....be part of the action!
Saturday Feb 22, 2025
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"Rally Round the Rock" is your chance to be part of a sailing crew and help sail the boat from the bay of Zihuatanejo around Roca Negra and back.
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If pulling sheets and hauling sails is not your cup of tea, come along anyway and enjoy the ride!
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Guests will be loaded onto a panga at 10:00 am, to take them to their designated boat
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Rally will start at noon
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Finish - will depend on the winds
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$700 peso donation
Tickets available at the Cruisers' Sale desk at the entrance of the pier. Feb 9, 2025
Sailfest 2025 Rally Round The Rock and Calcutta Event
Rivalry and fun competition are what makes Sailfest Rally Round the Rock event special. The Sailfest 2025 Calcutta allows you and everyone you know to donate money on your favorite boat(s). In previous years, boats have canvassed not only their friends and family; but as well, their yacht clubs, service clubs, local businesses in their community, and everyone else they have ever known. It’s a chance for land-based connections from all over the globe to donate to Sailfest in a fun and exciting way.
Bragging rights in this event goes to the boat that raises the most money!
Donators from Canada and the United States will receive tax receipts for your kind donations.
Please add the boat name where it says
'write a note' when you make your donation.
Read about the boats....
FLYING CLOUD We are Bob and Travis Capt and Crew of SV Flying Cloud. We Are a vintage 36 ft,1970 Choey Lee Clipper.. Probably the the slowest boat in the Rally Round the Rock but if you know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare you'll donate your money on us, because we BELIEVE!!
WHIMSICAL IV We’re Joanne and Randy Weeton on Whimsical IV, a Catalina 470. We started our cruising adventure in October 2021 from Alameda, California. Our plan is to sail around the world. Two and a half years into our plan, we’re still in Mexico. Not complaining! We love Mexico!! As sailors, we write our “plans” in the sand…at low tide. As such, if we had stuck to our original plan, we would have left California this coming fall. So, it’s all working out…according to the sailors plan. After all the festivities in Zihuatanejo, we’re sailing to French Polynesia; leaving from Mexico at the end of March. We’re thrilled to be volunteering for Sailfest 2024. For 23-years, Sailfest has been raising funds to provide access to education for the least-advantaged children in the Zihuatanejo community.
VOYAGER Why donate to Voyager in the Rally Around the Rocks?....She finished 2nd among mono hulls last year, losing "narrowly" to world class sailor and Pac Cup winner Rodney Pimentals Azure in the 2022 Rally. Voyager is a Hylas 54 designed by the famed German Frers, these vessels are known for achieving high speeds as blue water performance cruisers. Voyager has a great sail inventory (including a large Asymmetrical Spinnaker and Code ) and an experienced crew led by Skipper Ed Lecco. Also onboard is former Encinal Yacht Club President Bill Nork whose racing wisdom and guile will see Voyager down the course in record time. The crew is rounded out by Steve Mueller of Baha Haha fame and Nico....a local Zihuatanejo sailor who will provide local knowledge that will serve us well during the race. Voyager and crew will press hard and make anyone who donates to us proud.
FREEDOM KIRKLAND Hello everyone this is Kirk and Char from the S/V Freedom Kirkland. We are a Beneteau 393 sailboat and have been cruising the Pacific coast of Mexico for 16 years now and this will be our 12th Sailfest. Such an amazing experience helping raise money for the school children of Zihuatenjo and we truly love it here. We probably have the most experience in The Rally Round the Rock with all the times we have participated over the years. We have won our division before and always are in the mix at the finish line. We know some of the secrets of the currents in the bay AND we have a secret advantage of a boat cat that likes to run on treadmill hooked up to the prop shaft for a little extra at the finish line if needed. Your donations will go a long way on the Freedom Kirkland!
BSEACHAMP is the champion boat to beat in this year. In fact, if you blink you may miss it! This is Dean Porter's second year in the Sailfest rally aboard his beautiful 1989 Island Packet 35. Dean's outstanding and highly experienced crew (Steph and Stu from S/V Matador) have been offshore sailing for 17 years - all the way from Europe! Dean secretly told us his winning strategy…”I have a slow boat at the start and then time the pace to pull ahead of the fleet right at the finish line.”
ELAN Hello all Sailfest participants! We are Bret and Marne on SV Elan and are excited to be able to participate in this year's events. SV Elan is a custom designed and built 46' catamaran, finished in 1998. We just took possession of her from the original owners in mid December and since then have sailed her down from Mazatlan to Zihuatanejo and have loved every minute of it! Marne and I have been liveaboard cruisers since 2014 here in Mexico traveling from the Sea of Cortez to Zihua, then returning home to southern Oregon during the summer months where we still work as wildland firefighters to help support our sailing dream. Why should you donate for us to win the Sailfest rally? For starters, we have never lost a race on Elan! Actually, we have never raced Elan but we don't intend to start losing now! She was built for speed and we hope that we can do her justice. Thanks for joining in on the fun and wish us luck!
SWAN FUN Swan Fun — 1971 Sparkman & Stephens Nautor Swan 55- Hull 7 of 16 Joe Heinzmann is the owner of Swan Fun for the past 6 years Home Port Oakland, Ca Joe, 63, is a retired Power Engineer from General Electric. Joe built and restored boats in the 80’s before heading to the Cal Maritime Academy to receive his Mechanical and Marine Engineering degrees and Coast Guard certs. Swan Fun’s sister ship, Galiana with Secure (Hull 2 of 16), just completed the third leg of the Ocean Globe Race which included a rounding of Cape Horn. My favorite quote- Joseph Conrad’s Victory is the source of Joe’s favorite quote: “Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love — and to put its trust in life!” Avid sailors and spectactors should watch Swan Fun's sister ship in this recent footage. She is rounding Cape Horn in the Ocean Globe Race...What to the end, it's amazing - but not quite as exciting in our Sailfest Rally Around the Rock! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/GuN5FZfBvS4vMCj9/?mibextid=w8EBqM
CHEZ NOUS Chez Nous is 50 years old, and looks like she was just launched yesterday. Built by Formosa Boat Yard in Taiwan in 1974, this immaculate Imperial 51 is hull #3, and has many adventurous miles under her keel. Owners Al and JoLinda Garnier have owned Chez Nous for 49 of her 50 years, and have sailed her extensively - as well as being faithful participants in many previous Sailfests. Knowing your boat is an important key to performance, and Chez Nous can boast of the greatest number of years of ownership over any boat in the Rally fleet!
OLE SARAH Ole Sarah, Captained by the infamous Wesley Jenkins, and his First Mate Dad Bill (the tactician), is a power to contend with. With years of sailing in the grandious winds of San Francisco Bay, Wesley and Bill will "blow you away" ahead of all the Rally contenders. Wesley is so confident with his skills that last year he placed a side donation of $1,000.00 against another boat, and he won. Wesley will not disappoint if you donate to his Ole Sarah.
PATRICIA BELLE This 82 foot wooden schooner was handbuilt by her captain and owner and has been a regular feature of the Zihua Sailfest for more than a decade...in fact in 2014 Patricia Belle was first to finish in the annual Rally round the Rock event. Taking upwards of 20 guests aboard and flying 5 or more sails Patricia Belle is a favorite of anyone who visits Sailfest and if the wind blows she will be hard to beat!
ZIVA Jeff Jacobs and Peggy Del Carlo are the prou(t)d owners of the beautiful catamaran ZIVA. This year they are happy to have aboard their avid and highly capable sailing friend, Heather Annesley as crew. Ziva is a 2011 Prout 50 and has been a tremendous supporter of Sailfest throughout the years. She has a TREMENDOUS ZEST FOR SAILFEST!
LIAHONA We are Tyler and Sheila onboard Sailing Vessel Liahona, a 1988 Hunter Legend 45. She was built to be quick and nimble and has done well in previous races when competing with Catamarans. This is our second year sailing and cruising Liahona in the Sea of Cortez and the Mexico pacific coast and loving every bit of it. We are happy and excited to participate in the Rally Around the Rock and invest in the local community. The reason you should donate for us to win is not just that fact Liahona loves going fast, but we enjoy watching her fly through the silky waters of Mexico.
SALISH DRAGON Salish Dragon is one of the top 10 catamarans in the bay! Don’t be put off by the last place finish in our last Rally Round the Rock. There were some extenuating circumstances. Savvy donators who track the numbers will no doubt be interested in this year’s improvements to give them that edge in the odds and a huge dopamine hit from the underdog triumph. First of all, we have some new attachment method for trampolines and we hope to spend less time on crew overboard recovery, though that could still be a challenge given that the foresail has a big metal spar in the middle that sends the unwary flying on an accidental gybe. Have a look on the foredeck for the guests lashed down horizontally and you’ll know that this is a serious racing machine! We also have brand new diesel engines with practically no exhaust smoke - just putting that out there. Also we plan to hang out the laundry on the downwind return and get that extra bit of speed. Don’t tell the other boats. Place your donations on Salish Dragon. PS: we seem to be having trouble finding crew – looking for skinny people with no rope allergies.
OCEAN II This Mexican owned Cal 40 works as a charter vessel out of Zihuatanejo taking guests out for snorkel trips, whale watching and sunset cruises. Juan Brione and his wife Linaloe have a huge following among Zihua residents and guests as they participate in every Sailfest. A local favorite, this classic sailing yacht always puts on a good show for her guests.
CLARITY Randy Boscow and Buffy Kester, residents of Puerto Vallarta, crew S/V Clarity, a 2016 Beneteau Oceanis 45. Randy, previously from the Seattle area, learned to sail as a teenager in the Boston area just after the great Tea Party….He’s THAT OLD. Back then, sailboats did not have electronics and he still has no idea how to operate them today. Watch closely as he attempts to round the island - rumor has it that he is close to legally blind and has trouble seeing the bow of the boat. Buffy Kester had no experience on the water until 2 years ago when Randy convinced her to go out for a sail. On that fateful day as she took the helm off Puerto Vallarta, under sail with 15 knots of breeze, the head stay snapped and Clarity was nearly de-masted. Sailing experiences since then have been somewhat more serene. Buffy is a retired police officer and MAY exhibit salty language when other vessels approach from as far as 5 miles. Keep in mind the boat will be handicapped for the race, but also consider the handicap of the crew. As Captain Ron says, “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen out there!” Randall B Boscow 509-548-2200 S/V Clarity Rbboscow@yahoo.com
MATADOR OF HAMBLE Hi we are Stu and Steph on Matador of Hamble, a Rival 41, a vintage sailing boat from The UK built in 1979. We sailed here from England so figure we have worked out how to use the flappy things by now. We are participating in the Sail fest event for our first time. What a wonderful chance to give something to the children of the surrounding community. The more you back us the more our efforts on the course will benefit the children. We have cleaned the bottom of the boat especially, and we have many years of dinghy racing experience to call upon, that's our big advantage!!