IYC Sailors took on the Gulf of Mexico while competing in the
45th Annual Regata del Sol al Sol. The
regatta is an open-ocean sailboat race from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Isla
Mujeres, Mexico. IYC member Captain Jay
Nadelson and crew members Al Alexander, Skip Mansfield, Don McAlpine and Jake
Dye prepared for the race aboard Playmobil, Jay’s C&C 110, by
competing in several local races and by a practice overnight sail from Punta
Gorda to St. Petersburg.
The 443 nautical mile race, scheduled to start at 1000hrs,
Friday, April 26th, didn’t actually get underway until after noon as calm winds
covered the Tampa Bay start. Shortly
after the start, the winds began to build and stayed strong throughout the race,
reaching 30 knots at times. Though we
estimated it would take as long a four days to complete the race, we actually
completed it in 77 hours. We averaged
5.73 knots and saw boat speeds of over 13 knots at times. Of the 26 boats that started, Playmobil
crossed the finish line tenth and had a handicap corrected finish place of
17th. We took the 3d place trophy in the
Spinnaker Division, as well as the “Humanitarian Trophy” for helping another
racing yacht one night when they lost their mast in high winds and heavy seas.
Currents from the ever-changing gulfstream loop are a major
factor, and finding just the right place to cross them is key to a winning
time. Though we thought we had the
perfect course, we had to battle currents as high as 4 knots on several
occasions. With winds consistently
between 15-25 knots, the seas built as high as 12 feet and had steep troughs in
the gulfstream, but Playmobil didn’t mind it and the crew eventually got
used to the conditions, even at night.
We learned during our training that meals would have to be eaten with
one hand or from a bowl. We knew from
the start that this would be a demanding race, not a fun cruise!
Each of the 25 participating yachts carried a “YellowBrick”
satellite tracking device, which allowed anyone on land to follow the progress
of each boat and to get real-time weather and performance data. The race, jointly sponsored by the St.
Petersburg Yacht club and Club de Yates de Isla Mujeres finished across a line
established by a Mexican Navy gunboat, with each racing yacht escorted into the
marina by a Navy tender.
After a few days of exploring the island, catching up on
sleep and sampling some outstanding Mexican food, we headed home, starting out
in 25 knots of wind, which, unfortunately, became light and variable, and even
calm at times. We finished our trip back
in 86 hours, which included a boarding by US Customs and Border
Protection. Our adherence to strict
safety practices, good training and a sturdy boat combined to make the
experience free of injuries and damage.
Would we do it again? Absolutely,
but we have a bunch of sleep to catch up on, first!
