Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 M600 LEADERBOARD

Worrell 1000 Race 2024 Lay Day & Leg 7

by Beverley J Simmons 20 May 12:42 PDT May 12-25, 2024
Worrell 1000 Race © Roger Scruggs

Folly Beach, SC is the new "lay-day" checkpoint for the race this year. Traditionally done at Tybee Island, GA, the local tourism & development council as well as City Officials for Folly had worked closely with Race Organizers over the last year to really make this new resting spot a pleasant one for all. The brand new beach, fresh from a huge re-nourishment project, was expansive and beautiful. The teams enjoyed a wide swath of super soft sand to land, rest and do boat work on Saturday, and were treated to a fantastic, low-Country Boil - Paid for entirely by the fine folks at Visit Folly that evening at the Folly Beach Park Dunes Pavilion. Teams that were initially wary of not having the lay day directly following the longest leg of the event (Jacksonville Beach FL - Tybee Island GA; 120 miles), were quick to praise the event's organizers for the move.

Sunday morning, May 19th would bring everyone back to a hard reality as the 7th leg to Surfside Beach, SC was forecast to have painfully light winds from the North with scattered thunderstorms along the route. To sail this leg of 85 miles under just main and jib - the teams braced for another likely, unintended night leg. The fleet of 11 cast off the beach, all under spinnaker to try and make the most of the dismal 5-knot winds while moving slowly out to a rhumb line heading north. The spins would have to be brought down for the tack northward into what would turn out to be, dying breaths of wind. The scattered thunderstorms predicted did reach some of the teams, while others were spared. Swirling, converging and indecisive wind patterns plagued the fleet the entire day. By 11:15pm the first boat would arrive - team Australia 1 (Brett Burville & Max Putman) - a dismal 13 hour slog.

The two teams that made out well in terms of event performance and standings for a leg were Team Rudee's (Randy Smyth & Dalton Tebo) coming in 2nd - their best finish thus far while Team Meerkat (Mark Modderman & Mike Siau) sailed in for a respectful 6th - a finish that would move them up to 8th place (from 10th) overall.The final team to hit the beach at 2:29am Monday morning would be TCDYC - Chris Green and Jean Bolougne. But we were still missing one.....

Team Roo in the Hat, Brett White of Australia & Larry Ferber of the US would suffer a starboard hull that was completely filled with water, forcing them to come ashore in a very remote area over 20 miles from the finish. Their team manager and ground crew Chris Lim reported to the Race Committee around 3am that the team opted to stay ashore and get some sleep before trying to push back out in the morning to meet Chris at a suitable beach they could land on.

In a post this morning on Team Roo in the Hat's Facebook page, the team reported that a meeting spot had been chosen and the team was attempting to sail to it, while Zack Panetti (previous crew on Team Cat in the Hat with Larry Ferber in 2019 & 2022) was flying in to render additional assistance to the team for the remainder of the event. Team manager Chris Lim stated; "The timing of extra hands today couldn't be more perfect. Once our sailors meet with ground crew, we will assess the damage to determine our next steps for the race. In the meantime, a big Thank You to everyone for your help and positive thoughts last night including our fellow Worrell Teams."

As of the writing of this article (2:30pm May 20th), the team had been retrieved and were on route to Wrightsville beach - they are hoping to be on the line for the leg from Wrightsville to Atlantic Beach on Tuesday, May 21st. Unfortunately, they will be scored a "DNS" for leg 8 - Surfside to Wrightsville - but we are ALL thankful to have them safe and willing to continue on this crazy journey called the Worrell 1000. Stay tuned for more reporting on legs 8 through the grand finish in VA Beach on May 24th.

For more information regarding the race, please visit our official website at worrell1000race.com

And be sure to like and follow the Worrell on Facebook here

Related Articles

Introducing the new Absolute 70 FLY
With an array of innovative features, attention to detail, space optimization and immersive lighting The 70 FLY debuts with an array of innovative features and embodies Absolute's signature attention to detail, space optimization, and immersive lighting. Posted today at 5:03 am
A new Freedom debuts
Freedom 345 is making its debut in Fort Lauderdale Grady-White's NEW Freedom 345 is making its debut in Fort Lauderdale. Posted on 31 Oct
48 hours in silence - even on a diesel boat
Introducing the Responsible Power package: all the benefits of hybrid without going hybrid Greenline Yachts is making strides in making their diesel-powered yachts more sustainable by eliminating the need for a generator. Posted on 31 Oct
Introducing the new Absolute Navetta 62
The 62ft Navetta embodies innovative, contemporary features that set new standard in luxury yachting The Navetta 62 is a stunning yacht that embodies the innovative spirit and contemporary elegance of Absolute Yachts. Posted on 31 Oct
Yamarin set to unveil new flagship powerboat
Proud to announce the launch of its largest powerboat yet Yamarin, the premium Finnish boat brand synonymous with elegance, quality, and exceptional handling, is proud to announce the launch of its largest powerboat yet. Posted on 31 Oct
Boston Whaler debuts the all-new 330 Vantage
At the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Boston Whaler introduced its all-new 330 Vantage (“330”) today, which completes the evolution of the dual-console Vantage family lineup. Debuting at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Posted on 31 Oct
World Cat debuts new 400DC-X Island
Successor to the 400DC-X launched World Cat has launched the new 400DC-X Island, the successor to the 400DC-X, at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Posted on 31 Oct
Quick USA introduces Sanguineti, Nemo and Xenta
Bringing Made in Italy quality and cutting-edge technology to the US boating market From technologically advanced integrated solutions to top quality deck fixtures, fittings and core components, the Italian headquartered Quick Group is one of the world's leading players in marine equipment for the yacht and superyacht sectors Posted on 30 Oct
SunDeck 3200 heralds new dawn for Hurricane Boats
The latest high point of Hurricane Boats' designs Hurricane Boats, legendary innovator in versatile deck boat designs, ushers in the next chapter in its storied history with the launch of its latest model for 2025 - the SunDeck 3200. Posted on 30 Oct
The BB44 Main Deck - Functional excellence
At Boston Boatworks, we're building the next generation of excellence The BB44 combines the amazing ride of a BB advanced-composite Zurn Yacht Design hull with an elegant home-on-the water living space created by Winch Design. Posted on 28 Oct
Trinidad and Tobago - Sail Service StayMaritimo 2023 S600 FOOTER