Wednesday, 5/6/98, 9AM Report
Yesterday's storms knocked out the second team for the race. Team Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Wisconsin sailed by Guy Selsmeyer and Chris Blake capsized and then their mast hit bottom knocking off the tip. The mast immediately filled with water and they turtled.


Team Big Brothers/Big Sisters made a valiant attempt to stay in the race, but was disqualifed. From left to right are Guy Selsmeyer, Chris Blake, and Dave Popp (ground crew)

But undaunted, they cut away all of the rigging, cut away the spinnaker pole and then used it to right the boat. The mast meanwhile was on the bottom, held to the boat by one strand. They retrieved the mast, loaded it aboard. Then they rigged the Spinnaker pole with the jib and sailed downwind back to Cape Canaveral.
Chris Blake said, "You should have seen the security people at the Cape. They thought we were a bunch of Haitians coming in." They untangled everything and re-rigged the boat and finally got underway again.
Unfortunately, they arrived at the finish line too late and were disqualified from continuing. There is a rule that if a boat doesn't make it to the finish within 8 hours of the first finisher, they are to be disqualified.

The same fate nearly befell Rick Bliss and Sandra Tartaglino of Team Rudee's Restaurant. They had pitchpoled (meaning capsized bow first, end over end) and had apparently snapped their forestay. This dismasted the boat, and then it turned completely upside down.
Three teams came to their rescue and those teams were awarded their time lost for helping another team in trouble. Jamie Livingston of Team Worrell Bros. Restaurant said when they got there the boat was completely upside down. He said, "There was no way they would have ever gotten out of that mess without all of our help."
The teams that helped were Team Worrell Bros. Restaurant (Robert Onsgard/Jamie Livingston), Australia I (Brett Dryland/Rod Waterhouse) and International Insurance (Clive Mayo/Bobby Bailey).
In the Worrell 1000 rules, teams are not only required to help a team in trouble, they can be disqualified for not helping. Mike Worrell said, "I even went so far as to put the burden of proof on the guys that didn't stop. None of this, ‘They looked like they were fine stuff'-- I require them to sail over to a boat and ask." In a race with possible dangers of this magnitude, this would seem to be a good rule to have.

Editorial comment
By MARY WELLS
Editor, Catamaran Sailor

I would like to take issue with the rule that disqualifies boats that finish more than eight hours after the first boat. I thought the intent of that rule was to discourage smaller and slower types of boats from participating -- like Hobie 18s, Hobie 16s, etc. I can understand that race committees don't want to be up all night waiting for the slow boats (even though those "slow boats," like the Hobie 16's, were the founders of this race.) Apparently, the race committee members are getting older and need their sleep.
But should the rule also apply to a competitor who has breakdown problems and goes to heroic efforts to correct them and finish the leg, even though late, and would be able to continue the race and WANTS to continue the race, even though far behind in the standings? Shouldn't that team be rewarded for its efforts and allowed to continue if it wants to and is able to?
And what happens when, after the first boat finishes, the air dies and NONE of the rest of the fleet can make it back within the time limit? What do you do -- just abandon the whole event at that point?
It seems to me that a sailboat race, which is dependent upon wind, would have to be a little bit flexible in its schedule. If it takes the boats another day to get to their destination, that's what sailing is all about -- isn't it? It happened one year in the Key Largo Steeplechase. Wind totally died. NOTHING! Sailors started paddling ashore all along the course in the middle of the night, and the race was never finished that year. It's the only year that happened, but it could happen with any race -- even the Worrell 1000.
To me, this 8-hour rule seems to be somehow inhibiting the original spirit of the race, which involves survivability and ingenuity and determination, as well as just speed. Those are all qualities that should be encouraged and rewarded. After going through all the work and suffering that they do to get to the finish line, do they deserve to be told, "Great job guys -- but, sorry, you're out"?
Is the rule only for the convenience of the race committee? They're only spending two weeks on the road with this show. The sailors have been working on this sometimes for a year and at least for several months and have spent megabucks to be in this event -- or have sponsors that have spent money to put them in this event. They work very hard to be here and work very hard to stay in the race.
Maybe Mike Worrell should figure out another rule that will eliminate the slow boats and at the same time go back to the original rule that allows you to start the next day if you get to the finish in time for that next start. If somebody has to sit up on the beach all night waiting, fine. This is about the racers, not the people on the beach.


Racers are Getting Ready
The winds are very light and out of the south as of 9AM and are expected to be out of the SE at 10. A seabreeze is expected and no thunderstorms are forecasted yet. This leg should be a coast compared to the last two day, or to the treacherous waters that lie ahead.
The surf is pretty high and the winds light – it could be a real problem getting through this stuff

The Start



Chick's Beach (left) and Key Sailing II blast out through the surf in an almost no-air situation. Smyth/Sneed got the best of the deal.
The King is not Dethroned yet! The proven master of this race pulled off another great start through this ugly surf and very light air conditions. Randy Smyth and Jason Sneed of Chick's Beach just moments before the start dropped their spinnaker (the wind was too close on the nose to have a spinnaker be of any help) lashed their rudders so the boat would go straight, and with a great help from Tyler (Bubba) Smith, they exploded through the breakers. Bubba pushed hard and very far out, while both sailors paddled as hard as they could. Suddenly they were past the surf line and on the way up the shore line with a nice lead over the fleet.
Key Sailing II also got off to a nice start and was holding closed behind Chick's Beach. With Australia II (lovingly called The Pig II Team because of the big red hogs graphic on their mainsail) nipping at their heels.






Key Sailing II took a big one on the bow going out through nasty surf in very little air.
Key Sailing II still holds a narrow lead over Chick's Beach, who made a great comeback yesterday, making up over an hour to close within a few minutes in overall time. The Aussies are nearly in a tie for third spot, with Key Sailing I and Nokia only a few second apart and battling for fifth









The Finish Line (Daytona Beach to Jacksonville Beach

Smyth/Sneed Move Into the Overall Lead, And Panhadle Sailors Dominate


It was a clean sweep for the Florida Panhandle sailors as Smyth/Jason (Chick's Beach), Brian Lambert/Mark Murray (Key Sailing II) and Kevin Smith/Glenn Holmes (Key Sailing I) took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes today in this leg from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville Beach, Florida. All of these sailors are from the Ft Walton/Pensacola area of Florida.
For those of you in Rio Linda, the Panhandle is that area of Florida in the upper left extended corner of the state. It is also lovingly called L.A. – that stands for Lower Alabama.


Key Sailing II hits the beach in a clean sweep for the Panhandle Sailors.

Chick's Beach pretty much led the race the entire time, but they always had someone a minute or so behind. As the boats approached the St Augustine Inlet area, it was difficult to carry a chute because the seabreeze had piped up and it was too close of reach. Just too much power to hold the boat down in those conditions.
Chick's Beach was the first to drop the chute, and the two Key Sailing Teams followed suit. Jason Sneed of Chick's Beach said, "Yeah! When we dropped the chute we picked up about 3mph more."
It sure paid off for the Key Sailing Teams as well. They had been in 3rd and 4th positions, but after dropping the kites they squirted on by the second place boat – Australia II (Martin Thompson/Greg Barber) sailing on a Hobie 20.
The Aussies realized too late. When they did drop their chute, it seemed they did not pick up speed with their Hobie 20 as did the more powerful Nacras – they dropped back to a 6th place finish.
Meanwhile, in the overall standings, unofficially Chick's Beach has moved into the lead by a narrow margin of a minute and change. Also unofficially Key Sailing I may have moved into second spot past the two Australian Teams. If so that Panhandle Sweep is a double whammy.

Photo Finish, It Was Like Being at the Horse Races
The most exciting finish of the day was a three-way duel just before the finish. Australia II had stayed high and then hoisted his spinnaker back up to sail deep for the start, but trouble continued to plague them -- it was simply too little, too late. The other two boats that had sailed a lower course sailed in on hot reaches. It appeared that Robert Onsgard/Jamie Livingston on Worrell Bros Restaurant had the 4th spot, but then Rick Bliss/Sandra Tartaglino of Rudee's came up on a fast reach under them and it was neck and neck through the surf.
It couldn't have been a closer finish – one second apart. Actually it was probably 100th of a second, but Michael Worrell said, " That as close as we can make it – we don't even have a clock that does less than seconds" It's amazing, if after 68.9 miles, these boats could finish that close. Worrell Bros got the nod
Rick Bliss was very happy about his finish, particularly after his trouble yesterday – he was almost disqualified under the time rule. He was dismasted and had the help of other sailors to get his boat righted and pulled to the beach. He re-rigged and made it in time across the finish line.
The third of the three boats was Australia II.


(above)Approaching the finish line, Rudee's came up faster under Worrell Bros.,and then they road the surf in neck and neck, with Worrell's edging out Rudee's by one second(below)

Manta Rays Get in the Way
Two boats reported hitting Manta Rays. Randy Smyth said, "Wow! We had no way to go, no where to turn and Pow! We hit him so hard we stopped dead." Kevin Smith/Glenn Holmes reported the same thing. It's a good thing they didn't hit a turtle in the Daytona Beach area or they would be jailed and fined a million dollars.

Everyone is Safe and Sound
Most of the boat were in and on the beach shortly after 4PM, and most were all pretty close. At this time all the boats are accounted for. Now they must ready themselves for the hardest part of the trip – the 121.3 mile leg to Tybee Island, Georgia. This is the point in this 1000-mile mad dash that puts the boat the farthest from land. Since the shortest distance is a straight line, that path could take the sailors as far out as 50 miles.