Sailing: Alaska Eagle survives yacht race

im Carnett, Special to the Daily Pilot

HOBART, Tasmania - Alaska Eagle, Orange Coast College’s beautiful,

65-foot sail training vessel, finished 24th out of 80 boats in the 55th

annual Telstra Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, staged between Christmas and

New Year’s Day.

The race is known or its wild and rough conditions. Last year’s event

claimed six lives.

Eighty yachts started this year’s race on Sunday, Dec. 26 in Sydney

Harbor. Fifty yachts finished, while 30 were forced to retire.

The last two yachts to complete the 630-mile race finally crossed the

finish line on Monday, Jan. 3.

OCC’s Alaska Eagle sailed into Hobart’s Storm Bay, and finished on the

Derwent Rover on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 1:25 p.m. local time. Tasmania is

an island state of southeastern Australia, separated from the mainland by

the Bass Straight. Hobart is Tasmania’s capital city.

Though the race didn’t feature the huge storms like last year, Bass

Straight was still raging.

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

skipper Brad Avery said. Avery is director of the college’s Sailing

Center in Newport Beach.

“For 20 hours, Alaska Eagle was pounded by a storm of the Tasmanian

coast. The waves built to 20 feet. All afternoon and evening, we crashed

along, with the boat launching off waves and smashing into deeper

troughs, sending tons of water flying.”

Finally, Alaska Eagle turned into the relative calm of Storm Bay. Much

of the fleet behind her had to continue to endure the pounding for hours

and days.

Australia’s Bluewater Classic, which was the final long ocean race of

the 20th century, was touted by Aussies as “The Sail of the Century.” The

race, sponsored by the Cruising Yacht Club of America, included entries

from Australia, the U.S., Hong Kong, Great Britain, Ireland, France,

Denmark, New Zealand and New Guinea.

Last year’s storm-swept race will long be remembered for the tragedy

that occurred in Bass Straight, an almost constantly-agitated body of

water that separates the Indian Ocean and Tasman Sea.

The savage storm swept six yachtsman to their deaths, while 55 others

had to be rescued from seven severely damaged or foundering yachts.

Though conditions were rugged in 1999-2000, forcing 30 boats to

retire, no lives were lost.

Following the race, OCC’s boat remained at the Hobart Yacht Club for

several days, allowing the crew to welcome in the new year.

Alaska Eagle is involved in a 14-month cruise to the South Pacific and

back. She departed Newport Beach on July 1, with OCC students aboard on

the first half of her adventure.

That phase of the trip included stops in Honolulu, Papeete, Pago Pago,

Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia and Sydney.

She is currently taking students on a one-month tour of the remote and

exotic Auckland Islands, located off New Zealand’s west coast.

“The islands are owned by the government of New Zealand and are an

environmental reserve,” Avery said. “The government limits the number of

visitors to the islands each year and we’re very fortunate to be able to

make several different stops there. We have an opportunity to explore the

islands and take part in lots of offshore sailing.”

Avery said the islands are famous for their 18th, 19th and 20th

century shipwrecks.

After spending time at several island locations, the students will

cruise to Wellington, New Zealand and will travel by bus to Auckland to

view America’s Cup racing competition.

Following a two-month hiatus, Alaska Eagle will launch her seven-leg

spring and summer Pacific sailing excursion on April 2. Ten students will

take part in each leg of the trip.

The journey will include stops in Tahiti, the Tuamotos, Bora Bora,

Hawaii, Vancouver Island, Friday Harbor and Newport Beach. The Eagle will

arrive back at OCC’s sailing center on Aug. 10.

Orange Coast College’s Sailing and Marine Program is the national

leader for public nautical schools. The college offers a comprehensive

year-round curriculum of classroom and on-the-water courses for college

students and the general public.

Last spring, OCC received the “Outstanding Year-Round Sailing Program

Award,” presented by the U.S. Sailing Magazine and the Community Sailing

Council.

More than 6,000 people annually take classes at OCC’s waterfront

facility, located at 1801 W. Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach.

For information about the spring/summer 2000 Pacific voyage, contact

the Sailing Center at (949) 645-9412.