While I was stuck without being able to update the website, the Archipelago raid was sailed and finished this morning. The French team, Team Kalix, Eric Proust and Romain Motteau win the event this morning with a score of 257 points and by finishing first at the last two checkpoints (earning 25 points each). Team Thule, Strandberg and Ortendahl, finished 2nd with 244.5 points. Our British friends, Team X-Leisure (Sunnucks/Farren) finish in third with 231 points.

The event saw a broad range of weather conditions - some days were incredible days of sailing with 15knots of breeze and the ninth leg was canceled after two hours of “sailing” due to a lack of wind.

We got a terrific jump off the startline this morning - boat trimmed in and “motorboat” Daryl shoving them as far as he could physically make it. Everybody made a right, popped the kites, and got underway.

45 Minutes after the start (now), I just got word that Team Velocity has broken down and their ground crew shot out of the parking lot like lightening in chase. No word on what the problem is but I’ll post as soon as I do. Those promised pictures are coming up soon.

That was exciting to watch. All the teams approached closely to the jetty and we were within “whooping” distance of several teams including our own. I had a lengthy post written last night that included some predictions for today and one of those was that this was a day for Team Velocity. They were behind Tybee at Jensen Beach but had managed to pass them. Those guys are fast in heavy upwind sailing. Marley’s Yellow having another strong showing very close behind those guys. Then the Seacats showing good form clearing the currents at the Jetti followed by the “other blue boat” Cat Fever who are doing well despite a backup mainsail with some miles on it.

As far as the stories go; Team Cat Fever had to turn around to the beach because of an incident that involved two breakages. In the gusty breeze and in a very heavy gust, the leward rudder casting exploded while the hull was in the air and giving them no immediate control. They capsized as a result and the skipper, Todd Hart, fell softly into the mainsail when crew, Karl Langfeld, fell ontop of Todd driving his noggin’ through the window in the main. They called their shore crew, met them on the beach, and made the repairs including the backup main. They’re down but not out as there is a lot of sailing to do and they’ve showed speed when the boat stays together. More later…

Here’s Team Seacats rounding the Fort Pierce jetty about 30 minutes ago.

Nigel Pitt and Alex Shafer win the U.S. Sailing Multihull Championship. After years of competing in this Championship and placing the top three, the team of Shafer and Pitt were finally able to break through and take the win by a narrow margin of two points over returning champions John Casey and John Williams and five points over the team of Tomko and Billings.

The final day of the U.S. Multihull Championship concluded today with one last A-fleet heat which concluded Race 11. Off the start line, the points leading teams of Pitt and Casey were unintentionally fouled off the start line by another competitor leaving them both late to the start line while the third place team of Tomko and Billings was well underway heading up the course. Both teams managed to fight hard in the lightish 8 to 10 knots of breeze and claw their way to a third and fourth place finish, while Tomko struggled on the last lap and slid back to seventh. Watters and Burd seemed unable to shake the DSQ from the day before and finished the race in 8th place – still holding onto fourth overall but poised to return to B-fleet in the next series.

Going into the last day, we had hoped to run three heats to end on 12 complete races but with a deadline of 3pm for the last start, and the seabreeze refusing to fill in by 2pm, the event was concluded on the 22nd heat with 11 completed races – a very high number for a championship with boat rotations.

The facilities planned for by the Gulfport Yacht Club and provided for by the city of Gulfport, FL were absolutely outstanding for this event. The Mayor of Gulfport, FL went so far as to present Commodore Bob Feckner and the all volunteer Gulfport Yacht Club with a proclamation proclaiming Saturday April 25th, 2008 as the U.S. Multihull Chamionship for the Hobie Alter Cup day during the dinner banquet on Friday evening. The manufacturer and importer of the AHPC Capricorn F18 catamarans, Fun in the Sun, Inc and AHPC in Austrailia, provided impeccable fine tuned racing machines for this event. Fun in the Sun went so far as to, at their own expense, locate and provide a 12th boat when we had two boats damaged and in need of repair so that we would not have to end the event for the two lowest scoring teams at that point. This year we had a beach support staff of one person for every two boats and they two are largely responsible for the success of this event. In no particular order; Tim Owens, David and Robyn Strickland, Chris Zander (also taking photos), Rob “What about Rob” Van Den Enden, Greg Goodall (AHPC), Robbie Daniels (Fun in the Sun, Inc), Jill Nickerson (Fun in the Sun, Inc), Pete Pollard, and Mary Ann Robertson.

I have been honored to work with PRO Fairlie Brinkley and his on the water staff, largely from the Gulfport Yacht Club, this week. The integrity of the race management and proceedings on the water were impeccable making it easy for everyone else to do their jobs. Lastly, I would like to thank our Chief Judge, Dave Shaffer, and Judges Barb Shaffer and Ann Newton (who in my opinion have one of the most stressful jobs at an event of this caliber) for helping to make this an incredible week. We have had a terrific championship and I look forward to next year.

The practice day went down without any major issues….quite an accomplishment and a testament to the effort put in by Gulfport Yacht Club and Fun In the Sun, Inc (Red Gear Racing). We had a few minor things to tweak on the boats after the first round of racing - namely, we found one cleat backwards and several spinnaker pole bridles needed to be tightened. We did also have two issues with spinnaker halyards that were resolved with some minor hardware replacement. This is a terrific day for the teething of 10 new boats - so we’re pretty happy.

The racing was pretty fierce out there on the practice course and several teams, who are expected to be strong, have shown an early speed advantage. We had the drawing tonight for the fleet assignments for the first scored races tomorrow and they are as follows:

B Fleet (racing 1st):

• Burd
• Carlson
• Figueroa
• Ingram
• Krantz
• Olson
• Tomko
• Whitte

A Fleet:

• Bauldry
• Casey
• Gillespi
• Hilk
• Marshack
• McDonald
• Miller
• Newkirk
• Spina

Yet to draw are the teams of Pitt, Wallace, and Jason….we’ll get them at the skipper’s meeting in the morning. Both of the 1st fleets will be scored 1 through 10 points. After the first round, the top five from each fleet compose “A” fleet while the bottom five from the two fleets compose “B” fleet. From then on, A fleet is scored 1-10 points and B fleet is scored 11 through 20. Each round, the top three teams from B fleet are promoted to A fleet and the bottom three from A fleet are relegated to B fleet. It’s a rotation system called “relegation / promotion series”.

Things are well underway here in Gulfport, FL putting the last finishing touches on the AHPC Capricorn F18 catamarans for the upcoming US Sailing Mulithull Championship. I’m the chairman for the event again this year and am joined by a crew of dedicated individuals from our local sailing area and from the Gulfport Yacht Club. The weather is looking spectacular and we’re expecting to have a great week watching the country’s 40 best catamaran sailors go head to head. We’ll be updating from the blog site here periodically throughout the days of the event and will have an article on the US Sailing Multihull Championship page every night. Stay tuned!

Four races were gotten in today and our boys got a second, two bullets, and a DNF, due to breaking the grommet at the top of the main in the last race. Virtual reinactment: “More downhaul!” *popping sound* “%#@&” They made it to the shore (albeit slowly) at the park, quickly replaced the sail and sped back out to the course only to find that it was to be the last race of the day. Nigel and Jake are breaking down the boat now so there may be a post later (after dinner, prolly) about today’s events. It certainly looked wild from our vantage, with a grand total of seven boats flipped at one point. I haven’t heard from Mike and Dave of Team Layline but they seemed to be holding their own against rock star Mischa Heemskerk. I’m sure that Rick will have content posted soon for the whole story and stats and it looks like Barb Short has an update thread running on the boards. All I’m reasonably certain of is that the top three finishers in the I-20 fleet are Team Seacats, Team Velocity, and the Wicksters. Officially, however, Nigel and Jake’s DNF hasn’t been dropped as of yet which would place them third although the Sailing Instructions specify eligibility for a throw out after four races if my memory serves. The forecast is still looking hairy for tomorrow. Y’know, where it’s time to distinguish the fine line between exhilaration and recklessness and pushing the envelope vs. pushing pencils on insurance forms. Stay tuned, sweeties.

I only wish I could show you all of the plenteous and variegated fritilaries garnishing the lagoon floor that rest mere steps from our hotel room door. In point of fact, you would, at this very moment, be gazing upon Madam Nature’s splediferosity instead of parsing these measly bits of confused scribble had someone not forgotten the camera cable. That would be me, natch. I left it far behind me, along with my snow covered neighbors and my bubbie: a misunderstood but well meaning Pit Bull. Jake and I slipped and slid all the way to the airport following a rare winter treat. A fair few inches fell quickly as we were packing and I kept getting sidetracked by the fun outside. With our world clothed in the fluffy water, the backyard and neighborhood were suddenly transformed into what can only be termed artificial daylight. I kept grabbing giant handfulls of these unflavored snowcones and taking them inside for a rather messy treat. I blame this for skewing my priorities (not to mention freezing my tongue until I was slurring) and attention for Keys Trip 101. French pedicure, check. Sunglasses, check. Xanax, check. Glossy briefings concerning the latest on the zeppelin-like crash and burn of Britney, check y’all. And with that, I was ready to go. Mea culpa.

In any case, I’m not getting on a boat so my race photos would have been sub par in that respect, regardless. However, I did bring the camera charger so I will have plenty of evidence on offer for any civil or criminal proceedings (or a little friendly blackmail) stemming from any land based, after hours mayhem cum frivolity. What happens in the Keys will definitely not stay in the Keys so if a Meister Jaeger or Captain Morgan come a knockin’ then, be ye warned, my megapixels may follow.

Meanwhile, boats…are…racing! And…that’s the extent of my update. Wah, wah, wah. The reasons for this are 1) I have no binoculars, as aforementioned. 2) With several fleets meandering around in various states of readiness between the three minute start sequences, I am even more confused than usual as to what’s happening. 3) I am in pain and can barely think straight. I’m fairly sure that Jake will post later about his first ever competition on the same boat with Nigel Pitt after years of camaraderie at the same regattas. Nigel and Alex Shafer walked away with top honors at the 2007 Nacra 20 North American Championship in Pensacola last Fall while Jake sailed into second place crewing for Wick Smith at the same race. Wick’s back here at Tradewinds with his regular crew (son, Wick Jr.). I’m excited to see how things play out with that little switcheroo, even though each fleet has some great competitors from around the world in a sport where one small miscalculation, unexpected puff, or fit of overconfidence can cost dearly. My girls, Tammy Pitt and Renee Lennard are back from trinket gathering and armed with binocs so I may have some details later. They’re much better at spotting, anyway, being competitive sailors themselves. I know I saw three boats flipped at once across the horizon but none had blue hulls so I’m still feeling good. Tammy says that Nigel and Jake are in 4th at the moment. All of the boats seem to be enjoying super conditions, smoking up the course, and only one of the flipped boats I mentioned earlier is still over but not receiving assistance, so presumably it’s not too bad.

Meanwhile, Tammy’s got on a bikini top, so I’ll see what I can do for you. Oh yeah, no camera cable. Too bad, so sad. Well, you might be able to find photos of women in bathing suits somewhere on the Internet. If only one knew where to look. Good luck with your new assignment. I’m going to go talk to the girls, maybe play some on Neopets. Yes. I admit it. I’m not really a grown-up at all.

I’m posting from bee-you-tiful Islamorada in the Florida Keys to support Team Seacats during the 2008 Tradewinds Regatta. It’s sunny and not snowing. Neener, neener, neener. The wind forecast has been a bit sketchy, depending upon who you ask/where you look. There were light breezes between 5-8k during the tuning runs yesterday and the general consensus is that there was sufficient wind to get some productive practice/tuning runs under their belt. Local reports from the weather Channel are calling for light air again throughout the day with a honker in brewing up for tomorrow. This morning’s NOAA forecast is calling for 10-15k with a slight right shift around 1pm. My feeling (speaking as the expert I am patently not) is that they’ll be seeing at least 15k throughout the day. The marks have already been set and the guys are up the road at Founder’s Park Beach applying their game faces. I do hope they get in as many races as possible today, especially considering the race could be called tomorrow due to rough conditions.

As it happens, we will have a great view of the course from our hotel lagoon, so Renee, Tammy, and I will most likely cheer them on from here in the shade. We may even be able to procure some binoculars. That would certainly make me appear less useless and uninformed. Spin runs will, naturally, be much easier to call for those we know well. I haven’t taken much of a look at the roster for the event yet. I’m confident that, in addition to serving as PRO, Rick White will be posting both news, highlights, and photos over on Catsailor…so do check it out. I’d love to point you to a “Who’s coming” and fleet breakdown list but it’s been disappeared since pre-registration is no longer an option. Or maybe I just can’t find it. Hopefully, Rick or Mary will have time to get that information posted later during their all of their spare time this weekend. Until then, I can only talk about the folks I know well enough to recognize on the water and provide the link for the NOR. Fortunately, Nigel and Jake (Pitt and Kohl) are on the big, blue Team Seacats I-20 while Dave and Mike (Lennard and Krantz) have a spiffy new Zhik kite on their Infusion. I’ll also be on the lookout for other friends and do wish everyone a fun, safe day on the water.

So come back later for updates if you wish. I’ve taken a break from harassing teams of strangers for their names, home bases, turn-on’s, etc. for this event. I am overly enthusiastic to provide free publicity to any team at any time, but I’m dealing with a serious Fibromyalgia flare-up and simply don’t have the energy to chase people around. More soon…

We had our non-regatta this weekend where a bunch of F18s and who-ever else gathered to have some very informal racing. The race committee might keep track of who wins, the finish line might be a no-wake buoy, or we might do a distance race where the committee boat could drop a mark anywhere on the lake (during the race). Whatever happens and whatever the weather, we usually have a great time. This year was no exception and again Rick Harper hosted a great cook-out and pool party at his house. Personally, I find the informal racing as a good time to experiment with the boat when I probably wouldn’t try something so different in a formal race. This year, the wind was lightish so we decided to single hand our boats and ended up with some fine and very tight racing. We did have times of good breeze and Saturday morning we picked up crew at the Lake Keowee club so we could double hand. On Sunday, just before heading home, David Lennard and I put on the Layline graphics on the Layline F18 (Mike Krantz and David Lennard) and I must say that I’m quite proud of the result. Looks sharp doesn’t it!?

Some AdventureOnline.TV video of the Jupiter Beach launch fiasco in this year’s past Tybee500.

I have a correction concerning the remaining Tiki teams’ trips yesterday. Turns out that is was Tiki 1 who was headed back to shore when Tiki 2 followed to make sure they were okay. Rod and Jared’s rudder was broken but the didn’t actually get to the beach but removed it on the fly and got back on course. When they passed Tiki 2 and found out that they were lopsided but sound is about the point where Jay and Steve simply decided that they were no longer having fun and so abandoned the race. Had Tiki 1 opted to finish then they could have requested time correction for their Good Samaritan efforts toward the other team. Hell, it was Jay’s son on board, so there was no question that he would look out for his well being.

Experiencing an arduous time of it yesterday, Frank and Jake also reached the point where they weren’t having such a fun ride, so they opted to just play it close to the shore and get there when they got there. They’ve got no idea what wind Tiki 2 got into to where they getting frustrated while only make it six knots (by our calculations). Our boys were sailing upwind on a little bit of a jib reach in high winds and big waves - the kind of conditions where one wrong move on the tiller could land you in a world of hurt. They just didn’t see the point of risking breakage, capsize, or becoming separated from the boat, even though they had been as high as third place for a bit early on in the race. Historically an oddly problematic leg for Jake, they just had had e-nuff. In fact, after taking off their gear at the boat, Frank remarked to Daryl: “There’s my life jacket and harness. You can burn them because I won’t needing them anymore.” That’s kind of how a lot of sailors feel by the end of an endurance race - ready to fall to their knees and lay a big, sloppy kiss on terra firma. However, once they have an opportunity to recharge, they begin to remember only the fun moments and good runs throughout the race and are soon ready to begin planning for the next year. That’s the same kinda theory as to how women can possibly contemplate having a second child after what they’d endured to go through labor for the first one. The memory of the pain gets buried further and further back in their minds, superseded by the joy they experience afterward.

My own personal favorite part of the end of the race is being able to finally extricate myself from the mire of wires bound and tangled around me, which I must use and manage throughout the week. here’s the short list: various GPS units, phone chargers (12 volt and AC), power cords, A/C converters, my headphones and iPod connector, and various USB connectors. I finally got a bluetooth unit, which worked out nicely; but it still required charging at the end of the day. And oh, the scavenger hunt to find enough outlets for all of our
accoutrements in some of the older hotels along the route.

Here’s how the final results stacked up for the 2007 Tybee 500 for the remaining seven boats still in the competition yesterday evening:

Oolaalaa

Team Tybee

Tiki 1

Accelerated Chaos

Velocity

Seacats

Cat in the Hat

Sorry I am so late posting today. We (not actually me so much) had to break down the boat, pack up, and book it out of the hotel before we turned into pumpkins. Then it was a quick run to get Frank and Daryl to the airport in time for their respective flights home. After refueling both our gas tank and our tummy tanks, we’ve made it onto I-26 and are headed back to Greenville, SC, where Jake, Tim, and I live. I bought a couple of tacky tabloids but they’re still in the bottom of my bag, untouched throughout the duration of the trip. I suppose I’ll just have to read about Paris Hilton’s perpetually exposed candy when I get home.

Here’s was my view for the ride home:

Now to the matter of my long Thank You list from this year’s Tybee 500. I’m certain that I’ll inadvertantly leave someone out, so please don’t take offense. For my part, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love this event so much that I’d even go out as a blogging “hired gun” for another team if my guys ever decided not to participate. This was the best year ever for me so far.

Of course, none of it would be possible without our supporters and sponsors: First, to Frank and Jake for bringing our team back together this year. You guys did a great job and were a pleasure to support. Next, my peeps Tim and Daryl. You guys are absolutely incredible: hard working, good company, and great friends. Our Ground Crew had more of an opportunity to get to know each other this year. We had a blast together and got along incredibly well. Chuck and Judi Bargeron for once again putting on a great race. Your dedication to the sport is inspiring. Along with Chuck and Judi are the incredible volunteers, many of whom come back year after year to act as Race Committee and helpers. Sean, Neil, Gary, Bill, and all the others of you that I don’t know personally. You guys always keep the event running smoothly. Also to all the other teams who show up from across the US and abroad. Despite the fact that this is a competition, there’s always such a great sense of camaraderie and generosity with both advice and equipment. I’m sure that all of you appreciate the understanding and love from those of you who have been parted from your families and loved ones during the past week. Thanks to all of our sponsors: Red Valve, Layline, Designworks, Amigos, Astral, and, of course, Mansmann & Moore. A big shout out to all of the supporters following the race from your computers. Hits on our site have gone completely through the roof over this past week. It’s a great feeling to know that the event and sport in general is getting so much exposure and interest from all of you. It was wonderful to see Brian Karr of Rockledge Engineering and John Williams (the host with the most) for filming at a couple of stops during this years’ race. I can’t overestimate the potential that this kind of media exposure could bring to future Tybee 500 events, exposing sailors, sponsors, and even larger media outlets to catamaran racing.

When I remember who else I’ve forgotten, I’ll post again. I look forward to catching up with reading posts on the Catsailor forums, always the “Go to” place for anything catamaran related.

The strobe light on the beach is still going strong at 11:30 so the Cat hasn’t yet made it back into the Hat. Tim, Jake, and I are turning in for the night while many are still out playing. The awards ceremony has been scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:30 so we’ll see how things finally shake out then.
I know that the race is over but I hope you’ll still tune in tomorrow for my Thank You post to everyone who has made this event both possible and enjoyable. I’ll try my best to make it entertaining. I’ve heard some good quotes and stories tonight but I need to sleep now. Don’t miss where I’ll break down today’s action and Team Seacats’ experience on the water in particular. At this point, I’m so accustomed to typing reports while bouncing down the road that it’s become a habit that will be hard to break.

Here are some photos from this evening’s finish. Enjoy.

The totally awesome Team Seacats ground crew in their nifty matching jackets (courtesy of Frank)

Team Manager Tim Owens enjoying the ocean view

Pusher (and all around sweetie) Daryl Moss looking too cool for school

Oohlaalaa’s first place finish

The Oolaalaa Team

Team Velocity’s impressive second place finish over Team Tybee

Team Tybee hitting the beach in third place today

Tiki 1 came in fourth place in today’s leg

Accelerated Chaos was fifth

Jake and Frank were just happy to make it home after a long day