Report from Beverley Simmons: It was a gorgeous morning on the beach at Wrightsville, North Carolina behind the beautiful and amazingly appointed Blockade Runner Hotel. Some of the teams were red-eyed and tired: they hadn’t arrived to the finish here until after 1 a.m. this morning and—at 10 a.m. now—were weary about the leg to come.
As luck would have it, the winds were a forgiving 5 knots (barely) and the 13 teams all made it through the surf and on their way to Atlantic Beach without any drama. The forecast called for winds to slowly build to 10-12 knots, continuing from the Northeast, and with this 93-mile leg, the Race Committee was earnestly hoping for all teams to finish before the sun went down. They got their wish.
The wind Gods were extraordinarily kind, and by early afternoon, the teams were enjoying steady 13-15 knot breezes and double-trap conditions on relatively flat water. Boats were finishing in “pods” of 3-4 boats finishing within minutes of each other, with additional “pods” coming on less then a half-an-hour between. The last two boats to finish: Way of Life and The Netherlands – arrived well before sunset to the immense relief of all. There would be time for showers and civility before congregating at the Tackle Box Tavern for a planned Social Event at 7 p.m.
The Worrell 1000 is deeply grateful for each and every sponsor that partners with us. Here in Atlantic Beach, Rich Porter (owner of the Tackle Box Tavern and avid sailor) provided us with our own pavilion, private bar and food. The Mayor showed up (as he did in 2019) and again, gave the Worrell 1000 an official proclamation fervently inviting us to return soon.
With all 13 teams fed, entertained and settled in for the evening – the realization hits us: And now… there were just three. Three final legs to the finish at Virginia Beach and we STILL have all 13 teams in the mix. A truly amazing feat. It’s extraordinarily rare that all teams that start a Worrell actually make it to the finish. Let’s all raise a glass in hopes that this rarity becomes a reality…
Overall Results as well as elapsed times for individual legs can be found here: https://worrell1000race.com/results.
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