| This past weekend the 1998-99 edition of Around Alone
went final as they say. 9 of the 16 starters were classified as official finishers.
Two more sailors returned to Charleston as unofficial competitors, and 15 of the 16
were present for a celebratory weekend. The Awards
Ceremony was held appropriately at the Charleston Customs House. Certainly not the
first time this venerable building has seen sailors return from 'going foreign'.
Not surprisingly race winner Giovanni Soldini made several trips to
the stage. He won awards for seamanship, spirit and his race placing. Later
when the Charleston Symphony Orchestra took stage he was drafted as a guest conductor and
energetically ran the group through a John Phillip Sousa tune.
Marc Thiercelin won awards for the best 24 hour run of the race and
for being the first Class I boat to reach Cape Horn.
Brad Van Liew won the best communication award named after long time
Race Operations Center Director Peter J. Dunning.
At the opening of the ceremony Josh Hall of Gartmore Investment
Managers which was dismasted on Leg 3 remarked that although he was not supposed to speak
he would anyway. Hall said: "I've never been any good at doing what I am
told." He also said his mother had wished he had a 'proper job'.
Indeed it is unlikely that any of the sailors on stage had
specifically been told to sail Around Alone. Just to get to the starting line they
likely had to put up a stronger fight than most of us are capable of.
Now they are added to the short list of those who have circled our
planet alone on a sailboat. Although this is not on most lists of 'proper jobs',
they did a proper job of it as all 16 returned safely and 9 of those can add Around Alone
finisher to their resume for when they have to nab that proper job.
Official award winners were:
- For best 24-hour run of the race in Class I: Marc Thiercelin, 396
nautical miles
- For best 24-hour run of the race in Class II: J.P. Mouligne, 331
nautical miles
- The Peter J. Dunning Communications Award: Brad Van Liew
- The Seamanship Award for the race: Giovanni Soldini
- The Spirit of Around Alone Award: Giovanni Soldini
- First in Class I to Round Cape Horn Award: Marc Thiercelin
- First in Class II to Round the Horn Award: J.P. Mouligne
- First unsponsored boat to Round the Horn Award: Minoru Saito
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Tuesdays, Thursday's and Fridays for Sailing Daily. |
