LIers give mid-Atlantic updates from race

As the first boat in the Transatlantic Race 2011 reached England Sunday, the Long Island racers still have hundreds of miles to go. Thanks to Twitter and Facebook updates from the boats, though, the adventure-seeking sailors don't seem so far away.

In the staggered-start race, Rob Windsor, 39, of East Northport, is aboard the 40-foot yacht Dragon; Kaity Storck, 25, of Huntington Bay, is on the 65-foot U.S. Merchant Marine Academy yacht Vanquish, with the All-American Offshore Team; and Robert Forman, 71, of Bay Shore, is skippering his own boat, the 42-foot Jacqueline IV, with two other locals, Mike Saganic of Brightwaters and Victor Ganzi of Bay Shore.

The boats' race positions can be tracked on the race's official website, transatlanticrace.com/tracker.html. As of Sunday evening, Dragon and Vanquish each had about 600 nautical miles to the finish; Jacqueline IV, about 800.

In an email sent from the Dragon, Windsor said he hopes to finish late Wednesday. He called the day-to-day activities with yacht owner Michael Hennessy a "predictable and workable routine," but mentioned the challenges of dense fog and the breakdown of their drinking-water filter.

The biggest challenge, he said, is keeping his concentration and focus.

"It is the longest race I have done by a factor of three," he said. "Fatigue becomes an issue."

Vanquish also reported some weather-related delays on its website Saturday.

"One weather model suggested we'd get to Lizard Point in 10 days," the post said, referring to the coastal England finish. "Thankfully, that's not going to happen, we're all pretty sure of that, but how bad it's going to get is really anybody's guess."

The spirit of the message is a positive one, though.

"Everyone is laughing in relative misery. . . . Our team chemistry only strengthens through the tougher times."

When the challenges subside and the experience is literally smooth sailing, both Vanquish and Dragon have observed quite a bit of natural wonder.

"The one night we actually had clear skies, the stars were amazing," Windsor said in his email. "We also have seen a significant number of whales, some times a bit close for comfort."

A July 8 post by the Vanquish crew: "Last night we'd pass schools of fish and they'd scatter, leaving phosphorescent trails in their wake, giant green globs under the ocean's surface moving in unison. Just amazing."