Monday, Oct. 01, 2007

Carolina Life | Outback Cup Regatta

“It’s time to do your wind dance!” Jeremy Chitwood tells a passer-by. Chitwood of Hartwell, Ga., is preparing his 17-foot catamaran on a small beach on Lake Murray for the Multi Hull Open Division of the 2007 Outback Cup Regatta.

It’s just a couple of hours before the race, and the surface of the lake is glass-smooth, a bad omen for a race in which vessels depend on wind for propulsion. Chitwood and his wife, Polly, have been sailing for about two years, and they’ve traveled several hours to be here. They’re anxious to race their new, still unnamed catamaran for the first time, so they’d hate to be stuck on the water, unable to move.

The regatta begins on time, just as a small breeze picks up. The Chitwoods finish sixth in their division, middle of the pack, and although the wind never becomes brisk, the wind gods smile upon the 102 sailing boats.

After the last boat has crossed the finish, a live band, steak dinners and cold beer await.

“The race is fun, but we come as much for the party afterwards,” Chitwood says.

— Jeff Blake,

jblake@thestate.com

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