2005 Mille Lacs Crossing
Well, we’re back with great success from yet another VERY challenging Mille Lacs Crossing held in Minnesota this past weekend!!
“Team World” rose to the occasion by bringing back three of a possible 5 first place finishes!! Roland Rioux fom Winnipeg finished 1st in Longboard Limited Class! I’m so stoked that I finished 1st in the Longboard Unlimited Class! I’m even more stoked that Schwaby finished 1st in Women’s class!! AND, 3rd overall in Sports Class!! What an accomplishment!! A really great moment for us was seeing her cross the finish line this year!
This years event had so much wind at the start of the race, it was really hard to decide what kind of gear to actually take for the Crossing. Roland was on his Equipe with a 7.5m sail, Schwaby was on her ‘Bic Sexy’ with her 6.0m sail, while I sailed my trusty Prodigy with Link’s 8.5m sail. That keeps “Link’s winning streak” going!! Thanks Buddy for letting me use your rig!
So, before the race started, I sailed out about 2 miles on the lake to test the conditions out in the 40-50km winds. As you could imagine, I was REALLY, REALLY powered up and pretty much out of control in the 5′ rolling swell. I tacked and headed back to shore, thinking I would change my sail down to a 7.1m. I looked down at my GPS, and to my astonishment, I had clocked a 50.2km/hr run with my Prodigy/8.5m combo!! That’s insane!!
What a great weekend spent with friends on and off the water!!
Really looking forward to the 25th anniversary of The Crossing next year!! So EVERYONE, pencil the last weekend of September in your calendars for 2006. It’s gonna be a doozy!!
Stay Cool 
Finisher only results:
Fleet(F-Formula, U-Unlimited, L-Limited, S-Sport)
Name – Fleet – City – State – Time
1 Arden Anderson F Fond Du Lac WI 0:41:10
2 Jeff Adamski F Ostego MN 0:42:35
3 Jeff Hotvet F Wayzata MN 0:43:21
4 Steven Cool F Wayzata MN 0:48:24
5 Steve Johnson F Shoreview MN 0:48:46
6 Randy Johnson F Forest Lake MN 0:48:47
7 Kevin Gratton F Fond du Lac WI 0:49:03
8 Adam McCuskey F Minnetonka MN 0:50:19
9 Stephen Rutledge F Thunder Bay ON 0:51:46
10 Dave Cleveland S Howard Lake MN 0:54:44
11 Randy Rutledge F Deephaven MN 0:56:30
12 Brad Woodworth U Dryden ON 0:56:43
13 Kathy Tatro U Fond du Lac WI 0:57:35
14 Ulf Jentler F W Des Moines IA 0:58:18
15 Roger Mondale F Plymouth MN 1:02:32
16 Jeff Koeberl F Muskego WI 1:03:00
17 Michael Reed U Cary IL 1:03:31
18 Peter Hill I Minneapolis MN 1:04:16
19 Roland Rioux L Winnipeg MB 1:04:27
20 Don Specht U Bloomington MN 1:09:13
21 Peter Hartwich I Excelsior MN 1:09:46
22 Jim Welinski F Duluth MN 1:12:45
23 Wayne Anderson U Elkhart Lake WI 1:12:46
24 Lisa Kremer F Worthington MN 1:14:02
25 Mark Schmidt S Des Moines IA 1:19:24
26 Bob LeGault U Mt Prospect IL 1:24:36
27 Larry Miller U East Gull Lak MN 1:24:52
28 Arnie Cleveland I Prescott WI 1:34:18
29 Randy Howell U Dallas Center IA 1:41:22
30 Bryce Johnson L Horae ND 1:47:51
31 Larry Reed F Dallas Center IA 2:08:20
32 Ray Muller F Thunder Bay ON 2:09:34
33 Dave Chizek L Excelsior MN 2:12:45
34 Margot Woodworth S Dryden ON 2:12:56
35 Kris Diller L Mound MN 2:28:23
36 Glenn Kremer S Worthington MN 2:30:55
37 Bob Curtain S Lakeville MN 2:31:45
38 Joshua Johnson S Plymouth MN 2:37:35
9 Comments
I’ll be making a photo album from the weekend soon!!
Wohoo! Way to go guys! I was just reading Margot’s contributon to the Fleet 8 newsletter tonight and was wondering how she faired this year. What a performance!
Looking forward to the pictures…
The Mille Lac’s Crossing was one of my greatest feelings of accomplishment I’ve ever experienced in my life!!! It is so hard to put in words. After 2 days of pure anxiety, first we were supposed to race on Saturday, then the race was called off. Then on Sunday the race was delayed again due to boat problems. Close to 50 sailors were rigging and rigging again, because it was one of the hardest decision what to use on such high wind conditions. Unfortunately some of my fellow female racers from Sport and A-Fleet were panicking about the conditions and either did not start or rigged to small. The conditions at the start were just nuclear and after I made it around the up wind marker, I was just smoking across the lake. After about one hour (I never wear a watch), I had absolutely nobody in front of me, and I could not see anybody behind me, that’s when I found it the hardest to keep concentrating to go in a straight line and on land marks. I am not familar with the land marks at all, that part I found really tough! My right arm was getting so sore, that I could not even move it at all. Once I got closer to the finish line I could hear “Team World” cheering, who waited for me for over an hour! That was such a great moment! I just fell off my board as soon as I crossed and Brad handed me a beer!! A German beer!! I had two big thoughts while I was sailing across, “if I can do this, I can do anything in life” and simply “just be it!!” Even just writing this comment makes me feel so fullfilled inside. It’s just so great that we both finished in 1st after our anniversary!
That is just too cool!!
Yah! But how much fun was it without the STRAT’s? Next year for sure!!!
Awesome story Margot!
Congrats again to you both for the awesome performance!
This crossing weekend was one of the best. The conditions did not exceed my expectation but the people around and about the event were simply enormously fun. Team World were as always, at their best. The comaraderie was working positively. I even had an offer of the use of an 8.5 meter sail which was also rigged for me….thx Woody. For me, the best part of this whole racing weekend was the vision of Swabby crossing the finish line and being embraced by Woody. That was such a heartwarming end to a very good weekend. To Woodette—many many more successful crossing to come.
Roland the Ironman!!! How perfect!!! Lots of great pictures of this weekend will always be stuck with me! You, doing handstands is one of them!!I know Team World was there for me last year comforting and this year cheering! It never ever would be the same without you!!Thanks Roland!
And rememeber you are one of the closest Team World members to us Drydenites! Keep in touch!!
Way to go guys – making the rest of us slugs real proud of you HAHA
Barb, you really should join us. We start with an all women clinic in Bonaire!!! We would be able to surf and drink Margerita’s at the same time!!
