The fleet pushed off the beach in a 10 knot Northeasterly breeze that
promised 67 miles of upwind work on the way to Atlantic Beach. Team
Tybee Island and Alexander's on the Bay jumped out to great starts from the
first two slots at the start. Their upwind position on the beach
allowed them to roll over the other boats, extending with clear air in
the early part of the leg.
US Sailing Team Coach Gary Bodie was on the beach for the start this
morning. Joining Bodie was Tony Rey of the Tyco Volvo Ocean Race Team.
The Laser Nationals will begin this weekend in Wrightsville Beach and
Bodie is running an Olympic Development Clinic before the event. Bodie
and Rey were intrigued by the start. "I've been following the Worrell
for years," said Bodie. He wondered how difficult it would be for two
quality mono-hull sailors to jump in and compete against the experienced
cat sailors in the Worrell 1000. "It would probably take a year of
catamaran sailing," speculated Bodie, "but in another sense it's a
little bit like doing a marathon, there are a lot of people who do it
for the adventure, who just say 'I'm going to finish this thing.'"
After the start, the helicopter landed and let out the local news
cameramen. Today was my day to ride up the beach in the chopper.
Looking out from the pool side patio of the Blockade Runner Resort as the
helicopter landed on the manicured lawn it became clear that this place
was made for the Worrell 1000. The resort owners are past sponsors of
the event and they went out of their way for the sailors and crews,
hosting a fantastic barbecue last night. But the resort has a special
compactness and suitability for this event. There is a bit of a James
Bond feel with the helicopter sitting 50 feet from the pool and the
catamarans parked on the beach 50 feet farther away.
This was my first ride in a helicopter and the take off was a lot like a
combination of 3 or 4 of my favorite amusement park rides. The noise is
substantial, but the headphone and microphone communication system is
great. The noise is cut out almost entirely and communication between
all the passengers and the pilot is easy. It's also great to listen to
the pilot speaking with air traffic controllers along the way. The trip
from Wrightsville Beach to Atlantic Beach took us through Camp Lejeune, a
giant Marine Corps Base. We needed special clearance to pass through
the restricted zone, but all went smoothly and we were afforded a
glimpse of the huge installation.
The river deltas, shifting sand islands and grassy wetlands took on a
creative aspect from the air. The scene looked like an art project
created by an innocent student with a french curve and no rulers
allowed. When you fly in a helicopter there must be an unwritten rule
that every person below has to wave at you. It's incredible how much
attention is focused upwards on the aircraft.
While we passed over the racers it was clear that the shore was the
place to be. The fleet short tacked up the beach towards a river delta
where a strong current was pushing out into the ocean. The flow of water
created a line of standing waves and a lone surfer had paddled past the
waves to yell to the passing catamarans. Team Tybee Island must have gone too
far off shore early. The lead pack was headed by Alexander's who were
covering Guidant closely and followed by Castrol and Tommy Bahama. The
wind was down to under 8 knots when we flew by the fleet and the breeze
didn't look much better over the rest of the course.
Team Australia has made a crew substitution. Tom Hall of Florida has
replaced Tony Nienaber. We'll have a report at the finish this evening.
