Wrightsville Beach, NC
5/17/2000, 10:00 AM
By Zack Leonard
The Sailors are off the beach here at Wrightsville Beach. Leg 9 will take the fleet 67 miles
up the North Carolina coast to finish at Atlantic Beach. The wind is South at 12-14 knots and
the surf is 3 feet. The boats pushed off and set spinnakers immediately. Team Holland sailed
by Loos and Heemskerk jumped out from pole position and had an excellent spinnaker set to take
an early lead. Smyth and Struble of Blockade Runner set while they were still bouncing in the
shore break, but the couldn't get through to leeward of Brett Dryland and Rod Waterhouse of Rudee's
before the Aussies got their chute flying.
The Rhumb line runs nearly 8 miles off shore today so strategy will be crucial. Some teams will
skirt the coast hoping the sea-breeze bends with the contour of the coast, allowing them to sail
tighter angles and faster all the way. Other boats will head down the Rhumb line hoping that it
doesn’t turn into a run near the end of the leg. The radar shows some cloud activity that may hit
the racers later in the leg. Loos and Heemskerk think these clouds will be the key to the leg.
"We're just going to go fast and look for clouds, go for the darkest clouds and you will have the
most wind."
The crowd on the beach this morning was diverse. Fisherman, youth sailors from the local sailing
club, town officials and beach-walkers enjoyed the start. Residents of this coast seem to enjoy a
wide cross section of water sports and have a great respect for anyone who tangles with the Atlantic
ocean. One fisherman was enthralled by the start. "These folks have big cojones playing with mother
ocean like this," he said.
Misha Heemskerk of team Holland is nursing a strained shoulder. He's worried that all the spinnaker
work today could be a problem for him. Today should be very physical, but tomorrow is likely to be
even windier. The Worrell may come alive with some tough weather over the next few days.
Look for a report from the finish. Ground crews, race officials and Journalist will be hard pressed
to beat the fleet to the finish today. The race is on.
