Cape Hatteras, NC
5/19/2000, 10 AM
By Zack Leonard
Today's start could be a gory spectacle. The Southwesterly wind is blowing a solid 18 knots and the surf
is 4 feet and confused. The sandbar has chopped up the waves into a foamy mess. The sailors will lauch
then race 66 miles to Kill Devil Hills, NC. The course will run through diamond shoals and around the
infamous Cape Hatteras.
Don't wait for a report on the start. The journalists will watch the start then jump into 4 wheelers
piloted by the Outer Banks Dune Buggy Association to try to catch the fleet as they rush through the
narrow channel off the Cape. The afternoon report will have descriptions of the start, the cape
rounding and the finish.
Premier Shutters was penalized for a collision with P Yacht at the start yesterday. Scott and Dior
Hubel of Premier Shutters applied for redress claiming the hole in their boat slowed them on the leg
and forced them ashore for repairs. Their penalty was the denial of their redress request. They
lost 2 hours to repairs. P Yacht was granted redress for the incident. 15 minutes and 46 seconds
were removed from their time yesterday. That was the time they spent on the beach replacing their
bent bow pole. Team Mobil was penalized the mandatory 15 minutes plus 3 seconds for a premature
start yesterday.
Several teams were forced to come ashore during the race yesterday to make repairs. Scott and Dior
Hubel of Premier Shutters repaired two holes in their hull after a collision with P Yacht at the
start. The duct tape repair came loose later in the leg. As they sailed downwind towards the
finish the boat didn't feel right. "I would head up and the boat wouldn't do what it was supposed
to do," said Hubel, "luckily I realized why." Hubel gybed in to shore as soon as he realized that
his duct tape band-aid had failed. They just made it to the beach at Ocracoke Island. Billy of
team Outerbanks was on the beach at Ocracoke and found some duct tape for the Hubels who completed
the leg after making the repair.
Team Mobil broke a rudder and pulled into Ocracoke to make repairs. Luckily they were carrying an
extra blade with them each day, so the repair was quick and easy.
Team Outer Banks also broke a rudder, but they didn't have one on board. They did, however, use
great ingenuity in dealing with the situation. After sailing downwind from Cape Lookout with only
a leeward rudder, John McGlaughlin and Peanut Johnson needed to gybe to make the finish at Hatteras,
but they didn't want to sail downwind with only a windward rudder. The duo landed on Portsmouth
island, switched the blade to the new leeward side and continued to the finish.
All three teams had to execute two beach landings and two beach departures to complete the leg.
That was no easy feat yesterday.
