Wraith is a cutter rigged 1975 Westsail 42 designed to be a world cruiser by Bill Crealock.  The Westsail 42 embodies many features to insure safety offshore including a full keel, canoe stern and heavy displacement. While to some her design is dated, it is a proven one with modernized versions currently being built by Pacific Seacraft. (A modern sister “Acadia†a Pacific Seacraft 40 was recently in the MYH marina.) Wraith was brought to Lake Pontchartrain in April of 2001 after spending her first 26 years primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Purchased specifically with ocean cruising in mind, the Regatta al Sol offered a good opportunity for a shake down cruise, an expression that took on new meaning as the race and delivery back progressed.
I’m sure everyone will agree that every racing victory begins with a good boat and good crew and Wraith’s was no exception. Apologies to Alan Robson for commandeering the Footloose crew for two weeks but Don and Janice Griglack, Riley Stogner, Frank Fredricks and Marcy Lake are all people I know I can depend on and have sailed with for several years. We may not be the “rock stars†of the area but each person took their turn at the helm and maintained their concentration through out the race, which kept us to windward and made the difference. Case in point, when we reached Contoy at around 12:30 Sunday night, there were two other boats at about our same latitude, 10 – 15 miles to the west. We had good breeze and were still sailing at about 5 knots while they drifted in circles getting set back to Brownsville by the current. We finished 12 hours ahead of one of these boats at 3:48 Monday morning.
After the first 36 hours of the race things were looking pretty bleak. Once out of Pensacola bay we had tacked west looking for the southbound Gulf current but weren’t able to get far enough south to find it.  A tack back to the west early Thursday morning left us north and east of our last position having lost ground. By Thursday afternoon we were due south of Pensacola again 75 miles out. At this point I wondered if we would finish the race under sail. Shortly thereafter the wind began to shift to the southeast and pick up in intensity.  Our charted course line tells the story showing that over the next 12 hours still on port tack, we arced from sailing south west to sailing south south east ending up headed directly for the finish line. We were on port tack for so long that by the end of the race I wondered if anyone would remember how to tack if the need arose.
Over the next several days the wind died slightly in the afternoon but picked up again at night and remained strong during the morning. We sailed most of the race with our 140% genoa, staysail and full main, which in the 20kts. of breeze we were experiencing left the boat was well heeled over, starboard rail in the water on the puffs. By Saturday morning the wind had increased enough that I decided to put a reef in the main, which not only helped our pointing ability but also increased speed since we weren’t fighting the helm so much. I know Don winced when I put in the reef but it made our ability to hold course much easier and significantly reduced crew fatigue. By Sunday afternoon we shook the reef out again shortly before Dom Perignom passed us saving our reputation as gung ho racers.
On the final approaches to the finish line after passing Contoy, we could hear Mad Max calling the race committee from several miles ahead.  At that point we believed we had a good finish but still didn’t expect the sweep of the cruising fleet that resulted. Arriving at the customs dock we were met with the traditional beer and rum and coke beginning the longest Monday of my life with the help of some of the Dom crew.
Wraith ended up first in Cruising Class B, first in Cruising Fleet and 13th overall correcting out over 2 racing division boats and 5 racer cruiser division boats. In addition to the class and fleet trophies we also won the Secretaria de Communicaciones y Transportes perpetual trophy. People have asked me what enabled us to win. My answer is a combination of the right wind for the boat, good tactics, good crew concentration and good luck.
Steve Griffin
Captain and Owner of Wraith
