Upwind leg starts 2022 Worrell 1000

(May 9, 2022) – Thirteen teams completed the first leg of the 2022 Worrell 1000 which took the fleet along the Florida coast from Hollywood Beach to Jensen Beach.

Before the start, a steady Northeast breeze with a small, 2-foot shore break was to offer a steady, upwind beat – not what the sailors were hoping for to start with. The RC had set a generous line and cautioned the fleet to comply with the sailing instructions, requiring them to stay within their lane until through the surf.

A port start was dictated by the Beach Captain – done so for safety. The final horn sounded and off they went – seeming to have a hard time getting through the surf at a good pace, some bobbed and floundered. Others – took off and were double trapped within minutes of the start.

A collision between team Cat in the Hat and The Netherlands would prove to cripple both boats this day – Cat in the Hat coming back to the beach with a broken spinnaker pole and deciding to launch without replacing it. Team The Netherlands limped to the finish 11 hours later – behind Cat in the Hat by almost a full hour.

Winning the first stage was Team Rudee’s, skippered by 6-time Worrell Champion Randy Smyth with his crew Dalton Tebo, finishing the leg in 6 hours 28 minutes and 25 seconds. In second, a full 35 minutes behind was Team Fast Forward Composites, skippered by yet another Worrell alum, Tommy Gonzales with crew Sam Ingham in 6 hours, 53 minutes and 33 seconds. Third to the finish was the defending champion, Team Australia – Rod Waterhouse and Chris Way, coming in at 6 hours, 57 minutes and 4 seconds.

Why so precise? Because in THIS race – seconds can mean the difference between a Worrell Championship…..and a loss.

With a foreboding forecast for tomorrow, the fleet wrapped up the day in the dark, arranging their boats to comply with local sea turtle protection ordinances and carrying flashlights to police up their gear and parts before retiring for the night.

Some folks were fortunate enough to enjoy a civilized dinner time and rest – others – not so much. What will the next leg bring? It only takes one bad flip in the surf to completely change things around…

Race details – Entry list – Leg 1 results – Facebook

Schedule – 12 stages
• Day 1 – Monday 09 May 2022 – Hollywood, FL –> Jensen Beach, FL
• Day 2 – Tuesday 10 May 2022 – Jensen Beach, FL –> Cocoa Beach, FL
• Day 3 – Wednesday 11 May 2022 – Cocoa Beach, FL ->Daytona Beach, FL
• Day 4 – Thursday 12 May 2022 – Daytona Beach, FL -> Jacksonville Beach, FL
• Day 5 – Friday 13 May 2022 – Jacksonville Beach, FL –> Tybee Island, GA
• Day 6 – Saturday 14 May 2022 – Tybee Island, GA (lay day)
• Day 7 – Sunday 15 May 2022 – Tybee Island, GA –> Folly Beach, SC
• Day 8 – Monday 16 May 2022 – Folly Beach, SC -> Surfside Beach, SC
• Day 9 – Tuesday 17 May 2022 – Surfside Beach, SC –> Wrightsville Beach, NC
• Day 10 – Wednesday 18 May 2022 – Wrightsville Beach, NC -> Atlantic Beach, NC
• Day 11 – Thursday 19 May 2022 – Atlantic Beach, NC -> Hatteras, NC
• Day 12 – Friday 20 May 2022 – Hatteras, NC -> Kill Devil Hills, NC
• Day 13 – Saturday 21 May 2022 – Kill Devil Hills, NC ->Virginia Beach, VA

Source: Beverley J Simmons