Best start yet for the Tommy Bahama Team.  Jumping off the beach at the start with the help of big Dan, spinnaker full and pulling, Tommy literally jumps out into the front of the pack - apparently clear of the bad air shadow noticeably slowing the rest of the other starters. 

I'll post updates as they are available.

.......Mr.Ernie

Tommy just crossed the finish line in 9th place but still holds on to third place overall by 18 minutes.

More Later,

.......Mr.Ernie

........From the Beach
 

Our second place finish in the night leg gave us great position on the beach for our start on Tuesday morning - only Guidant was above us, and we set
the spinnaker with seconds to go.  Dan got particularly fired up for this start, and once his legs got churning, there wasn't a wave that was equal to the force of his entry into the surf.  Dan's momentum drove the boat through the sails and out of the breakers ahead of everyone, and when Nigel and Alex were able to get the sails drawing again, they found themselves in clear air, out from underneath Guidant, and rolling!  It was great to watch the team yelling in excitement, jumping up and down on the beach and cheering our sailors on.  Nigel looked back once only, waved and smiled at us as they came up into the wind on the 70-mile journey to Wrightsville Beach.

As the day progressed, however, the boys allowed themselves to be drawn offshore by a couple of the other teams who'd jibed away from the beach.

"We were leading for the first hour or so," said Nigel, "and when we jibed over, I looked at the GPS unit and found that we were on the layline for Cape Fear.  We sailed that course for a while, but took a hitch in when we started getting nervous about the distance from the shore.  When we jibed back over, a short time later, we were AGAIN on the layline, and I thought 'Now wait a minute, here.  This doesn't make sense.'"

Alex was also frustrated.  "It was the right thing to do - I know we sailed a shorter course than any one else.  It should have worked.  We were on the rum line doing 17 knots and trapped out."

What Alex and Nigel didn't know was that the rest of the fleet was only 200 yards off the beach on a tight jib reach, screaming along at 25 knots.  "When we got to the Cape," said Alex, "we could see 15 boats ahead of us..."

The boys finished 9th for the leg, and although they were disappointed, things weren't nearly as bad as they seemed.  They held onto their third-place overall position by nearly 20 minutes, and the fifth place boat is still almost an hour back.  It was a tough lesson about keeping to the inside, but Nigel and Alex survived and still have an opportunity in the next few days to climb in the fleet.

We were met by several friends in Wrightsville Beach, including my boss from my real world job, Meg Morrison, who was visiting her parents so she could see the finish.  When I introduced her to Nigel and Alex, they said, in unison, "He works for us now!"  Thanks again, Meg, for the time off!

Being a first year entry and running in third has really gotten the attention of the media and race officials.  Mike Worrell was impressed with the team's composure, professionalism, and organization.  "Your team is doing a fantastic job - for a first year competitor, they're really sailing well.  I don't expect, now that the pecking order has established itself, to see y'all in a second tier start again."

The boat is holding up beautifully, and the guys have been in good spirits.  We're looking forward to the dash to Atlantic Beach tomorrow morning - we're fortunate to have a professional photographer meeting us there, and we're scheduling some aerial photo time for the Cape Hatteras leg.  Keep the good thoughts coming - they're working.

.................John