TeamUSA Wins First Race!

The TAWR2000 finally got underway with great pomp and circumstance. The small town of Sagres was packed with people and the President of Algarve sounded the horn for the start of the Magical Mystery Crossing. With the RIBs still delayed, the organizers launched the race and the fleet of three teams raced to Cadiz, Spain to meet up with the illusive support boats. The first day of racing proved to be an exciting tactical challenge and the underdog USA team scored a decisive victory in the shifty and unpredictable winds.

Starting the race for US was Monty Spindler, the only native born American on the team. He battled with Brazil's Roberto Ermel aka "Little Boy" and Alain Gabet of France for the early lead after a beach start from the crowded port town of Sagres in the region of Algarve, Portugal .

The three teams were neck and neck after three hours. Each team, took a brief lead in the gusty winds that ranged from 0 to 20 mph gusts. With the exception of the European Team, each team used three sailors to cover the 5.5 hour leg. After the start Spindler choose the offshore waters while Ermel stayed closer to land where the wind proved to be stronger and gustier. Spindler 's lighter weight help keep the US team competitive in the early hour as well as the quick change of board size from on a Zajicek 27" board with a 48" Techtonic fin to a 30" Bassett with 50" fin 15 minutes into the race. The 9.7 meter 02 Plus sail from The Loft was used for the entire race.

The wind continued to diminish and considerable pumping was required by Spindler to keep planing. On the inside, the Brazilian racer enjoyed better winds even though it was a less direct route to the finish. An hour into the race, as the winds lightened and the teams even, Fernando Martinez Del Cerro, the 22 year old World Champion pumping star from Spain enter the water to replace Spindler. Del Cerro who has a slight resemblance to Bjorn Dunckerbeck, pumped a good solid hour to stay even with the Brazilian. He managed to close the 1/2 mile downwind gap that had separated the team.

Amazingly, after two hours of sailing, all three teams were within a stone throw of each other and depending of where the windline hits, each team enjoyed the lead briefly. As the armada passed the headlands of Lagos, the wind filled in to 7-8 mph and the US and Brazilian with bigger sails pumped to a plane and left the European team behind. The two teams stayed together and eventually the European team retired from the leg. When the group approached Villa Mora, the Brazilian had a slight lead and fell off the plane. The US team replaced a tired Del Cerro with Guy Miller. It was at this point that the Brazilian made a major tactical mistake, a mistake that the Americans had made earlier. They switched and headed out to sea seeking stronger winds. The US sailed closer to shore. "I freaked as I got closer to shore and the wind kept dying." Said Miller. " I jibed and there was no wind so I just walloed downwind". Fortunately for the American the wind started to build inshore as it did earlier in the race. By this time there was a good mile between Miller and the Brazilian. Miller began to plane off towards the finish line and the Brazilian was caught offshore on an island of dead calm.

Close to the finish line, (see picture above) the Americans began celebrating as the Brazilians were beyond the horizon. With a half mile to go, Spindler hailed to Miller to head downwind to avoid the jetty that was the finish line and Miller jibed and headed offshore. The team sat on the boat and watched Miller sailing further and further offshore with a building wind. It soon became apparent that Miller had no idea where the finish line was. The team began a wild frantic chase to catch up to Miller. "I was freaking out!" remarked Spindler, "he was so far out and powered, moving so fast that it took us 7 minutes to catch up to him."

By the time Miller turned around he was below the finish line and had to tack upwind loosing valuable time. The 30 minute lead that the American enjoyed was cut down to 5 minutes when the Brazilians roared across the line. Nevertheless, the WIN was a great moral boost for the US team and will afford them a 5 minute head start in the next leg from Cadiz, Spain to Casablanca, Morocco.

It was clearly a tactical victory. More impressively, the first race revealed the bonds already established by the challenge of the Atlantic. The Brazilian team showed incredible sportsmanship as they hugged and congratulated the US sailors with genuine enthusiasm after the race.