January
19 , 2001
News
Flash!
GALE
FINISHES FORT LAUDERDALE TO KEY WEST RACE
Jan.
13—The Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race, sponsored by the
Storm Trysail Club and the Lauderdale Yacht Club, was a challenge
for Gale in the Mini 6.5. The weather forecast called for south-easterlies,
8 to 10 knots, coming through Thursday afternoon and clocking
through the evening. So Gale figured after the start at 9:35 it
would be a beat, but eventually come around to a reach, the Mini's
forte, as the day went on.
Unfortunately,
the clock never struck.
Gale
started in PHRF 4 class with four other racers including a Hobie
33, Kaufman 41, Beneteau 51, and Knotty Lady which was
not identified as to type in the scratch sheet. The breeze was
light, very light. At 21 feet, the smallest boat in the class
by far, the 2001 Mini-Transat crew wisely decided that the favored
end, the committee boat, was so guarded by the bigger boats that
clear air on the start of a 160-mile sprint to Key West made more
sense. She sailed across the line with good boat speed then tacked
to take advantage of the better breeze offshore.
In
south Florida, the Gulf Stream runs closely to the coast so it
was a tricky strategy to stay off and get the breeze without venturing
into the Stream flowing north. The crew, Gale, Katie Batain of
Newport—an aspiring Mini sailor—and Phil Mesure of Annapolis
constantly tweaked the sail trim to eke the most velocity out
of the light breeze.
Yep,
that's right, no 8-10. And yes, SE the whole way. On the nose
or close to it. No reaching speed fest for the Mini.
Thursday
night and Friday the crew on the Mini rounded the bend and raced
along the reefs of the Florida Keys. While the slender Hobie relished
the slow up wind endurance duel, the rest of the fleet retired.
Only two boats finished, the Hobie and the Mini. Race results
are posted on the Lauderdale Yacht Club page, http://www.lyc.org/final_results.htm.
Gale
and her Mini crew finished before dawn on Saturday about 10 hours
behind the Hobie, conceding that a racer designed to go solo with
the Trade Winds across the Atlantic can't slug it out upwind in
light air with a skinny, tall rig Hobie.
After
getting to the Historic Seaport Marina, Key West Race Week (KWRW)
headquarters, and a good snooze, it didn't seem to matter. In
preparation for 4,000 miles across the Atlantic in the Mini-Transat
Race, Gale enjoyed the opportunity to refine the tuning and sail
trimming on the Mini that this short, but not so fast, competition
offered. See a photo of Gale at the awards
ceremony.
THROUGH
THE LENS
Gale
and Cheryl Jersey, a key member of the US Challenge 2001 Mini-Transat
team who is racing on Bruce Gardiner's L'Outrage hooked
up in the chaos that is KWRW.
Cheryl
drove from Maryland with the mini-cam loaned by Gary Jobson for
Gale to use in filming solo sailing on board the Mini. Jobson,
an All-American collegiate sailor, America's Cup racer, & ESPN
sailing commentator, is a generous supporter of Gale's team.
The
Mini, assigned to A dock at the Seaport Marina, will not be competing
in KWRW due to the size limitations.
Gale
plans to film some sailing sequences while in Key West as well
as crewing on a Melges 24.
TAX
DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS
Please
remember that Gale is the only US entry in the Mini-Transat Race.
To compete effectively she must have our financial support. Through
the EYC Foundation Gale's supporters can contribute to the campaign
and take a deduction on their income tax return as a charitable
contribution. This deduction is available to both businesses and
individuals. Just
make checks payable to EYC Foundation and direct them to the Women's
Sailing Programs. Contributions of property other than cash are
also deductible by businesses and individuals.
For
example, unused frequent flier miles would be very helpful toward
Gale's travel needs. So if you participate in a frequent flier
program and don't need the extra miles, consider donating them
to the EYC Foundation. We have received several very generous
contributions and gratefully thank these businesses & individuals
for their support. All contributions should be sent to EYC Foundation,
P.O. Box 3205, Annapolis MD 21403 or delivered to Eastport
Yacht Club.
WISH
LIST
Cash—we
will need to pay shipping fees, boatyard fees (at the French yard...
Consolidated Yacht Company is donating their services to Gale
in Florida), and storage in La Rochelle by March.
Sails—at
minimum, another complete suit will be needed plus a main & spinnaker
for the preliminary races
New
mast—we have ordered another mast because of some pre-existing
structural problems that were discovered before the Miami trip.
Atlantic Rigging fabricated a repair that is "OK for now," but
the mast must be replaced before the start of the Mini-Transat
race
Videotape
editing services—to keep a video record of Gale's historic
effort
Spare
pole—jibs, gennakers, and spinnakers are tacked to the
carbon fiber pole
Charts—navigational
& pilot charts for races
Team
clothing
Volunteers—two
volunteers needed to make travel arrangements with our travel
agent and and to organize sale of Team Gear
PARTNERSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
Gale
and the team are are getting closer to nailing down the title
and secondary name partners. Proposals have gone out and are being
reviewed by the potential partners.
They're
also promoting other partnership opportunities available which
offer name/logo signage on the hull and cabin house and other
promotional benefits. These spots are value priced and offer a
lot of "bang for the buck" for a firm interested in international
exposure through a consumer attractive medium. Partners names
& logos will be prominently featured on the sails & hull and by
signage during shore venues. Gale will be available as a corporate
spokesperson.
If
you want to convey images of high-tech and state of the art equipment,
high performance, endurance, thorough preparation, fitness, athleticism,
and international teamwork, consider Gale's 2001 Mini-Transat
campaign. For the US market, add in the natural empathy for an
American woman competing in an event traditionally dominated by
French & British men...
The
Mini-Transat race is featured prominently on TV, radio & print
in Europe and our press relations team ensures that the partners
are featured in all news releases and shore-side promotional activities.
Gale receives media exposure wherever she travels because of the
unique nature of her campaign. Locally, Marty Bass and Don Scott
of WJZ TV interviewed Gale on the Morning Show with the boat—and
its graphics & signage—featured on regional TV. SpinSheet
Magazine has continuing coverage of Gale's campaign as
well as The Capital newspaper, Miami Herald, Southwinds
magazine, Soundings, Sailing World, and other nautical
publications. Partners are featured on the website with links
to the corporate web pages.
To
receive a partnership benefits package or for additional information
on partnership opportunities, contact Cheryl
Jersey at Jersey & Associates, or contact
Gale directly.
SUPPORT
OUR PARTNERS, SUPPLIERS & TEAM MEMBERS
WE
APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND WE'LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON GALE'S CAMPAIGN!
