New name, same race

SAN DIEGO – The international powerboat rally formerly known as FUBAR (Fleet Underway to Baja Rally) has officially changed its name to CUBAR – Cruise Underway to Baja Rally, San Diego Yacht Club officials announced.

“This cruise has always been recreational,” said Chuck Dahill, chairman of the FUBAR/CUBAR Committee at San Diego YC, “so the name change to CUBAR more accurately reflects its family-friendly nature.”

San Diego YC has taken over the responsibility of organizing and hosting the biennial event, with the next 15-day powerboat cruise down Baja and up to La Paz in the Sea of Cortez scheduled for November 2015.

Marv Benson, San Diego YC CUBAR Committee co-chair, said the slightly negative connotation of the word FUBAR has prevented more than a few boat owners from joining the international pleasure cruise – or from bringing their friends and families along.

According to the club, the acronym, FUBAR, had its origins in the World War II military, an expletive for something broken beyond all repair.

“When we started organizing this rally,” said Bruce Kessler, founder of the FUBAR Odyssey at Del Rey Yacht Club in 2007, “a group of Del Rey boaters were trying to think of a catchy name, and someone kiddingly said, ‘hey, how about fubar.’ The FU could stand for Fleet Underway, and the rest stood for Baja Rally. For lack of a better idea, that name stuck.”

Kessler agrees that the name change from FUBAR to CUBAR is an improvement.

The first public CUBAR informational dinner meeting will be held Nov. 13, at San Diego YC. Interested boaters are invited to the dinner to meet the rally organizers and sponsors, to get the 12-month schedule of cruise seminars and skippers meetings, to share feedback on what they hope to experience during the group cruise, and to meet like minded boaters.

The 980-mile CUBAR cruise will take place in November 2015, departing from San Diego, with overnight pleasure stops en route at Ensenada, Turtle Bay, Magdalena Bay, Los Cabos and elsewhere. The CUBAR’s grand finale destination 15 days later will be in La Paz.

Vessel requirements include the fuel capacity to travel at least 450 miles at about 8.5 knots, because 450 miles is the longest distance between diesel docks and to allow for daylight arrivals. Previous FUBAR fleets have numbered between 30 and 50 powerboats, including sport fishers, motor yachts and yacht trawlers, ranging in length from 32 to 150 feet.

Participating boaters typically have come from all along the U.S. West Coast and British Columbia, using the rally from San Diego to La Paz to position themselves for the start of winter cruising season in the Sea of Cortez and mainland Mexico.

Sponsors and boat owners interested in participating in the CUBAR; can visit cubar.org. San Diego YC is located at 1011 Anchorage Lane.

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