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Blue Yankee
wins inaugural Baltimore to Key West Race
The start...
The fleet left the start off Key West in light easterly breezes. Blue
Yankee won the start and sailed to a lead of about half a mile in
the patchy conditions. Toward evening the breeze filled from the east-southeast
and Zephyros overtook Blue Yankee. Chessie Racing was close behind
and the three yachts paced through the night on port tack heading
offshore and looking to pick up the elusive Gulf Stream. By early
Monday morning we on Blue Yankee found about two knots of fair current
and elected to tack to starboard to make better progress toward Baltimore.
Zephyros covered and Chessie followed. Blue Yankee was the first to
set a spinnaker, selecting her new Banks Series 2200 VMG spinnaker,
which is specially designed for the lightest wind speeds.
The early set worked well for Blue Yankee as the breeze continued
to veer into the south. By the next morning the three leaders were
exchanging gybes in the Gulf Stream east of Florida's Gold Coast.
Blue Yankee won the first crossing but it was not long before the
much larger asymmetrical spinnakers on Zephyros and Chessie carried
them past Blue Yankee. Zephyros also picked up some favorable bursts
of Gulf Stream off of Palm Beach that was surprisingly close to the
beach.
Next... Gale force winds
Back to Reports and
results
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