20th Anniversary Banderas Bay Regatta Randy Hough - Banderas Bay Regatta
January 8, 2012

The Banderas Bay Regatta has enjoyed a proud history of providing a competitive forum for all classes of cruising and race boats here in the tropical paradise of Vallarta, Mexico. The balmy weather and consistent March winds make the protected Bahía de Banderas the ideal sailing venue here on the Mexican Pacific coast.

This year's event will take place on March 20-24, so mark your calendars.

The Regatta is a non-profit event hosted by the Vallarta Yacht Club, renowned as host to international regattas for serious racers, mega-yachts, and cruisers alike including: J24 World Championship & Nationals, Opti Nationals & North Americans, San Diego to Vallarta Race, MEXORC, and of course the Banderas Bay Regatta.

The Banderas Bay "Regata Internacional" is the signature event of the Vallarta Yacht Club and the largest cruising Regatta (and most fun) on Mexico's Pacific coast.  Unpaid volunteers and our generous sponsors have made this event possible each year.

The Regatta and the Vallarta Yacht Club encourage and support the education of young people to sail. In each regatta, skippers are encouraged to invite as crew young participants of the VYC's Junior Sailing program, to encourage a new generation of sailors here in Vallarta.

We are excited to offer a Plastic Classic Division for boats designed before 1987 (25 or more years old).

We encourage boaters to look at the entry list and select the division that is the best fit for them.

PRO Don Becker is returning and he is working with the VYC race committee on course development.

We are adding Divisions up to 9 starts and New Courses to make the premier Cruiser's Regatta even more fun.

The Non-Spinnaker and Jack & Jill Divisions will return as well as our standard Cruising and Multihull Divisions.

We have new BBR Logo items for sale now, T-Shirts, Polos, Hats, Short and Long Sleeve Drywear, and Shorts.

Fees remain the same as last year: Buy 2 tickets to the Awards Party for 800 pesos (about $65 USD) to enter the Regatta. Extra tickets purchased in advance are discounted 50%.

Now in its 20th year, this 5 day event, March 20-24, 2012 is specially designed with Cruisers in mind - fun but competitive races between boats designed for coastal and offshore cruising. Race boats and catamarans join the fun too in this non-profit event. With nightly fiestas, live music and entertainment; this is the signature event of the Vallarta Yacht Club.

Our Yacht Club is Regatta headquarters, located next to the world class Paradise Village Marina in tropical Riviera Nayarit. The VYC has become renowned for hosting premier international sailing events ranging from the San Diego YC's Vallarta Race to the J24 World Championship. The Marina is part of the Paradise Village Beach Resort and Spa complex, where amenities provide a luxury stopover for slip-holders and visiting family.

Bahía de Banderas is the premier sailing venue on the Pacific coast of Mexico, one of the largest natural bays in Mexico with recorded depths of over 3,000 feet. The blue waters are home to whales, manta rays, sea turtles, dolphins and deep-water fish. Steady afternoon winds consistently range from 12-18 knots, making it a perfect sailing venue. The race course begins only 2 miles from the channel entrance to Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit.

If you wish to volunteer for a crew position on a boat that needs crew, we will attempt to match you up with a boat.

We offer volunteer crew to participating yachts on a first come, first served basis. We always get more volunteer crew requests than we have crew positions available.  You can increase your chances of being selected as crew if you give as much detail as possible about your sailing, and racing, experience. Please understand that while we will make every effort to place qualified volunteer crew on boats, we can in no way guarantee this will happen.

For more information, please go to our website,  or contact Randy Hough, BBR Chair, telephone +52 (338) 421-2278.

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