04.06.2009
Meaghan Van Liew
(843) 814-3966 mobile
mvanliew@scmaritime.org [mailto:mvanliew@scmaritime.org]
Tohidu Crowned Overall Winner as C2B Race Ends Due to Time Limit
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (June 4, 2009) - As of noon on Wednesday (EDT), none
of the boats competing in the seventh edition of this 777-mile race had reached
the designated cut-off point (67 degrees west longitude) and the race committee
pronounced the contest concluded. At that time, Dave and Shelly Warters' Able Apogee
50 Cadence held the lead, having logged 498 nautical miles toward Bermuda after
120 hours at sea. By comparison, Ken Johnson's C&C 40 Grateful Red had logged
485 n.m., while Jay Cook's Beneteau 432 Tohidu logged 462.
This hierarchy made Cadence the boat-for-boat winner, but after all the numbers
were crunched, it was Tohidu that prevailed as the overall winner of the race on
corrected time. Members of the race committee employed a formula based on the boats'
ratings and the respective distances traveled, to make this determination.
"We think it's the most equitable way to address the situation," explained Race
Director Brad Van Liew, who is also the Executive Director of the South Carolina
Maritime Foundation, the organization that stages this race. "We conducted the
race using PHRF ratings, and all of the competitors agreed before the start that,
should no one cross the 67th degree of longitude by Wednesday at noon, the race
would be called and we'd score them as of where they were at the time."
Describing it as "a pretty cool approach," Van Liew explained the process that the
chief scorer Luis Kahl of www.yachtscoring.com
used to determine the corrected times and finish rankings. "We took the distance
that each boat actually traveled by noting their latitude and longitude as of 1200
on Wednesday. And then we plugged each boat's PHRF rating into a publicly available
ratings-conversion website, which generated a speed for that boat. We multiplied
each speed by 120 - the total time at sea - and derived theoretical distances that
each boat should have sailed given its rating. We then subtracted the actual distance
sailed from the theoretical distance, and the boat with the smallest differential
was our winner - Tohidu."
According to Van Liew, all of the competitors deserve recognition for persevering
through some challenging days on the water. But he said Cook and his crew on board
Tohidu actually sailed quite competitively. "When you consider that there were just
two true sailors on board and four who were participating as 'students,' I think
they turned in a strong performance." Cook and one other crew, Steve Enloe, are
both instructors with Ocean Sailing Academy. The reindexder of the crew included
four OSA students: Rick Bruno of Atlanta, Ga.; John Knight of Huntsville, Ala;
Rick Estee of Charleston, SC; and Scott Rogers of Rogers, Ark.
Cadence placed second on corrected time, and Grateful Red third. After the boats
were notified of the committee's decision to call the race, the crews on board
both Cadence and Grateful Red indicated that they would attempt to finish the reindexing
miles under sail. Though the winds were gradually increasing at that time, by later
Wednesday evening, it was clear from the online tracking data that only Grateful
Red was still under sail. The tracking data for both Cadence and Tohidu showed
them each making progress at well over seven knots, straight down the rhumbline.
According to shoreside sources, Grateful Red won't be in any hurry. Though Ken
Johnson and his crew would like to reach Bermuda in time for Saturday's awards festivities,
they plan to stay in Hamilton only briefly before departing for the Azores, and
after that, northern Europe.
As for the other boats in the fleet, the Spirit of South Carolina and Lee Edwards'
chartered Littler Harbor 63 Spray were both continuing to motor toward Bermuda,
some 60 miles out as of nightfall on Wednesday. According to Van Liew, the skippers
on board both vessels planned to purposely slow down during the night in order to
arrive at Hamilton Harbor with plenty of daylight on Thursday. With luck, all of
the participants will be in Hamilton Harbor by the time of the awards gala at the
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club on Saturday evening.
Final Finish Places
1. Jay Cook, Tohidu.............................260 corrected score
2. Dave and Shelly Warters, Cadence........279.3 corrected score
3. Ken Johnson, Grateful Red..................299.8 corrected score
Lee Edwards, Spray..............................did not finish
Mark DiStefano, Nova........................ did not finish
Additional details about the race and photos from the start are available online
at www.charlestontobermuda.com.
You can also track the fleet's progress by following the link to iboattrack.com.
The Charleston to Bermuda Race is sponsored by Bermuda Tourism, Gosling's Rum, the
Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel, and Bauer International. The event receives vital
support from The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The race is open to all seaworthy sailboats
30 feet and longer.
The owner and organizing authority for the Charleston to Bermuda Race is the South
Carolina Maritime Foundation (SCMF). SCMF is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization whose
mission is to offer unique experiential education for South Carolina students, encouraging
responsibility, teamwork, and other attributes that are necessary for developing
future leaders. The foundation's other programs include Charleston Race Week, Charleston
Harbor Fest, The Spirit Ball and the Captain's Cup Golf Tournament.
South Carolina Maritime Foundation | PO Box 22405 | Charleston | SC | 29413
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