Day 6 - Tybee Island (recap)
The day started with 15kts steady from the NE. Nine boats started the beat to weather with Cat in the Hat capsizing just after leaving the breakers. They quickly righted, returned to the beach for a daggerboard and were off to chase the fleet. At Saint Mary's inlet the race finally took it's toll on TCDYC. Equipment failures and heavy seas forced them to drop out. Tiki Yellow also had to retire about sixty miles into the one hundred twenty-five mile leg.
At Tybee Island the breeze clocked East around 10 - 12kts. Oolaalaa was again first to finish, followed ten minutes later by Team Velocity and Team Tybee Island in quick succession. Tiki Orange and Accelerated Chaos followed shortly after. Incoming sailors reported ten to twelve foot seas which made the leg difficult for the less experienced teams.
The last boats finished after 2200, with Cat in the Hat arriving at a gruelling 04:38:17. They were surprised to find John Casey, Mischa Heemskerk, Trey Brown and Alan Stewart on the beach waiting for them. The boys helped to quickly get the boat on the beach, and broke down the boat for the weary sailors.
In this sixth running of the Tybee 500, sailors encountered a wide variety of conditions. Many teams vowed to return next year for one of catamaran sailing's most challenging races.
Click here to add a comment - Currently there are 5 comments
Comments
Pim says:
Goed gedaan Oolaalaa,
Ik ben trots op jullie !
Matt Morris - Team Chums II says:
Thanks for a great race!! The event was run very well & I look foward to coming back in the near future. Thanks again for a great race!
Matt
Mischa Heemskerk says:
Thank you all for the support. It was a wonderful event and the atmosphere during this event is one to keep as the major spirit of sailing. We enjoyed this monster race and are very happy with meeting all nice people.
The Need For Speed, Mischa Heemskerk
Alan'o'sauras says:
Thanks to all the race officials and Teams for making this years Tybee one for the record books. I cain't wait till next year.
Keith Chapman says:
This was our first experience with the Tybee, and I believe that the organizers, committee, and sponsors all deserve a huge round of applause for making this race happen. It's not an easy thing to put on by any means, and this group makes it happen and keeps it happening. Next time you see any of them buy them a drink and express your thanks. They're doing a great job and this race is only going to grow in response to their effort.
We certainly had our challenges this year and were very bummed that our effort ended just as we thought we were getting back on our feet, but that's the nature of it! We'll do our best to be out there again!
Congrats to Oolaalaa! It was a real treat to watch you guys sail! Congrats also to all the teams that made the effort!
Cheers,
Keith Chapman
Pirates of the Chesapeake