Rotarian Tim Bullock describes in vivid detail his experiences yacht racing on the Finesse during a Zoom talk Tuesday, June 1 to members of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos. Courtesy/Rotary
By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos
“Wet, wild, and fast-paced” were just some of the adjectives Rotarian Tim Bullock used to describe his experiences in yacht racing as he spoke via Zoom June 1 to the Rotary Club of Los Alamos.
In a presentation entitled “It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination”, Bullock, who spent many of his teen years sailing Colorado lakes and reservoirs, explained how his passion stretched into adulthood with yachting adventures in Greece, Sweden, Turkey, the Caribbean, the Lesser Antilles and the American and British Virgin Islands.
One of his most memorable saltwater experiences took place in 1997 when he was invited to be a member of a racing crew aboard the Finesse, a 34’ Tartan yacht. Tartans are fiberglass sailboats made in Paynesville, Ohio on Lake Erie and renowned for their ability to “reach” (point into the wind).
Wanting to do anything but his taxes, Bullock met with others at the Lauderdale Sailing Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and registered as part of the crew for the Pineapple Cup, “one of the oldest open ocean races on the calendar”. The race was founded in 1961 and runs 811 miles from Miami, Fla., to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The course crosses the Gulf Stream, a strong ocean current that brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico up the eastern coast of the United States and Canada. To avoid the strong northward current of the Gulf Stream, competitors navigate the course using one of two strategies: either hugging the coast of Florida or sailing due east beyond the Eleuthras (which are islands in the Bahamas archipelago) before turning south.
Before embarking, the skipper of the Finesse and his first mate were “going at it”. Bullock described their relationship as Felix and Oscar from the Odd Couple. When the first mate would brag about his sailing experience, the skipper not only called him a “liar” but a “damned liar”. This discourse lasted the entire race and during the return journey.
Before the race, there was a weather briefing and an inspection of safety equipment including a dinghy, flotation devices, flashlights, first aid supplies, portable saltwater purification systems plus enough provisions for the crew of five for six days. This allowed for one hot meal daily per man. There was ice for three days, but no refrigerator on board.
A good inventory of sails also was checked on board, including the main sail, which is rigged on the main mast toward the back of the boat and attached to the boom vang pole, which swings over the cock-pit; the Genoa, which is the large sail rigged between the mast and the tip of the bow; a small stay sail, rigged forward inside and under the Genoa; and spinnakers, which are large triangular sails in front of the Genoa for running in lighter wind coming from almost directly behind the vessel.
As another safety precaution, each boat was required to report to race officials between 13:00 and 14:00 hours (1-2 p.m.) using a form of ‘radio picket’ everyday.
Race day fell Feb. 6 with a 2 p.m. start time. Vessels on the water ranged from small to large and included world-class yachts, like the 100’ sailboat entered by Roy Disney, Jr., Walt’s nephew. Boats and helicopters full of media and photographers were in the mix.
During the race, the crew of Finesse conversed by short band radio with another boat named Dear Friend, a boat owned by a political fundraiser who began all of his fundraising solicitation letters with that salutation. Behind Dear Friend was a boat named Rear Admiral, owned by a Miami proctologist.
As the Finesse sailed, two crew members were always on watch to scan the waters for debris that might be afloat in this well-traveled shipping lane and which can create serious hazard for the boat. After passing the beautiful cliffs on the west side of Cuba without incident, the Finesse passed Guantanamo Bay and turned in a southwesterly direction broaching speeds up to 13 knots (14.96 mph) and in gusty conditions.
Near the end, the spinnakers were in use as much as possible. The wind would “blow light” and then blow to sudden, forceful gusts which ultimately caused each of the three spinnakers to shred and explode into pieces. The Finesse sailed into Montego Bay three-and-a-half days after the start and was met by the Jamaican Coast Guard with a cannon fire salute as the Finesse crossed the finish line.
The Finesse was ranked third in its class and fourth overall in the fleet, an impressive finish!
(The course record was set years later in 2019 by Argo with an elapsed time of just under two days, eight minutes.)
After Jamaica, the Finesse sailed on to the Cayman Islands and the Dry Tortugas, the site of Fort Jefferson, the prison where Dr. Harvey Mudd, the physician who treated John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln’s assassin, was incarcerated. Off the southwestern Cuban shore, Bullock said they found the charts for the area “unreliable”‚ taking them into “skinny” (shallow) water with shoals and coral heads. During the night, they also had to navigate a multitude of fishing boats and lobster pots. One lobster pot entangled itself in the sailboat’s propeller, causing a significant delay.
On the return voyage home and with the lights of Miami in sight, the Finesse ran out of fuel and ran aground at low tide. The return of high tide and wind put her back in motion the next day. The Finesse and her crew then returned to Ft. Lauderdale with fond memories of the 2,200-mile voyage.
The Race held allure for Bullock as did the “night sky, the meteors, and the luminescence” of the water, and the song of the sail.
Bullock, a Denver native, grew up sailing the reservoirs and lakes of Colorado. As a high school Rotary exchange student, Bullock sailed in Sweden. Later, Bullock and his wife moved to Florida where they joined a sailboat club and where Bullock worked as crew aboard the massive 75′ catamaran, which sails daily between the Boca Raton Hotel & Resort and the Breakers Resort and Hotel in Palm Beach. After logging a year on the water, Bullock attended Sea School in Ft. Lauderdale and passed the exam for his commercial license. He subsequently worked transferring boats between base locations for a luxury yacht charter company. Private owners hired Bullock to transfer their boats up and down the East coast and around the Gulf.
Today, Bullock and his wife try to spend their vacations on the water island-hopping at locations across the globe. Together, they’ve sailed Vancouver, Turkey, Greece, the Lesser Antilles and the American and British Virgin islands. Although he has stopped keeping track, Bullock estimates he has logged about 30,000 miles on the water.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos, through its Club Foundation, is a 501(c)3 non-profit and one of more than 34,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary, which now has 1.5 million members, was founded in 1905; the local Club was chartered in 1966. Rotary areas of focus include promoting peace; fighting disease, particularly polio; providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; supporting education; saving and enhancing the lives of mothers and children; growing economies; and protecting the environment.
Beginning July 6, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos will resume meeting in person 12-1 p.m., Tuesdays in the Community Room of Cottonwood on the Greens at the Los Alamos County Golf Course. Guests are always welcome. A Zoom option is available by contacting Linda Hull at 505.662.7950.
To learn more about the Rotary Club of Los Alamos and its humanitarian service, contact President Laura Gonzales at 505.699.5880.