In the Spring of 2000 at Lake Hartwell, I got my first look at the Nacra 20 - Chris Brown raced it against the 6.0s in the open class. Before the event was even over, my skipper Mark Smith had already decided to get one. When we got back to Pensacola, he and Kirk got the ball rolling - the 20 had been selected as the one-design boat for the Worrell 1000 and the buzz was significant. For the 2001 Spring Fever, we had seven 20s racing in an F20-type start with three or four Hobie Foxes. I raced on Mark's boat (#314) for a couple of years until it became obvious that, unlike the Nacra 6.0, the 20 could not be raced at the minimum weight of 325... spinnaker racing and the higher aspect mainsail demanded more weight.

I got occasional invitations to race on 20s even as late as 2007, but as my interest in buoy racing solidified, the 20 became less and less of a viable option for me. The class was, at that time, focused on distance races and Performance Race Week. I've been accused of "abandoning" the 20 Class... truth be told, I'm just not as interested in distance racing as I am buoys. I started in the Class with buoy racing - when the class' focused changed, I had to find other options.

The 20 is still the best choice for racing in the Atlantic Ocean - among all the boats available, it is uniquely suited to face the variety of conditions one might encounter. When Mike proposed the boat as the one-design platform for the Worrell 1000, most of the fleet (including me - I was a team manager) felt the boat would never hold up to the beating the 6.0 had withstood. Boy were we wrong. People on the beach know that I lost a number of bets last year - I wagered on the 20 to be the first boat every leg. For 2010, I wish the fleet smooth sailing, no night legs and rhumb lines that pay off.