2009 Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race

Welcome to the Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race:
February 6, 2009
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Recent News:

Overall Results: HERE

Class Results: HERE

Monday, March 2
Awards Photos Available
A gallery of awards photos by Nigel Lord are available HERE.

Saturday, Feb. 14, 08:00
Privateer Overall Winner in
2009 Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race

Rosebud/Team DYT takes line honors and wins IRC A class;Soozal wins IRC B class; Affinity wins PHRF class

Montego Bay, Jamaica – With all but one of the Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race entrants having posted finish times, the 811-mile distance race from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to Montego Bay, Jamaica, has officially concluded for 2009. Roger Sturgeon’s STP65 Rosebud/Team DYT (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) took line honors with an elapsed time of 2 days, 11hours, 28 minutes, and 35seconds, just one hour shy of the race record set in 2005, and won IRC A class. Daniel Woolery’s King 40 Soozal (Alamo, Calif.) won the four-boat IRC B class, while Jack Desmond’s Swan 48 Affinity won the three-boat PHRF class. Ron O’Hanley’s Privateer took the overall title for the 29th running of this ocean racing classic, and collected the silver Pineapple Cup. The Pineapple Cup is awarded based on a PHRF conversion in order to combine both fleets.

“If you think of the great races around the world, this would have to be in the top five,” said Ron O’Hanley (Boston, Mass.) after returning home. “The conditions you get and the water you cover, as you wind through the Bahamas and then past Cuba—and the whole forbidden nature of that – is incredible. If you think of the boats that have done it before us, they’re the who’s who of racing. If anyone thinks of themselves as an ocean racer, I would urge them to do this race. That [Montego Bay Yacht Club] is an extraordinary club down there. Not only do they organize the race and the reception of boats very well, they are all very friendly. It’s a very storied yacht club and I really wanted to stay longer.”
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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 12:00
Everyone's Here
Montego Bay, Jamaica – The last competitor crossed the finish line just after midnight on Tuesday. Thin Ice is now docked and the crew are in Montego Bay. The traditional fast ride and off wind conditions did not disappoint competitors. Final results and the official race press release will be issued tomorrow.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 16:30
Thin Ice Found
Montego Bay, Jamaica – The Jamaican Defense Force has found Thin Ice and reported that everyone is safe. They are currently being towed to Discovery Bay.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 15:00
Gear Buster!
Montego Bay, Jamaica – Thin Ice has reported to have lost their rudder within 100 miles of finish. The Jamaican Defense Force is out looking for them now. Spider Glide reports rounding Cuba to find 30 knots of wind and 15+ foot waves. They blew out their big kite, and are trying to fix two others that have almost shredded. Wild Ride!

4 boats still to finish. Results are updated.

Monday, Feb. 9, 07:00
Line Honors Goes to Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud/Tean DYT

Roger Sturgeon and the team enjoy a much deserved
case of Red Stripe at the docks

Montego Bay, Jamaica – Rosebud/Team DYT crossed the Montego Bay finish line at 01:33:35 this morning missing the race record by just over one hour. Even though they did not get that last bit of breeze or shift to finish before 00:30, their achievement is amazing given the conditions. The weather for the first third of the race was far from record setting and for her to make up the time in the bottom half of the course was a great accomplishment.

Further back Red Max has a sizeable lead in IRC B as she rounds Cuba. Affinity still leads Java Knights in a close race for PHRF Line honors. Live results are posted in the link above. Stay tuned for photos from MoBay as they come up.

Sunday, Feb. 8, 21:00
Too Close to Call
Can Rosebud/Team DYT Beat the Record?
Montego Bay, Jamaica – It could be close. With less than 90 nm to go the main question is - will the breeze hold? The trade winds typically shut down after sunset. Also, the last few miles before the finish are notorious for light air from a reverse land breeze. The Montego Bay Yacht Club finishing team will be heading out in a few hours to be on station for the next few days. Finish results will be posted to this site. Go to the link above to see real time finishes and elapsed times.

Sunday, Feb. 8, 15:00
Montego Bay Yacht Club is Getting Fired-up!
Montego Bay, Jamaica – They are expecting the first finisher sometime after midnight tonight. The Pineapple Cup tradition continues; the cases of Red Stripe are chilling, the bar is stacked with rum. Race Committee hands a welcome case of cold Red Stripe to the crew of every finishing boat as soon as they cross the line. The Pineapple Cup Trophy (seen in photo) is waiting to be claimed by her new owner.

Race Record? It Could Be Close!!!
To beat the record set by Titan 12 in 2005, Rosebud/Team DYT will need to finish before 00:30 tonight. Rosebud is now around Cuba and making the final run in following seas and tradewinds. According to tracking she is making 23 kts on gybing angles with 224 nm to go. Will the breeze hold when the sun goes down?

Big Tactical Move in PHRF!
Affinity is the only boat in the entire fleet that went through Exuma sound to the west of Cat Island. Based on distance-to-go she appears to have taken back the lead from Java Knight. The Exuma Sound route is usually a gamble - it looks to have paid off this year.

Sunday, Feb. 8, 09:00
Legging Out
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – The front half of the fleet is stretching its legs in 20 kt reaching conditions. Rosebud/Team DYT is holding about a 40nm lead as she clears Cat Island. Next up - Long Island. If she continues to average 15kts boat speed she will miss Titan's record by 4 hours. Can they make it up? More pressure tonight as she frees up to the south? Will the wind hold through the Passage?

The back half of the fleet did not make Eleuthera before the knock. Looks like they are all stuck in a 10-15 nm hard beat in 15-20 kts to get around the North End. Java Knight picked up a small lead in PHRF by being the left boat in the shift.

February 7, 2009
24 Hours Down
Rosebud/Team DYT takes a commanding lead
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Race tracking shows Rosebud with a big lead as she moves past the midpoint of Eluethra. Rosebud has picked up speed pushing 14-15 knots. Current gribs show a little more pressure for the front of the fleet - slightly above 20 kts. Over the next 12-24 hours there are pockets of 25 kts forecasted for the South Eastern Bahamas.

The SI's will allow the fleet to choose either side of Cat Island. Typically the Exuma Sound side is risky with lighter wind at night. However, with strong NE pressure it may be an option for some to consider.

Affinity and Java Night are neck-and-neck for the lead in PHRF with 649 miles to go. Red Max has a sizeable lead in IRC Class B.

February 6, 2009
Jamaica Bound
The fleet is off and running (or beating)
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Starting conditions reported in from race committee - 12 knots (average) breeze from the North East and seas 3-4 feet at the start which is within a mile of shore. Seas will be much higher in the Gulfstream as a result of the strong Northerly from the last two days. The "marching elephants" were moving fast on the horizon. The IRC class showed its aggressively racing colors - three boats were over early at the start.

Keep an eye on the tracking on iboattrack.com for regular fleet updates.

See more start photos at www.spruance.com.

Weather Forecast: HERE

Click HERE for archived news