Wanderlust 3 Sailing Adventure: November 2008

The Carib 1500 was only my second organized event. In the mean time I

had sailed my new 2002 Hunter 46 over 36,000 miles and the even newer 2007 Hunter 49 Around-the-World, so I had learned a few things between these 'events'.

The 2000 Baja HaHa was my first real sail on my 'new-to-me' used 1998 Hunter 34 "WanderLust". I learned sailing from my 2 German friends that offered to mentor me down the coast to Cabo. That was a perfect first organized event for me to participate in. The 'Grand PooBah' has everything loosely organized with his only stipulation, "No Whining!"

The two Cruising Rallies have some similarities but they are a completely different ball game.

The Baja HaHa is like 2 families getting together for a 4th of July softball game in the park. Some players know what they are doing, most do not and take advise from others. The game is only 3 innings long and you take a lunch break between innings, one at Turtle Bay and the second break at Bahia Maria. The boats never stray more than 50 miles off shore down the Baja Mexican coast. The times are loosely kept but everybody wins the same prize at the end.

The Carib 1500 is Major League with teams in uniform, umpires, rules and required equipment. It goes a full 9 innings non-stop offshore for around 1500 miles.

The smallest vessel must be over 40 feet long and deemed 'Blue Water' capable. Each is required to have a certified life raft, a Solas type-1 PFD for each crew member, a Solas MOB pole and second throwable devise, 12 or more Solas flares including parachutes, Solas orange smoke canisters and some other things on a long list. I only had a Solas 8 person Viking Rescue-You life raft so I was required to go to West marine and buy all the rest before completing my inspection.

The inspectors are professional surveyors and take their volunteer jobs seriously. If things weren't right they would come back when you made it right. Each vessel must have an SSB radio, EPIRB and carry a satellite positioning transponder that the organizers provide. The inspectors check that all life lines and safety jack lines are installed and everyone has a harness with tether. Over three pages of required equipment. These guys are serious.

They have to be. The event leaves a starting line at the exit of the Chesapeake Bay just off of the large US Navy base at Norfolk Virginia and heads SE towards Tortola BVI, a distance of 1280 miles rhumb line but usually 1400-1500 miles depending on your course. It is almost all into the wind.

(On autopilot at 8.5 knots for 4 days) After doing one "Baja Bash" in 2001, I swore I would NEVER sail to wind again. I sailed 28,000 miles around the world last year with the wind never ahead of abeam, usually all down wind. This ride would be all up wind.

The start had to be put off 3 days because of Hurricane Paloma that was hitting Cuba with 120 knot winds.

set a course East and a waypoint 150 miles south of Bermuda. We had 3 days of 15-18 knots on the starboard beam. I and my 2 crew I had met just the day before and were doing 3 hours on watch, 6 off. With position reports every 6 hours over SSB radio we knew that we were in the middle group of 50 boats. The big racing class boats had all taken a more southerly course and seemed to be pulling ahead. I wanted to simply make enough easting into the SE trades before changing tack over to port.

At 65 degrees longitude, just 200 miles south of Bermuda, I flopped over to port tack and had a hard beat 40 to 45 degrees to weather. I had third reef down and just the stay sail in the 25-28 knots of SE winds with waves of 8-12 feet spraying and breaking into the bow and port side at about a 20-22 degree heel. And that was the next 4 days non-stop. And this from a guy who promised himself he would NEVER sail to wind again.

One of the crew was terribly sick for 12 hours, so my other crew member and I did 2 hours on, two off for a day. Finally we were again three strong and only one more day to the finish line. Exactly 8 days and one hour from the starting line we crossed into Tortola Bay. We were the 7th boat in to port but 4 of them had left early, one boat even a whole day early.

Officially the "Cruising Class" does not get an official time because insurance does not cover a "RACE" but with our 8 day, 1 hour time we were the 5th boat across the line and first 'Cruising Boat". We were also the first boat under 50 feet. More than half the fleet was over 50 feet in length and some of the best names in sailboat racing.

We were behind four race boats at the finish; a full race Santa Cruz 52, a Halberg-Rassy 62, a Halberg-Rassey 49 ketch and a Swan 58. Some of the race class boats that arrived after us were MacGregor 65, Catana 50, Beneteau 57, Jeanneau 57, Farr 50, Tayana 58, Taswell 58 and a Hinkley 51.

But behind us were a Hylas 54, 2 Amel 54s, a Tayana 55, a Passport 515, a Jeanneau 54 DS and many others.

Most of the sailors in this event were impressed with the new Hunter 49 as being "Very Blue Water" capable.

(My two crew were volunteers at the rally briefing the day before we left. John is from Michigan and owns a Beneteau 510 now in Hampton, VA. Dennis, also from Michigan, owns an Island Packet in Maine. They both wanted more offshore experience.)

Our end score of 193 (8 days-1 hour) was good but we probably used the engine the least amount of ANY boat with a total of 25 hours, never over 1800 rpm and re-filled with 26 gallons. That includes getting to the start line and in from the East End of Tortola finish line. Plus, I waited 15 minutes after the general start because I never made a line-start with other boats and did not want to be in their way. My only goal was to see how my boat compared with others when I sail just as I did around the world; minimum stress on the rig and hull, maximum fuel economy and no stress! I expected to finish in the upper middle of the cruising class and let the racing boats go on ahead.

Mike

s/v Wanderlust 3