The seasons are starting to change in much of the northern hemisphere, signaling the time is now to plan your winter sailing races. And there's no better race to put on the calendar than the Pineapple Cup-Montego Bay Race! The 35th edition of this biennial race will take place with two starts on 21-22 January 2023. The race is hosted by the Montego Bay Yacht Club with the support of the Storm Trysail Club and the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, and is organized by Manuka Sports Event Management. This edition is open to multihulls and monohulls over 30 feet and will be scored under ORC and PHRF.

The race is 811 nautical miles of tropical water sailing starting in Miami and weaving its way through the Bahamas, around the eastern end of Cuba through the famous Windward Passage to Montego Bay. After the sleigh ride into the finish, the welcome the teams receive at the Montego Bay Yacht Club is like none other and the yacht club members relish in welcoming all of you back to the island.

The storied history of this ocean racing classic has a list of past winners any team would be envious of joining. Some of the biggest names in ocean racing are veterans of this race, including TICONDEROGA, KIALOA, TENACIOUS, and more recently SHOCKWAVE, PROSPECTOR and LADY MARIPOSA have all raised the iconic Pineapple Cup Trophy (shown above).

The current course record was set in 2019 at 2 days, 0 hours, 7 minutes and 44 seconds by Jason Carroll’s MOD 70 trimaran ARGO. Being a tropical race from America's east coast and the longest running race from the US to the Caribbean, the Pineapple Cup is a must-add on the bucket list of ocean races.

The 2023 edition offers ORC, PHRF, Multihull and double-handed classes, so no matter what you sail or how you sail it, there is challenge and adventure to be had. And new for this year, the Pineapple Cup will be awarded to 1st overall on corrected of the most competitive fleet.

"Although it was unfortunate that we needed to postpone the race this past January, we are even more excited to continue the tradition of this historic yacht race now in 2023,” said Montego Bay Yacht Club Rear Commodore Nigel Knowles. “The enthusiasm at the Montego Bay Yacht Club continues to grow each edition as we see more and more international teams with some of the best ocean racers descending on our beautiful club. Our members are once again looking forward to providing the legendary hospitality that the Montego Bay Yacht Club and Jamaica have become renowned for and we look forward to seeing you in 2023!"