Virginia Beach, VA
5/20/2000, 6:30 PM
By Zack Leonard
Team Rudee's, sailed by Brett Dryland and Rod Waterhouse, emerged from the fog ahead of the pack,
but they couldn't keep Randy Smyth and Matt Struble of Blockade Runner far enough back to steal
the overall victory. Smyth and Struble finished 52 seconds behind Dryland to seal the overall
win with a total elapsed time of 77 hours and 30 seconds, the second fastest time ever. Dryland
and Waterhouse pushed Smyth the whole way and sailed a fantastic race to take second overall.
Third in today's leg and third overall was the Dutch team of Loos and Heemskerk, who edged out
Alexander's on the Bay, sailed By Lambert and Livingston. Alexander's was 4th today and 4th
overall. Sunnucks and Self of Great Britain finished 5th today and 5th in the overall standings.
The overall title was far from over 1/2 way through today's leg. After the start the wind
became unstable and shifted all over the compass. Puffs would fill from one direction, die,
and then the wind would shift 100 degrees. In the middle of the leg the Aussies held a huge
lead over Smyth and looked to cover the 29 minute spread that would give them the title.
"At one point they were so far ahead that we couldn't even see them," said Smyth, noting
that someone out of sight in light air could easily be 1/2 hour ahead. But the wind shifted
to the North and filled in at 10 knots while a light fog descended. The fleet still had 25
miles to sail and Smyth began his comeback. "We really started flying upwind," said Smyth,
"but we were back in 7th place." Boatspead saved the day as Smyth was able to close the gap
and sail through the fleet to finish 2nd. "I really thought Rudee's might have it today,"
said an amazed Kenny Pierce.
This is Smyth's 6th Worrell 1000 victory and his 4th consecutive win. It's easy to wonder
how one person with 4 different crews can be so dominant in such a difficult race. Dumb luck
can take you out of this race with one bad wave, yet Smyth has survived and competed each time.
Sailing a small catamaran in the ocean requires a sensitivity and seamanship that is impossible
to appreciate until you've tried it. " Rick Deppe is a Whitbread veteran and he's seen a lot of
ocean miles, "This gets an 8 out of 10 for Danger," said an exhausted Deppe.
What will it take to beat Smyth? William Sunnucks thinks it will take a determined effort,
"You need to spend 6 months 2 boat tuning with someone fast so you can be consistently quick
in all conditions, then you have to have the balls to stick to the beach the whole way like he does."
18 of the 19 entrants sailed the full course this year. "The sailors seem more prepared
mentally and physically for the race than they used to be," said Worrell, "even the English
team came in January to attend our seminar on how to get ready for this race." Susan Korzeniewski
and Sandra Tartaglino worked hard to prepare and became the first female skippers to finish the race.
"Mentally I was a little disappointed with my performance, so I want to try it again," said Korzeniewski,
"I'm glad it was light this year, I need to work on my heavy air sailing."
The Worrell 1000 meanders up the coast past long straight beaches, through marshy tidewaters and
around mountainous dunes. It's a beautiful sail. But more importantly it creates a tight-knit
community of adventurers who have adopted this race and made it a part of their lives. Nearly
all the competitors plan to return next year and most of the race officials have been coming back
for years.
This race is different things to different people. For some it's a test of endurance and survival,
for others it's a race to the finish. Brett Dryland can't remember exactly why he does it, "I remember
it gets better two months from now, it all makes sense then."
Gerard Loos does it to prove something to himself: "If you finish this race you are a very good sailor."
Brian Lambert comes back for the camaraderie: "the people are great, everybody pulls together."
Brad Cavanaugh is searching: "I've been floundering around looking for sailing that's worth doing,
and this is definitely worth doing."
But the best explanation comes from the man who started all this madness, Mike Worrell,
"To me it's the personal challenge of doing something that puts yourself in danger where only
your wits and ability to deal with your surroundings can assure your safety. Then overlay top
competition and you've got an extreme sporting event, similar to the Volvo Ocean Race. I don't
know why these people do it, but that's why I started it."
Peanut Johnson of Team Outer Banks has just crossed the finish line. He waded up to terra firma
and jumped in the air raising his fist in triumph. Last year a broken hand kept him from finishing.
This year he has achieved his personal best.
Tom Weaver and Richard Deppe of P Yacht have just surfed onto the beach. "I'm spent," said Deppe,
"I've been spent for a week. I've sailed a Whitbread, I've sailed a lot of miles, and this really
is some hard core shit."
Mike Worrell has already begun to work on next year's race. His notebook is full of improvements
that he hopes to make in the future. The race is taking on a new momentum. New competitors are
crawling out of the woodwork, sponsors are taking notice and websites are registering millions of
hits during the event. This race deserves the attention. This race deserves the effort. Come try
it if you dare.
