Worrell 1000 Leg Four Finish
Jacksonville Beach, FL
5/11/2000, 5:50 PM

By Zack Leonard

Light winds dogged the fleet on the 4^th leg of the Worrell 1000. The race began in a light westerly. But the sea-breeze fought all day with the obstinate land breeze making for some tough sailing conditions. After the start Smyth and Struble of Team Blockade Runner led the inshore group, Lambert and Livingston of Alexander's on the Bay led the deep ocean group and Loos and Heemskerk of Holland played the middle. Several times the sea-breeze attempted to fill but backed off when the land breeze punched back in. When the land breeze held sway the inshore group took the lead, when the sea-breeze filled the ocean group took the lead. When the race was over the Dutch had the lead.

Loos and Heemskerk won today's leg by 41 seconds over Brett Dryland and Rod Waterhouse of Rudee's Restaurant, extending their overall lead to 17 minutes and 42 seconds over second place Blockade Runner. Smyth finished third, 2 minutes and 23 seconds off the pace, followed by Steve Lohmayer and Kenny Pierce of Team Tybee in 4^th and Alexander's on the Bay, sailed by Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston.

Many of the sailors were frustrated after the see-saw battle. Brett Dryland felt lucky to finish second, "we were back in 8^th at one point. The breeze filled, then it didn't fill, it couldn't make up it's mind, but Gerard [Loos] sailed really well." Loos focused on driving the boat fast while Heemskerk called the shots. Heemskerk described their style, "we were looking at the wind all the time, calculating as little risk as possible. We stayed in the middle and decided when to go in and when to go out." Loos added that "the race was like an accordion three times, we would get a lead the wind would die in front and fill behind. If you see the flies you say, oh no, there will be no wind in a moment.Alexander's on the bay looked good in the ocean lane for quite a while, but Livingston and Lambert got greedy, "we should have jibed in with the others when we were doing well."

Brendan Busch and Scott Kodlowski of Team California sailed a solid race to finish 6^th. Outer banks made huge improvements as well.Peanut Johnson says that they are starting to feel comfortable in the boat, "we've only sailed the boat 4 days, we're starting to figure out how to make it go."

Shore Support
The Worrell 1000 is a race of attrition. It slowly strips the physical strength and mental stamina of the sailors, leaving them helplessly exhausted by the end of the ordeal. To finish is a feat, to compete takes a finely honed team that can relieve the sailors of all but the sailing chores. As the race winds it's way up the coast, a column of RVs, panel vans, box trucks and mini-vans follows from checkpoint to checkpoint doing all the things that an exhausted sailor can't do for himself. The support teams look like a traveling carnival when they pull into a new town. Empty trailers litter the parking lot, masts jack-knife from truck roofs and wrinkled towels hang from roof-racks to dry.  The group begins as a hodgepodge of former Worrell sailors, family, friends and drinking buddies and congeals into a cohesive unit that protects the sailors like a communal family.

The shore crews are busy from 6 AM until the boat is put back together and ready to race the next day. In the morning crews check the weather forecast, drain condensation from the hulls, go over the boat for possible breakdowns, and fix gear. The GPS is double-checked, safety gear is scrutinized, food is readied and the camel-backs are filled. Then the sails are lifted and the boat is positioned in the starting gate. The chosen "pusher" stretches out, scouts the depth of the water, and looks for sand bars in preparation for his assault on the surf. Finally the sailors arrive at the boat. As soon as the boats leave the beach the teams are running for the hotel. The bags are packed into the trucks, someone checks out and they are on the road. Some legs are easy to watch from Florida route A1A. On these legs support crews may pull over to take pictures and yell to the sailors, but most times it's up the road to the new hotel. The inevitable hassle at the desk precedes the unpacking of bags and then it's out to the beach to make sure the teams aren't on the horizon. Dollies are brought to the beach and water is readied for the arrival of the parched teams. As the boats arrive the shore crew waits at the finish, ready to clean up the mess after the controlled crash onto the beach. As the sailors step off they are greeted with water and food and the repairs begin. On rough legs repairs can last late into the night. Some teams carry as many as six shore crew, while others are happy with one. Either way, this is not an easy job.

There are some rules in this subculture. The first rule is that the racers come first. Lazy shore crews are not permitted and the work ethic of the group tends to pick up the stragglers and bring them into line. The second rule is that all the teams come together when the going gets tough. This is a race and everybody wants to win, but safety is a much bigger factor in the Worrell than most races. Sometimes it takes the whole community to save one boat form danger. Everyone understands that.

Many of the shore crew take their vacation every year to attend the Worrell. Pete Fletcher is the manager of Worrell Bros. Restaurant, Mike Worrell's old place. Worrell Bros. had a team the last two years, when they didn't put one together this year he decided to come anyway. "I got to know Jamie [Livingston] and this is just a great community of people. It's a good natural sport and I couldn't miss this thing."

Livingston's brother Grant follows the race as well. Grant is a folk singer and can be heard at many of the big folk festivals in the south. He plans a mini tour around the Worrell and plays several shows along the way.

People who experience the Worrell 1000 tend to keep coming back. Sandra Tartaglino started out as shore crew, crewed the race, and now is co-skippering. "It gets into your blood", says Tartaglino.

The godfather of shore crew is Chuck Bargeron of Team Tybee. Chuck has been involved in the Worrell for 19 years.He heard about the race and began hunting for information in the Hobie magazines. "I went down and sat my butt down on the beach and waited and waited.At about 2, 3 in the morning here comes this boat, I said 'this is unbelievable.'" The next year was the first year that the race stopped in stages so Bargeron cooked some hotdogs for the guys and got to talking with Lee Queensbury. The following year Mike Worrell called him up and asked him to make the whole trip as a race official. He's been involved ever since.

In 98 Bargeron decided to start his own team. He found sponsors, picked the sailors, bought the boat and equipment and set the tone of the whole program. His goal is simple, "I want to finish and I want to run with the front of the pack." Bargeron runs his team like a Nascar team. He sees the Worrell becoming more like stock car racing in the future. "I feel for the sailors who can't do the race financially.I hope cost never keeps the race out of reach for the sailor who wants to dance with the Atlantic." Bargeron thinks that teams like his will help to grow the race in the future and create the opportunity for more sailors to compete.  

The Worrell 1000 is a huge goal to aspire to. It takes planning, fitness, skill and a little luck. But the best teams all have one thing in a common - a dedicated group of volunteers that make this grueling race possible.

The word of the day for Mrs. Hast's class is Fluky.