I know that many Anarchists are into the extreme side of sailing; Sport boats, Hydrofoils, Maxis, etc. But the fact of the matter is that most of us are the sailors that make up the heart of sailing, One-design and PHRF. Not that this is a bad thing, since the best sailing is anything that is intensely competitive, whether it is at 3 knots or 30...

I would like to invite these sailors to a different type of event. One that combines the standard and the extreme. Leatherlips Yacht Club is hosting a 24-hour Endurance race for one-design boats. This is the second year of the event and we learned a lot about what we did right and what we did wrong, so I have high hopes for this year to be a helluva good time!

Make no mistake... this event is a fund raiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. But as competitive sailors we know enough to keep the racing and the fund raising completely separate. There is no "buying" yourself a better rating here.

Teams are made up of several crews who switch-out in "pit-stop" style fashion, but of course there are always the hard-core. Last year two of the teams, one Laser and one Thistle, completed the event without switching out crew. Can you imagine 24 hours straight on a Laser or a Thistle? (Yes, the guy in the Laser was talking to inanimate objects by Hour 22 and the bilge of the Thistle looked like a garbage truck)

To be truthful, some of the racing was exhilarating and some was agonizingly dull. But the entertainment on shore was always a blast and getting your butt kicked by George Fisher at 2AM has a certain feeling to it that can't be matched at any speed. The fact that it raised money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was just icing on the cake.

If you want to experience quite possible the most unique Leukemia Cup event around, check it out here.

A.J. Savage, Event Coordinator
Sailing Anarchist "Whacamole"

4/27/07