My Dad for tirelessly (ok maybe tiredly too) continuing to post our stories, updates and pictures to the blog and for coming to get us multiple times while we "vacationed" down in Florida. Though i'm sure sometimes he would have rather left us down there to teach us a lesson.
My Mom for putting the idea out there that we should make a go at the UFC and for following through. Yes I really did the UFC with my Mom, no we didn't get sick of each other, and yes she is very tough as Moms go.
To Graham and Carla Byrnes of B and B yacht Designs who were supportive, generous, instructional and enthusiastic about the Trimaran project from the get go. B and B donated their materials, work space, tools and many hours of boat design "consultation" to get this thing in the water. For those of you who don't know I work "full time" at B and B yacht designs building boats, computer modeling boats and in some cases helping to design aspects of boats. I put "full time" in quotes because in what other job can you take time off to build your own boat...at work! Needless to say I think I may have used up my vacation time for the year. But there is that NC race coming up...important advertising opportunity I'd say.
To Mark at Kruger Canoes who lent us his personal Kruger Cruiser without a second thought. A marvel of expedition paddle craft evolution, Mark's Kruger Cruiser Canoe kept us dry and comfortable allowing us to focus on paddling fast and putting river miles in our wake. Without this boat I dare say we would not have made it.
To our fellow or future Watertribers for showing their support throughout our adventure. In some cases from the comfort of their own armchairs and in other cases on the ground in Fl, at the checkpoints and at the finish line. The involvement and interest of fellow tribers is hugely motivating. Thanks also to the UFC competitors who kept us moving and always looking ahead of or behind us. We were honored to race along side of you and hope to see you guys again soon. An individual thanks also to Sharkchow (Warren Richey). Without his daily updates/forecasts on the WT forum we would surely have been as blind mice in a wet maze. We marveled at his often uncanny predictions as to what we were experiencing or were about to experience.
To Murrays.com for their generous contribution to the cause. A demanding waterborne challenge such as the UFC requires durable and high quality gear such as is distributed at Murrays.com. High tech (and affordable) sheets lines of blended dyneema and ultra high tensile strength dyneema 12- strand lines really make a boat like this possible. Murrays supplied the lines for all of our rigging, shrouds, forestay, waterstays, mainsheet and control lines.
To Dave Calvert of Calvert Sails for their equally generous contribution to the team and to the boat. Our custom built Mainsail, Jib and Code Zero sails powered us to victory with efficiency and grace. I found Calvert's sails to be on the leading edge of material technology, sail shape and design and I give them high marks for durability and ease of use. We were very pleased with the shape and control-ability of the mainsail, the Jib was powerful and easy to douse and while the conditions of the race didn't lend themselves to very much work with the large Code Zero we did fly it briefly with great results and I look forward to using it in the future. Check out Calvertsails.com for your next set of sails.
Being back at work and moving to a new apartment, I am quite busy but I will be working hard to complete a write up of our experiences in this years UFC, the design and construction of our Trimaran "Mosquito" and post some of the many pictures and video that we compiled during the race.
St. Mary's river. Mile number who knows. Another tree....sigh
