John Casey Worldwide

Again I’m searching for warm memories and sun behind the sails.

In my top three favorite races is the Steeplechase. The race starts on the west side of Key Largo, Florida. The first part of the 50+ mile first day goes north under the Card Sound Bridge, then through Angelfish Creek with a ton of current usually. Once out of the creek the voyage southwest starts. Here is the patient part…don’t turn too soon out of the channel or the bottom with coral stagheads will end your race early. Usually, the outside is a spinnaker run on the inside of the reef that runs all the way down the Keys.

I remember about four years ago, it was blowing north-northeast at +30 knots. It was a reach out of the channel and then we had to do the bear-away to go south. One by one, everyone tried and flipped. Kenny and I on the Tybee Island Nacra 20 were lucky and prepared at the same time. We pulled the boards up and put Kenny on the trap, gained some speed and turned down. The hull came waay up and we had an intense moment, but finally we were pointed downwind and going towards the finish.

The current in the Florida Keys is wind driven, and this video from my buddies at TeamSeacats shows it. To get to the start line, the boats have to sail under this drawbridge, but it’s not always that easy! It was crankin 20-30 for the week before the race and the current was fully stacked. At the halfway point it gets kind of interesting.
http://www.dailymotion.com/videoxu705

We went downwind with no chute up and Kenny on the wire for about twenty minutes before we became real bored. We decided to put the chute up. Kenny trapped out and we sheeted in. About ten seconds later a huge puff hit, the bow went in, and over we went. So much for that idea. Kenny was hanging from the chicken line, swinging like a piñata. After laughing a bit at him, I helped him down and away we went, spinny down and bored again.

Anyway, normally the wind is about 15 from the east giving a beautiful spinnaker run with crystal clear blue water against mangrove roots on the shore. Truly spectacular eyescape!

After about five or so hours, the race arrives at the mud flats of Anne’s Beach, where the race can be won or lost. It is imparative to pick the right angle to come in where there is not too much pressure on the rudders after they have kicked up from the shallows. The finish line is next to a bouy very close to shore in knee/ankle deep water.

The first day isn’t the real race though. The second day is where the term “steeplechase” is derrived. Like a horse race over and around obstacles, the race winds it’s way back to the starting area first under the Channel 5 bridge, then through many channels and cut-outs through the mangroves.

Sometimes out in front is not the best place to be. There are two prop channels cut through the flats that some of us know kind of where they are. When the first boat slows down to look for the unmarked channel, the rest of the fleet comes full boar at them. Getting through the slim channels are not always easy either, as sometimes it is a beat and sometimes a tight spinnaker reach. Any boats that flip in the channel are screwed. It’s a long muddy walk to the other side.

There are also many different ways to go on the second day. One can take the “outside” route and go around all of the channels and mangroves, but it is much longer and doesn’t usually work. There are also places to cut inside the course close to shore.

Finally, the race ends at the Caribbean Club and everyone is tired and happy for some Sloppy Joes and such made by Mary White, the race organizer.

If you win the elapsed time the trophy is “Ye Olde Lawn Chair” which has some incredible names on it, including Olympic medalists, and champions of various classes. Now, there are actually two chairs because the first one was filled up. There is also the corrected perpetual trophy the “Rick White Trophy” which is one of the nicest pieces of old wood around!

This time around it was won by Steve Lohmeyer and Jay Sonnenklar. Jay gave me my first chance in racing when I was pretty green. We participated in two Worrell 1000s, set four leg records and placed a disappointing third in the last one when we led most of the way, and were one second, that’s right one second, behind first on the last day. Well, that’s another story! Congrats Jay and Steve! These guys are the class act of distance racing in the US. They won the Nacra 20 class in the Tybee 500 in 2009 also.

When KenDog and I won in '06, our friends in this picture are the ONLY ones to actually complete the race due to tough conditions

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 1:35 pm and is filed under Races.