Sailors set off today in C2B

The fact that the economy has reduced the size of the fleet for today's Charleston to Bermuda Race, or C2B, won't in the least bit diminish the meaning of this partnership between the Lowcountry and Bermuda, nor will it diminish the intensity of the experience for those who sail in it.

The fleet this year is seven boats, down about half from years past. Several local owners of competitively campaigned racing boats told me the state of the economy was the single deciding factor in their decision to sit this one out. "If I don't get the business taken care of right now, there won't be any more sailing for us this year," one owner told me. Despite the economy, locals are maintaining their enthusiasm for the race.

One local who is sailing is Jay Cook, owner of the Beneteau 423 named Tohidu. Cook's boat is crewed with OSASailing.com students and one instructor, Steve Enloe, with whom I sailed in the 2007 C2B. Four students of varying experience levels will comprise the crew. "We're not expecting great weather," Cook said from the boat, where he was making final preparations for the 777-nautical mile trek due east. "The prediction is that the wind is going to die, but then again, predictions are only good for a few days out. We're just hoping this one is wrong."

Charleston physician David Warters, formerly of Houston, is sailing on his boat, Cadence. He has done the Newport (R.I.) to Bermuda Race, but never the C2B. "We're long-term sailors, but going offshore like this takes sailing to the next level," Warters said. "You have to be totally self-sufficient — depending on yourself and your crew. It's a real sense of adventure."

Our state's flagship, the Spirit of South Carolina, which is operated by the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation, will be making the trip with the other boats. The start will be from the Maritime Center dowtown today at noon. The awards ceremony is June 6 at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

PGOR restart delayed

The start of Leg 5 of the Portimao Global Ocean Race from Charleston to Portimao, Portugal, will be delayed by four days, allowing for the completion of repairs on Michel Kleinjan's damaged Open 40, Roaring Forty. Instead of starting this Sunday, the start of the circumnavigation's final leg is now scheduled for June 4 at 10:30 a.m. in the harbor. The South Carolina Maritime Foundation is the local host for this stopover.

The race took a dramatic turn in the pre-dawn of May 16, when on Leg 4 from Ilhabela, Brazil, to Charleston, Kleinjans collided with an eastbound container ship approximately 210 miles east of Grand Bahama.

In the spirit of collegiality, the double-handed crews all agreed to the delay to accommodate the repairs on Roaring Forty. Kleinjans said he wouldn't have minded leaving after the rest of the fleet departed, "But it would mean they would have to spend more time waiting for me in Portimao, and it is more exciting to race together and arrive together."

C of C women take 2nd

The College of Charleston finished strong, moving from fifth to second overall on the final day of the ICSA women's national championship in San Francisco this week. Conditions matched Charleston in winter, with air and water temperatures in the low 50s.

Coming up

TODAY: Noon, start of Charleston to Bermuda Race, Maritime Center, harbor

THURSDAY: Start of Leg 5 (final) of Portimao Global Ocean Race, 10:30 a.m., harbor

Reach Will Haynie at willh@thepickledish.com.