In this Issue:
Rolex Cup- Pied Piper
Mini America's Cup
Whitbread- Leg 7 Preview
Around Alone- Sailors in the News

Rolex Cup-
    St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands was the site of the recently completed Rolex Cup regatta. This was the 25th edition of this regatta.

    The southern Pied Piper raced in this regatta. They could not repeat their victorious
form, but did finish 2nd in Class A. Fleet wise they finished 9th out of 40.

    Among the boats sailing in this regatta was Project Amazon, a Spongberg 60 getting in tune for the upcoming Around Alone race.

Mini America's Cup Take 2
    The 2nd Road to the America's Cup Regatta will be help April 18th to the 26th in Auckland NZ. Auckland will also be host to the real thing -- America's Cup 2000.
   
    So far three challenger syndicates have confirmed participation in the regatta. From Italy will be the Prada syndicate led by skipper Francesco di Angelis. From France will be the Yaka syndicate. And the U.S. Virgins Islands Team Caribbean will be down under led by skipper Peter Holmberg.

    The three challengers will face off in round robin matches the 18th through the 20th. All races will be held in International America's Cup Class boats provided by host Team New Zealand.

    Two of the challengers will move onto the challenger finals held on the 23rd and 24th. The winner gets to take on the defense syndicate Team New Zealand (Russell Coutts and friends) in a best of nine final scheduled for the 26th.

    The racing will take place in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour. In New Zealand you can either spectate in person at the harbor or watch the racing live on TV.

    For further Mini America's Cup news visit:http://www.americascup2000.org.nz

Whitbread Leg 7
    Saturday will see the Whitbread fleet start eg 7 in Ft. Lauderdale FL. By Whitbread standards this will be a short leg, finishing in Baltimore MD.

    Although the leg is only 870 miles, it will feature unique conditions at the start and the finish. Around 60 miles offshore of Ft. Lauderdale lays the first unique challenge of this leg, the Gulf Stream current. Generally the current runs 2 to 4 knots to the north. Sounds like free boat speed doesn't it? Not if the wind blows from the Northwest and a nasty chop comes up.

    Stronger breeze to the east of the Gulf Stream could tempt boats to pass over the current in search of better wind. This carries heavy risks as you can go too far east and hit adverse current caused by cold water. Record show these currents can be as
high as 7 knots.

    The early part of Leg 7 should feature the fleet looking for the sweet spot of the Gulf stream.  The fleet will head up the coast. Then they will enter Chesapeake Bay. The last 150 miles will be sailed within this tricky bay.

    This stopover has seen team members overflying the bay in helicopters to learn about the area. After the flyovers they have checked out light patterns with
night time powerboat trips.

    Again the fleet will deal with current. There are several types of Chesapeake current caused by the various rivers that flow into the bay. Also, the fleet will have to deal with thousands of crab pots. It would not be surprising to see one of the boats
halted while a crewman jumps over board to free the tangled crab pot from the keel or rudder.

    Perhaps during the race up the bay Chessie Racing will get a helping hand from her namesake. Local lore holds that the Chesapeake's underwater monster is called Chessie.

    All in all, it should be a different type of Whitbread leg. Although short, the degree of difficulty will be high.

    To follow it use: www.whitbread.org

Around Alone News- Sailors in the News
    Several of the sailors competing in the Around Alone race this fall are making news. Off the water, www.no-barriers.com (name of both boat and website) skipper Neal Petersen has received a prestigious award. It is the Governor's Volunteer Award for Community Leaders, given by Governor David Beasley of South Carolina. The award recognizes Petersen's educational efforts.

    Brian Hancock of the Around Alone campaign has announced a unique opportunity. In June he will sail Great Circle from the Azores to the USA. This voyage will serve as his qualifying run for Around Alone. To help raise funds for his campaign he is auctioning off slots for three paying passengers. To take advantage of this unique chance visit http://www.greatcircle.org

    On the water, Magellan Alpha and skipper Mike Garside are on the Atlantic ocean on a training voyage. Mike is within 200 miles of his destination Charleston SC, which is home to Around Alone. Mike has had a challenging trip on Magellan. To see when
Mike reaches Charleston and learn more about his campaign visit: http://www.magellanline.co.uk/

    For more Around Alone coverage including interviews with competitors visit the Torresen Sailing Site and follow the links to the Around Alone Series.
http://www.torresen.com/aroundalone/aroundaloneseries.htm