The 2008 Tybee 500 Race Coverage

Team Tybee Blows Everyone Away

No Contest! In the past we have seen the determination of the winner come down to seconds, with one team already finished counting down the time needed to beat that team approaching the finish line. Then as their opponent is only 100 yards off the beach, the countdown runs out and there are screams and cheers as the team on the beach won by mere seconds.

Not so in this year's race. Team Tybee did not have a huge lead going into to today's race. But, they apparently did not need it. They hit the beach at 4:30 and the next boat did not appear for over an hour. It was a blowout!

Finally Velocity arrived, follwed by Marleys Yellow, Marleys Orange, Cat Fever, and limping in with a blown out headsail was Cat in a Hat (Hooray they made it this year thanks to two years of training at Rick White's Sailing Seminars.

Accelerated Chaos is the only team left. They dismasted about 11 miles south of the finish line. The advised they are going to jury rig the mast and attempt to finish.

Sorry, the only pix I coud get due to rain and the Bum's Parade.

It surely is tought waiting for these guys!

Kenny Pierce, skipper of Team Tybee, has now won this race a foredeck sailor and now as a skipper. A super job well done. Let's all give him a hug. After all.., he is so CUTE!

Jamie Livingston has now become a "living legend" as probably the best crew on a catamaran in the history of sailing. He has the experience and the resolve to make winners. He is also a winner of infamous Worrell 1000

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The Bum's Parade

This phenom definitely affected this last report. It seems in the past there was this waterfight, which has turned into a nightmare. People come from far around to witness this crazy parade. And it is all about waterfighting.

The paraders job is to dowse the spectators crowded on the street side all along the main drag. The spectators job is to dowse the paraders. In other words, everyone gets dowsed. They use any means available from Super Soakers to buckets to Power Washers and anything in between.

Needless to say, most folks are in bathing suits, except for the unsuspecting. I was warned about this parade that was to start at 6PM. I was on the beach when Team Tybee finished and hopefully kept awaiting more boats, so I could get more pictures. When it got to be about 5:15, I was getting worried. I had to get my RV from the finish line area (located at the north end of Tybee Island to the hotel at the south end of the island before the parade. I must also mention that I was parked in an area where there was going to be a rock concert soon).

So, I decided to get to the parking area before the parade. Thinking I was safe was wrong thinking. The streets were already filled with spectators that wanted to practice. The RV was hit by hundreds of buckets of water.

Here are some pictures of the parade as it passed the hotel:

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They are Off on the Final Leg.., 110 Miles to Tybee Island

In light, offshore winds the fleet got through a few steep waves at the start. Velocity got a great jump on the fleet and motored off to a couple hundred yard lead right from the get-go.

Leader of the race, Tybee Island had some troubles getting through the surf. The entire fleet used their spinnakers to break through, as did Tybee. However, they were sailing too deep, blanketing the chute with the main and diminishing their power. That was when the steep surf was blasting them backwards. Once they headed up a bit, filled the headsail and developed some power they were fine, But meanwhile they were already pretty far behind the leaders for the day.

Acclerated Chaos broke his rudders on the first attempt. All the other teams jumped to their aid and within minutes had another set of rudders mounted. They might have lost about 4 minutes.

The start was at 9AM today in an attempt to get the fleet to Tybee before some possible storms later in the afternoon. Two teams opted not to race and are packing it in -- Seacats and Marleys White. They both felt it might be too dangerous should one of those severe storms hit.

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See the start pictures below:

Tybee was really taking it on the chin this morning. This was their worst start of the entire race.

Marleys Yellow got through the surf easily, but Team Velocity just flew through it and was off to a great lead

Accelerated Chaos broke his rudders on the first attempt, but was quickly repaired and on his way with only about 4 minutes lost

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For Video of the raceg and interviews at the finish, click here!

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