, about 25 miles from the finish.

It was a dual race start with 18 of the lower-rated yachts in the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet leaving Nov. 13, and 35 in the PHRF and International Offshore Rule (IOR) boats departing 24 hours later.

The westerly breeze was picking up from Cabo Falso to the finish Thursday night, indicating the race might be finished by mid-day today.

The only classes that were completed Thursday were IOR-B and PHRF-C. Roy Disney’s Pyewacket of the L.A. Yacht Club made a clean sweep in IOR with a first to finish, first in Class A and first overall.

Noel Cobbs’ Class C Cygnus was first to finish in PHRF but was beaten on handicap time by Ernie Townsend’s Trumpeter.

Boats finishing Thursday by 5 p.m. were Valkyrie, Ragtime, Citius, Cheetah, Barracuda, Prima, Mongoose, Winterhawk, Sorcery, Whistlewind, Privateer, Misfit, Upbeat, Christine, Joss, Fastrack, Lean Machine.