DULUTH – With a pop of a Champagne cork and a cheer, the 12-member crew of Catapult celebrated as the first team to cross the finish line of the Trans Superior International Yacht Race Monday afternoon.
The team from Wayzata Yacht Club, with skipper Joel Ronning, had a smooth downwind sail to the finish, described as perfect conditions by race officials. It doesn’t mean they won the more than two-day, 326 nautical mile trip from near Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth — teams are handicapped according to size and speed — but it does come with its own rewards: bragging rights, bubbly and a wooden plaque.
It was the big blast from the foghorn that charmed Ronning.
“I’ve never had a foghorn for a victory,” he said. “Everybody was smiling.”
The team worked in shifts of four hours on, four hours off — catching bits of sleep among the crank of gears and crashing waves.
Ronning, taking his first steps on solid ground in days, said the weather was wonderful and the views were amazing.
“Everybody was oohing and aahing as we were going down the North Shore,” he said. “There’s so much beauty and so much history. … I’m just overwhelmed.”
Winners are expected to be tallied according to golflike handicaps, as more sailboats finish the race — which could extend into the week. In all, 45 teams started the race, ranging from solo sailors to large crews like Ronning’s and his 70-foot yacht. The field, which draws from the Great Lakes region including Canada, was the largest in memory.
