After a several year hiatus, Duck Cup was baaa-ck June 5-6. A Nor’Banks tradition since the 80’s, promises to never be the same event each year. All multihulls 20’ and under spend two days of distance racing on the Currituck Sound located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The Weta fleet was psyched to share their first AirBnB since the COVID years. As they arrived, specialty beverages were served by the “mixmaster” at our humble abode aptly named “Wicked Fun”. Eight Weta sailors participated in the event with one practicing for the Worrell 1000 and another on the disabled list serving as last minute PRO.
2021 brought Worrell 1000 sailors, Nor’Banks Sailing & Watersports staff and others from around the region. Three fleets raced together, Wetas, Hobies and Open Multihulls comprising 18 boats. The fun began when a random drawing was done each day to determine who got the coveted pole position for the Le Mans start. As the multihulls lined up and waited for the starting signal, Race Officials could be heard yelling at boats to back up as sailors stealthily began creeping toward the line.
On day one, the air was super light for OBX standards in the 3-5 knot range. The sailors raced from Duck up to the Wright Memorial Bridge with a starboard rounding, back across the west side of Currituck Sound around another mark with a beam reach back to Duck. The first finisher came in just under 3 hours. Luckily, the wind picked up to 12-14kts as the final portion of the fleet finished in 4.5 hours.
That evening the infamous Nor’Banks “Beergaritas” were served along with a variety of dinner options from The Village Table & Tavern. Sailors enjoyed chillin’ in the adirondack chairs waterfront while listening to live music. Afterwards, a few Weta sailors jumped into the “Wicked Fun” pool for a much needed cool off.
On Day two, the air was light again, 4-5kts on a shortened distance course. The course was reversed from the day before with a beat across to the west side of the Currituck Sound, then back across the south side of the Sound to a reach mark. With the wind backing, it turned into a drag race with two close hauled legs. Downind was fun surfing in the 1.5 foot swells as the wind picked up to 10-12kts. The first finisher was just under an hour while the final multihull crossed the line in 1 hour and 37 minutes.
Racing was tight in the Weta fleet each day with multiple lead changes. After almost 6 hours combined of sailing time, the results were as follows:
1st place Weta, Alan Taylor/(Lorenzo on day 1) - 5:46:46
2nd place Weta, Rob Beadling/Walter Beadling - 5:49:37
3rd place Weta, Michelle Angrish/(Brooke on day 1) - 5:50:16 (39 seconds behind Rob)
Weta sailors planned to spend an extra night socializing after racing ended. Back to the pool, where the “Duck”, “Flamingo” and “Swan” provided some playful entertainment in the water. What happened at the pool, stayed at the pool!
A special thanks to our North Carolina Weta Dealer, Hardy Peters of East Coast Sailboats for organizing the Return to Duck Cup along with our gracious hosts, Nor’Banks Sailing and Watersports.
Photo by @RicardoCabreraMedia
Photo by @RicardoCabreraMedia