2001 Worrell 1000 - Leg 1 & 2 Finish

Jensen Beach, Florida, 6:20 PM

Lambert and Livingston streak to victory, Team Dallas out on Leg 2

Team Dallas crew hangs on for dear life after inadvertently leaving his skipper in the surf Photo ©: Walter Cooper

Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston handed an early lead to Team Baywind, but the Floridian duo recovered to win leg 2 handily. Conditions were extremely bumpy and strategy was very tricky in today's contest. Lambert and Livingston started in the favored, upwind starting slot on the beach, but Team Baywind, sailed by Glenn Ross and Richard Pleasants were the first to realize that it was possible to fetch the coastline on starboard tack. They tacked first to starboard, passed behind the lead pack and shot down the beach, while the majority of the fleet was pointing out to sea, perpendicular to the rhumb line. The early forecast called for Northeast winds at 20 knots, but the breeze at the start was East/Northeast at about 15 knots. Figuring the race would be a beat, most of the teams headed off shore looking for smoother rolling waves only to realize that they could tack and parallel the beach going straight for the finish. Lambert and Livingston rectified their error and began a long slow grind back into the lead. Team Baywind looked sharp 1/3 of the way into the race, but they cracked off to reach faster and got too close to shore. A shore effect caused the wind to move ahead as they closed on the beach and they were forced to take a hitch on port tack back out away from the shore. Lambert and Livingston roared across their bows and never looked back.

Many of the competitors complained about the lumpy, confused seas and had difficulty tuning the boat to the conditions. A herky-jerky pitching motion with constant stabbing into waves was a common complaint. First Time Worrell 1000 racer Nigel Pitt had trouble acclimating to the rough conditions and the new boat, but as he learned to fly the hull higher he felt his speed improved. As the fleet rounded the point and was able to crack off to a tight reach, it was possible to tune the boat for a more stable ride. Lambert and Livingston showed their experience as they clearly mastered the sailing conditions and extended to a 10 minute win on the leg. After falling as low as 8th in the early going Steve Lohmayer and Kenny Pierce, of Team Tybee Island, got it going late in the race and moved into second. Lohmayer attributed their early speed problems to excessive mast rake and too much rudder sweep. The combination caused a lot of helm and made the boat hard to steer. As they came off the wind onto a reach, the problem diminished and they were able to sail forward through the fleet. Reigh North and Scott Macdonald of British Columbia moved from a horrible starting position to a third place finish. The Hobie veterans will start in the 3rd slot tomorrow. Team Guidant, sailed by Rod Waterhouse and David Wallace substituting for Sandra Tartaglino hit the beach in fourth and Team Baywind rounded out the top 5.

After the frightening finish of leg 1 the fleet was spared at today's finish. The wind dropped to 10 knots while the majority of the fleet finished. The surf moderate to 4 feet and the landing was dead downwind. The breaking waves and foaming whitewater pushed the boats onto the beach causing minor rudder problems but no one spun out of control. When landing on a beach in surf the turbulent whitewater of a breaking wave can grab the rudders and turn the boat abruptly, upsetting the balance of the sail-plan and causing the boat to round up or gybe uncontrollably. The mellower surf off Jensen Beach allowed the sailors to run onto the beach sitting on the tramp, not necessitating a trapeze to keep the boat driving forward. Team PI did capsize only 1/4 mile from the finish, but they righted the boat smartly and only gave up 5 minutes in the process.

Team Dallas out on Leg 2, Pyacht Women and Team Australia still unaccounted for

Early on in the Worrell 1000 the support crews, sailors and race officials are just beginning to feel each other out. Veterans don't get too excited about the adrenaline rush of the racing or the natural beauty that they sail through during the days. They conserve energy. The veterans size up the newcomers. Some are made of the stuff that Worrell survivors must be made of. Some whine about bruises and blisters. Some just don't make the finish. Team Dallas withdrew from the Race today. Their boat was on the beach in West Palm. Sailors John Webster and Steven Foxall reported into race director Mike Worrell through their support crew, indicating their intention to withdraw and informing race officials that one of the crewmembers had suffered 3 broken ribs. Randy Williamson of Team Cat Fever is being taken to the hospital with a split lip as soon as he can finish fixing his boat and making it ready for tomorrow. Cat fever capsized in the surf near the finish and had to right the boat, sail back out through the surf, then down the beach and back in through the finish line. The ordeal cost them a lot of time. Pyacht Women and Team Australia are still on the race course at 7:15 PM. The helicopter is heading up to establish visual contact with them before dark.

Rough Weather wrecks havoc with the fleet at the start - Tartaglino and Weaver suffer fractured legs at the finish of Leg 1

Many of the competitors were late for the beach start and rushed to push off the beach into a rugged and confused 5 foot surf at Ft. Lauderdale beach this morning. Yesterday's rough weather left many teams disorganized and scrambling as they hurried to fix boat and gear problems before this morning's start. A 15 -20 knot East/Northeasterly will propel the fleet up the beach today to the finish at Jensen Beach. The leg should be mostly on the wind and the Inter 20 class beach cats should cruise at speeds of 10 -14 knots.

The three teams at the windward end of the Le Mans style starting line were all big and experienced. Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston earned the pole position by winning yesterdays opening leg in a 20 knot Northeasterly breeze. They were trailed by Carl Roberts and David Lennard and Steve Lohmayer and Kenny Pierce of Team Tybee Island. The entire top half of the fleet finished in a tight pack, but the real story of day one was the beach landing at the finish.

Team Guident, sailed by former Worrell 1000 winner Rod Waterhouse of Sydney Australia, and Sandra Tartaglino of Redwood Shores, CA, dug their bows into the sand and "pitchpoled" into the beach at the finish, catapulting Tartaglino at high speed and resulting in multiple fractures to her leg. Tartaglino appeared to become tangled in some rigging and was heaved forward as the boat stopped abruptly. Her leg was wedged in place. She will face surgery this morning. As Tartaglino was assisted by a trained EMT on the shore crew of Team P-Yacht, Tom Weaver and Rick Deppe of P-Yacht landed in the surf and attempted to push their boat through the finish line. A large wave lifted their boat and dropped it onto Weaver's leg, breaking his fibula just above the ankle. Weaver sported a cast on the beach this morning as he cheered on Deppe and replacement crew Christophe Ribot of France. Ribot is an experienced multihull sailor who operates a catamaran rental shop on Key Biscayne and has spent time sailing with Katie Pettibone and Eleanor Hay in preparation for their run at the Worrell. Tartaglino has been replaced by David Wallace, a Hobie 20 veteran from Georgia.

Today's beach start was treacherous as strong breeze and big surf caused several capsizes and collisions. Team Fully Involved had to pull back to shore immediately to tape a hole in the bow and fix a mainsail problem. Team Dallas, sailed by John Webster, pushed off the beach and then noticed that crew Steven Foxall hadn't made the leap onto the boat. He slogged through the surf trying to catch the pitching boat as Webster tried to slow in the surf line without being upended by a large wave. Several boats that appeared to have negotiated the surf successfully were forced to return to the beach to replace broken rudder castings. If the rudders aren't lowered quickly they can load up while floating on the surface, breaking the casting or snapping the rudder blade. The tricky part is lowering the leeward rudder without capsizing. It's difficult to get the leeward rudder down without the skipper going all the way to leeward. A large wave at the wrong moment can topple the boat bow over stern with the helmsman perched on the leeward-stern corner.

The leg to Jensen Beach is short by Worrell 1000 standards, but the upwind orientation should keep the fleet from breaking last year's record run. The 2000 race was characterized by pleasant reaching in moderate seabreezes. It looks like this year will be a lot more challenging. Well positioned weather systems have resulted in a strong gradient that will challenge the fleet on the early legs of the race. We'll have a report at the finish from Jensen Beach as soon as the lead boats hit the shore.

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com Worrell 1000 Page
• www.worrell1000.com