Fountain Super-V Streak Extends to Orange Beach

November 16, 2003, Washington, NC; Despite the ongoing politics of the troubled APBA Offshore management, teams from around the nation traveled to Orange Beach, Alabama to compete in a city that boasts the largest attendance numbers of the year for an offshore racing event. Although the vast majority of the large catamarans opted to take their show to the traditional Key West venue, the Super-V fleet was well represented, and the Fountain team once again showed it's dominance in the extremely rough waters of the gulf coast.

Any rumors of the venue being a calm water site were quickly washed away in the first race on Wednesday as, three Fountain Super-V teams raced in 5-6 foot "confused" seas. Utz Castaway, a 38' Fountain Poker Run Edition Super-V with Mitch Miller and Matt Rice, jumped to an early lead after they had spent the last few weeks repairing the damage to their boat from their accident at the National Championships in St. Petersburg. The long 9-mile lap represented a departure from the "stadium style" racecourses of the past few years, and presented multiple challenges from troughs, to head seas, to following seas, but with no discernable rhythm. On the from straightaway, Utz led the field, and took a huge hop off of one of the random swells, and suffered a violent impact as the boat landed into a quartering swell, spinning the boat and ultimately destroying the drive train as the boat's momentum pounded them through the surf. Matt Rice, throttleman for Utz said: "the accident seemed to just go on forever. It was like it was in slow motion, and it was much more violent than the incident in St. Pete." Rice took a hit to the head in the cockpit, but otherwise was unhurt. Mitch Miller was also unhurt in the incident, but unfortunately the boat was not beyond repair before the Sunday finale. Pier 57, with Rick Trumel and Bill McComb pushed their 40' Fountain Super-V to a 3rd place finish, keeping them in the hunt going into the final race on Sunday.

If the Wednesday race was not enough to confirm the rough water capability of Orange Beach, Sunday removed all doubt as the waters were so rough that officials delayed the start in hope of the waters laying down from 6-8 foot seas with up to 10' swells and holes. Mother nature did not comply, and the race went to a storm course condition shortening the number of laps for all of the competitors, but still leaving them with extremely confused 6-8 foot seas, huge holes and some wind just to make it a bit more interesting.

The rough waters took their toll on the teams, leaving damaged equipment all over the gulf, and both the Cigarette and Donzi teams limping around the course on one engine. Team Pier 57 ran flawlessly to capture a first place finish on Sunday, when combined with their 3rd place finish on Wednesday, gave them the overall title of Super-V World Champion for 2003.