THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 3, 1995 TAG: 9507030033
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
The Americas' Sail trophy will head south to Venezuela, but the tall ship Simon Bolivar takes possession of it only as a custodian.
No ship won the inaugural tall ships race that set off from Norfolk a week ago. Nature made a mess of things.
``The vagaries of weather sometimes prevent things from happening,'' said Timothy Jones, Norfolk's waterfront director and a member of Americas' Sail governing board. ``Time and tides wait not for we. And it happens often.''
The Simon Bolivar, one of eight tall ships that took off from a starting line near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on June 26, was the only Class A tall ship to cross the finish line just off Long Island three days later. But thanks to stormy seas and unfavorable winds, even that vessel finished two hours later than race rules allowed.
``The weather was such that there was just no way to make the race mark in the designated time that they had,'' Jones said.
Americas' Sail organizers - hoping to see the tall ship race one day earn some of the same prestige and acclaim presently given the America's Cup yacht race - had wanted a clear winner. But they decided not to bend the rules, even if that meant going without a title-holder.
``The trophy was placed in the custody of Simon Bolivar, not as a prize, but for perseverance and seamanship,'' Jones said.
It will now be up to Venezuela, working with the Americas' Sail committee, to set the time and route for the next competition, probably in 1999, Jones said.
As for the major U.S. entry, the Coast Guard's training barque Eagle dropped out and went into Cape May, N.J., because of the unfavorable weather.
Uruguay's Capitan Miranda, which had been favored by some observers as the likely winner, turned back into the Chesapeake Bay and went to Baltimore. The fourth Class A entry, H.M.S. Rose, also left the race and went to port.
Several of the smaller Class B vessels in the race eventually crossed the finish line Friday.
``All of the Americas' Sail people are disappointed,'' Jones said. ``We were hopeful of a very competitive race. We still hope that all the crews had a lot of fun.''
And Jones is optimistic that despite the inconclusive finish, the mere fact that the race was held and drew significant participation will have a lasting effect.
``Based on the number of ships that were involved in our event, it may be easier next time around to get ships to commit,'' Jones said. And, he hopes, the rough finish will become part of a rich race history to be recalled decades from now. by CNB