I hope you enjoy the shots from one day on the water before Dave (Gonzo Report) got the best goose of his life. I got released from the hospital just hours before they closed the RV lot on Friday, just in time to see Dave and Eric drive off with their new Tiger and head for a nice weekend sail to Catalina. It seems they were pulling your leg Damon and made so much money from selling their home made sprits to the thirsty sailors that they are now on the road, traveling in style. Seems they left behind the Supercat with the Beer Flag still flying.

A special note of thanks to the 3 guys who got me out of the RV when I broke my leg/ancle!! As I said, Dave's bum just happened to be the closest thing to grab as I was maneuvered out the door of the motorhome and I bet he won't forget that grab for awhile!

The shots I have posted are for Monday, when I was able to get on the water thanks to the generosity of the Hobie Cat Tiger Worlds providing a boat for us camera geeks. The wind was blowing 20+ plus out past the point and I would guess up to 35+ in the puffs. The photo shoot quickly turned into a rescue mission and I was asked many times to use my zoom to determine if 2 sailors were still on a capsized boat.

We saw at least half the fleet turtle during the first race and on the beat back to the beach after the postponement flag was raised. I witnessed the most perfect pitchpole I have ever seen and one boat did a reverse pitchpole. It is amazing to think that my stepping on a 2 inch wooden block was the worst injury of the day, but I was glad that it was and the sailors arrived back on the beach basically in one piece.

I posted new photos in the Tiger Worlds Album and please take a look at my son's photo coverage. I did think he did a great job!

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful support. What a great group you all are. Don't worry I will be back before the seasons end!

Sail fast and have fun and see you on the water,

Connie Brown

ST. THOMAS, USVI (March 31, 2005)— When near-perfect tropical conditions combined with some intriguing new twists at the 2005 International Rolex Regatta, the 32-year-old "Crown Jewel of Caribbean Racing" became an Easter weekend spectacular. The March 25-27 event, put on by the St. Thomas Yacht Club in the U.S. Virgin Islands, hosted 79 boats and hundreds of sailors, serving up warm steady breezes under skies that matched the sapphire blue of the water below. The regatta’s previous trend toward a schedule of mostly around-the-buoys competition was reversed, giving sailors distance courses on two of three racing days and a chance to fully appreciate the spectacular venue where they sailed. The post-racing parties, as well, were reinvigorated, taking advantage of the unique beachside setting of the St. Thomas Yacht Club where the crews gathered each night after racing.

Well Damon, we finally got some racing in today. Winds were from the east in the morning at 10-12 and the seas were pretty flat. We took the course a little north of the yacht club and set it up only to have the wind shift 180 degrees on us and blow from the west. After a quick course change (Eric and I are getting real good at pulling and setting the anchor on a cruising cat) we were in business.

The rumor yesterday of everyone on the line at once bore out to be true and a long line was set and a course two posted. What an amazing site! 87 boats on the course this morning all on the line at once for the start. The racers were fairly aggressive with four boats being flagged as OCS. It looked as though some local knowledge might be helpful as local sailor Larry Harteck waxed the fleet in the first race. He was greeted on the finish line with not only a horn from the signal boat but with a blast from several spectators air horns as well.

The second race was run in similar conditions with the competitors being a little more cautious on the line - except one that is. Taylor Booth took a huge chance with a port start and smoked the entire line. And Taylor is all of 17 years old. There were quite a few exciting moments as the fleet rounded the downwind gate, and everyone stayed much closer together during this race. The finish line provided some entertainment with some overlap, room at the mark, and port starboard situations as most everyone came in at the same time.

In race three, the breeze started to lesson and the racers were struggling to get the race finished. Not much exciting happened other than a boat that got hit by a gust at the finish line and drifted over on his side. Finish any way you can, I say.

With the wind dying and large holes forming in the course, the officials decided to pull anchor in search of some wind. The wind clocked around again 180 degrees to come out of the east so the race was on to set a course for the new heading. A course one was called again and with a clean start everyone took off up wind. A few lucky ones sailed around "A" mark before a huge hole developed and sucked the rest of the competitors into a black hole. With giant wind shifts and monstrous gusts coming down off the mountain range behind us the abandon race flag was flown and the competitors headed for the beach.

The Spanish team had wine and snacks set up to celebrate the fact that they have been awarded the venue for the 2006 Tiger Worlds. The Puerto Rican team was serving rum and cokes just to celebrate being Puerto Rican. There motor home was easy to find, it had the Puerto Rican flag hung on it with a picture of three girls in thong bikinis. I just love how un P.C. Hobie sailing can be some times!

The city has now towed off the motor home Damon. They said it was an abandoned vehicle. That might have something to do with the fact that Eric was so diligent in selling the parts off of it. He just couldn't close that last deal for the body. I think that it had no wheels had something to do with it. We got free food (Triscuits and canned squirty cheese) from the Spaniards, and filled up on free rum and coke from the Puerto Rican's so dinner was covered tonight. Oggie, the skipper of the cruising cat that has been serving as our signal boat, has offered to let us sleep on the forward tramp tonight. I am a little scared though Damon. He has the disco ball up and he says I have to dress in the panda suit for him. Don't ask, you really don't want to know.

Today was a wash Damon, other than the still that Eric fashioned, but more on that later.

We took the signal boat out at 9:30 (it's a 45 foot Leopard cruising cat by the way, rough detail you know...) and were met with shifty wind directions and variable speeds. The wind was clocking back and forth between 210 degrees all the way to 300 degrees. At "A" mark the wind was measured at 17-20 knots 1.4 nautical miles away from us, and at the signal boat we sat in 0-2. The question wasn't if we were going to get some wind - it was how much and from which direction.

The race officials decided to set the course and they set it in the right direction, and that's when we saw the wall of wind coming at us. It was a repeat of yesterday, but with swells at the up wind mark being measured in the 8-10 foot range. After yesterdays carnage a cautious race official decided to call the race for the time being and send the competitors back to the beach. I think the coast guard cutter anchored to the north of us may have influenced the decision also.

We waited out in the channel for a few hours to see if the wind would subside to a manageable level for racing but it never did. We motored back to the harbor to wait it out, but the wind and waves never did let up and racing was called for the day.

An informal and unscientific poll taken by yours truly revealed that about a quarter of the fleet would have liked to race today but the rest were content to wait it out. I think today gave quite a few teams time to repair bodies as well as boats. There were a few main sails that blew out yesterday; with one team driving theirs to Ventura to Morelli's to be repaired. The sail was fixed as the competitor waited and they were back on the water this morning. What great service. Others weren't so lucky with one team's sail looking like Wiley Coyote had blasted through it in a deranged Hobie Cat / Road Runner cartoon.

The wind is supposed to diminish somewhat tomorrow so hopefully we'll get some races off. Time is running out on this competition and we need three for a regatta, and I am sure the fleet would like four so they can all throw out that first race. The fleet has been divided up into four groups with races being run in two flights of about 45 boats each. Rumor on the street says they might all be run together for the next two days so we get some results in. It will make for a very interesting line with 90 plus Tigers on it - should be very exciting!

We are completely out of money and booze Damon. We tried pan handling but got busted by the police. The dog bit me and I required 10 stitches. The doctor bill is in the mail. Eric came up with a brilliant idea to take the coil out of the condenser of the refrigerator of the motor home and fashion up a still. Corn is cheap here now, the shine is a little rough on the throat but you get used to it pretty quick. Some of the French team came over and we made a few bucks selling a few quarts but they paid us in Euros and as you know the exchange rate isn't so good right now. I'm starting to get worried how we will get home, the plane tickets are on their way, right?

Well Damon, they predicted a blow today ant they got it. On the committee boat we were measuring gusts to 31 knots and average wind speed of 22! Wow - what an exciting day! If you came for racing this was your day, or maybe not...

The signal boat with Eric and me on it pulled out around 9:30 a.m. and the sea was already at 3 feet and breaking white caps all around us. We set up a photo op for the press and started all 90 boats at the same time. It was a beautiful sight until one Tiger mounted another in a mating frenzy! At one point the crew of the bottom boat was literally holding the hull of the top boat up so to prevent it from crashing down on him. And we hadn't even started racing yet!

We took the signal boat off shore about 3 miles to set up a course but with the wind and the depth of the water couldn't get the hook to set. In a futile attempt to get one race off we set up a start line but promptly drifted towards the pin boat and closed off the starting line. The decision was made to pull up and move the course closer to shore.

We finally got the course set with the up wind mark 1.8 nautical miles away. It was a fair distance but with the way the wind was building the race officials felt the Tigers would be there in no time at all. Carnage ensued with groups of boats going over as they all got hit with guts at the same time. There were sometimes five and six boats over at once, and the safety crews had their hands full as they raced to make sure everyone was all right.

Being on the signal boat gave a great vantage point of the down wind gate and we were treated to many near flips in today's trying conditions. Many teams suffered equipment failures with one team losing their mast. Two dagger boards were found floating in the water, hopefully they were returned to their owners. Others were injured physically with a broken nose and twisted ankles being reported.

We got one race off and the wind continued to build to a point that the Harbor Patrol came out to keep an eye on things. Many crew and skippers were being separated from their boats and were being picked up by other competitors. There were three official redress notices up for picking up stranded crew. After the first few finishers crossed the line the race officials decided to call it a day as the wind was still increasing in velocity and the safety of the competitors was coming into question.

Many boats were towed in and some even ended up on a southern beach away from the venue just to pull down the jibs and secure the decks for the ride home. Some boats waited on the beach for well over an hour for the wind to subside (it didn't) and to just catch their breath and collect their thoughts before making the trip back.

Right now they are calling for 25-30 mph tonight with gusts to 50. All the boats have been secured for the night and repairs have been made. Tomorrow they are calling for a lighter wind, but it will still be 20 plus. It should make for an interesting day once again.

Still no money Damon, I am beginning to doubt your integrity. The constant buzz that we have attained is starting to dull due to the fact we are now drinking Thunderbird wine and my stomach just can't handle it. I am afraid that a champagne taste does not go well on a Boone's Farm budget. I think we may need to renegotiate our compensation package when we are done here. Eric did get a good price for the generator out of the motor home though.