Beneteau Oceanis 45 “Pursuit” wins 2015 Race to the Coast

Published by Stanton Murray at June 15, 2015

RACE TO THE COAST June 13, 2014

Skipper Patrick Waring and his crew navigated the Beneteau Oceanis 45, Pursuit, to victory in the annual Race to the Coat from New Orleans to Gulport, Mississippi. “It was a perfect day for Pursuit. We were close hauled or close reaching the entire race with enough wind to keep the boat moving well.” said Waring.

Beneteau Oceanis 45 “Pursuit” -Photo credit Curt Christensen (NewOrleansSailing.com)

The 50 nm race includes a pursuit start combined with inshore and protected offshore sections. The race is the first leg of the Sawgrass Offshore Series, with the Gulfport to Pensacola race completing the series.

First sailed on July 4th, 1850,

“Pursuit” Beneteau Oceanis 45 -Photo credit Curt Christensen

Southern Yacht Club’s Race to the Coast is possibly the oldest distance race in the Americas. Admittedly quirky, the racecourse winds through The Rigolets, which ties Lake Pontchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico, via Lake Borgne, and finishes in the Mississippi Sound at the Gulfport Harbor. The racecourse passes through drawbridges at two locations, the delays at which are credited back to the racers in the corrected time calculations.