- Local News for Southern Sailors - June 2002 Next Story
Mug Race madness
By Lawrence Dennis
But Roberts figuratively had to come off the bench to do it. The last time the monster RC-30 cat won the Mug, in 1999, the official skipper was Bill's son, Eric. The younger Roberts was the skipper of record for this race, too. But he couldn't answer the bell for the second round in light air and blistering heat that would reach temperatures in the mid-nineties early on. The RC-30 was among the last boats in the 217-boat fleet to get off under the reverse start handicapping system in use for the third year.
"He deserves all the credit," Eric said of his dad, a retired aeronautical engineer and boat designer and builder, who won most of his Mug Cups at the
helm of an RC-27. "I've been sick with the flu for three days. I was just worthless. I sailed for about two miles, and I said, 'I just can't do this.' "
That left the senior Roberts and the third crewman, Christian Dam of Miami, to overcome light air conditions, which resulted in only 104 boats finishing by the cutoff time of 8 p.m.
The sea breeze did finally come in near the finish south of the Buckman (I-295) Bridge, just in time for Roberts to outduel Randy Smyth of Fort Walton Beach on a Javelin 2 and Robert Lyman of Jacksonville on an RC-27. Roberts finished 87 seconds ahead of Smyth and some 2-1/2 minutes ahead of Lyman after spending almost seven hours on the river. Roberts set a record in the race that will probably never be broken, 2:53:10, on an RC-27 in 1986.
Smyth was on a new mount. In his first two Mug Races, Smyth was sailing a Nacra 6.0. The Javelin 2 — the designated boat for the Worrell 1000 in 2003 — is a different breed of cat.
"It's an Italian design, and it doesn't even have a jib sail," Smyth said. "It has a spinnaker but not a jib. It was kind of neat...with this little boat...beating all the big,
fast boats."
Almost all. Most people didn't need anything more than a chute. For once the winds — light as they were — came from the southwest or southeast, making for a downwind race. The only problem was they ranged from 15 knots at the end of the day to nothing most of the day for most racers.
"You try to strategize in a race," Bill Roberts said. "But that was hard to do in this race. You're always trying to decide whether to go in to the shore or stay in the middle. This year, it was more a matter of luck than anything else. I think this is the greatest variation in wind strength and boat position I've ever seen in a Mug Race."
Last year, a record 180 of 212 boats registered finished by the cutoff time. One of the worst years in the history of the grueling race was in 1992, when only 37 of 308 boats registered finished. More boats might have finished this year, but for some yet-to-be-explained reason, the cutoff time of 8:45 p.m. that had been in effect for years was changed to 8 this year. Though the new time was listed in the race instructions, some skippers who are veterans of the race apparently didn't catch the change...not that it would have done much good if they had. There were several cruisers classes in which only one to three boats finished and four classes in which the entire fleet was scored DNF.
49th Mug Race The Rudder Club Palatka to Orange Park St. Johns River May 4 Top 10 finishers (after rating adjustments/elapsed time w/o rating adjustments 1-Bill Roberts, Palm City RC-30, 6:57:31; 2-Randy Smyth, Fort Walton Beach, Jav II, 7:25:55; 3-Robert Lyman, Jacksonville, RC-27, 7:01:39; 4-David Ingram, Minneola, Inter 20, 7:07:24; 5-Tom Worthman, Beu, Inter 20 Cat, 7:19:37; 6-Richard Snipes, Eustis, Inter 20, 7:19:37; 7-Bruce Proctor, Micanopy, Prindle 20, 7:39:35; 8-Lloyd Beery, Orlando, Hobie 21, 8:57:01; 9-Mike Tierney, Jacksonville, Nacra 6.0, 7:30:40; 10-Richard Lindberg, Jacksonville, Nacra 6.0, 7:30:49 Special Trophies South Course Mug Cup Bill/Eric Roberts, RC 30; Commodore's Trophy (First RC member to finish), Robert Lyman, RC 27; Palatka C of C Trophy (First multihull cruiser to finish) - Nelson Wright, Orlando, F25C; Sullivan E. Howard Trophy (First monohull to finish) - James Williams, Miami, E-Scow; Ed Burroughs Trophy (First PHRF boat to finish) - James Keeley, Palm Beach Gardens, Lindenberg 22 Blow Up Doll; Bobbie Lee Johnson Trophy (First all-female crew) - Wendy Hoffmann and Lauren and Kaitlin Bobek, Jacksonville, Flying Scot; Fred Austin Trophy (First all under 19 crew) - Jeff Urfer, Middleburg. Dart 20; Colin MacKenzie Trophy (First Putnam Co. resident to finish) - Chip Laibl, Palatka, Hobie 21; Corinthian Trophy (Last boat to finish) - Dale Lewis, Orlando, Pearson Triton 21 Second Chance; Sportsmanship Trophy - Dave Backus, Jacksonville, Race Committee; Archie Markland Trophy (First RCHS boat to finish) - Don Lasky, Port St. Lucie, Catalina 22 Flip, Flop and Fly. South Course Classes (Top 3 finishers) Multihull Spinnaker A 1-Roberts, RC-30 17:32:07; 2-Lyman, RC-30 17:34:36; 3-Ingram, Inter 20 17:36:22 Multihull Spinnaker B 1-Smyth, Javelin 2 17:33:34; 2-Tierney, Nacra 6.0 17:42:33; 3-Lindberg, Nacra 6.0 17:42:42 Multihull Spinnaker C 1-Proctor, Prindle 19 17:40:04; 2-Beery, Hobie 21 17:41:19; 3-Laibl, Hobie 21 17:56:08 Multihull Non-Spinnaker A 1-David Carlson, Gainesville, A-Class 17:52:09; 2-Marc Newlyn, Miami, Nacra 6.0 17:52:27; 3-Allan Rickets, Orange Park, Nacra 6.0 Express 18:03:47 Multihull Non-Spinnaker B 1-Chip Laibl, Hobie 21 17:54:42; 2. Bill McCallum, Gainesville, Nacra 5.5 SL 18:22:28; 3-Cliff Jones, Daytona Beach, Hobie 21 18:30:15; Flying Scot 1-Charles Fowler, Miami 18:43:15; 2-Barry Bobek, Jacksonville 19:07:49; 3-Joe Byles, Orange Park 19:11:02 Hobie 16 1-Bob Frohwein, Atlantic Beach 18:39:13; 2-John Drew, Pamona Park 18:52:54; 3-Kevin Brice, Jacksonville 18:59:23 Hobie 18 1-Emory McLaughlin, Jacksonville 18:28:29; 2-Stephen Hughes, Dublin, GA 18:34:43.; 3-Adam Haley, Palatka 18:36:55 Prindle 19 1-Phil Ghiotto, Atlantic Beach 18:10:08; 2-Shawn Jackson, Palm Beach Gardens 18:15:45; 3-John Kuna, Daytona Beach 18:37:23 Open Monohull 1-Williams, E-Scow 18:26:52; 2-Paul Keller, Vassar, Raider Sport 18:33:33; 3-Davis Stage, Tallahassee, Flying Dutchman 19:02:21 Multihull Cruiser 1-Wright, F-25C 18:10:00; 2-Bob Cole, Strider Cat 19:40:09; 3-Robert Libbey, Eagle 20 19:45:34 PHRF Spinnaker A 1-Tom Carter Jr., Titusville, Melges 24 18:46:30; 2-Rich Brew, Jacksonville, Hobie 33 Kaos 18:52:11; 3-Susan Edwards, Hobie 33 Scotch Tape 18:53:09 PHRF Spinnaker B 1-Keeley, Blow Up Doll 18:40:42; 2-Harry Antley, Deltona, Mirage 5.5 Lee Roy 18:44:00; 3-Don Midgett, Jacksonville, SR Max 21 Slippery When Wet 19:00:50 PHRF Non-Spinnaker A 1-Clyde Rogers, S. Daytona, Chrysler 22 Babaj 18:43:33; 2-Ed Sims, Summerfield 23 Point Blank 18:50:30; 3-Pamela Keene, Flowery Branch, GA., Morgan 24 Down Pat 18:50:35 RCHS C (Non-Spinnaker) 1-Randy Dickens, Jacksonville, Morgan 24 Warrior 18:44:41; 2-Jomae Potter, MacGregor 26 Duck Soup 19:48:56 RCHS D (Non-Spinnaker) 1-Henry Van Twyver, Paisey, San Juan 21 Pro Motion 19:07:53; 2-Leonard Freeman, San Juan 21 Gone With the Wind 19:09:37 RCHS Spinnaker 1-Lasky, Flip, Flop and Fly 18:42:49; 2-Bryce Merril O'Day 28 Compensation 19:16:58; 3-Jeff Herter, S2 Vulcan Mermaid 19:36:13 Special Trophies North Course Tall Ship Trophy (First boat to finish) - Scott Grimm, Mumm 30 LitiGator; John Saare Trophy (First PHRF boat to finish) - Litigator North Course Classes PHRF Spinnaker A 1-Grimm, LitiGator 18:17:50; 2-Robert McClemens, Beneteau 38 Bananas 19:28:14; 3-Tom Bell, C & C 38 Whisper 19:34:21 PHRF Non-spinnaker 1-Jerry Rehkopf, J/30 Showoff 19:36:45 |
A first Mug experience
The Mug Race is a somewhat famous long distance race starting in Palatka and ending near the Rudder Club at Orange Park (just south of Jacksonville). The festivities started with a pre-race party at the host Rudder Club and a halfway party at Green Cove Springs Marina. There was also an impromptu gathering at the Holiday Inn in Palatka on Friday evening during registration.
All day Friday boats were showing up at the public park in Palatka with small groups getting together to talk sailing and have a drink or two. It isn't just about sailing the race but about the experience. I was pleased to add my wife Jacki to the usual crew of skipper Don Lasky and myself.
Over 200 boats were registered to race on two courses. The north course is for boats with rigs of 44 feet or more in height, limited by the Shands Bridge at the south end of the course. The race starts south of the Buckman Bridge in Orange Park, proceeding west about a mile, then south some four miles to another mark, then back to the first mark, then south again to a mark approximately one-half mile north of Shands Bridge, then back to the first mark and the finish.
The south course is the traditional Mug Race point-to-point event for boats which can clear the Shands Bridge. It starts in Palatka just west of the Holiday Inn docks and proceeds north on the St. Johns River to a mark just south of the Buckman Bridge, then east to the finish line. There are no other marks, just cautions about shallow ground along the route. The only catch is that you must pass the Shands Bridge at Green Cove Springs before 6 p.m. and you must finish the race before 8 p.m. to
be scored.
The race is run as a reverse handicap with the slower boats starting first. At the end of the race, most of the well-sailed boats were bunching up, a good indication of a rating system that works.
Sailing on a Catalina 22 ensured us of a very early start time — 07:39:42 — and a very long day. Saturday dawned very calm. The wind was supposed to be out of the SW starting light and building to 10 knots early, just the same as the day before, but at the start time it was very light. We had just enough wind to launch our spinnaker and with just six slower-rated boats ahead of us, we started our adventure. Just as we got to the main power lines from a nearby power plant, the fog rolled in. A quick look at the GPS and our charts showed us in good shape, but sailing in the fog can be quite eerie.
For quite some time we had no idea who was near us or if we were in the lead, but by 10 a.m. the fog began to lift on our part of the river, and we saw clearly that we were still in first.
The winds that started in the southwest soon came in from the northwest, and backing to the west, were still very light and shifty. The wind proceeded to keep moving forward back to the north, and eventually we went back to our genoa.
I looked at the charts and knew just ahead, around two points of land, was the bridge at Green Cove Springs. We were again in light and shifty air and thinking maybe it was time to pack it in. If we turned back, we could haul out and be at the Rudder Club for dinner, or if we motored to the finish we would also be there by 9 o'clock ( but would have to listen to the outboard for the rest of the day). Or we could go into the marina at Green Cove Springs and drink beer and sleep on the boat until someone came and got us. We talked about it and decided we would sail under the bridge at Green Cove Springs and then make a decision.
On our last tack to the Shands Bridge, the wind started to die. Don looked back and said, "I can't believe this wind, but it is filling in from behind and building fast. Get the pole up and prepare to hoist again."
We timed it perfectly. Just as the first gusts hit, we hoisted the spinnaker and dropped the genoa, and off we went. Behind us, but coming up very fast, the very distinctive blue sail and hulls of Bill and Eric Roberts' RC-30. Like lightning they were upon us and sailing a very hot angle to leeward of us. We no longer had to worry about being the first place boat. In a matter of minutes the big cat was followed by another six multihulls of various makes, and they all blew by deep to leeward. They jibed just off the east shore, and were reaching back into the middle of the river to make the jibe back to the last mark and the finish.
We thought that we would never see them again, but ahead they had a surprise. They were outrunning their wind, and in a short time the big and little beach cats were dead in the water. Once again the wind began to build from behind with the wind ahead still coming at us, and the multis were stuck in the convergence zone. We were now sailing upwind with boats in sight behind us sailing downwind towards us. We managed to stay in the wind and pulled even with Roberts and then passed him...slightly. Now that is a picture I will keep — a Catalina 22 passing a RC-30. It was a short-lived moment as, with just a hint of wind, the RC took off again.
The wind picked up again and went just aft enough to launch the chute one more time. My poor wife looked up at me...tired, sweaty, and having never launched or taken down a spinnaker in a race before. This would be our sixth launch of the day, and every one had been almost flawless. After 11 hours of sailing in winds that had gone all around the compass, it came down to a drag race. As we were fighting to keep what position we had, another boat came up on us. It was the Flying Scot of legendary Charlie Fowler. We managed to hold him off, and shortly before 7 p.m. — some 11 hours after our start...and after almost dropping out...we finished our first Mug Race.
In all the excitement, a disaster was discovered. We were out of beer!
— Dave Ottaviani
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