Joy Ride Finishes

by Race Committee, July 14th, 2018

John Murkowski's Joy Ride, hailing from Seattle Yacht Club, was the second boat to cross the line, finishing at 9:59 this morning. It was a beautiful day in Lahaina (aren't they all) as Joy Ride made its way along the Kaanapali coast under a colourful spinnaker, completing the course a few hours behind Firefly.

Hitting the dock to the traditional call of the conch shell and the welcome of their families, the Joy Ride crew then celebrated with a swim off the transom. It was all fun until one of the family threw in a bar of soap as a reminder. The trip of a lifetime and everything that was promised is how John, navigator Bron Miller and Alex Fox all described the trip. And the race for first was as much fun for them as it has been for watchers ashore. The only negative came from Bron, who described the plastic littering the ocean as more intense than he remembers from past trips - a sad reminder to us all.

But the drama is not finished. Preliminary results indicate that, based on time allowances, Joy Ride will correct ahead of Firefly and win Division 1 on corrected time. But Salient, Kraken and Turnagain are all making great time about 24 hours behind and may finish in a position to challenge for the overall prize. Bob Strong and Firefly can catch up on sleep knowing where they stand, but it will be a nervous 24 hours for John Murkowski and his crew.

View All Articles