The Cocoa to Daytona leg started with a stiff offshore breeze slightly North of East. At the horn, sailors headed straight for the three mile delimiting markers ringing Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately for some of the fleet, it was to be a day of broken equipment and costly mishaps.

The first breakage occurred when the jib onTeam Marleys White began to part from the forestay. Realizing it was a lost cause, they turned back immediately, losing about twenty minutes with the replacement.

The next vitcim of circumstance was Team Marleys Orange, who lost their forestay and dismasted outside the Cape Canaveral marks. Teams Seacats and Marleys Yellow stopped briefly to assure that no one was injured. Team Cat Fever turned around from far ahead and stayed with the downed boat for twenty minutes, for which they were given redress by the R/C.

Team Moose-Burd was the next to suffer, shattering a daggerboard halfway through the race. They were able to continue in the reaching conditions with only one board until their spinnaker blew up and they were forced to limp in to the finish.

Team Tybee finished first, after Team Velocity momentarily lost crew near the finish, and came in a close second one minute later. Team Marley Yellow finished one minute after that, with the rest of the fleet following a half hour or more later.

Several teams had difficulty finishing in the rough surf, and Team Marleys White had it the worst. Coming in under spinnaker, they were swamped by a large swell in the midbreak, which stuffed their bows straight onto the shallow sandbar below, nearly throwing both sailors from the boat, and breaking the spinnaker pole in the process.

On a positive note, Team Marleys Orange was able to repair their rig, and will restart with the rest of the fleet in the morning for the leg to Fernandina.

On another positive note, Team Cat in the Hat has quietly eclipsed their previous performances by completing the leg to Daytona, as well as setting a new personal record for completed legs. It is rumored that skipper Larry Ferber will chop his locks on the beach at Tybee if they are able to complete all six legs of this year's race.

Team Velocity won the previous leg for the first time ever and got to start on the pole

The fleet gets underway for the Cocoa to Daytona Leg

It wasn't just the racers taking advantage of the conditions at the start

The fleet on their way to round Cape Canaveral

Team Cat Fever approaching the finish in big surf at Daytona Beach

Team Marleys Yellow had the best performance of the day out of the three Marleys Teams that started the leg, and are only ten minutes out of first place overall. They finished third for this leg.

Team Tybee won the Cocoa to Daytona leg for their third daily first place finish in this year's race

The big surf and shallow sand bar provided a difficult finishing area for many teams today. Team Seacats had a little bit of trouble, but their ground crew came to the rescue and pulled them across the line without losing much time

Team Marleys White got swamped from behind by a large breaker, which jacked them up and slammed their bows into the sandbar, breaking their spinnaker pole in the process

Team Cat in the Hat is quietly having their best showing so far in this event, currently sitting in 7th place overall, and just over 17 minutes out of 6th place

The forecast for tomorrow's start in Daytona calls for 8 - 10 out of the South. It will clock Southeast at 10 - 15 for the finish in Fernandina Beach.