In this Issue:
Whitbread- The Last Ocean Crossing
Worrell 1000- North Along the Florida Coast

Whitbread-
    Sunday saw the 9 boat fleet begin the last ocean crossing of the 'Whitbread era'. The era of Whitbread sponsorship ends after the next two legs and the next time the race is run it will be the Volvo Ocean Race Round the World 2001-2002.

    So, the 2nd to last leg of this year's race started in Annapolis and had the fleet head down the Chesapeake. The fleet beat the 120 miles (of the 3,390 total) down the Chesapeake. Local favorite Chessie Racing recorded the fastest time
down the bay.

    The fleet then hit the open ocean, and faced a crucial tactical decision. It was thought that there were two main option. One involved taking a Great Circle
route and sailing in a northerly direction. The Great Circle route would result in less distance sailed. The other strategic option is to head south and take advantage of the
Gulf Stream current. This adds distance, and was thought to put the boats in risk of sailing into a parking lot.

    To go with the conflicting course options the fleet had conflicting weather forecasts. The main point of conflict is where the high pressure will end up. The high pressure
will cause less wind. Since you have one forecast that says there'll be no wind north and another that says no wind south, the entire fleet had decided to go south.

    By heading south and hooking into the Gulf Stream the fleet knows they will gain from the push of the current. Better a sure gain, than a parking lot.     This early in the leg standings don't mean much, but the current leader is Swedish Match. 2nd is Brunel Sunergy 1.3 miles back, with Merit Cup in 3rd. The next 3 are Toshiba, Innovation Kvaerner and EF Language. After that it's Silk Cut, EF Education and Chessie Racing 22.0 miles back of the leader.

    This late in the race, battles for final finishing positions are clearly defined. Swedish Match desperately needs a win to have a chance of an overall win. So far so good. EF Language needs to finish 6th or above. EFL plans to cover Swedish closely. According to Paul Cayard, "It is boring but the professional thing to do." As of today, none of the positions will have a serious effect on the overall positions.

Keep up with the race at http://www.whitbread.org

Worrel 1000- 3 Legs Complete
    3 legs of this beach catamaran race are now complete. Unfortuantly, only 2 of the 3 Great Lakes teams are still in the race.     The team of Guy Selsmeyer and Christopher Blake of Wisconsin suffered some bad fortune on Leg 3. Their boat capsized and became dismasted. They swam the boat to the beach near the Kennedy Space Center. On the beach they re-rigged and relaunched. However, they did not make the time limit. All boats must finish 8 hours after the first boat. Despite their efforts, they did not make it and have been disqualified.

    Matt Struble and Eric Douglas from Michigan sailing Cat House are currently 12th in the standings, 2 hours and 46 minutes out of 1st. Carl D. Roberts & Robert E. Gaidos sailing 2 salty dogs are right behind in 13th - 3 hours and 7 minutes from 1st place.

    Currently in 1st place is Key Sailing with Brian Lamber and Mark Murray on board. 2nd is Chick's Beach with Randy Smyth and Jason Sneed, only 1 minute and 27 seconds back. Australia I is 3rd (Brett Dryland and Rod Waterhouse), 14 minutes and
47 seconds back. 4th is Australia II (Martin Thompson and Greg Barber) 22 minutes and 2 seconds back.

    Today the cats race from Daytona Beach to Jacksonville Beach FLA. This leg covers 79 miles and should take from 6 to 10 hours.

    To follow the race visit: http://www.worrell1000.com