Tough Start to Velux 5 Oceans

Ward Esaak on About.com paints a good picture of the rocky start competitors have encountered during Leg One of the Velux 5 solo sailing contest. All of the six racing boats promptly hit winds up to 70 knots and seas estimated at 40-feet off Cape Finisterre. Of the eight sailors who started, only two are still en route. Four have limped to port for repairs. Two others are facing measurement challenges and have yet to qualify. The start reminds me somewhat of the infamous carnarge in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart...though the Velux 5 is on a much smaller scale and thankfully, this time, nobody has died.