Watertribe Everglades Challenge 2013

Go git um Paul! Watch out for that Windrider.

Looking at the DogsLife blog, it's interesting to see how many people are using trimaran's. Clearly the AI/TI performance has had an impact on other's planning.

_________________

There are several custom boats made out of Hobie TI parts. Including Mirage drives.

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery .

What Nohuhu said!
I've just the seen pics of that TI copy on Dogs blog and it does have the MD. I couldn't see that on the earlier pics.
This will be an interesting race!

Wanna give props to this crazy dude: http://shaneperrin.blogspot.com



"The Stand Up Guy " is a kidney transplant recipient, who intends to finish the race on a SUP. YUP - A SUP! All to celebrate life and promote organ and tissue donations.

He's completed a string of long endurance races already. If it's a strong downwinder, I give him real good odds. He'll be surfing much of the way.

Amazing. I gotta send this guy a few bucks. http://www.gofundme.com/10-days-400-miles?pc=fb_cr

It's ON! Looks like Dogslife is leading the Hobie pack. Was crusin a solid 7 knots.

The rest are huddled in close pursuit. I think Capt Chaos just stopped off at the marina for a drink. Doing 0 knots

Go boyz!

Yup - he and penguinman are sippin brews at the checkpoint marina... Apparently our super hero doesn't have night vision goggles.

Alpha dog marches on into the dark @5 knots! Paul is serious this year. Shred is still in the hunt.

Try this link:
http://www.watertribe.com/Events/ChallengeMapper.aspx

Select Class = Hobie AI
Challenger = ALL

Hey Tonystott;
You've got to wonder about these Yanks and their Everglades Challenge. I am exchanging E-lectric letters with Capt'nchaos who has entered the dreaded EC and I just hope the poor bugger comes out the other end in one piece! Rules or no rules, there's no way I'd go in something like that without a .44 magnum well oiled and all six chambers full. Strueth, I reckon they've all got adrenalin glands the size of a footy and a testosterone level busting through the top end of the scale... or a death wish.
The photo of the 'jumping croc' in this forum(thanks Tony...would have done it myself if I knew how) I sent to Capt'nchaos (aka - Jim Quinlan) and was taken on the Jumping Croc tour on the Adelaide river. I reckon our equivilent to the EC would be a run from say Katherine to the Daly Mouth, and I'd no sooner go down the Daly or Adelaide Rivers up here in the Territory than go sky-diving with a friend ready to pass me a parachute to strap on in mid-air!
Oh well, I do hope we Ozzies hear from them all in a weeks time...cos if the Aligators and cotton-mouth snakes don't get 'em...the Mozzies will!
Cheers from Vintagereplica...Darwin NT!
remember...If it works okay...modify it anyway!

_________________

Still going in the dark, SUP guy is in the middle of the pak. Just a guy on a surfboard, with a paddle. Not Bad!!

Penguinman just took a leak off the dock at the Cape Haze Marina. Careful guys, WE CAN SEE YOU!

After ~15.5 hours on the run, Paul (Dog) is camping in the lee of a small island in Pelican Bay. End of day 1?

We should hear from our exhibitionist's soon,..

Day 2, 10am
Dogs way out front of the Hobies. About #12 overall. Doing 6 knots and headed for open waters, with the big boyz.

On the inland waterway, Shred is in a heated race w Chaos @ 5 knots.

Then chief and penguinman. (Better use those turbo fins Jim!)

Where's all the "secret weapons" guys? Spinnaker time!

What's this?!?? SUP guy is even with most of our Hobies??

What's THAT guy drinking? I'll have some.

OK, being able to go dead down wind is an advantage at times. And in NO wind.

Still, wow.

2 AIs are still sleeping it off, at the marina. Names withheld,..

Time for "brunch" guys!

Thanks, NOHUHU, for keeping us up on the EC. I've had too much on my plate so far to pay attention. I was over at the WT pre-launch (Fri afternoon) and launch Sat morning. It is always interesting and fun. I was wondering what boat Jim Czarnowski (Hobie chief engineer on the Hobie Islands). Well, he had a very ordinary AI, it may have had a spinnaker up when he launched, but I didn't watch closely--too many things (people) going on. This is the first time Jim has done the EC in an AI, other times he was high-lighting the Tandem. I'm wondering if he is using the AI to get a real feel for using an AI in rough waters of the type found in the EC.

I hope to post pictures but after driving 600+ miles to the EC & back the last couple days, I'm now getting ready to do a camping trip to Pavilion Key (out of Ckpt 2, Chokoloskee). We'll be out there Mar 5-8, and maybe see a few competitors.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Day 2 - 4pm update.

Mahalo Keith - next year you can do it. I Think Ocean Diva couldn't/wouldn't make it this year, so PenguinMan (Jim C of Hobie) is flying solo. Who knows what else he's flying,..

Right now, Dogslife is flying past Naples Fl., toward checkpoint 2 with the leaders. He's #7-8 among all boats with 30 miles to go. (I have no idea how they handicap this though).



CP2 is buried deep in the weeds of the Everglades and you have to navigate a maze of twists and shallows to get in and out of there. As Keith knows, this is where it gets tricky, and the speed sailors can lose their edge to the man powered craft. Even harder if you drowned your electronics yesterday, as Chief did.

These were the first 2 boats to make it.



There's a tight race at St James city, where Penguinman just lapped Chaos, doing 7 knots. Our SUP guy is about to do that too, cuz Cpt. Chaos appears to be grounded!



Has Chaos finally prevailed?? We'll see,.. Maybe he's just ducked into a phone booth to change.



BTW, JollyRoger (roger) in his faux 19' hobie/canoe is waaay ahead of Paul now, although they held hands as they checked in last night together.



(Roger built his dream boat with TI mast, sail, drives and rudder. He snapped one mast in testing recently).

SEWSEW with his lightweight custom tri Sizzor, was a favorite for the record this year. This guy, with the jet exhaust on his fast flatbottomed Amas.



Once again, he flipped, crashed and burned yesterday, while way out front. Looks like a DNF.

And Sew it goes,.. After the halfway mark, it's still anybody's race. As equipment and people begin to fail, this race may just end up going to the dogs.