The Around Alone Race 50-footer Great Circle completed a fast run to the Azores in mid June but her skipper's course changed sharply after he came ashore in Horta. Brian Hancock is marrying his long-time girlfriend Sigrun Jonsdottir on July 3.
"My first idea was a wedding in the Azores," Hancock explained. "However not being sure that US law recognizes marriages that take place in Portugal, I flew back to the US. Please lift a glass on July 3, at 10 am EST, when Sigrun and I tie more than a simple bowline.
"No it was not a sudden decision," added a tanned and relaxed Hancock. "We had been talking about getting married for some time and as my slogan states 'Goals are dreams with a deadline'. It was time to set a deadline. Without sounding hokey, this really is a dream come true."
Great Circle which is entered in Class 2 of the Around Alone singlehanded race around the world, sailed 2200 miles from Marblehead to the Azores in ten and a half days. Her fastest 24-hour run was 242 miles. Hancock is now making a last ditch effort to secure funding for his Around Alone campaign before returning to the Azores in mid-July. He will depart from Horta alone to complete his 2,000 mile qualifying sail back to the US.
"The boat sails like a cork full of jet fuel," he reported ecstatically. "For the first time since I have owned it, everything was working perfectly, including me. It is a very fast boat, easy to sail and a credit to Peter Ebbutt's design talents. I feel that Great Circle is definitely capable of winning Class 2 providing I am able to find sufficient funds to be competitive.
Marriage is not the only exciting element in Hancock's life. After leaving off his crew in Flores, the westernmost island in the Azores, Hancock survived a terrifying knockdown when just five miles from Horta.
"After I dropped my crew off, I sailed the last 150 miles alone. I had an easy sail until a fast moving front came through and laid Great Circle over on her side. The autopilot would not disengage, even after I shut off all the ship's power. Then all of a sudden it turned the wheel, ran the boat off downwind at 25 knots, and we did an almighty all-standing gybe.
"The 22-foot boom whipped across with an unbelievable force and crashed into the running backstay, laying the boat down on its other side. Fortunately, the rig stayed in the boat. Now the mainsail was pinned amidships by the old runner, which wouldn't release. I secured the new runner and then spent half an hour cutting the cover off the old one which had ripped and stuck in the jammer feed.
"In the mayhem I almost cut my thumb off, all the while drifting onto a lee shore with the mast slamming into the water. Eventually I was able to release the runner and ease the boom out and get the boat upright.
"The force of the gybe and subsequent shaking of the mast caused the mainsail track to loosen. This minor problem turned into a major disaster. The
mainsail slides jammed and I couldn't lower the mainsail and get control of the boat.
"Meanwhile the rocky shoreline of Faial was getting ever closer. I put the inboard reef lines on a winch, cranked the sail down -- exploding slides and blocks and ripping the sail -- until it was finally lowered and secured. Then I set a storm jib.
"It felt good to pick up the mooring in Horta."
With the backing of two campaign partners, Comwell - Consultants to Management and Offshore Sailing School, Hancock has his sights set on the winner's berth in Class 2, of the Around Alone, open to yachts under 50 feet.
When the Around Alone entry list closed on March 1, there were 39 competitors representing 14 different nations. The four-leg, 27,000 mile solo marathon is known as "the toughest race for an individual in any sport".
Background information, photos and more news about the Great Circle campaign can be found on Hancock's web site at http://www.greatcircle.org where automatic email updates can be requested. Great Circle's mailing list is sponsored by NetCove Services, your safe port for business on the Internet,