Team Aurora -Thomson Reuters

The last 24 hours we were in sprint-mode. From the position reports, we could see that Denali was about an hour behind us, and we owe them 45 minutes on handicap. In a race like this, 15 minutes is a razor-thin margin. One small hole in the wind could be distastrous. In addition, Gracie, a big, heavy (and beautiful) yacht was 5 hours behind, but Aurora's rating meant that we would owe her about 8 hours in handicap.

Benji used a formula to compute the speeds that each of the closest competitors would need to average to beat us. Denali's was 8.33 (very doable), and Gracie's was 6 knots and change. That meant that we had to hope that the breeze would lighten-up for her (preferably after we finished!), and her heavy displacement would therefore be a significant disadvantage.

With the small lead over Denali, and knowing that on handicap we were behind Gracie, we went to a full court press. For the remainder of the race we had almost everyone on the rail. The fact that the heat and humidity down below were hellish made it easier to be up on deck where the temps were moderate and the splashes over the bow were infrequent.

The breeze stayed mostly steady - varying between 8 - 15 knots true, and 195 to 230 degrees magnetic (although the last few hours there was shift to the west). We jib-reached all the way, occasionally changing headsails as the breeze built or moderated.

As we approached Kitchen Shoals, the clouds over the island began to kill the wind. The last few miles we were ooching along at 4 knots, with all hands on the leeward rail. When we crossed the line, we could see Denali approaching, and our wishes for the breeze to die were being fulfilled. We anxiously checked the stopwatch, and it gradually became clear that Denali was not going to cross the line in time. A second place was virtually assured, but Gracie was well within striking distance. All she needed to do was sail about 50 miles in 8 hours....if the wind lightened up, first place would be ours. If it held, then Gracie would sit atop the class. We had done what we could do. The rest was in the weather god's hands.

Gracie must have been in the god's graces, as the wind held and she won the division. She sailed a track slightly to the east of ours and avoided some of the counter-current we experienced south of the stream. She's a well sailed boat with an experienced crew, so we tip our hats to them for a job well done.

Still, it's remarkable that in only eight weeks, Aurora placed Second in one of the toughest races on the East Coast. This was our first race, and it was a dandy. Surely we will improve as we learn more about the boat and each other. Already, we are beginning to analyze the data and our collective experiences to find out how we can improve ourselves and Aurora herself. Continual analysis and improvement are the only ways to ensure success in yacht racing.

After 48 hours ashore, Team Aurora has recovered and the yacht has already left Bermuda with a delivery crew to head for New England. The presentation of the awards at the Governor's House is Saturday and we are looking forward to being handed a trophy in the midst of sailing's best crews and skippers.

Team Aurora thanks everyone for the support before the race, and the outpouring of congratulations afterwards.