Sometimes taking part just for fun can prove to be the best formula.
Just ask Belgium captain Francois Guy and the four-man crew of Red Hackle, second-placed finishers in the Panerai Transat Classique transatlantic race.
The crew finished the race yesterday morning after leaving Cascais, Portugal on December 2.
The fanfare for the arrival of Red Hackle was not as great as that for the first-placed White Dolphin the previous evening, but there was no mistaking the smiles of accomplishment which Guy and his crew flashed after pulling into the Careenage.
“We did not leave Portugal with any plans of competing and neither did we set any time frame to arrive in Barbados,” he said.
“We just wanted to arrive. The fact that we finished second is tribute to a good crew and a good boat. I said, ‘Red lady do it!’ and she did.
“Having an experienced racer like Frenchman Jacques Creaes, who has crossed the Atlantic in such races over 20 times, also helped a lot.”
Red Hackle and the third-placed Blue Peter had led White Dolphin in the early part of the race.
But, halfway out, Red Hackle lost the filter that provides general electricity for the boat.
“We were unable to repair the filter so we did the crazy thing of channeling some of the power from the main engine to make the trip more bearable while making it home,” explained Guy.
The captain was expecting his son to arrive in Barbados last night while his wife and daughter along with family members of the crew are due before Christmas.
“We want to spend Christmas in Barbados with our families, after which we will spend a few months in the West Indies before letting life determine our next destination,” Guy added. (KB)
