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Everglades Challenge 2021 is ON


Alan Stewart

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Four boats and 7 of our very own took the plunge this year into the Everglades Challenge! You can follow along by going to the “tracking map” where the entrants can be tracked. All participants are required to carry a SPOT satellite Tracking unit. There will also be discussion on the watertribe forum as well as the watertribe facebook page. These sources typically have very up to date information about the challengers, who has dropped out, who is sleeping, who has broke down, etc. You can also check on the messabout forum for a thread on the Event. Other interesting Links: Watertribe Event Rules Book. Required Equipment list

So who is entered this year? In no particular order we have... 

 

NowWeTryItMyWay (aka Erik Dykema) and CountryRoads (aka George Blaha) are sailing a Core Sound 20 Mark 3 named Chessie built by Peter McCrary. This will be the boats first escapade into the race. Below, a shot of Chessie launching off the beach and below right, sailing at the B&B messabout in 2019.

chessie-launch.jpg chessie-2019.jpg

  

Father son team WhiteBeard (aka Ted Mellnik) and NoWhiteBeard (aka John Mellnik) are sailing in the Core Sound 20 Dawn Patrol originally built by Alan and his father Paul (SOS and DWSB) for another attempt in the event. They have beef with the EC they need to settle. Last year they made it to Checkpoint two (below right) at the same time as Paul and Alan in the EC22 but had to drop out due to the very high winds and very tough conditions we had that year. You guys got this! Below left Ted and John right after launching off the start beach this year. 

dawn-patrol-just-after-launch.jpg ted-and-ec22.jpg   

 

Sailing their homemade Core Sound 17 we have PinkDog (aka Matt Pinkley) and ChangBiZi (aka Chris Elwell). These two are no strangers to the Watertribe having completed multiple North Carolina Challenges and the EC in 2018 AND 2019. Below Matt and Chris's Boat getting ready and below right, tearing it up at our capsize camp event in 2018 and at the start of their race in 2019.

matt-and-chris-cs17.jpg 3907.jpg 

Last but definitely not least. SpongeBob (aka Bob George) is sailing the "kayak trimaran" designed by Alan for another run in the event. Below seen on the start and at the finish. We have no doubt he will make good time this year. 

20180302-135257.jpg 20200311-153103.jpg

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It took awhile looking up unfamiliar names on the WT tracker but from what I can make out it looks like the B&B boats are all doing very well.

Wind  N 15kts.

 

Nowwetryitmyway sailing Chessie is just south of Sanibel.

 

Whitebeard sailing Dawn Patrol is off Captiva.

 

Pink Dog is entering Pine Island Sound.

 

Not sure about SpongeBob his last location data is entering Pine Island Sound but that was last night no location this am.

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Checking on the B&B boats.

 

Chessie seems to be leading the B&B fleet just rounding Cape Romano.

 

SpongeBob is off Naples.

 

Pink Dog is just north of Naples.

 

Dawn Patrol location has not updated since 1 am when they were off Captiva.

 

Seems like very good progress to me but I have not checked these times against previous years.

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From what I can gather from Windy and the Watertribe web site.

 

Wind still around 15kts veering a little to the NE.

 

NowWeTryItMayWay sailing Chessie still leads the B&B fleet now just arriving CP2 at Chokoloskee.

 

Back a little ways coming through Caxambas Pass is Pink Dog in the CS17 and SpongeBob in the Tri.

 

Not sure about Whitebeard in Dawn Patrol as the tracker still has not updated since early yesterday. Could be their Spot is not working or who knows.

 

Looks like the wind is supposed to continue to veer to the east and increase. That could be a problem getting into Flamingo and crossing Florida Bay. Someone posted that the water level in Florida Bay was already low and I think this  east wind will continue to blow the water out. 

 

The B&B team seems to be busy with a new order but maybe one of them will chime in.

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I am not sure that Chessie spent enough time at Chokoloskee to enjoy the Havana Cafe. Are they still in business? Looks like they navigated the infamous Rabbit Key Pass and are now out in the Gulf. Heading for Cape Sable.

 

SpongeBob is just getting to Chokoloskee with Pink Dog right behind him. 

 

I still can not find any location data for Dawn Patrol since early yesterday. The Spot tracker is not always reliable so we will have to see. 

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On 3/7/2021 at 9:56 AM, Nick C said:

What kind of monohull is being sailed by Twobeers & Moresailsed? They are sustaining high speed!

 It started life as a flying scot but has been changed greatly. O.H. Rodgers design.

Thanks, Foghorn. The photo Reacher posted looks nothing like a Flying Scot, even the Frankenscot which appeared in 2014, so I was curious and did a little internet searching. Twobeers and O.H. Rodgers designed and built a 22-foot sloop known as the Spawn of Frankenscot. So it is a new hull hence the major new look. From a blog post by Amy Smith Linton: "A 22-foot long sloop, with a sliding rowing seat and a centerboard, Spawn's chockablock with upcycled parts: a used Melges-20 carbon-fiber mast, twin rudders from a Hobie 16, a narwhale-like bowsprit fabricated from a Captiva mast, Frankenscot's old shaped centerboard, a massive carbon-fiber boom constructed from an A-cat mast that met with an unfortunate accident, big wide hiking racks made of aluminum tubing, borrowed oars." And water ballast, high tech sails, etc.

 

Sheesh, I thought some of us did boat tinkering. And they are competing in Class 4, right?

 

 

 

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27 minutes ago, Nick C said:

 

 It started life as a flying scot but has been changed greatly. O.H. Rodgers design.

Thanks, Foghorn. The photo Reacher posted looks nothing like a Flying Scot, even the Frankenscot which appeared in 2014, so I was curious and did a little internet searching. Twobeers and O.H. Rodgers designed and built a 22-foot sloop known as the Spawn of Frankenscot. So it is a new hull hence the major new look. From a blog post by Amy Smith Linton: "A 22-foot long sloop, with a sliding rowing seat and a centerboard, Spawn's chockablock with upcycled parts: a used Melges-20 carbon-fiber mast, twin rudders from a Hobie 16, a narwhale-like bowsprit fabricated from a Captiva mast, Frankenscot's old shaped centerboard, a massive carbon-fiber boom constructed from an A-cat mast that met with an unfortunate accident, big wide hiking racks made of aluminum tubing, borrowed oars." And water ballast, high tech sails, etc.

 

Sheesh, I thought some of us did boat tinkering. And they are competing in Class 4, right?

 

 

 

Spawn is a class 4 boat that finished 6 hours behind Randy Smyth's Nacra catamaran. It is a seriously fast boat and the guys who sail it really know what they are doing. 

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Alan once said that one of the strategies to make good time in the Everglades Challenge was. 

 

Never stop, but if you do stop don't stop near a source of food.

 

Chessie time to Choko  2 days 2 hours 46 minutes

 

SpongeBob time to Choko 2 days 7 hours 4 minutes

 

Pink Dog time to Choko 2 days 7 hours 40 minutes

 

Chessie is now off Ponce de Leon Bay nearing Cape Sable

 

SpongeBob and Pink Dog still appear to be at Choko. Perhaps the tide had turned. Perhaps they needed a rest.

 

I have not been able to see any update on Whitebeard and Dawn Patrol. No position since 1 am 3/7.  

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Alan, Thanks for the info on Whitebeard.

 

That is quite an armful of charm you have there. Enjoy!

 

According to the WT tracker Chessie has rounded Cape Sable and is beating into a stiff wind towards Flamingo.

 

Meanwhile tracking info has not been updated for SpongeBob or PinkDog, odds are they are still at Chokoloskee. Waiting for the tide? They could have departed 2am on an ebbing tide or they could have breakfast at the Havana Cafe and leave this afternoon on the next favorable tide.

 

What would you choose?

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