Reeling in the Fleet – the RC prepares to finish boats for the last leg of the regatta.
It is always hard to know how to feel at the end of this event. Teams have been through the wringer this year, even though the weather was pretty mild and took far less toll than other years. Ground crews are equally exhausted and emotions ran high for several days concurrently. There is a sense of relief visible on many faces as the boats rolled up the beach, trailered for the drive home. There is gratitude on loved-ones’ faces as they embrace their sailors, ashore at last and the regatta completed. There’s a hint of regret as the race flags are carefully rolled and stowed for the last time.
The entire Cat in the Hat team hitches a ride as their boat is pulled from the beach following their completion of the 2009 event.
At the awards ceremony on Sunday morning, sailors were given an idea about the organization’s plans for the future of the race. It was stated that the current fleet would be welcomed back next year – Nacra 20s and Formula 18s will again share the startline in 2010. This dispelled some rumours that the N20 was being phased out – Race Director Chuck Bargeron made it very clear that the 20 will have a place in the Tybee 500 for the foreseeable future. Chuck further made no bones about the fact that far heavier penalties for rules infractions are in the works along with some significant tightening of the sailing instructions to remove some inconsistencies. Each year, the rule set is further refined, and it is clear that 2009 will not be an exception.
Though overall mild, the conditions in 2009 still created considerable damage in the fleet. Rudder systems seemed particularly vulnerable during two of the five beach starts.
The Tybee 500 Organization would like to gratefully acknowledge collaboration and assistance from Harken, Gill and Zhik, in addition to the invaluable hospitality from each of the communities that hosted our fast-moving fleet. Each beach neighborhood opened their arms to receive our frantic circus train and we barely had time to appreciate the beauty of the southern Atlantic coastal towns where we slept. We hope you get the opportunity to spend some actual leisure time in some of these places soon.
The final finish photos are up HERE. We’ll also have some additional wrap-up and awards ceremony pictures for you soon. Thanks again for joining us on this adventure and stay tuned for details on the 2010 event.
