GALE BROWNING OCEAN RACING NEWSLETTER

News Flash!

BACK TO ANNAPOLIS FOR HOLIDAYS...

Shortly after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 5, Gale Browning picked up her cell phone and made her first personal contact with the world outside her 21-foot radical ultralight sloop in a little more than eight days. She had just completed a non-stop sail from her home port of Annapolis, Maryland, to Miami. This was a mandatory 1,000 mile solo qualifier for the the 2001 Mini-Transat.

Gale had received special permission from race organizers to complete the qualifier in our area of the Atlantic rather than the European side. However, the distance from Annapolis to Miami is less than 1,000 nautical miles so during the southern run Gale had to turn the boat north and sail an additional loop to make the required distance.

The voyage was required to simulate race conditions--no outside communications other than for emergencies.

The weather routers worked with Gale to time her departure to optimize the expected meteorological conditions. As a low pressure system approached from the southwest, she used the westerlies to sail down the Bay and past Cape Hatteras. Then as the front passed north of her position, the wind went to the north-west as it clocked and eventually returned to westerlies. This provided a nice reach down the Florida coast.

Seas were frequently rough, up to 15 feet, but the powerful mini racer proved very seaworthy and no damage was incurred. With races coming up, Gale delibrately was conservative with her choice of sails, but enjoyed speeds up to 10 knots.

Mentally and physically tired from days and nights of sleeping only in 10-minute catnaps, and wet from living in the open cockpit or the tiny, cramped cabin without any of the amenities of home, Gale was nevertheless elated by her successful trip when she called home with the news that she had arrived safely at Government Cut, where she was awaiting a tow into the Consolidated Yacht Company boatyard on the Miami River.

Gale returned to Annapolis on Friday after cleaning up the boat and making some minor repairs. Happy to be back, she looked forward to spending Christmas with her family and friends and up went the tree!

Upon her return, Gale reviewed her applications for upcoming regattas. Although it is only 21 feet in length, the Mini-Transat boat has a PHRF Chesapeake rating of 76 (without using water ballast) that puts her in in the same class as 40 plus footers. In September, she competed in the Annapolis to Oxford Race and blasted through the fleet in light air on the Choptank to claim third place in the hotly contested PHRF A-1 class.

She'll return to South Florida in January to compete in the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race, and will be on hand with her boat in Key West for Mount Gay/Yachting Race Week, although she won't be racing in that event because Premiere Racing, the organizer of the event, has stipulated a 24' minimum length for competitors.

For Key West, Gale is hoping to crew on a Melges 24 or Mumm 30 as these are racers with similar performance charactoristics to the Mini boat. Interested owners/skippers can contact her at 410-263-3609 or GaleBrowning@clark.net.

The Miami Herald sent a reporter and photographer to inverview Gale about her voyage and the Mini-Transat race campaign at her berth at Consolidated Yacht Company. This resulted in a feature article in the Sports Outdoors section on December 10th. Nancy Noyes of the press team has written an article complete with photographs that will appear in Southwinds magazine next month. And look for Gale's Spinsheet article about the trip.

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

Tax time is coming soon. Through the EYC Foundation Gale's supporters can contribute to the campaign and deduct it on their 2000 income tax return. 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. Contributions must be made by year end to be deductible on your 2000 income tax return. 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

WEBSITE

We have photos & tape of her departure and hope to have them on the website within a few days. Elvia Thompson of Stellar Presentations, Inc. has redesigned the site and it is being hosted by Annapolis firm Systematic Solutions. There are some great photos of Gale & the boat by John Bildahl. Take a look!

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