C2B: Charleston to Bermuda Sailing Race

FISHING AND FUN AS THE FLEET GAINS GROUND

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (May 23, 2011)-Aeolus, the wind god of Greek mythology, appears to be pleased with the yachts sailing in the biennial Charleston Bermuda Race. On Sunday night, the offshore winds increased and everyone in the fleet began making substantial progress toward Bermuda after a very spotty Saturday night. It's also evident that Nereus, the Greek god of the sea's rich bounty, has also been favoring the racers as well. To date, three boats have reported catching fish as they speed their way to the Onion Isles. On board Tucana, the Shipman 63 that Hank Hofford and his wife Susan Ford and their family crew are racing (along with a few friends and guests), the crew reported catching two tuna. In their brief text message to shore, they wrote "Caught two tuna, all is well on board." Comedian Stephen Colbert, sailing aboard the Farr 65 Spirit of Juno, which moved into the overall lead early this morning, also reported catching fish. In an e-mail sent last night he wrote: "Dear land-based life forms, "Fantastic day. We started the day with windless bobbing from 4:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. We punctuated this inertia by catching, on a hand line, two mahi-mahi, a very beautiful fish-fish! They both were laid to rest in a small Tupperware coffin surrounded by lime juice and chopped onions. Spent the afternoon dodging wind holes and watching dolphins play in our bow wake. We've also been introducing our English crew to the joys of grits. They are dubious, but too polite to admit they tossed it overboard. We are on four hour watches and lucky to get three hours' sleep at a time. Those of you familiar with totalitarian regimes will remember that sleep deprivation is one way that dictators break their enemies." "We are in good position thanks to our skipper, Tim Scarisbrick, first mate Bertie Whitley and second mate Chris Miller. We all smell wonderful. See you in Bermuda!" Colbert and his Team Audi on Juno crewmates were blasting along toward Bermuda at 8-plus knots as of the midday position updates today. Spirit of Juno is among the most northerly boats in the fleet. The boat farthest to the north, David Skidmore's Morgan Out Island 41 Eagles' Wings, was moving along nicely as well, heading northeast at over 9 knots. Skidmore's wife Mary e-mailed race headquarters to relay a message from on board. She said that the boat has been experiencing electrical problems and Skidmore has had to run his engine for up to 12 hours each day to keep all the electronics working. On board Colbert's chief rival, the Spirit of Minerva, which is under charter to the comedians close friend Steve Wherry, all appears to be well. Wherry wrote in an e-mail yesterday: "Day 1 is over and what a great time Team Southern Tide is having. Winds have been sporadic, giving us time to jump overboard to cool off in the crystal clear water. We've had pods of up to 40 dolphin with us, jumping, somersaulting, and doing other dolphin tricks. We keep hoping for more breeze to take advantage of this huge mast and big waterline...still hoping!" Back on shore, 25-year-old Rory Faulkner, the former captain of the Spirit of Juno who suffered a collapsed lung just before the race began and had to disembark unexpectedly, is faring much better now. "I'm hoping that I can be discharged today," he said via phone from his hospital room at the Medical University of South Carolina. "My plan is to get out, rest for a day, and then see if the doctors will clear me to fly to Bermuda and meet the boat. I've got my fingers crossed." Regarding the Spirit of Juno's impressive progress, Faulkner said: "It's fantastic watching the boat doing well. I've got Internet access right here in the room, and I've been able to follow their progress. It's really impressive to see them staying up there ahead of one Shipman and even with the other, particularly since it's been a light air race so far, and Juno goes much better in a breeze." As of the most recent position reports this afternoon, the leaders had slowed down significantly, but Race Director Bjorn Johnson said he expected that to be a temporary situation. Johnson said that weather data from Weather Routing, Inc., indicates stable winds for the next three days. For images, updates and more information about the Charleston Bermuda Race, log on to www.charlestonbermudarace.com. To see blog coverage form the 2009 C2B click here.