(Nassau, Bahamas)- Last week, we reported on the Miami-Nassau Race and
why it has retained its popularity with many sailors over the course of
time because of its allure as one of ocean racing's "classic" offshore
courses- challenging, beautiful, often a sleigh-ride and a fun
destination to get to when the racing's all said and done. We received
an update from one of the crew-members sailing aboard the J/105 Team
LOKI. Read on and enjoy Anson Mulder's commentary:
"On Nov 10, LOKI joined 16 other boats off Government Cut in Miami for
the start of the Miami to Nassau ocean race . The 176 nm race course was
wedged between a high pressure system to the northwest and Tropical
Storm Sean to the northeast, so the forecast was for a meaty northerly
gradient in the low to mid teens, with the potential for 20 knots in the
Gulfstream. However, NOAA broke its promise and much of the race was
sailed in 8-11 knots, which- combined with an incredibly bright full
moon - made for a memorably pleasant overnight ocean race.
Team LOKI launched the 1.5oz A3 reacher amid a cluster of boats in the
PHRF start and soon was out near the front of the pack with the leaders,
including J120s CARINTHIA, HOT TICKET, and TAMPA GIRL. The Gulf Stream
proved more confused than menacing and the anticipated big seas/big
waves never materialized. By moonrise, LOKI was around Great Isaac and
by Great Stirrup the nav lights on the leaders were still in sight - a
sign that LOKI was probably leading the PHRF fleet on corrected time.
The sun brought with it light winds in the morning of Nov 11 and the NW
breeze meant a dead run under the .6oz A2 to New Providence Island. It
was hard for the LOKI crew to forget last year's blast reach across the
Tongue of the Ocean, regularly hitting boat speeds in the teens. As the
leaders called in their finish times, the Lokies knew it would be close
with the J/120s. A picturesque finish in impossibly blue water under
the eye of the lighthouse left LOKI the winner of PHRF 2 class and 4th
overall - 30 seconds behind CARINTHIA and 30 seconds ahead of TAMPA
GIRL!"