Smidge Takes Top Honors in the 21th Anniversary Caribbean 1500 Rally;)
Caribbean 1500 fleet on the docks – click to enlargeWaiting for the late season Hurricane Tomas and a succession of lows to pass before leaving, the 21th Anniversary Caribbean 1500 fleet of 75 boats experienced strong northwest winds and northerly swells in its annual trek to the Caribbean – and Nanny Cay. Smidge, a Hallberg Rassey 43, owned by the Benbow family from Yardley, PA, took Overall Handicap Honors. First to finish was Sunsets, a MacGregor 65 owned by Howard Weiss and Kelly Reed of Gaithersburg,MD,.
The Caribbean 1500 Rally, managed by the Cruising Rally Association, left Hampton VA for Tortola on November 8 after a week of preparatory briefings, safety inspections, and gala social events. This year, the participants had a choice of destinations – either Marsh Harbor in the Abacos or Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The Bahamas Class, made up of 11 boats, left a week earlier and skirted the coast to Charleston before proceeding to the Abacos.
After taking top honors, Smidge skipper Maury Benbow said, “This was the first extended ocean passage for Smidge, our Hallberg-Rassy 43, and we were extremely pleased with her performance. Crossing the Gulfstream in a 25- 30 knot north wind was never threatening.
“Our crew of Mike Beckmann, Rob Sharp, Nate Benbow and Bonnie and me gelled into a tremendous team. When conditions were at their toughest, they cracked jokes and hot meals appeared from the galley. They pushed the boat speed day and night, resulting in our placing first on corrected time.
“I appreciate the efforts of the entire rally staff in helping to make this a beautiful passage that produced wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. I hope circumstances are such that we can participate in a future Caribbean 1500. “Our thoughts are with friends and family of Laura Zekoll who did not survive the capsize of a life raft following her vessel’s grounding while attempting to enter a cut in the Bahamas.”
Steve Black, Founder of the Rally added, “Maury’s comment about Laura echoes the feelings of the entire fleet and staff of the Caribbean 1500.”
The fleet sailed in two divisions. Owners chose to enter either the Cruising Class to enjoy a cruise in company, or the Rally Class to participate in the fun race. Those in the Cruising Class receive the same safety, weather and communication benefits as the Rally Class. All Cruising Class boats were presented awards in Tortola that recognized their achievement of safely completing an open ocean passage of 1500 miles.
The Rally Fleet was divided into six handicap classes, five in the Tortola- bound fleet and one for the Bahamas-Bound group.
In the Rally Class I, Madrugada, a Pacer 42, was skippered by Black himself. He edged out first-to-finish Sunsets on corrected time to take the Performance Class I honors.
In Rally Class II, FadoFado, a Leopard 46 owned by rally veteran Denis McCarthy, placed first flying the Irish flag. FadoFado also took home the award for Best Performance by a Multihull. Chasing FadoFado to the finish line was Windara, a J/46 owned by Glenn and Elsa Gustafson from Sawyer, MI. In third place was Skitterygusset, another J/46, owned by Chris Holm from Wayzata, MN.
Class III was a battle of the “Salty Dogs” as Bill and Diana Quinlan on their Taswell AS 58, Special Delivery edged out Joy For All, a Farr 50 owned by Gil and Joy Smith from Glastonbury CT. (A “Salty Dog” is a designation given to those in the Caribbean 1500 who have completed seven or more passages.) Mike Scott on Zafu 444, a J/44 CR, came in third.
The British contingent on Pelekan, an Island Packet 485, led by Tom Hollway from Devizes, UK, took the honors in Class IV. Second place finisher was Mystery, a Sequin 46, owned by Ward McElhinny from Cohasset MA. Glory, a Jeanneau 45.2, sailed by Case and Patty Whittemore from Williamsburg VA came in third.
Overall Handicap Winner Smidge led Rally Class V, followed by Island Time and Southern Cross. Island Time is a Morgan OI 41 owned by Peter Wallo. Southern Cross is a Lagoon 380 owned by Stephen Spracher.
In the Bahamas Class, Runaway, a Conser 46 sailed by Bill and Maureen Danilczyk, son Brian, and crew took first-to-finish honors. Overall Handicap Winner was Reg Noble and crew on RNR, a Prout 50. Second place on corrected time also went to Runaway.
The award for Best Performance by a Double-Handed Crew went to David & Rorie Craig from New Hope PA on Aurora, a Stevens 57. Amayesing, an Oyster 56, received the event’s Tempest Award, emblematic of the “Spirit of the Caribbean 1500.” Amayesing stood by with a vessel in distress during the first night of the rally. The vessel, not in the rally, was airlifted a high volume water pump by the US Coast Guard. After stopping the leak and activating the pump, the vessel was able to maneuver to a safe haven under its own power.
The Linehan family on Asteroid, a Nordia VanDam 68 Ketch, out-fished the rest of the fleet and earned the event’s Fishing Trophy.
The participants in the Caribbean 1500 contributed $1845 to Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR). The check was presented during the Awards Ceremony at the end of the rally. VISAR is a voluntary organization dedicated to saving life at sea.
All Ralliers received cold champagne and a warm welcome at Nanny Cay, where the BVI Tourist Board and Roadtown Wholesale (RTW) hosted nightly parties for the sailors. The Prizegiving Ceremony and Farewell Dinner on Nanny Cay’s beach honored participants for meeting the challenges of the offshore passage to the Caribbean.
Over 40,000 website visitors from 67 countries monitored the progress of the boats in the rally. With wireless transponders on each yacht, positions were broadcast via satellite six times each day, every four hours. Each boat’s track was displayed on the Caribbean 1500 website using software customized to incorporate features from Google Earth. The transponder program is sponsored by Davenport & Company, LLC.
Cruising Rally Association offshore sailing rallies retain some of the competitive elements of traditional sailboat races, but offer social, educational and technological enhancements that broaden the appeal of the event to couples and families, as well as racers – both experienced and first-timers.
A return rally, the Atlantic Cup, is planned for May 1, 2011. The Atlantic Cup will leave from Nanny Cay and finish in Bermuda. Participants will enjoy the same camaraderie, adventure, and competition that have made the Caribbean 1500 a perennial favorite, and will reunite with their fellow ralliers to share stories of their winter in the Caribbean.
The Cruising Rally Association, founded by veteran solo sailor and sailing event organizer Steve Black, is widely supported by a number of leading companies including Nanny Cay.
For full information on future rallies and seminars, visit www.carib1500.com.
