Vic - Maui Yacht Race - A busy night
by Alan Hannam 3 Jul 2000 08:14 BST
A BUSY NIGHT
Conditions are changing as the fleet rounds the corner of the Pacific High off San Francisco, and heads directly for Maui. Though winds lessened today to 10-15 knots, some boats are already reporting occasional squalls. The general feeling is they are entering the trades.
The lighter winds slowed the fleet a bit, and there are only a few changes in fleet placings. GRAND ILLUSION still leads Class A, SHOW ME is second, and MIDNIGHT SPECIAL third. Both GRAND ILLUSION and RENEGADE logged the best daily runs (220-odd miles). FARR-ARI leads Class B, followed by JOIA and PURSUIT. JOIA put in the best daily distance here (185 miles). Apparently PURSUIT is being dogged by something on her keel, and may be slow until she frees whatever it is. NIGHT RUNNER leads Class C, with GREY HOUND second, and TURICUM third. The order in Class D is ORIOLE, PRAIRIE VOYAGER and TETHRA. Overall, ORIOLE still leads the fleet (though by a lesser margin) followed by GRAND ILLUSION and FARR-ARI.
The squally conditions caused PRAIRIE VOYAGER to broach violently enough to put her mast in the water. She recovered without any problems other than the mess to cleaned up. ORIOLE reports a night of spinnaker difficulties, but says she is back in the groove too.
It seems everyone is getting something special out of the race. DARBY reports finding a 15-inch Japanese glass fishing float, and disturbing a sleeping whale while retrieving it. The whale encircled the boat with a stream of phosphorescence. TETHRA already considers she's won the fishing derby, and is inviting the other crews to come back for dinner. Not to be outdone, DREAM CATCHER reports catching a 25lb tuna. Her crew has spotted two different kinds of whales and a shark.
Whether they are concentrating on maximizing boat speed, solving some immediate problem, working on regular maintenance, or simply sharing the scenery, mutual support and camaraderie among crew are critical parts of any long offshore race like this one. There ought to be little to worry about in this respect on Steve and Susan Clark's Centurion 42-1 WINDS OF TIME. Her crew includes four couples, among which are Jean Petit and Rudy Hessels. They met during the last Vic-Maui, and intend to tie the knot when they arrive in Lahaina.
Our Website address is www.vicmaui.org. Daily Race Reports can be found in its News Center/Daily Reports Section, and there is a Discussion Group in the News Centre/Discussion Group. Local television coverage will be on CHEKtv in Victoria and VTV in Vancouver during their evening news programs.