Jere Dennison

Last month we looked at Rappahannock'’s participation in the first three ocean races of the 1974 SORC. Rappahannock, a Carter 37 One-Tonner, was owned and campaigned by Bev Crump and Alan McCullough, both of whom served as commodores in our club’s past. Very much in awe of the rock stars against whom they were competing, our intrepid FBYC crew nevertheless persevered against the often tumultuous weather conditions to acquit themselves well in a fleet of over 100 of the finest racing yachts afloat at the time. The following story was authored for the March 1974 edition of the Log by one of Rappahannock’'s crew members, Matt Hulcher, and reported on the final three races of the series. While reading this account, it is difficult not to feel the pure exhilaration experienced by our FBYC crew in confronting the challenges presented by their presence amongst the highest echelons of the sport.

The Last Three: Lipton Cup, Miami-Nassau and Nassau Cup

 

Matt Hulcher Rappahannock was raced by the same crew on the last three races (Alan, Bev, Mac, Bill Gieg, Al Gundry, Yves-Marie Tanton and Matt Hulcher) except we were without Bev and Yves-Marie for the Lipton Cup and Ben and Alan for the Nassau Cup.

The Lipton and Nassau Cup races were almost identical tactically. Each race was about 40 miles long and a straight-forward windward-leeward course. Moderate winds, smooth seas, clear southern skies and balmy temperatures made it a joy to concentrate on racing.

The Lipton Cup is sailed from a buoy off Government Out (Miami) north to the Fort Everglades sea buoy off Lauderdale and back to Miami. The leading boats flop onto port shortly after the start and hold on well out into the Gulf Stream, not tacking until it is felt the windward mark can be laid. Rappahannock sails the same course but is unable to point with the leaders (Hood, Turner, Country Woman, Terrorist, America Jane, Magic Twanger). Under conditions where we use the heavy #1 (12 to 20 knots), we find that we can foot with the leading boats but not point with them. When we point with them, they are able to foot on us. However, on this leg we are holding in the upper half of the fleet. Rounding the weather mark, the wind moderates (5 to 10 knots) and spinnakers, bloopers, and staysails go up in every conceivable combination. Rappahannock bloops and heads for the shore hoping to pick up the southerly counter current. This seems to work well at first as we gain on the boats that are further from the shore. Off Baker’s Haulover we are still gaining on the boats ahead and decide to head up slightly to work our way out to the finish line which is offshore. Within three miles of the finish, we are well off the beach and have caught several boats. We finish in the middle of our class.

The trick to this race seemed to be point high on the windward leg not being in too much of a hurry to reach the Gulf Stream and to either hug the shore or sail close to the Gulf Stream on the run back to the finish. Boats that played the middle on the run back seemed to suffer. Miami-Nassau is a record breaker. Listening to the marine weather forecast Sunday night in Miami is a treat: cold front due to come through midday Monday with winds up to 45 knots and temperatures dropping into the low 30’s Monday night. We all get a peaceful night’s sleep.

Race starts at 3 in the afternoon in 20 knots. The first leg is 60 miles of very close reaching to Great Isaac Light. The “Norther” has made a mess of the Gulf Stream, turning the deep blue water into 10-12 foot seas that are short and steep and white. Wind holds steady at about 25 knots. The off watch finds resting below to be less than restful. We are doing well with the Magic Twanger and America Jane. Hood and Turner are holding far below us, hoping the wind will not veer and continue to hold up slightly. We can see Great Isaac at about 10 pm and also see the loom of Freeport which is about 60 miles north.

Approaching Great Isaac we stay out to avoid Northeast Rocks and then fall off about 10 degrees on the next 60 mile leg, which is through the Northwest Passage to Great Stirrup Cay in the Berry Islands. Many boats are inside of us at this point, but their lights hold their bearing and we round Great Stirrup at dawn in about the same position as when rounding Great Isaac.

The wind has now built considerably; we’re making a steady 8 knots and the anemometer is constantly above 25 –occasionally hitting 35. The heavy #1 spinnaker is set on rounding and we go through a series of spectacular broaches until we can get it down. Five miles further we can bear off enough to reset the spinnaker. Rappahannock is really on a wild ride now. The waves are 8-10 feet and we’re surfing on about every third wave. Boat speed reads a constant 8-10 knots with bursts of 11 to 12 every few minutes! We are gaining on all boats in sight!

One Tonners behave very interestingly under these conditions. Their fine bows go well under as they surf into the waves ahead. We occasionally have solid water over the deck as far back as the forward hatch. This costs us 6 boats when the #1, which is lashed along the lee rail, catches one wave too many, breaks through the life line lacing, and goes overboard. The tack holds turning the sail into an amazing sea anchor and throwing the boat into an uncontrollable broach. The spinnaker sheet is eased and the flapping opens a shackle. Six of the crew bring the #1 back aboard in 10 minutes, the spinnaker sheet is reattached by easing the halyard, and we start to work to get back the boats we have lost. During all of this Rappahannock has still been making 4 knots downwind.

Approaching the finish line (between two buoys in the channel between Paradise Island and New Providence Island), the ocean floor rises from 3000 to 100 feet and the seas behave as you would imagine. We have gained back 5 of the 6 boats we lost. About a half-dozen boats have blown their spinnakers on this leg which has helped. With the wind on the beam, all of us racing for the finish are fighting to stay high enough to avoid the breakwater on the west entrance to channel and keep from broaching which would put a boat dangerously close to the rocks. The finish line is crossed, seas abate in the lee of Paradise Island, sails drop; it is quiet and one wonders what all the excitement was about. Equation sets a new elapsed time record breaking Windward Passage’s record by about one hour. For her good efforts, she finishes 65th in fleet. The One Tonners have done it again, taking all of the top places in fleet. It takes Rappahannock about 23 hours to complete the 187 mile race – 8+knots average over the ground.

The Nassau Cup is a repeat of the Lipton Cup. Rappahannock finishes as she has in all the races – about midway in class. As in the Lipton Cup, the boats that sail away from the shore do better. Terrorist (Bruce King’'s new twin dagger board One Tonner) is first in fleet.

Unofficially, Rappahannock finishes the SORC 12th in Class E and 42nd in Fleet. Class E dominates the fleet, taking 12 of the top 14 positions, including 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Ted Hood takes overall honors in Robin Too II, a boat he designed, cut the sails for and skippered. Ted Turner was second in Lightning.

The 1974 SORC in my opinion must have been the most keenly contested offshore race series ever, particularly the One Ton class race where the boats were still fresh from the U.S. One Ton Championship in Tampa in January. These boats were raced and equipped like 505’s with crews often sailing 24+ hours without watches or sleep. Little attention was given to meals except that they be nourishing, and boats were stripped of everything that wasn'’t needed for speed or safety (with the sinking of an Erickson 46 on Northeast Rocks, the value of flares, life vests and a functioning life raft was frighteningly emphasized).

I know of no way the racing itch can be so satisfyingly scratched as at the SORC. The excitement in the air has an electric quality that all sense when standing on the dock before a race surrounded by boats like Running Tide, Robin Too II, Scaramouche, Dynamite, Rabbit, and, of course, Rappahannock.