Steve Romaine’s Air Supply coming in for the finish line in Key West.
Crew of the St. Petersburg YC Youth Offshore Team. From left to right are Alex Voce, Emily Wright, Martin Hood, Josh Dochoda, Grant Dumas (program leader), Liam McCarthy, Sylvia Hopkins.
Offshore Youth Team’s boat, S.O.R.C., a Frers 30, at the start.
The crew on Santa Rita (third from the left is skipper Roy Rogers), which received a Good Samaritan award for rescuing the crew of the Liela B which sank on the sail south.
vessel’s life raft, spending only a short time waiting before they were rescued by a fellow race participant. Roy Rodgers on his vessel Santa Rita, a Jeanneau 50 out of Tampa, generously threw the race to help the crew members of the Liela B get to safety. The members of the Liela B were very fortunate, as there were no injuries or fatalities. Another vessel certainly worth noting was S.O.R.C., a Frers 30, sailed by the youngest sailors of the regatta. The crew is part of the St. Petersburg YC Youth Offshore Team, headed by Grant Dumas. There was a crew of six, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old. They started out of Sarasota and were in the Spinnaker class for the 169-mile race. The boat is named S.O.R.C. in honor of the old Southern Ocean Racing Conference The first vessel to cross the finish line in Key West was Catabelle, a Dolphin 46 out of Sarasota, at 11:05:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 16. It received the first-place trophy in the Multihull class. Other winners from Sarasota: Mother News & Views for Southern Sailors
Ocean, an O’Day 40 skippered by Richard Gress, took first in the Spinnaker class; first was Wind in the True Cruising class, skippered by Art Cupps. First in NonSpinnaker was Solitude, skippered by Dave Wilson. In the Tampa start there was only one class, Non-Spinnaker, won by Midnight Sun, skippered by Blaise Pierson. Starting from Naples, in the True Cruising class, the winner was Dragon Fly Plus, a Swan 53. In the Spinnaker class, Tropical Storm was the first-place winner, skippered by Doug Forster. In the Non-Spinnaker class, Fancy Free took first, skippered by Jerry Poquette, and in the Multihull class, Windfall, skippered by John Johnson, took first. The end of the race was celebrated in island fashion with events Friday and Saturday. The racers were welcomed to Key West at the kickoff party at Kelly’s on Friday night. Then they were able to experience a taste of old Key West charm by spending the afternoon at the Stock Island Yacht Club on Saturday, followed by the awards ceremony at Dante’s Saturday night. Thank you to all the volunteers who worked so hard to make this year a huge success. It would not have been possible without your help. SOUTHWINDS
July 2013
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