Any guesses when this photo was taken?



Alan Thompson

I20 - San Diego

Looks like a Hobie WAVE to me...

In the evening?

..oh no........where is that darned RC boat and the start line...?

Thats a beautiful thing!!!!!!!

"Uhmm yes cap'n... we ... uh... seem to have ... uh... lost our hull."

Straits of Magellen? Cape Horn? Lake Michegan? Outer Banks of NC? Perhaps somewhere near San Diego?

That's ENZA breaking the around the world record, a few years ago.

You're right! Believe it or not, that is no ordinary rough weather/waves hiding some beachcat. That is the 90' ENZA New Zealand off of Brittany coast at the end of the Jules Verne Record voyage:







"1st April 1994. At sunrise, a rare beam of yellow light illuminates the heavy seas, sixty miles from the treacherous and rocky Brittany coast. The 28 metre long Enza New Zealand catamaran, skippered by Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnson, can be barely seen behind the breakers. She is progressing carefully under trysail only. In four hours, the proud Kiwi yacht will win the second Jules Verne Trophy, a non-stop circumnanvigation, in 74d 22h 17' and 22 seconds."





Here's the link: http://www.bluegreenpictures.com/portviewimage.asp?image=586&cat=24



They have a lot of other cool sailing photos there. Check it out!



Sail fast and have fun,

Alan Thompson

I20 - San Diego

Today? Is it the America's Cup boat USA-77 that sank off Long Beach yesterday?

Looks alot like the last day of the Worrell this year with winds up to 50 and good sized seas .



As the severe part of the storm hit that day In trying to beat slowly to weather through it as we reached the top of waves we experienced the boat being picked up and thrown backwards by the shear force of the extreme wind velocity, jumping airborn to the wave behind several times before flipping several more. Dave was seperated from the boat after flipping violently and could not swim at evan half the speed it was traveling away from him in these conditions until I turtled it completely facing mast and sails straight down .

By leaning just slightly the boat flipped back up sidways in the large seas then briefly righted itself and flipped over again violently as we both struggled to hang on and not get seperated as we understood now we would never catch it if both let go evan for a few seconds . We huddled on the overurned boat as cold rain that felt like hail pelted us stinging as each icy cold high velocity drop hit. Standing on the inverted trampoline in ice cold water as waves washed over us was not bettering our chances . We suddenly realized evan surviving this final leg much less finishing it well will be an accomplishment and require all our focus and determination.

We had snapped a rudder and beached earlier in the leg putting us way behind the main pack before the more severe storm hit. Watching all sail away at 20 plus mph over the horizon in a matter of minutes is difficult anytime but espesially after 12 previous days of it with the finish within reach this day. Dave in typical mode had carefully prepaired for such a day packing a spare rudder and casting and expertly replacing it using a spare bolt thus keeping us in the race..Now determined to get back into the hunt and finish we righted and continued to race on believing these severe conditions would not last forever but seemed to again only be allowing us to barely make forward progress.

A cold wet nasty day of surviving and extreme racing that broke the hearts of two teams with expectations of winning this hard fought event only being seperated by one second for the lead after racing some 940 miles now going into this final leg of this epic 1000 mile test of sailing ability and endurance.

-Dave and I were on the starting line on Kill Devil Hilsl Beach for the final leg that morning . Our final destination and race finish Virginia Beach only now some 60 miles North with large crowds media reporters photos, champagne, dinner, parties and flights home the following day .Many said we would be there in record time again earlier that morning .

After a fairly easy run and favorable weather conditions during this years race few were physically or mentally prepared for the days events in survival type conditions.

We were positioned between the two lead teams based on our 3rd place finish position with Steve and Kenny passing us seconds ahead of the finish there with Jay and John just behind the previous day racing around Cape Hatteras in 30 plus conditions with chutes up and on the wire the majority of that very grueling race day.Flipping the boat due to fatique and righting not quite in time just miles before the finish , now feeling the effects of that previous day and cumulative effect of the race.

Going into the last leg as we studied the huge gusts pounding the boats into violent movements , shaking and shuttering along with our very worn nerves as the start sequence went into its final mode ,-5-4 -3 --2 --1 --g o -Go -GOO-SPPLASHH BANG-as facefulls of seawater and waves engulfed us and other teams flipped off the beach behind us.

Difficult to write fiction more interesting or fasinating in content and human drama .

Days and sailing experiences like this stay with you throughout and know many catsailors who have experienced the same , two pulled out an amazing race win with their skills in these extreme conditions that last day .

Brian and Jamie with big anxious relieved smiles and great photos on Catsailors web site viewed by millions of hits that week by catsailing fans around the globe ,shinning in the winners circle seemed again like an end and a new beginning at once.

The race, my 6th last year, for me seems again somehow unfinished and I,m sure I'll be back for more of this event that seems to raise the human experience and contiousness with amazement to a wonderfull appreciation of it all.







Carl Roberts