Transpac 2011: A boat can only be as great as it's Captain.

This email has no updates on our crew. Sorry. Instead it has the
objective of telling the great story of Lorenzo Berho and Peligroso as
told by the best land crew manager ever: Rocio. The photo of Lorenzo
that is attached to this email was taken a month ago at the Honefleur
Cathedral in France. If you look closely, you will be able to see that
there is a sailboat on the back. Honefleur is a port from where
sailors back in the early days, set out to sea in search of new
worlds... Loren is lighting a candle in honor of the Peligroso crew
and their families and praying for their success and safe return.

With Lorenzo and Peligroso, It is hard to tell where one ends and the
other one begins. "PELIGROSO" according to the marine/sailor language
dictionary means "a restless spirit with a competitive, creative and
adventurous soul and the heart of a conqueror with great generosity".
Therefore, I can't think of a better way to describe Lorenzo.
He discovered his passion for sailing 11 years ago, infected by the
enthusiasm of our children, Loren, Dani, Carla, and Diego, who were
learning to sail Optimist and windsurf. He immediately organized a
sailing trip the Sea of ​​Cortez with a dear family and great
friends: the Hinojosas. For this first experience, we obviously hired
a captain and a cook. This was a new family adventure that we had
never experienced before. We had little knowledge of the impact that
the trip would have in our futures. In line with his restless spirit,
Lorenzo would keep asking the Captain about the usage of the different
sails, the way to read winds, and the meaning of words such as port,
starboard, and trimming.

After that experience, the next logical step was to get his Skipper
license in Tortola with Pepe Hinojosa. After the sailing camp and now
with a license in hand we decided to do more trips with friends and
conquered the seas of Belize, Greece, the Caribbean, and the
Mediterranean. And on every trip, he discovered a new world, a special
contact with nature that allowed him to experience an inner peace that
he couldn't find in his quite busy lifestyle.

Surprisingly, it is in those moments of peace that it suddenly gets
"Peligroso". Inspired by much loved families: Villalpando, Guzman,
Villareal, Brockmann, Belausteguigoitia, and Murrieta as well as by
his great friend and mentor Malin Burnham, Lorenzo decided it was time
to conquer a new challenge and compete in ocean races on a sailboat
J145. It was the boat of his dreams, beautiful, blue, and of great
size: the famous Raincloud or "Tormenton" as Loren's friends called
it! It was a boat where he could share new challenges with our
children and friends. The goal was sailing the Transpac race in 2007,
but the boat was also perfect for cruising. It provided a great mix:
it was competitive for regattas and a great boat for "Hollywood
Sailing".

And then suddenly, and innocently, two years ago, I jokingly
introduced my very own Mr. Peligroso to a boat that coincidentally was
named "Peligroso". And just like that. It was love at first sight.
Peligroso was bigger and specifically designed for racing ... Goodbye
Hollywood Sailing and hello this new challenge. And even more than a
challenge, Peligroso became an entire project with a noble mission: to
not only sail with our kids and friends but to encourage young
Mexicans to sail and to commit to this passion, as well as to provide
them with the required support to get them as far as they would dream...

Today, we are witnessing this project competing at an international
race. A DANGEROUS boat, a DANGEROUS captain and a very DANGEROUS crew
that includes 6 young Mexicans who have been engaged and training for
a year and a half, 3 not so young Mexicans, and 5 professional
Americans supporting the team with their knowledge and experience.
Lorenzo's dream is being lived today and the results could not be
better. But this has been the work of a team, which obviously includes
the support and love of all of us on the ground sending out our great
thoughts and prayers. Lorenzo is very proud of this team, because he
is a person who drives and enjoys teamwork.

To close, I would like to add something that I admire greatly about
Captain Peligroso. I admire that every day, he takes time to thank God
and life for being surrounded by all the good people who have
influenced him. He also gives thanks and prays for his crew, who, by
always doing their best work, have earned his full trust. And he
unmistakably gives thanks to God for the blessing of having each of
our children.

Thanks for all the love that you give me, I love you

-Ro

RE:

Rocio -

You had me laughing....and crying....

It is a good thing you did this first....as I was thinking that I might have to write something about my "stubborn Basque friend".....I mean "Captain Peligroso"

I might have told his story a little differently....and most certainly...not as well.

Great job!

Stephen B. Williams