Gary Blankenship and Noel Davis have partnered
again this year for the Watertribe Everglades Challenge and
Gary's wife, Helen has graciously agreed to send us reports
of the fellows' progress. Here is a LINK
to the Watertribe race reports. and HERE
is one to the viewer. Joe Mullen, who send us.
Monday March 3, 2008 @ 14:30
The guys got underway and cleared Rabbit Key Pass after a late breakfast in the company of Ridgerunner and Greybeard. The winds are light to moderate from the south. They'll be entering the dead zone for cell coverage, so I don't know when I'll next hear from them. Hopefully, the wind will cooperate and they'll make good time to CP 3.
Helen
Monday, March 3, 2008 @ 10:25hrs.
The guys made it to CP 2 after sailing all night. They at least slept in shifts, but conditions made swift travel impossible. Gary said they had to tack all night long, beating into the wind from Cape Romano to Indian Key. They stayed reefed the entire time since one of them was in the cabin. They apparently had an easy time getting into Choko though, so there is a silver lining here. They are both going to get a hot meal and then they'll be off for CP 3. I'd say they definately earned a hot meal after the last 2 1/2 days. This has been a really wet year so far and if weather forecasts hold true, there's more to come. They are still having a great time and in high spirits. Gary said that Ridgerunner and Greybeard beat them to CP 2 by five minutes, and SOS & DWSB were also in there somewhere, but I can't remember his reference to time, so I'll leave it at that. Hopefully the WT will update the results page with everyone's time soon.
Till next time, Helen
Sunday March 2, 2008 18:45hrs.
The guys had a great sail this afternoon and they are coming up
to Marco. They are going to keep sailing toward CP2. They are
going to hope for good conditions at CP 2, but if not, then they'll
anchor and wait for the tide. They are having a great time.
Till next time, Helen
Sunday March 2, 2008 @ 13:48 hrs.
Gary called and said they really need something to deter the motor
boats (I say a paint ball gun and a call to the local MP!). The
weekend warriors are apparently out in large quantities and no
law enforcement around, imagine that.
Anyway, they are sailing around 4 knots and were about 8-10 miles
south of San Carlos Pass. He estimates that they're about 50 miles
from CP2. The wind is out of the east and the conditions are still
too rough to go below so they're swapping time at the helm and
napping in the cockpit while the other steers. This is working
well for them and keeping their energy up as the intend to continue
through the day and night, still trying to stay ahead of the forecasted
front. Their spirits are high and they are having fun in spite
of the environment.
Later, Helen
Sunday, March 2, 2008 @ 09:16 hrs
Gary called and said the conditions are really rough and
wet. When they hit Charlotte Harbor, they reefed. The waters have
been upgraded to a commercial washing machine. They are currently
at the bottom of Pine Island Sound, making their way towards the
gulf. They were almost flipped by a huge power boat wake this
morning. Luckily, it didn't happen. They took turns sleeping during
the night and kept Oaracle going the entire time. They both sound
well rested and are proceeding towards CP 2. Noel is currently
at the helm. They hope to beat the front which is forecast to
come in. Looking at the Watertribe's website, it seems two boats
are damaged, and Dr. Kayak and Sanddollar have dropped out at
CP 1. There is a lot of speculation that the conditions are worse
then the reports Crazy Russian is getting off of the bouy/bouies(?).
As always, I hope everyone has a safe journey.
Till next time, Helen
Sunday March 2, 2008 @ 2:15
The guys called at 2:15 this morning to report that they made
it to CP 1 at 01:26 hrs. (I was asleep so I hope I got the time
right) They sounded good and were heading out to CP 2. I hope
to reach them or vice versa this morning and see where they are
at now. I got the impression that they were going to go through
the night, and given the forecasts, thats probably a good idea.
Sadly, Randy Smyth broke his boat and apparently made it safely
to the beach, but will be out from here on. He made an impressive
showing and established a new record time to CP 1. It seems like
those boats are really fast, but they always seem to break something(remember,
I'm not a boat junkie and don't fully understand all the technical
reasons for this, so this is just my observation)
Till next time, Helen
Saturday March 1, 2008 @ 20:35
The guys have seen it all today - good wind, no wind, lots of
wind...they were surfing in the gulf at 10 knots at one point.
Being conservative, they opted for going in at Venice while it
was still light as opposed to trying the others later. They are
damp and chilly, but will keep on sailing towards CP1. At present
they are still sailing at 2 1/2 - 3 knots. The wind gets flukey
in the IC so if it gets too light, they'll row, but they are in
good spirits and will hopefully get into their long underwear
before the evening progresses. I'm hoping they make it to CP1
today, but it all depends on the wind in the IC and the traffic.
At least the later it gets, usually the lighter the traffic.
Till next time, Helen
Saturday, March 1, 2008 at 15:25 hrs.
Gary says that he kept on rowing south, but now, thankfully, the
wind has picked up and they are making way between 4 1/2 - 5 1/2
knots. They have seen a lot of Chief today, but with the increase
in wind speed, it seems he has now passed them. They are south
of Sarasota and he estimates that they still have somewhere around
40 or so miles to CP1. They believe Dave on Cudjoe is southward,
parallel to them, but further out in the Gulf. Gary sounded a
little tired and was heading in for a nap. I imagine that since
the sky is clear, the sun is probably raising the afternoon temperature
considerably. Noel is taking over the helm at present. Keep hoping
for good winds for the guys. Does anybody know a good "Wind
Dance"???
Till next time, Helen
Saturday, March 1, 2008 11:19 hrs.
Lugnut just called and he has the jib up and is currently rowing.
The wind has died, except for a puff here and there. He said Chief
coasted by him earlier, and then he passed Chief under oars. His
GPS indicates they are only 10.6 miles from the start, south of
Anna Maria. It appears that sailing conditions will be tough compared
to the previous two years where they enjoyed ample winds from
the right direction. He feels that the kayakers will be doing
well in the fair conditions, but that the sail boats will be struggling.
The wind is forecast to clock around to the north east, but it
hasn't happened yet. At least they got out of the bay before it
decided to die.
I imagine that all the weekend warriors are filling up the intercoastal
waterway, so I'm sure that the kayakers will have their hands
full dodging them. Its amazing that they have no regard for non-motored
vessels or the rules of the waterways.
I'll be crossing my fingers that the winds will pick up.
WN
Saturday, March 1, 10:54 AM
This from Joe McMullen: The start was fine I put some short
videos on youtube.
Joe
Saturday, March 1, 2008
08:30 am
Gary and Noel are in high spirits! Noel says the sky is blue and
Gary is sort of pinkish. The only rescue this year was one of
the bumpers which apparently went overboard as Gary was attempting
to tie it on. The bay was choppy and hairy and they encountered
the tide which slowed their progress out, but they are now in
the gulf and making 3 knots. Last years description still holds,
but has been downgraded to a residential washing machine, bay
wise. They can see both Core Sound 20's ahead of them and they
feel that they are comfortably at the back of the fleet. The winds
are out of the east and they think they're in for a pleasant day
of sailing and seeing the many gulf sites. They plan to sail on
to CP1 and take advantage of the conditions to rest up while staying
under sail.
Bill Lanning met up with the guys and another person from the
north whose name is escaping Gary at the moment, took pictures
of the start and intends to forward them on to Chuck, so stay
tuned and be on the lookout for them. Also, the Chief has linked
Google Earth to each racers log entries and it gives a good visual
of the fleets progress. This can be viewed on the Watertribe
website.
So, all in all, they are off to a good start and I reminded them
of my standing orders, 24/7 with out stopping.
Till next time, Wingnut
Friday, February 29, 2008
When we spoke tonight, Gary said that there are a lot of high
tech boats entered this year and that they are kind of intimidating
in their appearance. In spite of them, both he and Noel are really
geared up and ready to go. They got Oaracle on the beach without
incident and spent the day mingling with everyone and admiring
all the boats. Doing what boat junkies do best, LOL. The weather
is still cold and they both hope to get a good nights rest, if
thats possible, and get off to a good start tomorrow. I hope they
don't encounter any overturned kayaks like last year. Of course,
they are still under orders to sail 24/7, nonstop. I expect to
hear from them after they launch and get under way.
Till next time, Wingnut
Thursday February 28, 2008
The guys made it to the campground and spent most of the day catching
up with everyone. As of our conversation, he indicated that Kiwi
Bird is camped next to them. Matt, Mark(Manitou), Savannah Dan
and Paddle Maker, and There and back again are all on site, as
are Super Boo and her Dad. They had an uneventful trip there which
is always a good thing. Gary found the contrast between the Tornado
Catamaran and Matt's Sand Flea quite interesting as they were
sitting somewhere, side by side. I hope he got a picture of them
as it would be interesting to see both ends of the spectrum of
class 4 boats (at least I think they are both class 4). He said
that the Tornado has a 31' mast. Personally, I always left the
raising and lowering of the mast to Gary, but I still can't imagine
what it would be like to have to handle a mast that long, but
then, thats me. Since Gary made the carbon fiber mast, he has
indicated that it takes hardly any energy to go through the routine
of lowering and raising the mast, which considering the filters(obstacles),
its an added plus. Anyway, the weather there is pretty cold and
windy and they expect to spend a quiet evening trying to rest
up and stay warm.
Till next time, Admiral Wingnut!
This is Gary's Frolic2 "Oaracle" in which he has sailed the last three years.