Back from Spring Fever 2008, Team NC State had a respectable showing this year bringing 4 boats to the line. Trey and I made out with 3rd place this year. There was a 3 point spread for 1st 2nd and 3rd in the I-20 class this year so it was very close racing. Once again Spring Fever proved to be one of the best regattas of the season and I think also the largest catamaran regatta in the south east. Here are some pics but there are more on the way from the on-the-water photographer.
Team Velocity is headed to St. Thomas this weekend for our second International Rolex Regatta. Trey is sailing with past Tybee 500 and Altercup champion John Casey on an bigger go fast catamaran while I will be living the good life sailing a hobie 16 with our sponsors son. Should be a fun time.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Shamrock Marathon/Half Spectacular
I am working on a trip report for the EC (unlike last year) with pictures like my mom is doing so look for that in the near future. But in the meantime...
Team NORSA just returned from the annual Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA. NORSA members Adam Domanski, Alan Stewart and Bethan Haaga participated in the event and Julie Brockman, Adam's girlfriend who wasn't able to register in time was official team cheerleader, nurse, driver and all around helpful person. Adam and Bethan both completed the Full Marathon in 3:58:04 and 4:08:46 respectively and I finished the half marathon in 2:14:59. For not training near as much as I should have I finished mostly injury free, able to walk (the next day too) and feeling great despite being in the back of the pack for my age, who's counting.
On Friday after classes Adam and I drove up to Richmond to meet up with Julie at her place and spend the night. Julie cooked up some Portobello mushroom, grilled chicken dinner amazingness and we went out to a bar with Andrew, another of Adams college friends before getting a good nights sleep. On the way up, Adam and I spent a lot of time talking about "our circumnavigation" and Saturday morning we were doing some casual research on budgets for circumnavigations and general big boat cruising. Warning, digression ahead.
Adam and 7 or 8 friends of his planned a 3 year circumnavigation a year or so ago scheduled for departure on November 2nd of 2009. The whole endeavor is based around a project backed by the Mariner's museum in Newport News, VA and is called "EYE of the world... an expedition in youth education". The basic idea is that this group would sail around hitting about 84 cities around the world in just over 3 years while in communication with schools in the US who could track their progress, send them e-mails, and during their journey, learn about other countries economy, history, religion, and even help map out the sailors route that they take. They came up with the idea and since then some of the original members have had life changes (job, family) that make the trip... less feasible. In short, Adam and his good friend Ian Harris are the only ones currently 100% a go on the project informally searching for a 3rd or 4th member with experience and commitment. Adam had told me about the project in the past but only recently was it more of a reality that I might be able to participate. Needless to say, I am... shall we say DOWN. I will graduate in May of 2009 and then... do it! At least that is my current plan. I am getting up to speed on the project and will be helping to secure funding through sponsorship and Adam may have found us a blue water 37 footer that has the potential to be donated to the cause. We shall see. Anyway, back to the weekend.
Saturday around noon, the three of us drove to Newport News to meet up with Ian who we would be staying with that night. Ian is in the military and soon to be out of the service and works as a chaplain's assistant on base. We drove into VA beach and dropped Ian off for a couple of hours on base and went to pick up our event packets as the VA beach convention center. There we found Bethan, another of Adam's school friends from the William and Mary days and we got our packets and explored the various novel products that race sponsors had in the following expo at the center. Back at Ian's we ordered pizzas and rocked out with some Rock Band.
The Half marathon start was at 7am followed by the full at 8. We woke up at 4:30 and were walking to the line around 6:30. We took shelter in a 7-11 next to the start with about 100 other runners. It was blowing about 10mph steady and in the low 50s but it didn't rain on us thankfully. During the run, I ran into a bunch of friends who had also come up from state for the race and I ran with them for about half the distance. After finishing, I met back up with them and we hung out in the finishers tent with hot soup, bananas, water, a live band and lots of beer. We all watched Adam and Bethan finish and not soon after, Ian and Alan (a different Alan) and his wife? (also college buddies of Adams) came down to hang out with us in the tent. Ian and them were waiting for Adam around mile 21 to..."cheer him on" which actually meant having a food fight with him with a lot of relish. yes relish. When he crossed the finish line we thought he had vomed on himself and thought, what a weenie until he reached down, grabbed some off his shirt and ate it. EEEWWW. No it's ok guys, its just relish. Apparently they wanted him to "relish" in his accomplishments of the day.
Although exhausted, we were surprisingly upbeat. Adam flew a kite that he had brought and the band was great so much dancing was done as well. I think I will be known as "wet suit dancing guy" next year at the race. After a while we decided that it was time to go boogie boarding in the ocean and I donned the rest of the wet suit that I had brought, Adam put on Julie's shorty and my balaclava and Ian had a wet suit as well. Ian took one for the team and bought us a boogie board thanks Ian. We sprinted into the water and were there for about 30 seconds. I got an almost instant cold headache like I had just downed an entire frozen slushy. We thought it must have been in the low 40s. I looked it up and found all reports say it was 53 but I'm not convinced. We did manage to get in a couple of good waves though. The surf was pretty big. Our 5 minute swim was plenty and returned to the warmth of the tent and packed up to hit the road but not before Adam and Ian had a good healthy beer fight mostly soaking each other. I think we were the either the clowns or the highlight of the after race party. Anyway, I think we had the most fun.
We retired to a seafood restaurant for a huge crab leg buffet before cleaning up back at Ian's, saying our goodbyes and getting a move on. We dropped Julie off (she drove back to Richmond) and made it to Raleigh around midnight fully sore and walking like old cripples. Another great trip for the books.
On Friday after classes Adam and I drove up to Richmond to meet up with Julie at her place and spend the night. Julie cooked up some Portobello mushroom, grilled chicken dinner amazingness and we went out to a bar with Andrew, another of Adams college friends before getting a good nights sleep. On the way up, Adam and I spent a lot of time talking about "our circumnavigation" and Saturday morning we were doing some casual research on budgets for circumnavigations and general big boat cruising. Warning, digression ahead.
Adam and 7 or 8 friends of his planned a 3 year circumnavigation a year or so ago scheduled for departure on November 2nd of 2009. The whole endeavor is based around a project backed by the Mariner's museum in Newport News, VA and is called "EYE of the world... an expedition in youth education". The basic idea is that this group would sail around hitting about 84 cities around the world in just over 3 years while in communication with schools in the US who could track their progress, send them e-mails, and during their journey, learn about other countries economy, history, religion, and even help map out the sailors route that they take. They came up with the idea and since then some of the original members have had life changes (job, family) that make the trip... less feasible. In short, Adam and his good friend Ian Harris are the only ones currently 100% a go on the project informally searching for a 3rd or 4th member with experience and commitment. Adam had told me about the project in the past but only recently was it more of a reality that I might be able to participate. Needless to say, I am... shall we say DOWN. I will graduate in May of 2009 and then... do it! At least that is my current plan. I am getting up to speed on the project and will be helping to secure funding through sponsorship and Adam may have found us a blue water 37 footer that has the potential to be donated to the cause. We shall see. Anyway, back to the weekend.
Saturday around noon, the three of us drove to Newport News to meet up with Ian who we would be staying with that night. Ian is in the military and soon to be out of the service and works as a chaplain's assistant on base. We drove into VA beach and dropped Ian off for a couple of hours on base and went to pick up our event packets as the VA beach convention center. There we found Bethan, another of Adam's school friends from the William and Mary days and we got our packets and explored the various novel products that race sponsors had in the following expo at the center. Back at Ian's we ordered pizzas and rocked out with some Rock Band.The Half marathon start was at 7am followed by the full at 8. We woke up at 4:30 and were walking to the line around 6:30. We took shelter in a 7-11 next to the start with about 100 other runners. It was blowing about 10mph steady and in the low 50s but it didn't rain on us thankfully. During the run, I ran into a bunch of friends who had also come up from state for the race and I ran with them for about half the distance. After finishing, I met back up with them and we hung out in the finishers tent with hot soup, bananas, water, a live band and lots of beer. We all watched Adam and Bethan finish and not soon after, Ian and Alan (a different Alan) and his wife? (also college buddies of Adams) came down to hang out with us in the tent. Ian and them were waiting for Adam around mile 21 to..."cheer him on" which actually meant having a food fight with him with a lot of relish. yes relish. When he crossed the finish line we thought he had vomed on himself and thought, what a weenie until he reached down, grabbed some off his shirt and ate it. EEEWWW. No it's ok guys, its just relish. Apparently they wanted him to "relish" in his accomplishments of the day.
Although exhausted, we were surprisingly upbeat. Adam flew a kite that he had brought and the band was great so much dancing was done as well. I think I will be known as "wet suit dancing guy" next year at the race. After a while we decided that it was time to go boogie boarding in the ocean and I donned the rest of the wet suit that I had brought, Adam put on Julie's shorty and my balaclava and Ian had a wet suit as well. Ian took one for the team and bought us a boogie board thanks Ian. We sprinted into the water and were there for about 30 seconds. I got an almost instant cold headache like I had just downed an entire frozen slushy. We thought it must have been in the low 40s. I looked it up and found all reports say it was 53 but I'm not convinced. We did manage to get in a couple of good waves though. The surf was pretty big. Our 5 minute swim was plenty and returned to the warmth of the tent and packed up to hit the road but not before Adam and Ian had a good healthy beer fight mostly soaking each other. I think we were the either the clowns or the highlight of the after race party. Anyway, I think we had the most fun.We retired to a seafood restaurant for a huge crab leg buffet before cleaning up back at Ian's, saying our goodbyes and getting a move on. We dropped Julie off (she drove back to Richmond) and made it to Raleigh around midnight fully sore and walking like old cripples. Another great trip for the books.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The good stuff
I have been asked to redirect all of my moms usual readers back to her blog. Shows over so to say.
Back in Raleigh now and thinking hard about the year to come. Chances are that I will have to sit out EC 09 due to my senior design project. And then what? Sailing sabbatical? Naval Architecture masters degree? Which to do first is really the bigger issue. I have found that, just like last year, I am slapped in the face with wanderlust especially where sailing is concerned and it makes it all the more difficult to focus on studying. I am not all removed from sailing however, in the coming weeks, Trey and I will be heading down to St. Thomas for the International Rolex regatta so I will no doubt "get my fix". But even so, stuck at school, you can only get so much of a fix from forums, and the internet especially after you've had the good stuff.
Back in Raleigh now and thinking hard about the year to come. Chances are that I will have to sit out EC 09 due to my senior design project. And then what? Sailing sabbatical? Naval Architecture masters degree? Which to do first is really the bigger issue. I have found that, just like last year, I am slapped in the face with wanderlust especially where sailing is concerned and it makes it all the more difficult to focus on studying. I am not all removed from sailing however, in the coming weeks, Trey and I will be heading down to St. Thomas for the International Rolex regatta so I will no doubt "get my fix". But even so, stuck at school, you can only get so much of a fix from forums, and the internet especially after you've had the good stuff.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Finished!
SandyBottom called in just a few minutes ago to happily say that she was in Key Largo and happy to be done. She slept just out from Flamingo (CP3) on Joe Kemp Key, while the rest of the Kruger crew paddled on further. They ended up sleeping in their wonderful Kruger sea canoes. SB caught up to them in the morning for the last push to the finish.
Congrats to everyone in this years Everglades Challenge!
Congrats to everyone in this years Everglades Challenge!
I Think They Can, I Know They Will.
SOS just called to say that SandyBottom and friends were in Jimmy Channel as of 11:30 today. The winds are fresh and in a favorable direction. The whole crowd should be in Largo before sundown!
Friday, March 07, 2008
Back to Civilization
Well I just got a call from DWSB saying that he had gotten a call from SB in Flamingo. It sounds like it's been a really rough time of it all, Sb said that it's the worst she's ever been physically in an EC (she is about to get her 5th sharks tooth necklace).
After leaving CP2 Wenesday morning at 9:30 SB and RiverJohn made their way to the Harney River campsite by 3:30AM the next morning. Shortly thereafter Trader & TroutHeart showed up to camp. SB & RJ got about 3 hours of sleep that night and then continued paddling on to CP3. They pulled up for the night at the South Joe River Chickee at 12:30 AM early Friday Morning. They got a well deserved full nights sleep there and made their last push for CP3 at 9:30 this morning (Friday). They made it in to CP3 at 11:50 AM.
Sb said that the winds and tides seemed to be against them all the time so the paddling was relentless. They plan to rest for the remainder of the day, wait out potentially dangerous weather, and then make it to Key Largo early tomorrow. SB and RJ were reunited with Boo, dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser at CP3 and they are all going to finish together. The winds are supposed to favorable tomorrow, and RiverJohn doesn't have a sail rig. MC agreed to catamaran up and help RJ make the Florida Bay corssing with his Balogh sail rig. They all hope to be in Sunset Cove by mid afternoon at the latest.
After leaving CP2 Wenesday morning at 9:30 SB and RiverJohn made their way to the Harney River campsite by 3:30AM the next morning. Shortly thereafter Trader & TroutHeart showed up to camp. SB & RJ got about 3 hours of sleep that night and then continued paddling on to CP3. They pulled up for the night at the South Joe River Chickee at 12:30 AM early Friday Morning. They got a well deserved full nights sleep there and made their last push for CP3 at 9:30 this morning (Friday). They made it in to CP3 at 11:50 AM.
Sb said that the winds and tides seemed to be against them all the time so the paddling was relentless. They plan to rest for the remainder of the day, wait out potentially dangerous weather, and then make it to Key Largo early tomorrow. SB and RJ were reunited with Boo, dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser at CP3 and they are all going to finish together. The winds are supposed to favorable tomorrow, and RiverJohn doesn't have a sail rig. MC agreed to catamaran up and help RJ make the Florida Bay corssing with his Balogh sail rig. They all hope to be in Sunset Cove by mid afternoon at the latest.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT
THIS AFTERNOON
SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS NEAR 20 KNOTS.
BAY WATERS CHOPPY TO ROUGH. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SOUTH WINDS NEAR 20 KNOTS...SHIFTING WEST LATE.
BAY WATERS CHOPPY TO ROUGH. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
SATURDAY
SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS NEAR 20 KNOTS EARLY...SHIFTING TO
NORTHWEST AND INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KNOTS AND GUSTY. BAY WATERS ROUGH.
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED
SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
SATURDAY NIGHT
NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS NEAR 20 KNOTS AND GUSTY.
BAY WATERS ROUGH.
The 2008 Everglades Challenge is wrapping up in good fashion.
Wilderness...Waterway
Still no direct news from SandyBottom, but I did speak with SOS & DWSB this evening (Thursday) and learned that she and RiverJohn went to the Rangers station in Everglades City so that they could get the permits to go through the Wilderness Waterway (WW). I hope to post more about the waterway in the morning, but for now I'll just say that it brings a special reward to all WaterTribers who complete it in the EC.
I expect the SB will get into CP3 tomorrow seeing as KneadingWater also took the WW and got to CP this evening. He has been running ahead of SB.
Sleepy time!
I expect the SB will get into CP3 tomorrow seeing as KneadingWater also took the WW and got to CP this evening. He has been running ahead of SB.
Sleepy time!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Where is SandyBottom?
I haven't heard anything from SandyBottom or any of her expected traveling party. They are all probably in the modern-world dead zone. It also sounds like storms might be rolling through. Eeek! Anyway let's hope for the best for all of the challengers.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
We have video
Checking the You Tube links and found on of SOS & DWSB sailing along. I don't know what is said because the computer I'm using doesn't have speakers, but live action is hard to beat. Enjoy.
Which Way Windy Wild Weather?
Right now the wind is shifting for the better of all challengers, but it won't last for long. The winds are continuing the shift from South to West and in the next 24 hours it's going to make it all the way up to North. But it looks like they will miss the brake pedal and keep on swinging back to the South; it think I hear a collective grrrrrrrrrr from the WaterTribers. I expet that everyone will put in a good push as soon as they can so that they don't get stuck like so many of them did today. If they don't make it in time now they can still fight the bad winds, and hope to make it to the finish line in time with a last minute shift to the West and North on Saturday/Sunday.
Here is the forecast for the southern Gulf Coast...
TONIGHT
Here is the forecast for the Florida Keys...
OVERNIGHT
Here is the forecast for the southern Gulf Coast...
TONIGHT
SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING WEST 5 TO
10 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. BAY AND INLAND WATERS A
MODERATE CHOP. CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
WEDNESDAY
WEST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR
LESS. WEST SWELL 2 FEET. BAY AND INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT
CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
THURSDAY
NORTH WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
THURSDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS BECOMING 10 TO
15 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND INLAND WATERS
A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
FRIDAY
SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE
AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. BAY AND INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
FRIDAY NIGHT
SOUTH WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS BECOMING SOUTHWEST 10 TO
15 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND INLAND WATERS
A MODERATE CHOP. CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
SATURDAY
SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING NORTHWEST 15 TO
20 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND INLAND
WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SATURDAY NIGHT
NORTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS BECOMING 10 TO 15 KNOTS
AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. BAY AND INLAND WATERS A MODERATE
CHOP.
SUNDAY
NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING 5 TO 10 KNOTS IN
THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND INLAND WATERS A LIGHT
CHOP.
Here is the forecast for the Florida Keys...
OVERNIGHT
VARIABLE WINDS LESS THAN 10 KNOTS. BAY WATERS SMOOTH TO
A LIGHT CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
WEDNESDAY
VARIABLE WINDS NEAR 10 KNOTS. BAY WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
VARIABLE WINDS NEAR 10 KNOTS...BECOMING
SOUTHEAST. BAY WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS.
THURSDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. BAY WATERS A LIGHT TO
MODERATE CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
THURSDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS NEAR 15 KNOTS. BAY WATERS
A MODERATE CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
FRIDAY
MAINLY SOUTH WINDS NEAR 15 KNOTS. BAY WATERS A MODERATE
CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
SATURDAY
WINDS BECOMING NORTHWEST AND INCREASING TO 15 TO 20
KNOTS. BAY WATERS BECOMING CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS.
SUNDAY
NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. BAY WATERS CHOPPY
TO ROUGH. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
A quick but exciting post!
First news is that SandyBottom has made it to CP2 and is resting now. She is with RiverJohn now, but they expect to meet up with Manitou, Boo and dabiscuit in the wee hours and then head off from there to make a nonstop trip to Flamingo. Lets see how that plan pans out.
And!!! Team Dawn Patrol is now resting happily in the luxuries of the Sunset Cover Inn on Key Largo. They finished up at 19:40. They are pleased by their crossing of Florida Bay, and even came with in about an hour of catching Jarhead.
Way to go Dawn Patrol!
And!!! Team Dawn Patrol is now resting happily in the luxuries of the Sunset Cover Inn on Key Largo. They finished up at 19:40. They are pleased by their crossing of Florida Bay, and even came with in about an hour of catching Jarhead.
Way to go Dawn Patrol!
"Crazy!"
That's what SOS said in reference to the Twisty Mile Channel. They are now 11 miles from the finish line. It looks like they took Route #2 in reference to my last update. It sounded like they were under sail and having an exciting time getting through the Jimmy Channel as I talked to DWSB. I could also hear SOS yelling, "DRAGGING! DRAGGING! DRAGGING!" and the wind in the background.
Still no direct word from SB.
Still no direct word from SB.
Dawn Patrol is in Flamingo!
CP3 is in the books for Team Dawn Patrol. DWSB called in from a mysterious phone number to up date us all.
He said that they had sailed until midnight-ish and then dropped anchor for the short night. They fixed up a hot meal and got about 4 hours of rest from the relentless winds. The tide is coming in now which will help them in the treacherous Florida Bay; high tide is supposed to be at 14:00 today. The winds are still out of the ESE and should be shifting towards the West some in the next 24 hours. They aren't sure where Jarhead is, but they would love to catch up to them to make it a photo finish.
Only 30 miles left, but still half the race to go!
Good luck on conquering Florida Bay. Here are the top 3 routes to get through Florida Bay. Both #'s 1 & 2 require navigation through channels that maybe 40 yards wide and that are marked with only wooden fence posts with small reflectors on them...you know the kind of stuff you can pick up a the local hardware store. To make things even worse these markers are not too frequent along the channel, so at night you have to take a light and shine it all around looking for the markers. Once you find the edge of a channel (you are a wizard if you never have this happen) you are stuck in some very unfriendly mud that will suck you in if you hop out to push on your boat. The best bet in this situation is the rock free of the mud flat while giving up your hard earned headway. And one more thing to top it all off, you have been sailing/paddling in 15-20 kts. for days on end and you are sleep deprived. Once again good luck!
In other news...
I'm not sure what to make of a recent dabiscit post, but it sounds like they are setting up camp again!? If it is true maybe SandyBottom and RiverJohn are going to paddle on. We'll see how that turns out.
Also in other EC2008 news some more videos have been loaded to the internets. You can check them out here and here. There is one from Lugnut & Root, a couple from Chief, and a couple from the start. Enjoy!
He said that they had sailed until midnight-ish and then dropped anchor for the short night. They fixed up a hot meal and got about 4 hours of rest from the relentless winds. The tide is coming in now which will help them in the treacherous Florida Bay; high tide is supposed to be at 14:00 today. The winds are still out of the ESE and should be shifting towards the West some in the next 24 hours. They aren't sure where Jarhead is, but they would love to catch up to them to make it a photo finish.
Only 30 miles left, but still half the race to go!
Good luck on conquering Florida Bay. Here are the top 3 routes to get through Florida Bay. Both #'s 1 & 2 require navigation through channels that maybe 40 yards wide and that are marked with only wooden fence posts with small reflectors on them...you know the kind of stuff you can pick up a the local hardware store. To make things even worse these markers are not too frequent along the channel, so at night you have to take a light and shine it all around looking for the markers. Once you find the edge of a channel (you are a wizard if you never have this happen) you are stuck in some very unfriendly mud that will suck you in if you hop out to push on your boat. The best bet in this situation is the rock free of the mud flat while giving up your hard earned headway. And one more thing to top it all off, you have been sailing/paddling in 15-20 kts. for days on end and you are sleep deprived. Once again good luck!
In other news...
I'm not sure what to make of a recent dabiscit post, but it sounds like they are setting up camp again!? If it is true maybe SandyBottom and RiverJohn are going to paddle on. We'll see how that turns out.
Also in other EC2008 news some more videos have been loaded to the internets. You can check them out here and here. There is one from Lugnut & Root, a couple from Chief, and a couple from the start. Enjoy!
Dawn Patrol in full sail
I was looking through the B&B Messing About forum and found some nice shots of Dawn Patrol just after launching from the start line. There are also some pictures of Southern Skimmer, RidgeRunner's CS20, and Frontal Lobotomy (the crazy looking trimaran of Randy Smyth).
Here are the pictures of Dawn Patrol...
Here are the pictures of Dawn Patrol...
Monday, March 03, 2008
It's night nights for SandyBottom
I was just surfing the WT forum and saw that the dabiscuit had a entry log up saying that the whole gang was setting up camp for the early night.
I'll fill in more details later when I hear it from SB...
SB called just after 19:00 EST to update me. She was eating some macaroni and tuna that MC cooked up for the whole gang. What a champ! After the grub all of them were going to get some shut eye and then get up at midnight, or 1:00 and continue on to CP2 as much as possible. They are camping on the beach about 4 miles north of Marco Island. She was definitely in good spirits.
In other news Roo & Tinker (currently 2nd place) have been in the same spot in Florida Bay for the last 4 hours or so, and Jarhead & Waterscribe (currently 3rd place) are resting and drying out at CP3. So who know if Dawn Patrol play the cards right they have a chance at winning this thing. If you ask me I say once they hit CP3 they should head south and come up the ICW much like this years winning team of Lumpy and Bumpy did; however, it all depends on the winds so they'll have to make the call when the time comes.
It sounds like right now that the days of Easterly winds have drained Florida bay of most of its water, so the already shallow (and narrow) channels are even lower, which makes so bad sailing conditions.
That's it for now.
I'll fill in more details later when I hear it from SB...
SB called just after 19:00 EST to update me. She was eating some macaroni and tuna that MC cooked up for the whole gang. What a champ! After the grub all of them were going to get some shut eye and then get up at midnight, or 1:00 and continue on to CP2 as much as possible. They are camping on the beach about 4 miles north of Marco Island. She was definitely in good spirits.
In other news Roo & Tinker (currently 2nd place) have been in the same spot in Florida Bay for the last 4 hours or so, and Jarhead & Waterscribe (currently 3rd place) are resting and drying out at CP3. So who know if Dawn Patrol play the cards right they have a chance at winning this thing. If you ask me I say once they hit CP3 they should head south and come up the ICW much like this years winning team of Lumpy and Bumpy did; however, it all depends on the winds so they'll have to make the call when the time comes.
It sounds like right now that the days of Easterly winds have drained Florida bay of most of its water, so the already shallow (and narrow) channels are even lower, which makes so bad sailing conditions.
That's it for now.
Day 3 Checkins
More news from the waterfront!
Team Dawn Patrol called in it looks like just after they cleared the 10,000 Islands. They are currently making good towards CP3 and they are hoping to catch Jarhead & Waterscribe; they are sailing a Sea Pearl. Currently Dawn Patrol is in 4th place, Roo & Tinker are about a third of the way through Florida Bay, and Jarhead is somewhere between Dawn Patrol and CP3. It'll be interesting to see who takes what route in Florida Bay.
Anyway SOS said that they pulled up to Indian Key around midnight and the tides were not favorable so the anchored and caught several hours of sleep. They got under way at about 03:45 this morning and spent a while battling the tide still. Once it turned they had no problem getting in to Chokoloskee Bay. They hit CP2 at 09:36 today. On their way out they were fighting the tide that was till coming in, but now they are outside and sailing towards Cape Sable. The waters are fairly calm, but they have one reef in the main sail and are fighting the unfavorable winds.
I'm not sure at what time, but they talked to RidgeRunner & GreyBeard at Indian key and they were getting ready for more rest.
SandyBottom called in a couple hours later from a beach near Naples. She was beached with ManitouCruiser, Boo & dabiscuit so that they could take down the sail rigs. If you are paddling with a sail rig, it is much easier to make head way if everything is down; just the mast alone add a great deal of resistance and in a challenge like this you need to save every ounce of energy you can. RiverJohn wasn't too far behind either.
Her plan was to paddle in the group until sundown or there abouts and then rest up some more (they have been going since 3 this morning). And again they will make an "O" dark 30 departure. The night time seems to bring better weather for the paddlers. I think this group will stick together for the remainder of the challenge given the weather conditions, and that ain't bad at all.
I expect to hear from SB when they find a place to camp. As for Team Dawn Patrol I don't expect to hear anything for a good while, maybe CP3. Let's hope they can catch Jarhead. I'm glad Jarhead is having a good time this year, last year he had to drop out at CP1 because of a torn sail.
Here's the weather for the area between CP2 and CP3...
Team Dawn Patrol called in it looks like just after they cleared the 10,000 Islands. They are currently making good towards CP3 and they are hoping to catch Jarhead & Waterscribe; they are sailing a Sea Pearl. Currently Dawn Patrol is in 4th place, Roo & Tinker are about a third of the way through Florida Bay, and Jarhead is somewhere between Dawn Patrol and CP3. It'll be interesting to see who takes what route in Florida Bay.
Anyway SOS said that they pulled up to Indian Key around midnight and the tides were not favorable so the anchored and caught several hours of sleep. They got under way at about 03:45 this morning and spent a while battling the tide still. Once it turned they had no problem getting in to Chokoloskee Bay. They hit CP2 at 09:36 today. On their way out they were fighting the tide that was till coming in, but now they are outside and sailing towards Cape Sable. The waters are fairly calm, but they have one reef in the main sail and are fighting the unfavorable winds.
I'm not sure at what time, but they talked to RidgeRunner & GreyBeard at Indian key and they were getting ready for more rest.
SandyBottom called in a couple hours later from a beach near Naples. She was beached with ManitouCruiser, Boo & dabiscuit so that they could take down the sail rigs. If you are paddling with a sail rig, it is much easier to make head way if everything is down; just the mast alone add a great deal of resistance and in a challenge like this you need to save every ounce of energy you can. RiverJohn wasn't too far behind either.
Her plan was to paddle in the group until sundown or there abouts and then rest up some more (they have been going since 3 this morning). And again they will make an "O" dark 30 departure. The night time seems to bring better weather for the paddlers. I think this group will stick together for the remainder of the challenge given the weather conditions, and that ain't bad at all.
I expect to hear from SB when they find a place to camp. As for Team Dawn Patrol I don't expect to hear anything for a good while, maybe CP3. Let's hope they can catch Jarhead. I'm glad Jarhead is having a good time this year, last year he had to drop out at CP1 because of a torn sail.
Here's the weather for the area between CP2 and CP3...
THIS AFTERNOONIt's going to be a rough finish for the paddlers.
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS.
BAY AND INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE
DAY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY
AND INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TUESDAY
SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE
DAY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TUESDAY NIGHT
SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING WEST 5 TO
10 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. BAY AND INLAND WATERS A
MODERATE CHOP. CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
WEDNESDAY
WEST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.
Where are they now?...
It's been over 24 hours since I last heard directly from Dawn Patrol, but no worries on this end. There was a sighting by RidgeRunner of the two heading in Indian Key Pass around 22:00 last night and this is the part of the race where cell phone reception is very sparse.
Also no direct word form SB, but some of her paddling group have reported in saying that they left as planned very early this morning and are making good to the finish.
I'll keep you up to date as soon as I know.
Also no direct word form SB, but some of her paddling group have reported in saying that they left as planned very early this morning and are making good to the finish.
I'll keep you up to date as soon as I know.
Some images from the start
The picture is from the starting sunrise.After Archangel dropped out he was able to uplad a video from his first day on the outside seen here.
I bet SOS & DWSB have some great video and stills, but those will have to wait until after the race is over.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Through the grapevine
I was just checking the WaterTribe website and saw a post from RidgeRunner saying that they had seen SOS & DWSB going in Indian Key Pass at 22:00 EST. Needless to say they are behind where they had hoped to be by this time...I think that's the case for most of the racers. This is the time when the land crews get anxious because cell phone reception is crummy at best.
If you haven't seen/heard we already have a Class 4 winner. Lumpy and Bumpy finished the entire 300+ miles in under 36 hours! Simply awesome.
If you haven't seen/heard we already have a Class 4 winner. Lumpy and Bumpy finished the entire 300+ miles in under 36 hours! Simply awesome.
Latest on SandyBottom
BREAKING NEWS
SB called in at 18:25 EST to say that RiverJohn showed up and offered a big hug for her worries. Shortly after that Boo & dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser showed up offering even more support. Needless to say her worries have been calmed. The whole gang has probably eaten by now and is going to rest up for several hours. The hope is that the weather will be calmer in the wee hours of tomorrow where they will shove off for CP2. Lets hope it works out for them.
Original post...
She just called in after a day of battling the winds on the east side of Pine Island. She was hoping to avoid the wind some by staying more protected, but it didn't seem to help. When she called in she was on Picnic Island taking a breather and trying to figure out how to get back near the Fort Myers coast to seek more shelter.
She would sail, but she revealed that she had a little incident when coming in Venice Inlet yesterday. She said she wasn't looking where she was going and her aka (crossbeam) collided with a pole. She didn't think much of it at the time, but after the winds picked up today she has started thinking about it more. The winds sound brutal even through the phone, so good luck to her.
She called again a few minutes later to see where Boo, dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser were, but there hasn't been any word on them since this morning.
SB called in at 18:25 EST to say that RiverJohn showed up and offered a big hug for her worries. Shortly after that Boo & dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser showed up offering even more support. Needless to say her worries have been calmed. The whole gang has probably eaten by now and is going to rest up for several hours. The hope is that the weather will be calmer in the wee hours of tomorrow where they will shove off for CP2. Lets hope it works out for them.
Original post...
She just called in after a day of battling the winds on the east side of Pine Island. She was hoping to avoid the wind some by staying more protected, but it didn't seem to help. When she called in she was on Picnic Island taking a breather and trying to figure out how to get back near the Fort Myers coast to seek more shelter.
She would sail, but she revealed that she had a little incident when coming in Venice Inlet yesterday. She said she wasn't looking where she was going and her aka (crossbeam) collided with a pole. She didn't think much of it at the time, but after the winds picked up today she has started thinking about it more. The winds sound brutal even through the phone, so good luck to her.
She called again a few minutes later to see where Boo, dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser were, but there hasn't been any word on them since this morning.
Update 3 for Team Stewart
Yet again SandyBottom and Dawn Patrol checked in within 10 minutes of each other.
SB was calling in from her Kruger Dreamcatcher saying that she, ThereAndBackAgain, and KneadingWater had all slept on the same island, and that they were departing for the day. She hopes to make it down to Marco Island by this evening seeing as the weather is building and storms are expected. After she called in for her CP1 report she called again briefly at 2:45 saying that she had pulled up on shore for the night.
Team Dawn Patrol called in from just south of Sanibel Island. After their last report SOS continued sailing on for 4 hours while DWSB counted dolphins jumping over the boat. Then they traded spots and DWSB sailed on under the Sanibel Island bridge right as the sun was rising. I bet that was a sight he will never forget. DWSB is going to get some more sleep as they make their way down to Check Point 2. I've drawn up a couple overhead images to give everyone an idea of the planned route.
Dawn Patrol is going to shoot for Caxambas Pass by 14:45 this afternoon while on their way to CP2. It should take them several hours to get from Caxambas to CP2, if not longer. Once they get to Indian Key Pass they will have to worry about the tide, the water depth, heavier boat traffic, a narrow channel, and the possibility of headwinds. If they hit Easterly winds with Indian Key Pass they will have a hard battle to fight.
The dashed line is the ideal planned route for Dawn Patrol.
...it's not looking like an easy entry to CP2. Drop the masts and break out the oars!
Rain showers are in the near future!
SB was calling in from her Kruger Dreamcatcher saying that she, ThereAndBackAgain, and KneadingWater had all slept on the same island, and that they were departing for the day. She hopes to make it down to Marco Island by this evening seeing as the weather is building and storms are expected. After she called in for her CP1 report she called again briefly at 2:45 saying that she had pulled up on shore for the night.
Team Dawn Patrol called in from just south of Sanibel Island. After their last report SOS continued sailing on for 4 hours while DWSB counted dolphins jumping over the boat. Then they traded spots and DWSB sailed on under the Sanibel Island bridge right as the sun was rising. I bet that was a sight he will never forget. DWSB is going to get some more sleep as they make their way down to Check Point 2. I've drawn up a couple overhead images to give everyone an idea of the planned route.
Dawn Patrol is going to shoot for Caxambas Pass by 14:45 this afternoon while on their way to CP2. It should take them several hours to get from Caxambas to CP2, if not longer. Once they get to Indian Key Pass they will have to worry about the tide, the water depth, heavier boat traffic, a narrow channel, and the possibility of headwinds. If they hit Easterly winds with Indian Key Pass they will have a hard battle to fight.
The dashed line is the ideal planned route for Dawn Patrol.
...it's not looking like an easy entry to CP2. Drop the masts and break out the oars!Rain showers are in the near future!
THIS AFTERNOON
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS.
BAY AND INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH
THE DAY.
TONIGHT
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
MONDAY
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS.
MONDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS.
BAY AND INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
Dawn Patrol AND SandyBottom Update 2!
This just in Dawn Patrol is near the head of the pack...as far as I can tell. SOS just rang with some pleasing news. They stayed outside until Gasparilla Pass where the wind was blowing them along at 11 knots! What a ride that must be! This evening the winds have picked back up to a steady 10 gusting to 15 kts., and it looks to remain that way for the next 24 hrs. if not more.
Checking the logbook viewer on the WaterTribe website, it looks like Roo & Tinker opted for the outside route instead of going for the calmer waters of Pine Island Sound. Dawn Patrol is going to stay in side in the calm waters. I expect the wisdom of DWSB tells him that he should get some sleep now while SOS sails on through the night, then I expect them to trade places. One thing is for sure, they aren't holding back. They stopped off at CP1 for just enough time to sign the log and get out of dodge (sounds like some EC07 experience to me). Now comes the long leg to CP2. There's nothing to hide behind once they hit Sanibel Island ans the winds are looking strong for Sunday and Sunday night. Lets all see how it goes!
Well as luck would have it SandyBottom called while I was writing this up and she just hit CP1. Way to go super team Stewart! She says that she's going to get out of dodge too and find a nice place to camp a couple miles down the coast. She spent most of the day alone 'motor' sailing, but that things were going well. Some of you may say "'motor' sailing!?, I though motors weren't allowed!" Well never fear motor sailing here simply means SandyBottom was maximizing her speed by paddling with her Balogh rig deployed.
Fair winds and calm seas to all WaterTribers! See you on the flip side.
Checking the logbook viewer on the WaterTribe website, it looks like Roo & Tinker opted for the outside route instead of going for the calmer waters of Pine Island Sound. Dawn Patrol is going to stay in side in the calm waters. I expect the wisdom of DWSB tells him that he should get some sleep now while SOS sails on through the night, then I expect them to trade places. One thing is for sure, they aren't holding back. They stopped off at CP1 for just enough time to sign the log and get out of dodge (sounds like some EC07 experience to me). Now comes the long leg to CP2. There's nothing to hide behind once they hit Sanibel Island ans the winds are looking strong for Sunday and Sunday night. Lets all see how it goes!
Well as luck would have it SandyBottom called while I was writing this up and she just hit CP1. Way to go super team Stewart! She says that she's going to get out of dodge too and find a nice place to camp a couple miles down the coast. She spent most of the day alone 'motor' sailing, but that things were going well. Some of you may say "'motor' sailing!?, I though motors weren't allowed!" Well never fear motor sailing here simply means SandyBottom was maximizing her speed by paddling with her Balogh rig deployed.
Fair winds and calm seas to all WaterTribers! See you on the flip side.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
SandyBottom on the water report #1
SandyBottom just called and sounded in good spirits. She is currently in Lemon Bay headed south for check point #1 where she hopes to get in around 11 PM EST. After a noisy night at CP1 last year she has decided to paddle off aways after checking in to get some sleep.
She said that things started to get a little iffy just north of Venice inlet so she decided to head to the ICW after being on the outside. Winds had picked up and she didn't reef in time so her inflatable amas (outriggers) started to get pushed under water. Smart move!
Still no more news from team Dawn Patrol. But after checking the WaterTribe website I saw that FrontalLobotomy ( a world class skipper) was first to CP1 at 3:30 local time...WOW!
Here is the forecast for the Charlotte Harbor area (just south of CP1)...
She said that things started to get a little iffy just north of Venice inlet so she decided to head to the ICW after being on the outside. Winds had picked up and she didn't reef in time so her inflatable amas (outriggers) started to get pushed under water. Smart move!
Still no more news from team Dawn Patrol. But after checking the WaterTribe website I saw that FrontalLobotomy ( a world class skipper) was first to CP1 at 3:30 local time...WOW!
Here is the forecast for the Charlotte Harbor area (just south of CP1)...
TONIGHT
NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
SUNDAY
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. BAY AND
INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
SUNDAY NIGHT
EAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. BAY
AND INLAND WATERS CHOPPY.
Looks like the sailors have some great winds to play with. From my experience last
year Pine Island Sound (just south of Charlotte Harbor was one of the most pleasant
areas. Pine Island Sound is a nice wide body of water with barrier islands protecting
it from the Gulf. It is the last section of the Everglades Challenge course before
everyone is forced to go on the outside down to CP2 in the everglades.
That's all for now, I'm anxiously awaiting word for Dawn Patrol.
Dawn Patrol Update 1
SOS called from the Gulf of Mexico a while back to say that things were going well and that the winds were dead. The weather bouys say that winds are at or below 5 kts. so it's slow going for the sailors right now. DWSB was rowing away after giving their sculling ore a try. The boat was handling well when they did have winds. I'm sure that things will pick up here in a little bit.
SOS said that SandyBottom had just passed them with her Balogh rig and paddling. She too decided to take the outside route. Other fellow WaterTribers were out there too including GreyBeard & RidgeRunner, Boo & dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser. GreyBeard & RidgeRunner are sailing in the same CS20 hull design that SOS & DWSB are in, but without a cabin. SOS said they were about 1000 yards back when he called in. It'll be interesting to see how that sub-race goes.
SOS said that SandyBottom had just passed them with her Balogh rig and paddling. She too decided to take the outside route. Other fellow WaterTribers were out there too including GreyBeard & RidgeRunner, Boo & dabiscuit, and ManitouCruiser. GreyBeard & RidgeRunner are sailing in the same CS20 hull design that SOS & DWSB are in, but without a cabin. SOS said they were about 1000 yards back when he called in. It'll be interesting to see how that sub-race goes.
Let's Commence
Wind forecast graphic for Noon on Saturday.Well both SB and team Dawn Patrol (SOS & DWSB) should have launched by now (barring any problems getting off the beach). Dawn Patrol obviously has the greater challenge there with an estimated +500 empty weight, then plus gear equals very heavy! To launch they are using 3 industrial strength, 1 foot diameter, approximately 4 feet long, inflatable tubes. Each tube is capable of supporting 600kg (that’s 1300 lbs. each)! 1300 lbs. multiplied by 3 should equal no problem getting Dawn Patrol in the water. And the best part is that they compact very well into a hatch with the simple opening of the valve.
I haven’t heard anything from the competitors, and still nothing from the WaterTribe website.
The Tampa Bay crossing is critical. First you have to deal with the high boat density, then a shoal just off the beach. After you get by the shoal you’re out in the open water…where the big cargo ships loom. Oh yeah and if the winds are up you have to deal with major surf! I’d say the biggest decision that you have to make is whether or not to stay inside and cruise in the calmer winds of the Intracostal Waterway (ICW), or to race on the outside where conditions can be brutal. Given the conditions this year I have a feeling most, if not all, of the sailors opted for the outside.
I’ll be sure to let post as soon as I hear word from the water.
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