Rio100, a custom Bakewell White and its crew, led by owner Manouch Moshayedi, set an elapsed time record for a monohull with an unofficial finish of 7:02:17 in the annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race held on Friday, April 22.
The time is more than 2 hours and 33 minutes less than the previous record set by Steve Maheen’s R/P 63 Aszhous in 2016.
According to information from Newport Ocean Sailing Association (NOSA), the record also represents the first time a monohull has crossed the finish line before sundown.
Multiple-time N2E winner Bill Gibbs’ Wahoo led the entire fleet down the coast until being passed by Rio100 off San Diego, which is about the time Wahoo’s spinnaker blew out. They recovered and were south of the border before Ray Paul’s 65 Botin Armetis passed them. Despite that the 45-foot Schionning was the first ORCA-class boat to arrive, setting a new personal-best finish for team Wahoo.
Friday morning winds that blew directly from the west at 18 to 20 knots off the Balboa Pier represented one of the windiest and bounciest starts to the Newport to Ensenada race in recent memory.
Moshayedi called the record-breaking conditions “Fantastic; a straight shot down the coast, a great experience.”
According to NOSA, included in the crew of 16 U.S. and New Zealand-based sailors were his son Sebastian and Peter Isler. The win gives Isler the exclusive distinction of being part of two record-holding crews: the multihull record set by the Mod70 Orion in 2016, and now the monohull record set by Rio100.
According to NOSA, the first Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race was run in 1948, and has a storied history of mixing professional racers, celebrities, and recreational sailors to become a time-honored tradition for Newport Beach, the City of Ensenada, and sailing enthusiasts who come from across the country to compete.
This year, the race celebrates NOSA’s 75th anniversary. The organization was founded in 1947 to promote ocean racing off Newport Beach. The first 125-nautical mile race sailed on April 23. The race eventually attracted hundreds of racers each year; a record 675 boats entered in 1983 earning N2E the title of “World’s Largest International Yacht Race.”
Trophies are awarded in more than 40 classes for the best in ultra-light and maxi-yachts and non-spinnaker and cruising classes, so the race remains inclusive, fun and competitive for anyone who wants to race.
Visit www.nosa.org for more information on the race including complete results.
