We know spring has really arrived when we see frostbiters sailing in shorts. But that is exactly what landlubbers would have seen if they looked carefully out on Manhasset Bay on Sunday, April 27. The Frostbite Ocean Race, the last race of the season, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 26, but because of the monsoon, took place on Sunday, on a beautiful sunny day. John Browning, who in the past has made it his duty to challenge his fellow frostbiters by wearing shorts in the middle of winter (though he didn't wear them much this winter, if at all), was joined by several competitors and led the fashion parade of "shorts wearers" on Sunday. But it is not quite the same when the weather is a balmy 60 degrees. In any case, eight teams of racers competed in the Ocean Race, which this year took about 80 minutes to cross the finish line. RC set a course way out almost to "M" near Kings Point, and then back into Manhasset Bay off the Whitney Boat house, with a surprisingly close finish off the dock at the Manhasset Bay YC. In the end, it was Pedro Lorson/Mimi Berry, #536, who took top honors. At the completion of racing, skippers and crew, the Race Committee, spouses, children and friends gathered at the Manhasset Bay Junior YC for the long-awaited clam bake that is the traditional end-of-frostbiting picnic - always a good time with excellent food. This year the picnic was especially fun because these hearty sailors didn't get together much this past winter because racing had to be cancelled at least nine consecutive Sundays because of high winds or because the bay was frozen. RC and sailors alike can't remember, in recent history, so many cancellations due to ice. So it was great fun to gather and talk of the "missed season" and look forward to the upcoming warm weather sailing. Correction: On Sunday, April 6, third place winners for the day were Greg Corckett and Ralph diBenedetto in #538.

Tedd Himler is just back from Montevideo, Uruguay, where he was one of 15 sailors who represented the United States against 13 other countries at the South American Optimist Sailing Championships on April 11-20. Tedd qualified for this event by finishing in the top 15 at the U.S.O. D.A. (United States Optimist Dinghy Association) Midwinters Championships at Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans last Thanksgiving. Some 165 sailors overall competed in the international regatta that was sailed on the caramel-colored Rio de la Plata separating Uruguay from Argentina. Tedd, an eighth grader at Manhasset Middle School, finished an impressive 48th overall and 6th among the Americans. (Results can be found at: www.ycu.org.uy/optimist/eng/index_eng.html)

The sailing itself required great skill, as the wind was deceptively shifty, the currents ripped, and the South American sailors were at their best having just emerged from their summer sailing season. The Americans, on the other hand, are just starting their season. The Argentineans, Ecuadorians and Mexicans dominated the racing on a modified triangle course with a gate at the leeward mark. The fleet was divided into six groups of 27 each, two of which sailed at the same time. Tedd is the son of Barbara and Peter Himler of Manhasset. Congratulations to Tedd and his parents.

Rich du Moulin and Rich Wilson, our two American adventurers on Great American II, reached a milestone last Wednesday, April 23 as they have left the treacherous Agulhas Current and have entered the Atlantic Ocean. In their 11-week-long 15,000-mile voyage the pair is aiming to break the 154-year-old passage record set by the extreme New York clipper ship Sea Witch which raced her cargo of tea to Manhattan's waiting markets in 74 days. du Moulin estimated they were 90 miles ahead of the position reported by the Sea Witch, which also rounded the Cape on her 37th day at sea. "This morning at 8:02 a.m., we passed the longitude of Cape Agulhas, one of the Great Capes of the world. What a feeling!" wrote Wilson in his log. "We have rounded a continent, and a major maritime hurdle and historical point. Think of the great explorers who made their way down this coast looking for a route around to the treasures of the East. They all sailed right here. It is, in the most literal sense of the word, awe-inspiring." As of April 28th, day 44, the most recent log available before press deadline, the two were at 24° 49'S latitude / 008° 24'E longitude (Location: South Atlantic Ocean, west of Namibia). The boat is sailing on a course of 325° true at a speed of 9.0 knots. The voyage has entered its seventh week, and total distance traveled to date is approximately 8,780 nautical miles. Readers who have Real Media or Windows Media can log onto www.sitesALIVE.com and hear skipper Rich Wilson as GA II passes the Cape of Good Hope. With a little more than a month to go in the voyage, the race is still too close to call. But those of us who are following these two adventurers are breathing easier now that they have passed through a very difficult part of the voyage when they rounded the southern tip of South Africa. Now as they point GA II to New York Harbor and home, it won't be long until we will see them on the horizon as they approach the Statue of Liberty.

Ed du Moulin, father of Rich du Moulin, has sailing-related adventures of his own, though not quite so risky and far away. du Moulin was in Bristol, RI this past weekend to meet with fellow members of the America's Cup Hall of Fame Selection Committee. du Moulin, who was chair of this Committee for several years, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, met with the committee at the Herreshoff Marine Museum and selected three sailing luminaries for this prestigious honor. The three newest Hall of Fame members will be announced in New York City in June with the Induction Ceremony planned to take place in Newport, RI in September.

For all those junior and senior high school sailors who are looking at prospective colleges, the Sailing World Magazine's College Rankings may be of interest. As of April 22: Co-ed Sailing Team Rankings (previous rank): 1. Harvard (1), 2. Tufts (3), 3. St. Mary's (2), 4. Hawaii (4), 5. Hobart/Wm Smith (6), 6. USC (7), 7. Georgetown (5), 8. Stanford (11), 9. Brown (13), 10. Dartmouth (14), 11. Boston College (9), 12. Charleston (8), 13. Washington College (12), 14. Kings Point (17), 15. Yale (10), 16. Old Dominion (15), 17. Navy (19), 18. MIT, 19. Connecticut College, and 20. UC/Irvine (20)

The Women's Sailing Team Rankings (previous rank): 1. St. Mary (1), 2. Brown (4), 3. Old Dominion (2), 4. Hawaii (3), 5. Hobart/Wm Smith (9), 6. Harvard (8), 7. Tufts (7), 8. Yale (10), 9. Dartmouth (6), 10. Charleston (5), 11. Boston College (12), 12. Navy (13), 13. South Florida, 14. Georgetown (11), and 15. Stanford. The panelists, who are college coaches who attend many of the biggest events, rank the teams independently and subjectively based on regatta results. For more information, go to http://collegesailing.org