2011 Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race

Archived News:
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February 2, 2009
Pineapple Cup to Use Horizon Marine Tracking
Hourly position updates available online
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – The SORC announced today an agreement with Horizon Marine to track all of the competitors in this year's Pineapple Cup – the Fort Lauderdale to Montego Bay, Jamaica Race. Using its proprietary iBoat Track software, hourly GPS signals will track all competing boats and display real-time positions on Horizon’s online graphic display, providing position, speed, fleet and class positions during the entire length of the course. The race starts this Friday, February 6th at 1400 off Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, and the live reports will be available at that time on this site.
Read more...

Go to iboattrack.com for tracking.

February 1, 2009
Can anyone challenge the 2005 race record of 2 days 10.5 hours set by Titan 12?
The STP65 Rosebud/Team DYT would be the most likely candidate after taking Line Honors in the Lauderdale Key West Race and sweeping the IRC Division. However, the weather might not cooperate. Current gribs show a 15 knot Easterly at race start forcing the fleet to beat across the Gulfstream. Saturday shows stronger breeze - 20kts ENE through the Northwest and Northeast Providence Channels. Sunday's breeze continues building with forecasted 25 knots out of the ENE. Once the fleet rounds the Northern tip of Eleuthera it should be kites up and a fast ride. Can they get there fast enough to take a run at the record? Will the forecast over the next few days become more favorable?

Lauderdale Yacht Club will host the Skipper's meeting on Thursday night.

August 1, 2008
Entries Now Open for 2009 Pineapple Cup
Early Indications of Largest Fleet in a Decade
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – The Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) announces the official opening for entries in the 29th Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race. Schedule to start on February 6, 2009 just outside of Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades, the race – known affectionately by sailors as ‘Mo Bay’ – runs 811 nautical miles to Montego Bay, Jamaica and offers navigators, tacticians and crews a challenging all-points-of-sail blast to a fabled destination. The current race record is held by Titan 12, set in 2005, with an impressive elapsed time of 2 days, 10 hours, 24 minutes and 42 seconds.
Read more...

February 1, 2008
The 29th Biennial Pineapple Cup Tradition Continues
2009 Race Scheduled
Fort Lauderdale, FL – The SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Conference) today announced the official schedule for the 29th Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race. The race kicks off February 6th 2009 just outside of Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades and finishes just off Montego Bay Harbor on the North coast of Jamaica.The 810-mile race offers navigators, tacticians, and crews a challenging all-points-of-sail blast to a fabled destination. Immediately after the start the racers cross the Gulf Stream for the Northwest Providence Channel.   The middle of the race usually offers a fetch down the eastern side of the Bahamas Island Chain towards the tip of Cuba. The final stretch is a sailor’s dream: a 240 mile downwind sleigh ride from Cuba’s eastern tip known as Windward Passage to the finish at Montego Bay. Typical twenty-plus knot aft trade winds and rolling, following seas push the racers downhill into the sunset toward the finish, where they’re greeted right at the finish line with the traditional case of Jamaica’s finest Red Stripe beer.
Read more...

August 1, 2008
Entries Now Open for 2009 Pineapple Cup
Early Indications of Largest Fleet in a Decade
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – The Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) announces the official opening for entries in the 29th Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race. Schedule to start on February 6, 2009 just outside of Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades, the race – known affectionately by sailors as ‘Mo Bay’ – runs 811 nautical miles to Montego Bay, Jamaica and offers navigators, tacticians and crews a challenging all-points-of-sail blast to a fabled destination. The current race record is held by Titan 12, set in 2005, with an impressive elapsed time of 2 days, 10 hours, 24 minutes and 42 seconds.

Shortly after the official opening of the entry system, race management reported seven entries and a large number of participant inquiries – an early indication of the potential strength of the 2009 fleet. The race is sponsored by the Lauderdale Yacht Club (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), the Montego Bay Yacht Club (Montego Bay, Jamaica), and the Jamaican Yachting Association (Kingston, Jamaica), the Storm Trysail Club (Larchmont, N.Y.) and managed by SORC with the collective group.

The Pineapple Cup has long been an ocean racing classic. The race started in 1961 and has run either annually or biannually ever since. Past winners are a Who’s Who of ocean skippers and yacht names. Ted Turner won three times in Vamoose (’67), Lightnin (’73) and Tenacious (’79); the Johnson family won in Ticonderoga (’65); John Kilroy won twice in Kialoa (’75 & ’77); and Jack King won in Merrythought (’91).

Past competitors claiming line honors include Sir Peter Blake on Condor (’79), Larry Ellison on Sayonora (’97) and Roy Disney on Pyewacket (’99). Other notable past entrants include the venerable yacht Windward Passage, which maintained the overall elapsed time record from 1969 to 2003. Steve Fossett also made a run in the 90s at the overall race record in the catamaran Lakota.

Details about the Pineapple Cup
Immediately after the start, the racers cross the Gulf Stream for the Northwest Providence Channel.   The middle of the race usually offers a fetch down the eastern side of the Bahamas Island Chain towards the tip of Cuba. The final stretch is a sailor’s dream: a 240 mile downwind sleigh ride from Cuba’s eastern tip, known as Windward Passage, to the finish at Montego Bay. Typical 20-plus-knot aft trade winds and rolling, following seas push the racers downhill into the sunset toward the finish, where they’re greeted at the finish line with the traditional case of Jamaica’s finest Red Stripe beer.

Classes invited include IRC, PHRF, Multihull and ocean racing one designs. The online race entry system and an updated Notice of Race, along with information on the race history, past events and accommodations can be found at www.montegobayrace.com.

February 1, 2008
The 29th Biennial Pineapple Cup Tradition Continues
2009 Race Scheduled
Fort Lauderdale, FL – The SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Conference) today announced the official schedule for the 29th Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race. The race kicks off February 6th 2009 just outside of Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades and finishes just off Montego Bay Harbor on the North coast of Jamaica.The 810-mile race offers navigators, tacticians, and crews a challenging all-points-of-sail blast to a fabled destination. Immediately after the start the racers cross the Gulf Stream for the Northwest Providence Channel.   The middle of the race usually offers a fetch down the eastern side of the Bahamas Island Chain towards the tip of Cuba. The final stretch is a sailor’s dream: a 240 mile downwind sleigh ride from Cuba’s eastern tip known as Windward Passage to the finish at Montego Bay. Typical twenty-plus knot aft trade winds and rolling, following seas push the racers downhill into the sunset toward the finish, where they’re greeted right at the finish line with the traditional case of Jamaica’s finest Red Stripe beer.

The race is sponsored by the Lauderdale Yacht Club (Fort Lauderdale, FL), the Montego Bay Yacht Club (Montego Bay, Jamaica), and the Jamaican Yachting Association (Kingston, Jamaica), and managed by SORC with the collective group.

The Pineapple Cup has long been an ocean racing classic. The race started in 1961 and has run either annually or biannually ever since. Past winners are a who’s-who of ocean skippers and yacht names. Ted Turner won three times in Vamoose (’67), Lightnin (’73) and Tenacious (’79). The Johnson family won in Ticonderoga (’65). John Kilroy won twice in Kialoa (’75 & ’77) and Jack King won in Merrythought (’91)

Line Honors went to Sir Peter Blake in Condor (’79), Larry Ellison in Sayonora (’97) and Roy Disney’s Pyewacket (’99). Other notable entrants include: the venerable yacht Windward Passagewhich maintained the overall elapsed time record from 1969 to 2003. Steve Fossett also made a run in the 90’s at the overall race record in the catamaran Lakota. The current record is held by Titan 12 in 2005 with an impressive elapsed time of 2 days, 10 hours, 24 minutes and 42 seconds.

Competitors will enjoy the traditional hospitality from local Jamaican “Hosts” assigned to each boat. The 2009 race also revives the J-22 “grudge match” with crews challenging each other in the Montego Bay Yacht Club’s fleet of J-22s in short course buoy racing.

Race management will also greatly improve the e-spectator experience. Recognizing thousands of fans globally that watch the race via the internet, there will be real-time boat tracking, blogging, and onboard communications from cooperative yachts.

Classes invited include IRC, PHRF and Multihull and ocean racing one designs.

Information on the race history, past events and accommodations can be found at www.montegobayrace.com. To automatically be placed on a future email list for announcements on this and other SORC events send an email to cbrown@sorcsailing.org.