FIGAWI Race Preview

(Falmouth, MA)- For 44 years now, Nantucket’s summer season has been kicked off with a racing event for sailors of all levels of skill. They even have high school competitors that will be awarded for their participation in the event. The Figawi Race originated back in 1972 with a group of four friends competing to see who could make it from Baxter’s Boathouse in Hyannis to Nantucket Island before everyone else. It was just a friendly competition that saw crews comprised of friends and wives crossing the Nantucket Sound for fun. Over the years it has since grown into an iconic Cape Cod event that brings in more than 200 sailboats and powerboats with thousands of people that are either competing or just there to watch.

As with any friendly competition, the Figawi Race needs a proper party to welcome everyone to the festivities: The Kickoff Party at Hyannis Yacht Club. Luckily, this shindig isn’t just for the competing sailors; rather, everyone is invited to experience the building excitement for the race the following day. Starting at 3pm, the party will go until 8pm with the early ending time ensuring that the competitors will be in tip top shape for the race. There will be a cash bar and live musical entertainment will be provided by Hennessey

This year’s 44th Annual Figawi Race Weekend runs from May 23rd to 25th.  211 boats are registered with 14 J’s participating in what is by far the largest “pursuit-style” race on the American East Coast.

Saturday 1000 hrs is first boat off the line; the smallest and slowest rated PHRF boats.  Then, the Memorial Day Weekend celebrations start with massive tent parties Saturday and Sunday nights and the prize-giving on Sunday afternoon for ninety-seven trophies!

Early Saturday morning, crews begin gathering. Skippers and boat owners prepare their boats, gather their crews, and head out to the start line. The first boat officially begins at 10 am off the Hyannis Port Jetty. But beginning around 8 am, the parade of sailboats head out of Lewis Bay, pass by Kalmus Beach, and gather off Hyannis Port. The boats start from 10 am until approximately noon, depending on their handicapped start time. Everyone hopes to be the first one to reach Nantucket.

Depending on the various conditions, the theory of the Pursuit Race format is all competitors should reach the Nantucket MO(A) at around the same time. They finish at the entrance of Nantucket Harbor and parade into Nantucket Boat Basin. Standing on the beach at Brant Point Light is a great spot to watch all the action.

Saturday night Figawi hosts a Competitor Party under the Event Tent on New Whale Street.  Sponsors that provide product for festivities include Mt. Gay Rum, Budweiser, Cisco Brewer of Nantucket, Coca Cola, Boisset Family Estates (wine), Samuel Adams, and Jim Beam. After the day of racing, it is a great place to come and see old friends and make new ones.

Sailing in the PHRF Non-spinnaker division is Brad Butman’s J/28 SHADOWFAX, Hayley Reifeiss’s J/24 BIIG SANDWICH and Bill Jones’ J/40 SMITTEN.  Taking up the pursuit in PHRF Spinnaker division are five J/105s (Steve Widdis’ PRIMA team from Nantucket Community Sailing, the DARK’N’STORMY trio of Joyce/ Reservitz/ Wagner from Buzzards YC, Matt & Lisa Schmidt’s HARDTACK, Pete Lebish’s LYRIC and Ed Lobo’s WATERWOLF).  Two J/122s will be chasing them hard, Jimmy Maseiro’s URSUS MARITIMUS and Dan Heun’s MOXIE.  Several veterans of the race include the J/29 SEEFEST (Ira Perry), the J/46 WINGS (Richard Egan), the J/80 COOL J (Alex Krauss), the J/120 GLORY (David Follett) and the J/40 JAZZ (Kirk Brown).  A newcomer to the race will be the new J/97 ADRENALINE sailed by Andrew Meincke from Stage Harbor, MA.   For more Figawi Race sailing information

J/80 Copa de Espana Preview

(Murcia, Spain)- The waters off Murcia will play host to the Copa de Espana from May 21st to 24th.  Eighteen boats from the regions of Andalusia, the Balearics, Catalonia, Galicia, Murcia and Valencia have registered in what promises to be a real battle for Spanish sailing supremacy.

With three races scheduled per day, in three days of competition, the teams will be busy and hope to have the fitness and mental sharpness to play the game against the very best from across Spain.

Among the big favorites are BRIBON-MOVISTAR sailed by Marc de Antonio and Sofia Bertrand (RCN Barcelona RCN and RCN Sanxenxo), who just two weeks ago won the trophy at Palmavela sailed in Palma de Mallorca.  In addition, the Gold Medallist in Barcelona 1992 and J/80 World Champion in 2012, Jose Maria Van der Ploeg will be skippering NAUTICA WATCHES. The trio of favorites closes with a local Murcia team and 2014 European Champion, Carlos Martinez aboard AKEWUELE.

Besides those three teams, one cannot cast aside Mallorcan sailor Javier Chacártegui sailing HM HOTELS, they also managed to get on the podium at PalmaVela.  Nor can anyone discount two other teams that have podium potential, Javier Aguado’s PEUGEOT from the powerful Santander fleet (home of two J/80 World Champions) and CN BEVELLE helmed by Pablo Villar, another Murcian local team that knows the waters quite well.   For more Copa de Espana sailing information

J/24 US Nationals Preview

(San Francisco, CA)- While last weekends regatta at San Francisco YC’s Open Keelboat Regatta served as a good warm-up and training event for some crews, the real deal is scheduled for Friday, May 22nd through Sunday, May 24th, 2015.  The USA J/24 Nationals has over two-dozen boats registered ready to roll on the infamous Berkeley Circle.

The venerable Berkeley Yacht Club is hosting the event and they promise big breeze!  Not just a little bit, but a whole’lotta breeze-on baby!! BYC’s support of J/24 One-Design racing started in 2008 as the “TMC J/24 Invitational Regatta” and they’re looking forward to another year, for 2015 will be the eighth (8) consecutive year, of “off the charts” San Francisco Bay competitive sailing, “paella gorging” (see photos here), adult beverage consumption and hilarious fun and silliness!

Based on prior reputations (some good, some questionable), the battle for the pickle dishes is going to be a true “mano a mano” battle between some seriously experienced J/24 teams.  The locals that hope to hold their own against the “foreigners” includes boats like Mike Whitfield’s TMC RACING, Val Lulevich’s SHUT UP & DRIVE, Jasper Van Vliet’s EVIL OCTOPUS, Darren Cumming’s DOWNTOWN UPROAR and Paul Ravenswaay’s FERAL ROOSTER.

Coming from beyond the fog enshrouded Alcatraz is a bevy of talent that may appear mind-boggling to some J/24 sailors.  Leading that crowd must be last weekend’s winner, former J/24 North American Champion Pat Toole from Santa Barbara, CA guiding the mighty 3 BIG DOGS.  Another NA Champ in the hunt will be Chris Snow’s BOGUS from San Diego, CA.  The winner of the last J/24 Southwest Championship event in Dallas, Natalie Penner’s GIGGLES from Austin, TX will be in the hunt.  Japanese J/24 National Champion Tokuma Takesue will be sailing GEKKO.  Then, there’s the J/24 mafia from Seattle’s Pacific Northwest J/24 fleet.  Oh dear, the locals may be in for some trouble with these gangsters, SIX boats X 5 people X 3 hangers-on each means nearly 50 people from the Seattle area!  It’s an invasion of the salmon-people!  Mark Laura’s BABA LOUIE and Scott Milne’s TREMENDOUS SLOUCH might be considered fleet leaders anywhere, plus they’re quite familiar with the insanities of the Berkeley Circle.  Should be fun sailing for all with even better social festivities ashore.   For more J/24 US Nationals sailing information

"Drift-sure" Sailing In Oregon Offshore

(Victoria, BC, Canada)- Light winds on the Washington coast for the extent of the race became an exercise in patience, then ultimately disappointment for many racers, as the time limit made the finish line out of reach.  One boat managed to finish the course in the allotted time.  As a result, the RC notified the racers they could complete a “shortened course” to Duntze Rock.  Imagine what the RC at CYC Portland was thinking, gotta give out all those trophies somehow!

In PHRF A, the J/42 VELOCITY sailed by Tom Keffe from Hood River, Oregon showed extreme tenacity, gutting it out to complete the shortened course before the time limit and securing 2nd place in her class and 2nd Overall.  Only one other boat completed the course and all others dropped out and motor-sailed to Victoria, British Columbia.

Every May, the Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland sponsors the Oregon Offshore Yacht Race from Astoria, OR to Victoria, BC. The event has been a classic "feeder" race, taking enthusiastic offshore sailors from the friendly confines of Portland, Oregon up to the Seattle/ Victoria, BC region for some excellent sailing in the summers-- e.g. Vic-Maui, Seattle NOOD, Swiftsure Race and so forth.  The race goes 193 nm race, starting off Astoria, Oregon at the mouth of the famous Columbia River, then head north up around Cape Flattery (the NW tip of the spectacular Olympic Peninsula), then head down ESE through the notorious Straits of Juan de Fuca to the finish line at Victoria, BC, Canada.  That was the plan.  However, this year the race officially became the slowest ever Oregon Offshore on record.  Next up the “Swifter” Race!!  And, next year will be the 40th edition of the Oregon Offshore.  For more Oregon Offshore sailing information

“Kids” Win Edlu Race Sailing Offshore!

J/Teams Predominate In Class/ Overall
(Larchmont, New York)- They have done it again facing the most extraordinary odds; and they overcame all manner of challenges to pull off yet another stunning victory in their class and overall.  If you may recall, the American Yacht Club Junior Offshore Team have seemingly made the extraordinary seem ordinary.  After winning the Stamford Vineyard Race on a club member’s J/122 PATRIOT last year (seen here), they can now add 1st in PHRF 2 Class and 1st PHRF Overall sailing their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN in the Edlu Distance Race.  As a result, they also picked up the Commodore Wilfred Kluss Trophy for the PHRF yacht with the best-corrected time.

Larchmont Yacht Club’s 60th Annual Edlu distance race was held on Saturday May 9, in pea soup fog with visibility of only about one-quarter mile. Thirty-seven yachts from fourteen yacht clubs competed in six divisions of IRC and PHRF ratings. The course for the IRC and PHRF spinnaker boats was approximately 32 miles to Buoy 11B off Eaton’s Neck/Stamford. The non-spinnaker division sailed a 16.4-mile course to the red bell off Lloyd’s Neck. The first start went off at 0911 in an easterly breeze of 8-10 knots with a flooding tide. The final boat crossed the finish line off the Larchmont breakwater just a few minutes before the time limit of 7 p.m. to hearty cheers from the Race Committee.

In this year’s race, the fog was the real challenge – several boats withdrew after reporting to the Race Committee that they had rounded the wrong mark due to poor visibility.  According to sailmaker Butch Ulmer from UK Sails, “Navigation became the key since every boat was sailing in a 200-yard bubble with no sense of what was going on around them!”

According to Doug Mckeige, the “adult supervision” on board the J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN, “the kids really had a fun time sailing the race.  It was quite a challenge for them, especially working on their charts, navigation, currents and strategy. My son Will was on board along with a bunch of his junior sailing buddies- Hector McKemy, Richard O’Leary, Malcolm, TJ and Chris.  We mixed up the roles along the race to ensure everyone had a hand in trying the various roles on the boat. In the end, Will and Hector did most of the driving. It was tough on anyone wearing glasses to be peering through the thick fog for so long!”

Whether they knew it or not, the YOUNG AMERICANS had another J/105 hot on their tail for most of the race, Za & Libby Jelliffe’s ARETE, finishing only two minutes behind them to take 2nd in Class/ 2nd Overall!  Other J/Teams did well in PHRF 2 including George & Alex Wilbanks’ J/105 REVELATION in 5th, Ken Hall’s J/100 NEVERMORE in 6th, Bill Komaroff’s J/100 TEXAS ROSE in 7th and Russ Stokes’ J/88 BLUE FOR YOU in 8th.

Former LYC Commodore Carl Olsson won first place in PHRF 1 Class in his new J/109 MORNING GLORY.  He also won the AYC Spring series in his first outing in the new boat.  Dr. Olsson has won the Edlu trophy twice, in 2005 and 2013. They were followed by another J/109, Paul Steinborn’s 3 CHEERS in 3rd place.

In PHRF Double Handed division, half the class was J duos.  Sailing another good race was Todd Aven’s J/92 THIN MAN, taking the silver.  Only 47 seconds back on corrected time and placing third in class was Marcus Wunderlich’s J/105 STRATOS, Two more J/105s filled out the top five, including Marc Berkowitz’s CLEAN SLATE in 4th and Charlie Cannam’s ENGARDE in 5th.

PHRF Non-Spinnaker had a nice fleet of boats and Chris Roe’s J/32 ECLIPSE managed a 3rd in class.

The IRC Division saw just nine boats sailing. Making the most of “flying blind” at 9 kts was John Pearson’s J/122 RED SKY, taking 4th in class.  Feeling their way through the “pea soup” and getting home safely to tell a few sea stories was Cory Eaves J/109 FREEDOM in 7th place.  For more Edlu Distance Race sailing information

Sailing J/70s Faster- Stephanie Robles' Mini-Primer

(Annapolis, MD)- Stephanie Roble, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and USA Women’s #1 Match Racer, has been sailing for the past two years with John Brim on his J/70 RIMETTE.  John loves sailing his boat and he has assembled a fun, easy-going, and extremely talented crew.  Steph has been helping John and the crew sail faster, get better organized, and focus on teamwork.  Here are some of Steph’s pearls of wisdom after sailing in the Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta:

“I had a great time with Team Rimette (John Brim (driver), Collin Leon (trim) & Dave Wright (tactics/bow)) at the Annapolis NOOD present by Helly Hansen. This was my first time sailing the NOOD in Naptown and first time sailing in the “non college sailing” venue. We arrived two days early for some practice where we focused on upwind speed and boathandling. The team sailed in the Wednesday night race against about 20 other boats, it was super fun and a great pre-regatta reminder of pre start processes. Despite a light air event with minimal races, we had a great event, finishing 8th overall.  Here are some take-aways from Team Rimette:

- Be consistent with pre-start homework & dock off time: For an 11 am start, we left the dock at 9:30 every morning. This gave us enough time to cruise by some crab pots on the way out to confirm the current. A big goal for us this event was to develop upwind speed, so we also left plenty of time to get the rig dialed in and made an effort to always be lining up with the same, fast teams each day. With the strong current and light air we often kept our engine on the back until we knew we were going into sequence. Also, with the current, we made several time runs at the line so we could understand how the current would affect our approach with angle and speed. This was super helpful and hard with the adverse current the last day!!

- Raking back was a positive move for our rig: In Charleston, we had our rake set at 4’ 6 ½” (with North Sails). We consistently felt stuck in a lower/faster to lower/same mode and the driver had minimal helm. So, we raked back to 4' 6 3/4" in hopes of finding a higher groove and we did! We still used the North Tuning guide as a base for the rig. However, with the rig further back, we had to be conscious of headstay tension, which was a combination of lower tension, and mainsheet tension. In general, the event was pretty light so we generally found headstay sag to be fast. But, in the puffs when everyone was on the rail and we were slightly overpowered, I would put on slight amount of backstay, little bit of vang and just gave the mainsheet a bump to keep the boat under us.

- Speed kills: With a light air event, we focused a lot on proper weight placement fore/aft as well as side to side. If it was super light, we had weight together and forward as much as possible. When the puffs came up, we were very quick to get weight on the rail so the driver didn’t have to pinch up in the puffs & lose speed. Overall, John and I focused on creating good target numbers UW and in the super light stuff we made fast target numbers and made a team rule of absolutely never going slower than that (which is hard!). Downwind, we are super fast because Collin is constantly communicating pressure in the sheet to John and we try to focus on using weight to turn the boat rather than the rudder.

- Be consistent with communication: I run the starts on our boat and I have been focusing on developing consistent communication with the team and John. Starting with 60 boats in light air in adverse current is super stressful for everyone onboard and around us. So we find that we can calm down and create all around the best start when we revert back to the communication we have developed. All around the course Dave was very good at saying “if this, then that” which kept things cool on the boat. And downwind Collin’s communication is clear and concise to keep the boat moving.

- We love our water filter! Collin purchased a water filter that hooks up to the hose on the dock. It is extremely handy! We fill 4 Nalgenes on the dock each morning and 1 gallon jug. Easy to move the weight around and obviously less use of plastic bottles. Definitely worth the investment and pays itself off pretty quickly!

Fast, Gorgeous Tour de Belle Isle

(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- What is the essence of the “grand tour” of Belle Ile?  Perhaps the panorama above gives you that feeling of majestic beauty and romance of sailing that captures us all.

Created in 2008, the Tour de Belle Ile was meant to be just that— a tour that started from the heart of the Bay of Quiberon, just off La Trinite sur Mer, and sail on a beautiful circumnavigation around Belle-Ile-en-Mer. The fascinating contrasts and variety of stunning landscapes enrich this exceptional course.

The idea for participating was also simple.  So long as you had a boat over 6 meters, you could sail. Small or tall ships, whether professional or amateur sailors and cruise enthusiasts, everyone is invited to participate. And, all types of boats have looked forward to their tour each year, Maxi trimarans like Groupama and Banque Populaire, many famous IMOCA 60s from Vendee Globe, Route du Rhum and so forth, as well as legendary boats like Eric Tabarly’s PEN DUICK IV and even the America’s Cup 12 Meter FRANCE I.


Here’s the most fun (or craziest) part of the event.  Everyone has the same starting line that is 3 kilometers long!  That is the essence of the Tour de Belle-Ile.  More than 500 boats lined up in the majestic Bay of Quiberon, what a sight!

With so many small boats joining this sailing festival on the water, the organization created two courses, the Grand Tour (start/finish off La Trinité-sur-Mer, leaving Belle Ile and various rocks/ islands to port for a 42nm course) and Le Petit Tour (start/finish La Trinite sur Mer, but instead round a series of marks on the inner coast (east side) of Belle-Ile for about 37nm).

Many J/Teams participated in this year’s event including J/70s, J/80s and J/92s on the Le Petit Tour and on the Grand Tour were the offshore J’s.  In IRC 2, the famous J/120 RHAPSODIE V sailed by Jean Jacques Godet from SR Rochelaises managed a 4th in class.  In the IRC 3, it was the J/97 MISPICKEL VI sailed by Thibaut Fagart from SR Rochelaises that took 3rd in her class.

In the HNB A class, the J/111 J4F sailed by Pierre Guennal with Nicolas Troussel, twice winner of the Solitaire du Figaro, won their class!  They were followed in 4th overall by the J/88 J-LANCE XI skippered by Didier Le Moal from SR Rochelaises (also President of J/Composites in France).  Just behind them in 5th overall was the J/105 MISS J sailed by Frederic Guillemot.  For more Tour de Belle Ile sailing information

Fun J/80 TAG HEUER Vela Festival!

(Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy)- The Blue Project, an Italian J/80 sailing club with a fleet of nine J/80s, recently attended the TAG HEUER VelaFestival in Santa Margherita/ Portofino from the 7th to 10th of May.

The VELAFestival is an event sponsored by TAG HEUER for sailing lovers, amateurs and professionals to showcase the sport and also introduce people to sailing not only with a harbor “boat show”, but also a series of regattas taking place just offshore in view of everyone at the festival.

Blue Project not only exhibited at the VelaFestival but also contributed its fleet of nine J80s at the main pier, promoting the class and sailing activities.

On Saturday, all Blue Project teams competed in the Vela Cup.  The racing was very close for all teams, especially with 150 boats registered and many big names in Italian sailing enrolled in the regatta.  The top J/80 crew was TEAM SPACE COWBOYS, sailing well to place 17th overall of 150 boats and also taking 1st in the J/80 class.

On Sunday 10th, Blue Project and its J/80 fleet conquered the local racing scene, showcasing the last match of the Winter Sailing Series in front of Santa Margherita Ligure.  The winners of the Winter Sailing Series 2014-2015 were the VELAMARE TEAM consisting of Ms Fiore Baruffi, Matteo Soppera, Matteo Colombo, and Andrea Rizzato.

Blue Project awarded the determination and perseverance of VELAMARE TEAM with a huge prize- - - the free use of a J/80 during the next Winter Championship Series in 2015/2016!  Ms Baruffi was simply shocked by the amazing prize (seen here in photo on the right)!  She thought a TAG HEUER watch was nice enough for 1st place!

The event and the Winter Sailing Series ended in a friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere with a champagne party on the VIP Terrace of the TAG HEUER LOUNGE overlooking the beautiful waterfront.  All the participants were very satisfied with Blue Project’s organization and have already registered themselves in the next Winter Series that will be held in Chiavari (GE).

Blue Project has moved its headquarters and fleet to Yacht Club Chiavari on the Portofino Coast where they will organize many sailing activities at a very high level.    For more TAG HEUER VelaFestival sailing information.   For more J/80 BLUE PROJECT sailing information, please contact Ivana Quattrini / mobile- + 39 335 8093904/ ufficiostampa@blueprojectsailing.com

2017 J/70 Worlds @ Sardinia!

(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- As the J/70 continues to gain momentum worldwide, it’s clear that Europe continues to grow at an accelerating pace due in large part to a combination of one-design class circuits (like the Monaco Winter Series and the Italian Alcatel OneTouch Series) and the increasingly popular “sailing leagues” first manifest in Germany’s Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga and spreading like wildfire to other countries such as Russia, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, and Italy.

As a result, the IJCA just announced that J/70 World Championship IV will be sailed from September 12-16, 2017, in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy and hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda!

“We are absolutely grateful and delighted with the decision to award Italy the honour of hosting the J/70 Worlds,” said the J/70 Italian Class President Mauro di Vittorio.

“After the success of the last J/70 European Championship, we campaigned for the bid knowing that we can deliver a superb World Championship, putting crews and owners at its heart.  Now, we have the opportunity to deliver on that promise and to give an enormous boost to the National class,” added Paolo Boido, J/Boats dealer for Italy and Class Secretary of the Italian J/70 Class.

The J/70 class is, indeed, rapidly growing in Italy and this year its J/70 ALCATEL ONETOUCH Italian Open Championship has been attracting competitors from as far away as Sweden. “It gives us encouragement to see more top sailors join the class and we will continue on this path leading up to the 2017 World Championship,” commented Di Vittorio.

In addition, Porto Cervo itself will ensure a successful event, renowned for beautiful azure waters, temperate climate, plentiful sunshine, and gorgeous attractions. The unbeatable combination of great sailing waters, top class race management and YC Costa Smeralda's amazing hospitality will all be celebrated during the club’s 50th anniversary— its members are enthusiastic to host a memorable fourth edition of the J/70 World Championship.  Click here for more details on the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Please note that many of the top Italian teams are sailing this weekend in San Remo for the third act of their J/70 Alcatel ONETOUCH Italian Championship series.   For more J/70 Alcatel ONETOUCH Italian Championship sailing information

Barkow & Enright- Volvo Sailing Perspectives

(Newport, RI)- Both Sally Barkow and Charlie Enright were happy to arrive in Newport after completing their long leg in the Volvo Ocean Race from Itajai, Brazil to Newport.  Sally (a J/22 and J/24 sailor and top woman Match Racer from Neenah, Wisconsin) is sailing as one of the skippers on Team SCA and Charlie (J/24 champion and Fleet #50 champion) is sailing as skipper of Team ALVIMEDICA.  We had a chance to chat with them at the New York YC Harbour Court Commissioning Ceremony, presided over by Reverend Mary Johnstone.

Both sailors are completing a weeks worth of festivities in Newport, RI and are preparing for their assault on the last long distance leg of the 2014/ 2015 Volvo Ocean Race.  Both have credited the discipline and focus they learned as one-design sailors against the world’s best competition as a solid base on which to build their offshore capabilities.  Both are sailing on teams that are relative novices at the offshore racing game, at least compared to the considerable talent arrayed against them on boats such as Abu Dhabi Racing and Dong Feng Racing teams.

Ironically, it’s another champion J/24 sailor from the United Kingdom, Ian Walker, who is capitalizing on his experience both in one-design and offshore to be the current fleet leader as the skipper of Abu Dhabi.  It seems that both Abu Dhabi and Dong Feng both have “third gears” that no one else have seemed to discover when any of the boats are in a “close reaching/ power beating” scenario.

As Charlie himself commented, “when we have VMG upwind or VMG downwind on any leg we seem to have the right modes and sail cross-over choices.  At least we can hang with the leaders.  However, in just plain jib/ J1/ C0 reaching situations, we just bleed miles away.  We are still learning how to use the ‘reaching strut’ on the clews and to double or triple slot the headsails.”  Sally pretty much echoed Charlie’s perspectives, except to say that, “we are on a HUGE learning curve and on the last leg there were several times we felt like we were in the hunt! It’s tough out there, but we’re lovin’ it!”

More news soon as they head off onto their Saturday Inshore Race in Narragansett Bay and their start off Fort Adams to begin their journey across the Big Pond to Portugal.  Follow their progress here on the Volvo Ocean Race site.