User:Bjsimmons45/sandbox/Worrell 1000 Race

"The Worrell 1000 Race” is an offshore long distance beach catamaran sailboat race that was held May 6th-18th 2019 and that will be held again May 10th-22nd 2021. The race runs in the waters between Florida and Virginia Beach, VA. The race will cover approximately 1000 miles with overnight stops at multiple locations along the East Coast of the United States. The Organizing Authority for the 2021 Worrell 1000 Race  will be “Worrell 1000 Race Reunion Race, Inc.”, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, (dba “Worrell 1000 Race”).

History
The origins of Worrell 1000 can be traced to a bet in a bar at the Worrell Bros., a Virginia Beach resort restaurant between the owners of the bar, brothers Michael and Chris Worrell. The bet was that it was impossible to sail a sixteen-foot catamaran from Virginia Beach to Florida. On October 1, 1974, Michael Worrell and his crew Steve McGarrett left the Virginia Beach oceanfront with hopes of reaching Florida in one piece. Although they did not win the bet they still sailed through two hurricanes and had to make multiple boat repairs. After twenty days, they had to stop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida due to their catamaran being in poor condition.

Later, Worrell thought of turning the 954-mile journey into a regular regatta. The inaugural race, called "Worrell Bros. Coastwise Race", took place in May 1976. Four teams participated in the race. For that first race, limited to 16-foot hobie cats, there were very few rules. The participants could sail day and night, but they were supposed to come ashore and phone the restaurant once every 24 hours. The course was flipped with the start in Fort Lauderdale and the finish in Virginia Beach, to take advantage of the prevailing winds. The only team to finish the first race was that of Worrell and crew Guerry Beatson. 2 racers didn't make it past Georgia, however the boat crewed by Peter Guthrie and Alan Kramer maintained the lead through Nags Head, NC. Knowing they were well ahead they pulled ashore at the Nags Head pier to take a break. In the distance they saw a sail far to the south and ran to the beach to launch their boat for the final run to Virginia Beach. Unfortunately they did not realize how steep the surf was and when they attempted to launch in the high surf it overturned the boat and it broke apart allowing Worrell and Benson to win. The inaugural race took 13 days to complete!

In 1985, the rules were changed to allow any catamaran within a 20-foot length, 8-foot beam, instead of just Hobie cats. In 1988, the rules were changed to allow only 20' catamarans. For 2019, eligible classes were the Nacra F20 Carbon (in compliance with International Nacra F20 Carbon Class Rules dated 2011 (Revision 2018) and the Formula 18. For the 2021 event, scheduled to take place May 10th to May 22nd 2021, only F18's will be allowed to compete. For the official NoR or to register, go the official website https://worrell1000race.com Boats must be able to launch from and finish on the beach.

Death
According to the website, Michael Worrell died on June 5, 2010. The Obituary and funeral information can be found here:

Fees and prizes
Please see official race rules and details by visiting the current year's NoR (Notice of Race). This can be found at: https://worrell1000race.com/nor/

Race strategy
There have been many teams who have discussed their individual strategies over the years, and for the most part - the single, best one is to "Keep the continent to your left and sail as fast as you can." The second - don't go too far offshore, even if you think the wind looks better. Many a skipper has ventured out only to find they gave up a lot of distance and fell back in the standings. Cape Hatteras can be very tricky and the famed "Atlantic Graveyard" has competitors sailing over many a lost ship on the ocean floor. Be mindful of advice from past competitors and heed all warnings given by the Race Committee and PRO - ALL of which are seasoned Worrell Veterans and do their best to steer the competitors right. And always - you NEVER hit a Sea Turtle! It was a shoal, damnit!!! Watch for those "shoals"...