Articles

'Hakuna Matata' during the AZAB race pre-start

Article reproduced with the kind permission of Charles Allen, first published on http://www.oceanware.co.uk/sailing/azab/azab99.htm in July 1999.

Introduction
This is the narrative log of my participation in the 1999 Azores and Back Race. The race is run every four years by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club with the active participation of Club Naval de Ponta Delgada. The course is from Falmouth in Cornwall to Ponta Delgada on the Island of Saõ Miguel in the Azores, nearly 1,200 miles. The race restarts, after a short break, for the return leg to Falmouth. Entry is limited to single-handed and two-handed crews, crew changes in Ponta Delgada are permitted.

In 1999 there were five classes: three IRC bands, a water-ballasted monohull class and the multihulls, 39 entries in total, 19 in Class 1.

I entered my Mustang 30, Hakuna Matata, in Class 1 IRC intending to complete the course single-handed in a fleet comprising mainly of two-handed crews.

Article reproduced with the kind permission fo the author , Stewart Burness. Originally published at http://burcom.co.uk/stinter/azab.html

"American warship off my starboard bow, this is Yacht Excalibur"-

There was a pause while we imagined that someone was scanning the white capped ocean for a vessel larger than a 27 foot yacht. The radio burst into life "Excalibur, this is Warship 42, is that you one mile off with reefed white sails?"-"Warship 42, affirmative, that's us, could I trouble you for a weather forecast?"-"Standby sir" - we could see the Warship diving through the waves and taking a lot of green water over her bows, what must we have looked like to her?