Worrell 1000
Encyclopedia
Worrell 1000 is a 1,000-mile beach catamaran
race
between South Beach, Florida
and Virginia Beach, Virginia
. With a motto of "Iron Men, Plastic Boats" this race is more than a simple weekend regatta.
resort restaurant. The bet was between the owners of the bar, Michael Worrell and his brother, Chris. The bet was that it was impossible to sail a sixteen-foot catamaran from Virginia Beach to Florida. On October 1, 1974, Michael Worrell and his crew Steve McGarrett left the Virginia Beach oceanfront with hopes of reaching Florida in one piece. Although they did not win the bet they still sailed through two hurricanes and had to make multiple boat repairs. After twenty days, they had to stop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
due to their catamaran being in poor condition.
Later, Worrell thought of turning the 954-mile journey into a regular regatta
. The inaugural race, called "Worrell Bros. Coastwise Race", took place in May 1976. Four teams participated in the race. For that first race, limited to 16-foot hobie cat
s, there were very few rules. The participants could sail day and night, but they were supposed to come ashore and phone the restaurant once every 24 hours. The course was flipped with the start in Fort Lauderdale and the finish in Virginia Beach, to take advantage of the prevailing winds. The only team to finish the first race was that of Worrell and crew Guerry Beatson.
In 1979, Michael Worrell sold his half of Worrell Bros. to his brother Chris, who shortened the name of the race to Worrell 1000. In 1985, the rules were changed to allow any boat within 20-foot length, 8-foot beam
, instead of just hobie cats. In 1987, the rules were changed to allow unrestricted beam. There was no race from 1990-1996, but it returned in 1997 as a production class event. Since 2000, the Inter 20 catamaran manufactured by Performance Catamarans of Santa Ana, California
is the only boat allowed. Recent Regattas have been canceled to sponsors not covering their financial commitments, however, each year the race is planned.
. The prize for first place is $400,000 second place $200,000 and third place $100,000. To cover the prizes the entry fee was raised by 8,000 dollars to 20,000 dollars in 2003. The entry fee covers the boat with sails, hotel accommodation along with safety gear.
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
race
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
between South Beach, Florida
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is the area south of Indian Creek and encompasses roughly the southernmost 23 blocks of the main barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.This area was the first...
and Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
. With a motto of "Iron Men, Plastic Boats" this race is more than a simple weekend regatta.
History
The origins of Worrell 1000 can be traced to a bet in a bar at the Worrell Bros., a Virginia BeachVirginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
resort restaurant. The bet was between the owners of the bar, Michael Worrell and his brother, Chris. The bet was that it was impossible to sail a sixteen-foot catamaran from Virginia Beach to Florida. On October 1, 1974, Michael Worrell and his crew Steve McGarrett left the Virginia Beach oceanfront with hopes of reaching Florida in one piece. Although they did not win the bet they still sailed through two hurricanes and had to make multiple boat repairs. After twenty days, they had to stop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
due to their catamaran being in poor condition.
Later, Worrell thought of turning the 954-mile journey into a regular regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
. The inaugural race, called "Worrell Bros. Coastwise Race", took place in May 1976. Four teams participated in the race. For that first race, limited to 16-foot hobie cat
Hobie cat
A Hobie Cat is a small sailing catamaran manufactured by the Hobie Cat Company. Begun as a manufacturer of surf boards in the late 1950s, Hobie began manufacturing catamaran sailboats in the late 1960s and has become the largest manufacturer of small catamarans in the world...
s, there were very few rules. The participants could sail day and night, but they were supposed to come ashore and phone the restaurant once every 24 hours. The course was flipped with the start in Fort Lauderdale and the finish in Virginia Beach, to take advantage of the prevailing winds. The only team to finish the first race was that of Worrell and crew Guerry Beatson.
In 1979, Michael Worrell sold his half of Worrell Bros. to his brother Chris, who shortened the name of the race to Worrell 1000. In 1985, the rules were changed to allow any boat within 20-foot length, 8-foot beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
, instead of just hobie cats. In 1987, the rules were changed to allow unrestricted beam. There was no race from 1990-1996, but it returned in 1997 as a production class event. Since 2000, the Inter 20 catamaran manufactured by Performance Catamarans of Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
is the only boat allowed. Recent Regattas have been canceled to sponsors not covering their financial commitments, however, each year the race is planned.
Fees and Prizes
The grand total for the prizes rewarded is $1,000,000 USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
. The prize for first place is $400,000 second place $200,000 and third place $100,000. To cover the prizes the entry fee was raised by 8,000 dollars to 20,000 dollars in 2003. The entry fee covers the boat with sails, hotel accommodation along with safety gear.
Winners
One of the competitors in the 2001 race team spit fire gave some words of advice and somethings that they learned after everything was over.- Stay inshore. If it means jib reaching instead of flying the chute, stay in. If it means throwing 120 or 150 tacks in a leg, stay in. And if it looks really good offshore, stay in.
- Get two complete sets of graphics for the sail. If you lose a main, the sponsors will be much happier if their names show up on the new one.
- Take two vehicles. We had a 1981 Chevrolet 21' rv; it was adequate, but not that nimble. We had to unhook the spare boat every night to run errands or just to park at the hotels.
- Never tank, no matter how far back you feel. Three days from the finish, we were 12th, but less than 15 minutes separated us from the next two boats. One of them broke a rudder casting at Hatteras and carried it the rest of the way to Kill Devil Hills, giving up just over an hour, and while the other stayed ahead, Kirk Newkirk of Key Sailing withdrew from a top-10 place in the race because he was unwilling to face the prospect of another 16-18 hour light wind leg. The rest of the fleet held positions, and we had our top-10 finish.
- If something feels wrong to the sailors, it probably is.On measurement back in Houston, it was found that the bows were 4" closer together than the sterns. This damage to the main beam from Jensen explained the rudder toe problems.
- Raise more money.
External links
- Official homepage
- Worrell 1000 Catamaran Race by Dior Hubel
- Keep the Beach to the Left and Go Like Hell, by the 1997 winner Randy Smyth.