Press Release

WORRELL 1000 MOVES START TO SOUTH BEACH

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. February 21, 2001 - Trendy "South Beach" in Miami Beach, Florida will be the new home for the start of the Worrell 1000, beginning this year with the 19th running of this grueling sailboat race. Fort Lauderdale, Florida former home to all but one of the race starts since the event was first run in 1976 will now become the first checkpoint stop after leaving South Beach at 3:00pm, Sunday, May 6th.

"Moving the start to "South Beach" adds another day to the race which enables us to start and finish on a weekend," says Michael Worrell, race director and founder. "For years I've searched for a way to do this without adding a lay-day. That would dilute the extreme aspect of the challenge and hurt the momentum of the race."

James Quinlan, Director of Arts, Culture & Entertainment for the City of Miami Beach comments, "The Worrell 1000 is a perfect fit for South Beach. It's exciting, cutting edge, and Michael Worrell has done a great job in delivering a first class event. We look forward to a long relationship."

The Holiday Inn South Beach at 2201 Collins Avenue will be the host hotel and the start will be on the beach in front of the hotel. This new leg will be 22.7 statute miles in length and with average wind and sea conditions boats should finish in Fort Lauderdale around 5:00pm. This will allow South Florida spectators to see the start and a leg finish on the same day.

The Worrell 1000 is a unique, one-of-a-kind sailboat race, sailed on identical Inter 20s, (20-foot) off the beach catamarans. Like a nautical Tour de France, the competitors race north for 1,000 miles with stops at 12 oceanfront checkpoint cities in 5 states before finishing almost two weeks later in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Saturday, May 19th.