Over the weekend Gitana set a new record(2 hrs 42 min over a 41 mile course) around Belle Isle. 500 boats on the starting line at once. On the site for the race it says the the purpose is: conviviality, simplicity, and pleasure of the sea. When was the last time anyone heard these words in the context of a race? Belle Isle offers strong tides and often wind.
I have experienced a start like this and as one might imagine it is a bit chaotic.