JENSEN BEACH, Fla. — The mad dash up the East Coach has begun. The Worrell 1000 catamaran race hit the surf in Hollywood Beach, Florida Monday morning. The plan is to end up in Virginia Beach on Saturday May 21. Monday's leg ended in Jensen Beach, Florida.
Team Rudee's out of Virginia Beach easily won the first stage with a time of 6 hours and 28 minutes. They have a lead of over 25 minutes after the first day.
The winds were blowing 20-25 miles from the Northeast for stage one. What is a 90-mile trip turned into a lot longer than that with all the tacking and zig-zagging.
Randy Smyth is the skipper with Rudee's with Talton Debo as his crew. Smyth is a 6-time winner of the Worrell 1000. That includes one stretch when he won five times in a row.
There are 13 total entries in this year's race. Team Rudee's is the only one from Virginia. There is Team Outer Banks.