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This is the LWSA pre-2017 ARCHIVE site. For 2017 and later see the current LWSA site.
Long Distance Challenge
August 5, 2007
It was a sunny summer day with the promise of a long lasting steady breeze when nine sailboats began the Long Distance Challenge on Sunday, August 5 off of Welch Island. The course had been charted at the Skipper.s Meeting and initially sent the sailors in the direction of Blueberry Island to be circumnavigated to port. Haleakala anchored and settled in to serve as the committee boat for the race. Pete Crosby set the racing mark for the start/finish line from his catamaran Sun Bear. The boats crossed the starting line and headed out to take advantage of the steady breeze.
With the boats underway, the crew of Haleakala settled in for a long day on anchor awaiting their return. As frequently happens during the dog days of August the wind began to diminish and unfortunately by the time the lead boats reached Jonathan.s Landing it had completely died. Radio conversations between the skippers and the committee boat resulted in the race being called off and an invitation to the post race party at 3:00 p.m. on the dock at Fay.s Boat Yard. The boat crews enjoyed Jamaican Rum Punch and snacks in the warmth of the sun and thanked Bob Garland for making the decision to abandon the race without a lengthy delay.
The participating boats were Sun Bear, Fireworks, Jolly Mon, Renaissance, Sugar Mountain, Czech Mate, Swept Away, Full Sails, and Freewill.
Submitted by Donna A. Garland
