IN BRIEF

A 65-foot sailing vessel belonging to OCC finished in the top third of

an annual boating race in Australia.

The Alaska Eagle finished 24th out of 80 boats in the Telstra Sydney to

Hobart Yacht Race, which was staged between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Only 50 yachts finished the 630-nautical-mile race. The rugged race

touted by Australians as “The Sail of the Century” claimed six lives in

1998. No one was injured this time, but the sailing crews did have their

share of problems.

“The conditions this year were rough on all boats and crews,” said OCC’s

captain, Brad Avery. “All afternoon and evening, we crashed along, with

the boat launching off waves and smashing into deep troughs, sending tons

of water flying.”

The boat will remain in Hobart, which is in Tasmania, for several days.

The Alaska Eagle has been on a 14-month cruise to the South Pacific,

stopping in Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand, among other locations.