Longboard Roars Across the Finishing Line to Claim Line Honours
by Race Committee, July 18th, 2014
With winds building as she got closer to Maui, Longboard got up and surfed the waves one more time to rip through Pailolo Channel and finish at the Aston Kaanapali Shores an hour before midnight at 22:56-Jul 17. Peter Salusbury and crew can claim Line Honours for Vic-Maui 2014 as the first boat to finish.
This race was an adventure 30 years in the making. Peter, and crew mates Stewart Jones and Jeremy Hill did the race together a long time ago and returned for a reprise. They were joined for this race by Peter's son Jim and Stewart's son Simon, along with the always welcome Gina Borza.
Conditions in this year's 24th running of Vic-Maui perfected suited Longboard, a custom built Riptide 35 designed by Paul Bieker. When the wind blew, it blew hard - the design allowed the light boat to break the laws of physics and jump out of the water on a high speed plane. When the wind did not blow, the ultra light weight allowed forward progress in the lightest of zephyrs.
Peter reported that the boat performed perfectly. She was a pleasure to sail and a thrill to experience flying down the waves at speeds approaching 20 kts. Nothing broke, no sails ripped, no real adventures. That is; if stopping the boat a couple of times to dive underneath and clear floating debris off the keel is not an adventure. Or ripping through the open ocean with hardly any of the boat touching the water is not an adventure.
Family and well-wishers gave Longboard and crew a hearty Aloha as they glided into the Lahaina Pier, and the crew were treated to very welcome Mai Tais and real food by the LYC Greeting Party. In the wee hours, a very tired crew headed for some bunk time on a stable platform for the first time in 12 days.
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Featured Yacht Profile
Annie M (2022)
Type: Amel Mango 52Skipper: John McCarthy
Port: Santa Fe, NM
Blog: 1 articles posted
The Annie M crew has a wealth of experience to contribute to the Vic-Maui 2022 race. John McCarthy, the captain of Annie M, is a lifelong sailor with experience racing Snipes and J24s, as well as cruising on a Swan 47 and, of course, an Amel 52, the Annie M. His boat has been beautifully restored and named after his beloved wife of 60 years.
Steve McCarthy brings years of racing and cruising experiences from sailing many seas. He’s also a sailmaker and, since 2004, owner of Hogin Sails located in Alameda, CA. In addition to working with sail lofts from Seattle to Santa Cruz, he has raced on Moore 24s and J24s and cruised on a Swan 47 across Europe. Our sails are in good hands with Steve as a sailor since he was a wee one.
Steve Summers is an instructor at Seattle Sailing Club, an Outward Bound teacher, and a National Outdoor Leadership teacher with experience sailing long voyages requiring an excellent ability to handle a variety of conditions and personalities. He’s also a Wilderness First Responder and a well-respected navigator in the Pacific Northwest. A calm soul called to the wild, Steve seeks adventure, and Vic-Maui is one of the adventures he’s ready to tackle.
Callum Hally is focused on sailing when the opportunity arises. In the past five years, he’s sailed more than 500 hours on a variety of boats such as a Catalina 22, J35c and an Andrew 53 to name a few. Through his previous job with Seattle Sailing Club supporting the customer’s experience, he became passionate about being on the water. He’s an excellent crew member with an insatiable thirst for reading, which makes him a fascinating conversationalist, wise beyond his years.
Bill Busch participated as “old goat’ status for Mackinaw races. He’s had a 1st place PHRf overall, 1st place in j105 class, 1st place j120 class. He’s looking forward to sailing a long ocean passage. He recently completed his International Offshore Safety program at St. Petersburg Florida Yacht Club. Bill is known for his kindness and patience.
Sarah Mackay, a lifelong sailor who learned at a young age the art of not getting seasick and never getting bored. She’s a crew member, communicator and, on occasion, cracker of jokes at which she’s the only one laughing. She has raced on J24s and J30s, crossed the North Sea and cruised throughout Europe on a Swan 47, and explored the Pacific Northwest on an Amel 52 named Annie M.
We are busy preparing the boat (and ourselves) for this epic journey. This year, Annie M will be entered in the Pacific NW Offshore Yacht Race and the Swiftsure Yacht Race leading up to our start date of the Vic-Maui International Yacht Race in early July.
