# 2018 Everglades Challenge



## Arcb

Thought I would start a thread for folks to discuss the 2018 Everglades Challenge.

Its a non stop unassisted small boat race From Fort Desoto Florida to Key Largo Florida. There are 3 inland checkpoints along the way. Boats must be beach launched from the high water mark at low tide and must be human and wind powered only.


----------



## Arcb

Interested parties can follow the event.

Edit: I will post the link a few days before the start.

The event starts March 3, but folks will be loading their boats on trailers and heading to Florida any time now.


----------



## bshock

Looks like a ton of fun. How long does a race like that take?


----------



## Arcb

bshock said:


> Looks like a ton of fun. How long does a race like that take?


You have 8 days until you are DQd on time, however, each checkpoint has a time cut off as well.


----------



## Arcb

Haha, yes. Although you might want to save your cheering for some one with a chance of winning. Class 5 double is a pretty strong class and from what I can tell we have about the smallest oldest boat in the class. We are doing it just for fun and hopefully to finish.


----------



## Arcb

Right now the foreast is looking decent for the start. N 12, 19 degrees celcius (Ive never been able to understand farenheit).

See march 3.
https://www.windy.com/?26.166,-82.439,8,m:eq4adQ6


----------



## ThereYouAre

Looks like great fun. I think these type of small boat races are a great idea and I've daydreamed of doing this. Best of luck!

-Hugh


----------



## SeaStar58

B&B has a few designs that do well in the Florida and Everglades Challenge. Their Core Sound and EC22 boats are among them. 
Designed to beach launch yet handle well out in the Gulf.

These Ketch Rigged boats have a certain appeal to me. Maybe I am getting too Old Timey.
If I had a bigger workshop I'd be tempted to build one myself.

Core Sound 17 in the 2017 Everglades Challenge:





EC-22 Sailing Cuttyhunk:





The EC-22 if the B&B site is up to date is as follows:
LOA 22 Beam 7'3″ Draft 6″ - 54″
"The EC22 was designed specifically to excel in the grueling Everglades Challenge. She holds Class IV record time."

The race requires boats to be:



launched off of the beach by the crew


able to unrig quickly to pass under fixed low bridges


able to row reasonably well


able to sail in 6″ of water


be seaworthy enough to take whatever the Gulf of Mexico can dish out


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> are the contestants actually required to unrig & rerig some where along the route? when I read the rules, I couldn't determine if this was a requirement or was a "just might happen" depending on boats actual course?


Not really sure myself however that is what is on B&B's site about the parameters used when developing the EC-22. If you can't step down on the water and row under you may have to take the long way around certain features on the route.

3 days and nights actively sailing an open boat out in the Gulf during small craft advisories does look like a challenge for sure. It is Prime Sailing Season right now. Just about every days Sailing Forecast has been for Excellent Sailing Conditions.


----------



## ThereYouAre

I believe there is a sheltered route and an off shore route. If you take the sheltered route you have to pass under bridges. Competitors can choose to do parts of the sheltered or off shore route as weather conditions and their particular boat dictates.

-Hugh


----------



## Arcb

Sounds about right to me. Deeper draft means you cant take shallow routes. Bigger boat means harder to paddle in light air. Lighter boat that paddles well, more vulnerable to heavy weather. A boat thats too small or performance oriented might have trouble with carrying loads. Lots of compromises to consider.


----------



## RegisteredUser

I hope this remains amateur...and is not ruined.


----------



## SeaStar58

RegisteredUser said:


> I hope this remains amateur...and is not ruined.


Like when the foreigners eventually got control of Optimist Pram Racing called it a Dinghy and changed it from the Soap Box Derby Racer on the Water that Clark Mills envisioned when he designed them as something families could cobble together themselves for under $50 to get their little ones involved in sailing into something that now only folks with thousands of dollars to spare could get involved with? The original concept would still be doable for a few hundred dollars while what is now required to join the Official Soap Box Derby Races on the Water at places like Opti Supply costs about $3,200 to $4,000 plus accessories for the official race version. The Club version is only about $2,800 plus accessories. Spare sails and such as the little one get more accomplished can go up into the thousands for the competition designs.

The bows on the official boats from what I have seen lately are quite fragile too. Up front where they grab them to haul them out starts to crumble after a while and the liner starts lifting away from the hull up front and then the separation travels around and then down the along the sides. Little bumps that should be uneventful become major issues.

I just sat like a fly on the wall (260 lb fly so perhaps not that unnoticeable) and saw how one repairman where they sail the new boats had a production line set up as the Dinghy's lined up to have the bows repaired and rejoined to the liners faster than he was able to fix them. He appeared to be trying to reinforce them while staying in the guidelines for the class. Looked like he was also dealing with patches previously made with adhesive caulking instead of grinding out the failing mat and rebuilding it. He was sculpting clay molds to match the original profile of the damaged areas, grinding out the bad areas and laying out new glass over those clay molds now clamped into their original positions making for an invisible repair. Once he removed the molds you were hard pressed to see where the repairs had been made aside from the front of the boat looking all shiny and new. Love watching and learning from someone doing a very good job.

The local non-profit sailing center tries to offset the costs of the official boats by using donations to make the dinghy's available to families on an annual membership basis and its a full time job to keep that labor of love going with the boats repaired and in service.

Yes let's hope the Challenge stays amateur, free spirited and open so it does not end up requiring boats from only certain official suppliers be entered with only the wealthy elite able to afford them.


----------



## Minnewaska

Best of luck!! Looking forward to the recap. Hardcore.


----------



## SeaStar58

If the weather holds like it is now for another week it should be grand. Hopefully weather won't turn sour so that the Coast Guard steps in and shuts it down like they did a few years back. They had to rescue a dozen boats participating in the Challenge out during small craft advisories.

Local weather in the Ft Desoto area on Check In Day March 2 is supposed to be 75 degrees with a 30% chance of showers and the race days (3/3 to 3/11) look to be in the upper 60's to mid to upper 70's with no rain except for on Sunday the 4th with a 25% chance. Did not do targeted checks along the route for each day but overall it looks for pretty nice weather on the way.

Be mindful that this is not for amateurs or for those in poor physical condition and there are no support vessels provided. The only ones that can help you so that you will be allowed to stay in the race is other active racers. According to the FAQ's there will be at least one instance where you will be required to step down your mast on the course. They note that no motors are allowed and if you feel that you need one for safety then you are not qualified to enter the race. When you go through the Everglades passage especially you could face encounters with Bears, Coyote, Florida Panthers, Gators, etc and have your food and water stolen by animals of all sorts and on the water racers can be going through a variety of areas where sharks are breeding and feeding. One area is noted for some fairly large HammerHeads and our Salt Water Crocks along with a number of Nile Crocks that some let/got loose in South Florida.

Incidents like these are too common:





Look how close to the beaches the HammerHead hunts the Black Tip Sharks.





Lightning protection is also a consideration when on an week long sail with one passage entailing 3 days and nights out in the Gulf.


----------



## Arcb

And mosquitoes!


----------



## SeaStar58

Arcb said:


> And mosquitoes!


Hey now, don't pick on one of our two the State Birds! :wink


----------



## Arcb

Just over 2000km to go.


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> SeaStar58 said:
> 
> 
> 
> When you go through the Everglades passage especially you could face encounters with Bears, Coyote, Florida Panthers, Gators, etc and have your food and water stolen by animals of all sorts and on the water racers can be going through a variety of areas where sharks are breeding and feeding. One area is noted for some fairly large HammerHeads and our Salt Water Crocks along with a number of Nile Crocks that some let/got loose in South Florida.
> 
> Don't forget the mighty (MONTY) python :eek
> 
> and the water mocs & other things.
> 
> 
> 
> Etc includes, python, anaconda, mocs, diamond back rattlers, coral snakes, leeches, face sized venomous spiders, wild boars and plenty of fire ants, bull ants, hermosa ants along with a number that probably have not been cataloged yet.
> 
> This is Florida so don't rule any wild critter out and be certain to beware "Skunk Ape".
> 
> Skunk Ape is usually quite congenial but don't mess up their habitat or disturb them when their sleeping:
Click to expand...


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> SeaStar58 said:
> 
> 
> 
> not to worry, got my Jack Links jerky to keep 'em at bay.
> ever benn givin a snuggy by one 'o them apes?
> 
> 
> 
> Does Publix stock enough tomato juice in one or two stores to clear up the smell afterwards? I avoid the hugs and other close encounters. Had a black puma running along side my motorcycle riding back from Moonlight Resort in Floral City once and that was way too close. It was a late night fishing and well after Midnight. I put on the brights and laid on the throttle.
> 
> Wait come to think of it I laid on the throttle first.
Click to expand...


----------



## SeaStar58

Lets keep it family friendly guys.:|

Yes dumb to smack a gator. They can sprint faster than you can during the warmer weather.

Whats next? Walking up to a tornado and sharing a bottle of Jack Daniels with it while sans apparel?


----------



## seabeau

To many of those in the know, especially Water Tribers, the Coast Guard response to the fore mentioned weather cancelled Everglades Challenge was a case of typical government overreach. Most of the contestants who went into the water, either self-rescued or were rescued by other contestants. Simply having your vessel towed by the Coast Guard is, by the Coast Guard standards, a "rescue". Four foot seas and twenty mph winds are not excessive by most small boat standards, although in shallow water with short chop intervals, these conditions demands skill levels that some contestants simply did not have.


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> ooops, ok, edited my un thought out reply for pg.
> 
> Yes them gators are very fast, lucky for me he didn't chase me, just whipped around lightning quick & showed me a mouthfull of teeth where the tail was as instant before, the lights in his eyes my be the reason I still have hands & fingers to type with.
> 
> Am considering The JD with the twister. sounds my style, but when I drinks, I drink alone unless it's with my buddy Jim Beam.


My office is located in part of the Brooker Creek Preserve and we have seen gators take out large boars in a heartbeat, loose them to the coyotes and then by the time 15 minutes has passed between the coyotes and buzzards not a bristle, bone or any other scrap could be found. We warn new hires to be wary of still wet gator trails on the walkways and parking lots especially early in the morning or later in the evening. See gators stalking workers too busy texting to pay attention and have to send someone out to get them moving along and out of harms way. Cotton mouths and diamond backs getting dragged in by the revolving security doors is a regular occurrence too. When we first moved in too many ER trips were needed due to all the Cotton Mouth strikes with at least one or two a day for way too long. There are gator, coyote and snake wranglers regularly surveying the property which has greatly reduced these incidents.

Brooker Creek is just a few minutes from Tampa Airport and not out in the middle of the Glades or some other large uninhabited area.

Out hiking though you may face a higher chance of being attacked by a swarm of squirrels going after any snacks or sweet beverages you may have on you then from a Gator, Snake or anything else. Attack from behind climbing up your back to claw at your face and eyes from your shoulders to incapacitate you/get you to drop any food/beverage you are carrying. Plain bottled water and nothing else is what rangers will advise in areas with a large population of squirrels known to carry out this type of attack.


----------



## Arcb

Here is the link to the live race tracker I mentioned earlier. It's active, so it's possible to track people getting there.

http://raceowl.com/EC2018/RaceMap3


----------



## smackdaddy

What's arc's boat number?


----------



## Arcb

2919. But I can gaurantee there will be lots of other more interesting boats to watch.


----------



## smackdaddy

Sebastian#2 said:


> Smack: guess I really don't know. early in the thread when I asked Arcb if he was #**** , I didn't get an answer either way.
> I tried to squeeze a couple of those beer snuggies from u, but no go I guess :crying, so guess I will have to try & find BFS beer snuggies on line somewhere. :nerd
> 
> anyhoo....I,m guessing #2919.....might be, might not be.
> but thats who I'm following.


Just search "big freakin sails" - you might find snuggies and other crap galore baby! As well a link to the thread on this forum where it all started!

Arc - I'll be watching. Go get 'em.


----------



## smackdaddy

That makes my day Seb! Thanks.


----------



## SeaStar58

If that's him passing Estero Island and heading for Lovers Key that is very impressive. Temps around here at the start have been in the low to mid 50's at night. At 8:30 AM its was still only 54 F this morning however its warming up now and already 61 F. 

Its been colder than usual this winter however the past few weeks have been mostly excellent for sailing. Hope the fair winds and weather hold up for them.


----------



## SeaStar58

Dickmans Island just past Marco Island at 5:01 PM with about 20 miles to go to checkpoint #2 in Chokoloskee. 

Its 59 degrees F here near race start and only 2 degrees warmer in Chokoloskee right now. Good thing he's a Northerner as 61 F is real chilly to folks used to 90+ most of the year.


----------



## Towguy

Good to see that Arcb &this brother are off to a great start ,getting easier to find his #as they are ahead of the pack,..I,m sure they are quite comfortable at 61f,..its -6C (bout22F) in Ottawa today....actually that's not bad it's -19 here tonite,would rather be in Florida cheering on Arcb....Ralph


----------



## SeaStar58

No position update in 14 1/2 hours now with the last at 5:01 PM yesterday. They also have not made Checkpoint 2 though they were only a few hours or so from it yesterday afternoon. Hopefully its just dead batteries.

See BuoyohBuoy & MufferawJ: http://www.watertribe.com/Events/ChallengeResults.aspx


----------



## SeaStar58

They made checkpoint 2 in 2 Days, 9 Hours, 55 Min and are currently at Pavilion Key. 


Ccock and DeSea (aka Anonymous and Anonymous) made it to the finish in 15 hrs, 40 mins. 20+ mph on much of the 300 mile trip?


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> I zoomed in to Pavilion Key satalite view, street view to camp next to them last night..hope my bagpipe playing didn't keep them awake. I started playing pipes again around 3AM , to encourage them to start early:laugh
> 
> I wonder if the "tribe" has some power boaters staged here & there to monitor things, or maybe other documentors to zoom along & film things? could account for the 20+ mph? :nerd
> 
> I wonder how the bugs have been. I left Flamingo in a 14' boat & camped on the ocean beach to N.& W. of Lake Ingraham. Was nice weater when left Flamingo but picking up winds thru day. We were wind bound for the next 2 days. The no see-uns were so bad even in the wind that we had to stay in the tents or wade out & splash in the surf for relief. The chop on the water was border line on a 14' boat going back but slow and easy got us back. That was in late April, so a few weeks later. Best part was I found a turtle skull that is about 8x10 inch, think it,s a loggerhead?
> 
> looks like they are still in good position over all though :cut_out_animated_em


Why would they have power boats on the competitors list and results tracking as a team? I did hear a foiling team talking about entering at the sailing center so who knows it could have been them.

I could have joined in on the playing with a tune on my Bowed Psaltery.

Here's a tune to get them going:





Florida Punkys usually like it a bit warmer than it is now but if your near dead vegetation on the ground where they lay their eggs, when they hatch it will be very miserable indeed especially nearing sunrise or sunset when they swarm.


----------



## Towguy

Looks like Ccock&Desea was a class 5( small sailboat- cat/tri) that really zooming right along for 300 miles.. is that even possible?? Or am I misreading something?...Ralph


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> only 2 people I know of that could possiably do that amazing feat would be me in my Hobie Adventure Island . But that is not a class 5.
> 
> The only other would be a shameless sailor & world re-nowned sailing celebrity & cut & paster: sailing a 17 Ft. Spirit named Fiasco...crewed by the elephant & 1 BFsailor !
> 
> HehHeh


For a little while the real AKA names were showing:

2919 is now showing an AKA of Justin Hughes and Robin Hughes.

The top five were shown for a while as:

Ccock and DeSea is listes aka Chris Growcock and David Clement Class 5 with a finish of 0 Days, 15 Hours, 40 Min.

Twobeers and Morsailesed aka Jeff Linton and Jahn Tihansky Class 4 with a finish of 1 Days, 17 Hours, 31 Min.

SOS and DancesWithSandyBottom aka Alan Stewart and Paul Stewart Class 4 with a finish of 2 Days, 1 Hours, 57 Min.

atwitsend and Justanothersailor aka Birchard Ohlinger and Guy deBoer Class 5 with a finish of 2 Days, 2 Hours, 25 Min.

Scrappy and Fidget aka Tiffany Alponat and Mike Garam Class 5 with a finish of 2 Days, 16 Hours, 24 Min.

Now its back to anonymous.

Justin Hughes and Robin Hughes were last shown entering Graveyard Creek at 6:46 PM.

Thankfully the squalls we are having appear to be staying North of the remaining participants. They had to call in all boats at the sailing center around 3:30 pm today as the winds exceeded their safe launch limit and most were coming in soaked through. Yesterday they were getting a lot more knockdowns than normal for the rentals too.


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> the roster I view shows BuoyOhBouy aka Justin Hughes
> & Muffaraw J, aka Robin Hughes.
> 
> From their current location looks like they could go Lake Ingraham or on the outside ..either way?


Appears they spent the night in the GraveYard but final leg could be either way. Boat trails on the highlighted teams would make it easier to determine direction but what do I know I only helped develop digital nautical charts for the US Navy for a good number of years and provided core data to the civilian developers of chart upgrades for marine charters/plotters. ;>


----------



## Ninefingers

Sebastian#2 said:


> only 2 people I know of that could possiably do that amazing feat would be me in my Hobie Adventure Island . But that is not a class 5.
> 
> The only other would be a shameless sailor & world re-nowned sailing celebrity & cut & paster: sailing a 17 Ft. Spirit named Fiasco...crewed by the elephant & 1 BFsailor !
> 
> HehHeh


What year is your AI? I just sold mine, it was a 2007 which I think was the first year. Undersized rudder had to be modified to keep it from rounding up constantly, after that it was a fun boat, just not meant for Lake Ontario where I sail. Big chop from harbour traffic was a real drag on the hull and psyche. It now resides on a small inland lake with lots of islands - the perfect place for it.


----------



## smackdaddy

Thanks for all the updates Seb. It's nice to not have to pull up the tracker each time.

Your cutting and pasting skills are exquisite! Heh-heh.


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> Well, looks like they are west of Taverineer Key, don't know if they make Largo tonight, or if they even want too ? might be just out enjoying the trip & finish off leisurly tomorrow? hate to see it end , I'm selfish.


At least they arn't in to 20% that DNF and are the top of the laggers list.

I noticed that the Ccock and DeSea Finish Time has changed to 1 Days, 13 Hours, 40 Min from the original 15 Hours, 40 Min. Hey Moe, Hey Larry... What's up with that! ;>

Sad to see it coming to a finish too as its a way to participate vicariously.

Spent the day out in the shop manufacturing a new tiller head and tiller handle for an old sailboat. It was taking a bit too long rounding up parts and welding up the aluminum but today the metal, oak and walnut were all mated and its beginning to fulfill the vision and take shape. Not quite perfect but a bit better than just Ok for a project made mostly of scrap I had lying around. I may take some of the rest of the Oak and Walnut and make a barrel top case for my Psaltery which BTW I was not the one playing in the video. I did make my own Psaltery though as a project with my Dad a few years before he passed. He was trained as a Vineyard Carpenter outside of Naples Italy near Tiano starting in 1914 when he was 8 years old and was being mentored in also building Mandolins and Violins so it was a nice project to do together and even in his middle 90's he still remembered his training even though he left Italy right after the war ended since he was a US citizen stranded their while my grandmother was being treated for an illness at the hospital in Milan and sadly died from when the war broke out.

You may find https://www.harpkit.com/ interesting even if your not inclined to build them yourself. The Strumbly I am tempted to make as a 4 instead of 3 string as a travel guitar instead of the Trekker guitar. Been playing with the idea of trying Sail Board instead of wood to be better in a marine environment too. Check out their Shop Session Videos before discounting some of these more humble instruments. 





Making a Hurdy Gurdy (Remember Captains Courageous) for some reason is also something I may also want to do someday.

Enough OT rambling for tonight.

Hopefully we will get to see some EC 2018 Video shortly.


----------



## SeaStar58

They finished respectably about the middle of the roster at - 4 Days, 14 Hours, 0 Min.


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> I think those humble instruments cool. :smile that is why I mentioned Justin Johnson u tube videos for u to watch. Did u look him up by chance? :nerd
> 
> yes, I have seen Captains Courageous 5 or 10 times. :smile
> 
> I'm looking to the challange footage also! :svoilier:


Been busy in the Mad Science Lab (Workshop) so I have not had much extra time to check out Justin's tube vids. * Edit: Looked up Justin and now am viewing that old shovel in the shed with a different set of eyes.*

I am also tempted to make a bowed dulcimer too.

Spencer Tracy played the Portuguese sailor in Captains Courageous with the Hurdy Gurdy as I recall.

Yes bring on the videos. They say it isn't real now if there are no pictures or video.


----------



## Arcb

Thanks for all the positive encouragements. Just a quick post because I'm on Starbucks WiFi in Key Largo. Looks like there should be a large number checking today and into tomorrow. 

We had an absolutely wild ride across Florida Bay last night with no moon. Double reefed main and no jib we were hitting double digit speeds in short shallow water chop. Windfinder report shows winds were into the low 20's with thunder, lighting and heavy rain.

Good times. More details when I have more time.


----------



## Minnewaska

Congratulations on the placement, let alone the finish!! Very cool. That’s hard core.


----------



## smackdaddy

Awesome Arc! Congrats. VERY impressive.

I can't wait to hear more.


----------



## Towguy

Ya,congrats on a respectable finish eh,sounds like the weather was a bit of a trial..But you prepared well so...next time better yet...Ralph


----------



## SeaStar58

Winds have been wild the past few days here so you must have had your hands full. Vacationers had trouble understanding why the Sailing Center would't check out boats to just anyone when the wind got up past 18.

Pictures will be required shortly to prove it really happened:smile

Kudos for sticking with it.


----------



## SeaStar58

Sebastian#2 said:


> Just caught this edit :laugh did you catch the1 string didley bow the guy in the woodworking shop made for Justin? I mention this as you have a mad science lab .
> 
> I think i misunderstood the bring on the videos, did you mean that for Arcb? or for me to bring on Justins vids? any way, glad you found Justin, hope you enjoyed :laugh


Caught the Didley bow which was very interesting. My youngest daughter (27) caught me watching and was upset(jealous) because of his hair being such as it is. Was asking if he is at least part Native American. She thought his taking the time to educate while showing off some of his instruments was a very nice touch too. I especially liked the Wash Basin and Marvel Mystery Oil Can Guitars. I may try the DADDAD tuning he demonstrated with the slide as I have not yet dove into alternate tunings and am thinking better do it now and not wait till I get much past 62.

I have replaced bridge plates, saddles, fingerboards and frets on guitars, made good use of the full JLD Bridge Doctor along with building the Psaltery and worked in a woodworking mill as the Heavy Mechanic/Carpenter/Head of Maintenance designing new machinery while maintaining the 150 year old antiques along with doing the special projects requiring old school hand tools so I am hankering to crank things up and expand my Luthiers skills and make more sawdust. I have used Luthiers Mercantile International in the past as a source for materials along with HarpKit(MisicMakers).

In the Mad Science Lab the Hydrogen/Browns Gas generator experiment made quite an impression and brought to light the need for an anti-flashback device. Some are more timid about entering now and are more likely to knock asking if its safe first. It was a small device and I had not expected it to work as well as it did. Then explosion really was not that big but was really more of a pop and it was only a baking soda solution anyways. :wink. Did prove the potential of it all on a 150cc Chinese Scooter though which ran cleaner with a more solid sustainable top speed of 65 mph instead of the prior 52 mph and had significantly better acceleration despite the added electrical draw while the increase in MPG was minimal (perhaps due to over indulging in the extra available performance).

Everglades Challenge 2018 videos is what I meant regardless of who posts them.


----------



## SeaStar58

Yes David May made it in around 2 am last night leaving Blue and NoYesMaybe out there but NoYesMaybe appears to be moments from landing on the beach. Blue has not sent a signal since the 7th at 6:48 PM near Highland Beach.

I prefer Stone of Destiny only if someone else is buying. Please don't put it on the rocks or strain it through ice saving the water for bathing when it gets warm enough and leave the soda for the kiddies.


----------



## SeaStar58

Here is some vid of one of the Ketch boats crossing Florida Bay:





Rocking Baby's short vid:


----------



## SeaStar58

Looks like we have CaptJackOtter back in the race as the final straggler about to enter Florida Bay. Those lightning storms to the South last night must have made life interesting out on the water.


----------



## Arcb

Thought I would write up a little synopsis of our run down the coast. I'm still in Florida, been camping and checking out the Keys, so I haven't had a chance to upload any vids or pics yet. The Keys are fantastic shallow water sailing for folks thinking of visiting by the way. The currents seem to be mostly tidal in nature and the bottom soft, so we haven't seen any need or even desire for a boat with an engine.

The race was scheduled to start at 0700 on Saturday March 3, but there was a weather hold put on due to a Small Craft Advisory. The advisory was lifted at 09:00, although all vessels needed to start under single reef as per the rules for starting in an SCA.

We made a bee line for the outside route through the gulf for better sailing speed. Upon exiting Tampa Bay, we decided to shake out our reef, which is when our main sail issues began. The luff tape was binding in the track with the wind pressure and after about 40 minutes of messing around we gave up and continued on a single reef. Shaking out the final reef under way would prove problematic though out the event and we sailed most of the event either single or double reefed as a result.

We proceeded down wind along the coast with good speed over taking several boats with some great down wind surfing. We were neck and neck with a Topaz 16 for hours. He gybed back and forth to stay on a broad reach while we just ran and surfed. He was quicker, but we were able to conserve some energy.

By the time we reached Venice Inlet seas in the Gulf were getting pretty rough with some big surfing. We weren't worried about the Prindles stability, but were concerned about running Stump Pass in big surf beam on to CP 1 so we ducked into Venice and continued easy but slower sailing through the ICW. We lost a bunch of time on bridges with our 27 foot mast. We had to sail circles while we waited for each bridge opening. We reached CP 1 after dark around 8:15 ish. 60 miles reefed in about 11 hours.


----------



## Arcb

We ate a couple of bowls of chicken noodle soup at CP 1 before proceeding back into the ICW. We paddled the boat for maybe half a mile or less before turning back down wind under single reef.

Sailing the ICW after dark was easy at first, red and green, in between, call bridges on 9. However, as the night progressed, wind increased and temperature dropped, down to about 49 degrees (9 ish C). We hit our first big sound and found we were taking every wave over the tramp. Every wave, like buckets being dumped on our heads. 

After the first big sound we were starting to feel a little cold. I was wearing heavy weight Helly Hansen Poly Pro long under wear head to toe, Alpaca wool sweater, dry suit, diving booties, gloves and hood a scarf and my life jacket. We decided to tuck into an anchorage between some cruising boats and use our main sail as a tent to warm up some. However, when we stopped sailing we found the relative wind increased significantly and was hitting us from above and under the tramp. We weighed anchor and kept going. Would rather be cold, not sleeping and logging miles rather than just cold and not sleeping.

We would cross two more big sounds that night, each colder than the previous. We made Fort Myers for around dawn. We pulled up on to Fort Myers Beach and made a couple of cups of much needed coffee. We then proceeded back out into the open Gulf.

Speed was fantastic flying down the Gulf Coast with no reefs when out of no where we were hit by a sudden Gale. We double reefed the main, popped the jib and crawled into shore, we would remaun close to shore for the rest of the day, in spite of being handily over taken by a Hobie Getaway. 

We headed for the inland shortcut at Marco Island around 1500 hrs, where we experienced big breaking surf with contrary wind and current. Fantastic surfing, with a few accidental gybes mid surf. Some how we managed to bottom out in the surf coming into the pass, which resulted in side loading and cracking both rudders. We decided to spend the night at Marco after having some dinner and fixing up our rudders as best we could after having some rice and beans for dinner. We would sail the rest of the race on two cracked rudders.

We left the next morning on the rising tide through the pass before returning to the Gulf. The sail down to Indian pass was uneventful, pleasant sailing, we caught the next rising tide at Indian Pass and rode it all the way into the Ranger station at Chokoloskee, where we got our park passes for Everglades National Park. Sailing into the dock at the Ranger station, a steel bolt sticking out from the dock punched about a quarter sized hole through our Port hull above the waterline. We proceeded to the check point at Chokoloskee, being careful not to heel too far to Port.


----------



## Arcb

We spent about an hour at CP 2 where we used duct tape to repair the hole in our hull. We left on the ebb that evening for a fantastic spooky sail through shifting winds in the mangroves. Inshore sailing in unmarked passes after dark in Everglades Mangroves is really something that must be experienced to be appreciated. Fantastic.

Around 9 ish we made it out the channel into some steep standing waves where wind and current opposed for a bumpy ride. As the evening went on wind decreased to the point of not worth sailing and we beached for the night at Pavillion Key for sleep, rice and beans.

The following day gave us a tough upwind beat, straight into 10-15 knots on the open Gulf. After a whole day of beating, each wave sweeping the boat from stem to stern we only made good 30 miles. We decided to beach at Graveyard Creek into an outgoing current. It went poorly. We wound up hitting and sliding over a submerged tree, landing in waste deep mud with our mast tangled in the mangroves. We ended up jumping into the chest deep water in the crocodile infested waters adjacent to Shark River to push the boat back into open water before paddling her across a huge current with big standing waves to a more favourable landing, where again our mast got caught in the mangroves. Lots of adrenalin. We at our rice and beans and camped on the "beach".

The following morning we departed on a falling tide into a hard beat with thunder heads hot on our heels. The sailing was good but wet. Eventually as we curved around Cape Sable, the beat turned to a close reach and eventually a reach, our speed increased through out the day. It was fantastic sailing, we stopped for a bit on the beach at Cape Sable to just enjoy the scenery and make some Tang.

After a day of fantastic sailing we left the Gulf on a broad reach into Florida Bay and CP 3, managing to stay ahead of the thunder heads all day.


----------



## Arcb

We hung out at CP 3 at Flamingo for a couple hours to let the storm that had been chasing us all day pass, before leaving Flamingo late afternoon on a rising tide.

The sailing was good however, the first storm was followed by a series of follow up storms with rain, thunder and high winds. We double reefed and looked for an island to hide on, there was nothing and so, we were committed to the Bay on a rising tide.

Navigation during the day was fine, we followed the stakes marking the edges of the narrow channels, however, that got a lot harder when night fell, charging hard down wind double reefed with no jib.

After feeling our way through the Bay in the dark we happened across a long channel that would give us a big short cut. We followed the stakes in the mud through the channel using my head lamp. I missed a dog leg in the channel, our starboard rudder clipped bottom and kicked up. In the confusion of trying to get the rudder back down, trying and trying to find the channel in the dark, we missed a sudden violent wind shift which caused a hard gybe that resulted in both of us on the leeward side. In the dark moonless night it was hard to say how far out of the water the windward hull was and how close to capsize we were, but the hull I was on was completely submerged by 4-6 inches, so we were about as far over as I care to go.

Eventually we found our way into deeper water. The rest of the night was navigating with only our hand held gps in high winds. We were constantly trying to slow the boat down in the dark to slow our speed through the water down to our ability to interpret data from the chart plotter. We managed to avoid hitting anything hard and sailed to the finish line on a falling tide/broad reach at about 2300 hrs.


----------



## Minnewaska

Thanks for the recap! Wish I had known about this race 20 years ago. I'm nursing a sprained wrist, just from my first weekend of Spring commissioning.


----------



## SeaStar58

Arcb - Now that its over what are your thoughts on using the open catamaran instead of a monohull with a bit of free board to offer some protection from the cold with some type of fore decking or small cuddy to better handle waves coming over when it got a touch rough out. The foredeck and rough water handling was one of the things I liked the best about my 1958 (some say it was a late 1956) SeaStar with its less than 6" draft (not a sail boat but still a monohull with a foredeck and ample freeboard for an 18 foot boat). At my age even with the suit I don't believe I could have it made 5 days out there on a trampoline.

Would the extra protection from waves and weather helped you to press on when things started getting could and rough? Its a sincere question since you have the Bay Hen also however at 900 lbs it would have been a bit tough for 2 to launch from the high water mark yet enough comparative experience for you to comment on using say a 16 or 17 foot monohull weighing a 100 or so lbs more than the Prindle and drawing board up about the same amount of water. 

Your thoughts on the pluses and minuses now that its over?


----------



## Arcb

Interesting question Seastar. No, I would not do it again in a small (16'), low free board beach cat. Although I could imagine the Prindle 16 for a single hander who knew how to keep her under control working. She was too exposed and too slow with that much weight on board. We basically had to sail the boat in displacement mode in a lot of the conditions because of her tendency to go through, rather than over waves. I was the coldest I have been in a very long time. I could be mistaken, but I believe the smallest beach cats to finish this year (aside from our Prindle) were a 2 up Hobie Getaway with racks and a single handed Hobie 17 with racks. 

I never seriously considered the Bay Hen as an option. I have always felt she is too slow to reliably make CP1 and is not self rescuing to boot. Slow and questionable sea keeping ability is a bad combination for that event. Bay Hen is a pure cruising boat, she doesn't have a racing bone in her body. She is perfect for gunk holing in my local wetlands and islands, but is not in any way an open ocean boat.

The monos that looked really nice were the 17-20 foot cat ketch Core Sounds and EC boats with cuddy cabins. Fast , comfortable, seaworthy.

However, my very favorite boat in the event was a 12' Junk rigged John Welsford Scamp with cuddy cabin and water ballast. She wasn't the fastest, but she sure was pretty.

My wife has told me I'm never allowed to single hand the event, so I think if I were to do it again it would be in a mono with cuddy cabin and maybe water ballast. I might like a smaller Welsford design, 2 finished this year, a Scamp and a Pathfinder.


----------



## SeaStar58

The B&B Core Sounds or their Everglades Challenge 22 (EC) are two that caught my eye as practical boats plus the B&B Belhaven 19 cat ketch which looks promising with an offset centerboard to the starboard and bilge keel to port leaving the cockpit open and has a larger cuddy cabin. Lays flat on the beach since the centerboard when retracted matches the level of the bilge keel and between the standard keel, bilge keel and centerboard allows you to sail windward with the centerboard up off the beach or when gunk holing and its based on the Core Sound basic hull matching its rough weather attributes.

I am tempted to put up a portable shelter in the back yard to build one of these in.














The Core Sound 20 Dawn Patrol came in at 1 day 23 hrs and 57 min this year while the Core Sound 17 Cool Change is already past Miami on the Coastal Challenge.


----------



## Arcb

Yes, a spectator in Key Largo invited me aboard his EC 22. It was a beautiful boat, he was using her as a cruising boat. The cabin was really spacious. There was a bunk down either side, a small galley aft to Port and a porta potty. 

I really like the Cat Ketch rig for an open water unballasted mono. It just makes sense. However, I also really like the cat gaff rig on my Bay Hen. High aspect sloop rigs are too much work on small unballasted cruising monos IMO.


----------



## SeaStar58

Arcb said:


> Yes, a spectator in Key Largo invited me aboard his EC 22. It was a beautiful boat, he was using her as a cruising boat. The cabin was really spacious. There was a bunk down either side, a small galley aft to Port and a porta potty.
> 
> I really like the Cat Ketch rig for an open water unballasted mono. It just makes sense. However, I also really like the cat gaff rig on my Bay Hen. High aspect sloop rigs are too much work on small unballasted cruising monos IMO.


Most of B&B Boats are water ballasted with lead in the centerboards to make them just about self righting AFAIK.

Chesapeake Light Craft is another one that has some offerings that catch my eye.


----------



## Arcb

People like to joke, Pics or it didn't happen, so here are the pics.

A few notes for people who like making their own YouTube videos:

-I shot every thing by hand, no mounts or tripods.
-Cameras: 2014 Ricoh WG M1 Water Proof Action Cam
2012 Fujifilm XP50 Finepix Waterproof Point and Shoot. This was my go to for sailing shots. This camera is so small I wore it in a pocket of my pfd for the whole trip. Just wipe the salt stains off the lens and start filming. Its worth noting this camera also came with me to the Himalayas for back to back Manaslu and Annapurna Treks in 2013 and was the only camera in the group to survive the trip. 
-The minimal editing was done with Windows Live Movie Maker, just the standard that comes with every lap top.


----------



## SeaStar58

Good job ARCB! 

The Fuji XP is about the only camera my wife has not broken and I am considering getting one for myself while Costco has the XP120 for a reasonable price and its good for up to a 65 foot dive so it should be just fine if you want to go snorkeling with the crocks, whites or hammaheads.

The vids almost look like they may have been taken in Florida but you have an honest face so we'll take your word on that. :wink

Yes Irma gave us quite a beating. They had the Blue Jay's winter quarters overflow parking area filled with debris for months afterwards and it was piled at least 50 feet high while they were using it as a staging area waiting for the mulchers to grind it up and haul it away.


----------



## Arcb

Something that has been mentioned to me, in the video I keep referring to Boneyard Creek, however, the creeks name is actually Gracpveyard Creek.


----------



## Arcb

Here is a short clip of the finish line at Key Largo. I'm processing video of the start line at Fort Desoto as well.


----------

