(latest news is listed at the top - scroll down for previous updates)

3:00pm

We're all on the road back to our respective homes in separate vehicles this afternoon after attending a memorable awards ceremony at the beautiful home of Jim and Roxanne Stone of Tybee Island, who also generously provided brunch for all of the team members and race officials. There are a lot of people to thank for their time, effort, and support throughout this event to whom the entire team would like to extend their warmest regards and appreciation. I'm certain that this list will be incomplete, but I'll try: Chuck and Judi Bargeron for their tireless work year round on behalf of the Tybee500. Sean Ferrell and the entire Race Committee, who were always courteous, helpful, and for putting in so very many hours. I'd like to thank all of the other teams for the camaraderie, competition, and, support during the course of the week. A great deal of morale boosting was brought on by those of you who were able to join us for a visit during our trip up the coast: Todd Hart, Fred Furze, Brian Karr, Justin Chambers, John Suprenant, David Mosley, Jennifer & Todd Strickland, Robyn Strickland, Kristen Owens, Rebecca Krantz, Connie Sears, David Krantz, and our honorary race official, Sharon, at Fernandina Beach. This site would not have been as popular as it has been without the generous linkage by Rick White and Mary Wells at Catsailor and Tim Zimmerman at Wet Ass Chronicles. While within the realm of publicity, thanks to all of the movie crews and still photographers who did such a fantastic job of covering the event. These include Tybee500 regulars Robert and Jeanine Feldman, New West Productions, and Roxanne Stone. (You can read more about New West Productions in an earlier update.) Thanks also the cities and hotels in which we stopped along the way, particularly the beautiful city of Hollywood, Florida, which was more accommodating and hospitable than I can begin to tell you here. I personally want to thank the many visitors to this site who followed our teams up the coast in spirit. Your support and kind comments meant a great deal to me. I hope that you'll continue to use the SailMax site for all of your online performance sailing needs. It was truly a week of hard work for everyone involved, and the Ground Crew was more than harmonious...not always the case in close quarters after days of toil! I'd do it again in a heartbeat; which brings me to my final thank you: Thanks to Mike Krantz and Dave Lennard for extending the invitation to Carl Roberts and Jake Kohl to join you both on this 2005 Tybee500 campaign with SailMax I. David Strickland, Chris Zander, Tim Owens, and I have been proud to spend this time with the four of you. Congratulations on your 3rd place finish in the most demanding long distance catamaran regatta in the country!

Saturday, May 14th, 8am

I apologize for not posting the results yesterday evening, but our gang is spread out all over Tybee Island and, by the time everyone had arrived back on shore and showered, we all re-converged to have a late, late dinner before turning in at around 1am. The top three finishers of the evening were identical to those of yesterday's leg. Carla Schiefer, skippering her Marstrom 20 for Team Coconut Grove, once again hit the beach first with a fair lead over the other boats, followed by Pirates and the overall winners of the race, Team Tybee Island. Both SailMax teams would like to extend congratulations to John Casey and Kenny Pierce. Interestingly, this marks John's second Tybee500 victory in as many years, as he won sailing with Jay Sonnenklar as Team Castrol last year. Completing the top five in yesterday's leg were SailMax I and the young guns of Key Sailing, who had a particularly strong day. Also enjoying a good finish yesterday was Team Windy Hill/Jaypro Sports, who came in 6th and Team Velocity in 8th. It was a super performance by both of those teams. Windy Hill/Jaypro had the highest overall finish in their Tybee history, finishing with an overall of 5th place, while Tybee virgins Velocity accomplished the goal they set themselves at the beginning of the race - to finish. I hope that Trey and Tad will be back for more punishment next year! SailMax I had another strong sailing day out on the water, reportedly (literally) sailing circles around Tybee, but in the end they just couldn't stay quite close enough to them. They favored a 50/50 rhumb to shore tactic that seemed to pay off well enough for them and they ended the race with an overall 3rd place finish. Lucky Friday the 13th wasn't so lucky for SailMax II as they were the final boat to arrive on the beach last night. They began well enough, finding a hole in the rock jetty and undercutting the fleet, but that put them closer to shore. Then, as the day turned into more slop and chop and, as the heaviest crew by over twenty pounds, they just couldn't get anything going. A last minute decision to try the rhumb line decidedly did not pay off. Jake says, "Shoot me if I ever talk about sailing the rhumb line again." One crappy day in a race like this has the potential to ruin you, but Carl and Jake still managed to come out with a respectable 6th place in the final standings. Complete times and overall standings can be found at the official Tybee500 site. Otherwise, everyone said it was a beautiful day of sailing. They're all a little banged up here and there. Everyone looks sun-whipped and bleary. Jake's hands are swollen like the Pillsbury dough boy. Dave Lennard's right pinky finger has a strange shape to it and can't be bent (or straightened properly, I think). I'd like to see him drink a cup of tea right now. Tad looks like he really needs a sandwich. Wait, Tad always looks like he needs a sandwich! All things considered, it was a great week. After I compile a list with everyone's help, I'll be posting Thank You's to everyone who made this possible and gave us moral support, publicity, and otherwise. Until then, stop reading this, get off yer butts, and Go Sailing!


Friday, May 13th, Noon

Lucky Friday 13th and the cats took a port start off the beach at Fernandina with the wind from the East. It was another light air start but the sea breeze should fill in again for them as it did yesterday, so hopefully it will turn into an interesting enough day in that respect. It will most certainly be the most challenging leg of the race from a tactical standpoint for a number of reasons. At 98 miles, a good number of them contain shoals and areas containing possible debris that may be encountered by those who choose to stick closer to shore. Some teams may opt to sail the rhumb line to Tybee, which may or may not pay off. The area is also a breeding ground for hammerhead sharks. As SailMax I broke through the waves, it seemed as if they were trying to get out into deeper water right away, while SailMax II hugged the shoreline almost to the point of remaining in the breakers. Still, the latter team was making good time as they sailed out of sight and staying with the usual leaders, while the rest of the pack were huddled together. That was the situation as the Ground Crews all got on the road for the last chase up the road. Unfortunately, Team Morada aren't able to make the repairs necessary to be able to continue the race; but their team will still be there tonight to welcome everyone back and celebrate the end of the race. We're hoping to get in early enough to enjoy a little time on the beach. I love Tybee Island!



7:00pm

After an incredible day of sailing, I'm sad to report that Team Morada have broken down about twenty miles South of Fernandina Beach. It seems that they sheared their rear beam bolts. They didn't bring a spare boat and it's not certain whether or not they will be able to continue. I couldn't understand at first why I wasn't seeing them among the first boats coming in after that great update earlier this afternoon I heard from Jeanine Feldman. The earlier broad reach turned into an upwind slog in heavy chop and the wind finally filled in enough to give the sailors a chance to double trap and really enjoy what I call some proper dirty ocean sailing today; i.e. swallowing too much saltwater, really chewing up their hands, etc. There was quite an upset in the results by the finish, with Coconut Grove far outstripping the rest of the fleet. Pirates came in second, with Tybee and SailMax I grouped not too far apart. Once again today, SailMax II completed the top five to finish shortly behind their teammates. A buffet dinner tonight is graciously being sponsored by our friends at team Windy Hill/Jaypro Sports.

5:00pm

I heard about fifteen minutes ago that Pirates is well in the lead with Coconut Grove close behind, followed by Tybee. Morada is supposedly having a great day as well and up at the head of the pack. With their spinnakers down now and most or all teams double trapped on a broad reach, the conditions are perfect for Morada's 6.0. I don't know about either of the SailMax teams, but I'll keep you posted if I hear anything else. In any case, the ETA as of 4:45 was one and a half to two hours.

12:30pm

We had an exciting view over lunch at High Tides restaurant near Flagler Beach. The fleet passed us at around 11:30 and the top five was the same as when we'd passed them in the van just a bit earlier. Then, just as they were right in front of the beachside dining area, Team Tybee rolled under Pirates to take up the lead. SailMax I had lost some real estate between themselves and the two drag racing leaders, but Coconut Grove and SailMax II were still holding onto their relative distance and positions bringing up the top five.

Thursday, May 12th, 10:48am

We passed the pack on the A1A at exactly 10:48am. Tim blew the horn and I yelled at them. Mike on SailMax I heard us and waved back! It was so incredibly cool. As of our passing, the order of the top five was as follows: Pirates, Tybee, SailMax I, Coconut Grove, and SailMax II. It was another light air start with paddling allowed through the surf this morning with Pirates getting well away of the other boats followed closely by Tybee. Both SailMax teams had a good start as well. Morada seemed to struggle a little bit through a couple of waves, but then made up time and quickly pulled ahead. There was some talk of delaying the start of the race for an hour to allow the sea breeze breeze to build, but they began exactly at 10am. The racing committee has determined that two teams will incur a twenty minute penalty from their overall time. Hopefully, they will be able to make up that time with a strong, competitive leg up to Fernandina today. There have been some threatening clouds overhead further onshore today but they have begun to clear and now it's just a hazy, sunny day. Oh, and our resident naturalist, Chris Zander, found a nurse shark egg on the beach this morning. There's a photo of it in today's photo gallery. Also, a big Thank You to the Steve Caron and the local Hobie 80 fleet out of Daytona Beach for the great Italian buffet dinner last night!


8:30pm

It was like waiting for the right wave on a crummy day of surfing today for the cats finishing at Ormond Beach. Upon reaching the finish coordinates, they all stuffed their chutes only to be hit with a (slight, but strong enough) beach headwind that resulted in the race officials allowing two members of the Ground Crew to help get them through the surf up to the finish line. Pirates of the Tybeean hit the beach first without much trouble, as did Team Coconut Grove and Team Tybee Island. Rounding out the top five were the guys from SailMax I and SailMax II within a few minutes of each other. It would not have been such a very few minutes had not SailMax I rested on a series of waves, waiting for just the right one, until Chris Zander and David Strickland went out to help bring them in. When Chris went back to do the honors for SailMax II, he ended up being dragged underneath the port hull for about twenty feet through the surf before regaining his footing. Then, the spinnaker came out of the bag and rolled into the water, filling up and dragging under the starboard hull. People were screaming instructions and tipping the port hull way up to try and release a stuck daggerboard. My heart was pounding. They finally got things under control and safely parked. All the boats were in by the time I came up to make this report and batch my photos, except for Team Velocity. At last report, they were in view of Team Key Sailing. Their Ground Crew is a little worried over the fact that Key Sailing is back on the beach and yet Trey and Tad are not in view and have not checked in since that time. Don't make your Ground Crew worry, fellers, or else you won't get the keys to the car this weekend!

7:15pm

The Tybee500 start/finish flags continue to, well...flag listlessly on the beach. Finally, just a few minutes ago, Chuck just shouted from the fourth floor of our hotel that he could see four boats with spinnakers near the pier; so the leaders should be arriving within thirty minutes or so.

6:00pm

In the South we have an expression of sympathy and I'd like to extend it now to all the sailors involved in the Tybee500: Bless your heart. They are bobbing for apples, folks. The fleet, or the greater portion of it, anyway, is clustered within a mile of each other at about a distance of twelve miles from Ormond Beach. And there they sit. For the Ground Crew, it's turned into a wet bar in one of the Morada hotel rooms and one of the guys from Key Sailing has ordered pizzas for hors de oeuvres. We feel really bad, but what can we do? As for the Sailmax teams, the only news we have is that SailMax I fell into a hole in a bid to maintain their position among the frontrunners. When the wind dies, everyone was making a bid to gain momentum in the less than favorable circumstances. Reportedly, Coconut Grove has Tybee in sight as they lead the pack.

Late breaking news is that as of 6:11 SailMax I is in the lead, Morada is second, and Key Sailing is third! It looks like they have and ETA of 7pm.

5:00pm

Still nothing visible on the horizon. The last word we had was from Lisa of Space Coast, who heard from her husband, Mark, who was still 27 miles out as of 4pm. What I don't know is if his team is near the front or back of the fleet. I do know that he's had some other problems today: broken crossbar, tiller, and rudder (I'm just guessing starboard since he didn't ask her to come bring a replacement). There was some scuttlebutt of another team breaking a rudder, but that's completely unsubstantiated and may have been information that was being confused with that of Space Coast. Here on Ormond Beach at 5pm, the race officials and most of the Ground Crew have been commiserating in light showers that have faired off to a generally overcast sky with glimpses of sunlight. There were storms lingering earlier on the horizon. I was mildly worried about the concept of, "When lightening meets hyper competitive alpha males" until Captain Morgan convinced me that everyone would be okay. If anything, the storms quickly abated and took all the wind with them. The fleet should be meandering in eventually.

11:00am

I've just heard a report that two of the boats did not honor one of the buoys and opted to sail to port. I don't yet know if it was intentional, but it does not seem that they have been apprehended. It remains to be seen whether or not there will be unfortunate consequences for them tonight.

10:00am

All the teams got away clear in a light air spinnaker start off the beach this morning in Cocoa Beach. SailMax I seemed to have a little more trouble than SailMax II getting out to the deeper water required to reach the three mile clearance course set up by NASA. We were lucky to be allowed within that range, as Chuck said it had been discussed that the teams were to be held to a five mile clearance. Shortly after the start, one boat flipped over on its side and remained in that position for about five minutes. I'm certain that the trouble was due to having so much water in the spinnaker. I can't be sure, but it looked like Team St. Louis Cats. Speaking of lengthy capsizes: Team Velocity is fine after theirs yesterday. There was nothing broken and they still made it in with a great time, considering.

Wednesday, May 11th, 9am

Nothing yet to report yet today, but I wanted to mention a few things. First, we really appreciated seeing our good friend Brian Karr last night here at the Cocoa Beach finish. He has put together a video of yesterday evening's events. He also has an incredible video available of last year's Tybee500 for sale. Check out all of his work at Adventure Online and the link to yesterday's video plus some other great catamaran footage can be found on this page: Adventure Sailing Catamaran Videos The second item on the agenda this morning is that I'm finally getting around to posting the individual and combined weights of the teams at the bottom of the page with the team information, courtesy of Lisa Herendeen with Team Space Coast. Some people like to know this kind of stuff. I'm one of them; but alas, alack, I wasn't writing it down during the weigh-in. Third, and lastly, for those of you who want to be ultimately, intimately, in tha know, I'm going to post the GPS coordinates for the clearance course for Cape Canaveral below, too. It may come in handy when you're sailing around here someday, who knows?

For 3 mile restricted area clearance course

Marks to be rounded GPS West Longitude GPS North Latitude
May be open water

Cape Canaveral entry mark Red #6 80 32.60 28 23.25

Bouy D 80 28.15 28 27.62

Bouy C 80 29.52 28 31.04

Bouy B 80 31.35 28 36.10

Point to clear restricted area 80 35.50 28 39.00

After the skipper's meeting, Mike Krantz pointed out the one of the first buoys cuts a corner into the restricted area and JC of Team Tybee generously offered to follow them through there on the start today. I've always said what a sportsmanlike and kind man he is! Chuck said that it would be fine if the fleet does indeed have to cut that one particular corner as NASA is aware of our presence. There is also a dredge with a pipe offshore, marked by a yellow buoy, of which the sailors were made aware. That's all for now from this, as yet, un-caffeinated woman.


9:00pm

Some of us are planning a nighttime swim. Some of us are going to bed. I don't yet know which one I am. Dinner was good and the guys are stoked and looking forward to tomorrow. SailMax I are keeping their goal to improving their position among the frontrunners in the fleet while SailMax II are working on stepping up their game and maximizing opportunities on the water as well as during starts. Everyone think good thoughts for us at around 10am EST tomorrow for the start and I'll let you know something as soon as I hear anything noteworthy about any of the teams. Let's hope that everyone has a safe passage around the Cape tomorrow! Also, be sure to check out Mary Wells' Tybee500 Hotline thread over at Catsailor for updates too. I'm not just going to cut and paste, lifting updates off of her sources, y'know! Speaking of which, Kirk Newkirk of Key Sailing did a most excellent and helpful job of posting updates for us as he traveled up A1A today. We took the Interstate and couldn't see anything cool. Okay, swim or bed? See you guys tomorrow...

7:00pm

It was a close finish between the top three boats today with Tybee taking top honors, Pirates of the Tybeean coming in second, followed hotly by our own SailMax I. Rounding out the top five were Morada and Coconut Grove. SailMax II came in seventh today, losing some ground to the initial pack of boats; but I believe it's still good enough to maintain their overall seventh place position. There's still time for them to gain some ground...if their spinnaker holds, that is! It's time for another repair session after dinner tonight. I heard some third hand information from a race official that our good friends at Team Velocity capsized some seventy miles out and had trouble righting the boat. I don't know the full story from their lips, but I'll try to get it later on tonight. I've just gotten a call from Jake at 7:19 saying that Trey and Tad are coming in now. I'm certainly glad they're alright. There's a yummy rib dinner tonight that's being sponsored by Team Morada. We did finally get the word about the crossing of Cape Canaveral tomorrow. Apparently there is assault training in progress and if anyone sails closer than three miles then the sailors may face arrest and their boat could be confiscated. Oh yeah, and disqualification from the race. Ouch! Our guys are going to set a three mile waypoint on their GPS and make certain that they treat it as a buoy.

1:30pm

This call just in from Dave Lennard on SailMax I! The wind is blowing 10k, they have 74 miles to go and are sailing just along the coast. The top five boats in the lead pack are: Team Tybee, Pirates, Coconut Grove, SailMax I, and Key Sailing. We're hoping that SailMax II are holding their 6th place position in the front of the second group of boats. Way to go guys!

10:30am

I just got a call from Dave Lennard from out on the boat (one of the advantages of a light air day!) and he gave me the top five stats as of 10:30-ish. They are: SailMax I in the lead, followed by Coconut Grove Sails, Pirates of the Tybeean, Team Tybee, and Key Sailing. Tim and I are driving up the coast as we speak. Typing and potholes...they just don't mix.

10am

SailMax I got an incredible start this morning, ironically mirroring the finish of last night with Mike and Dave and Coconut Sails neck and neck for the lead and Tybee not far behind. Team Morada, the boys of Key Sailing and and SailMax II found an advantageous start from their seventh place start position in the Monte Carlo start off the beach and rounded out the top five as they sailed out of sight. Carl is a whiz at diving for the best spot just barely through the waves. It's a thing of beauty to watch. Of course, this morning there was so little air that Jake (and a lot of the other sailors) opted to paddle their way through the surf. Everyone had some warmer weather gear with them and most were wearing dry suits in preparation for the possibly chilly finish at dark-thirty this evening. I'll try to go ahead an upload photos of the start before tonight as there will probably be little to see tonight...unless maybe I can get some spooky, haunted sailor shots! On a personal note, thanks to everyone who's been so very supportive by reading these updates and supporting our teams, as well as the Tybee500 and the sport of catamaran sailing itself. It's been a really great experience so far and your support means more to the morale of the teams than you realize! We hope that many more of you can come out to see us at our stops along the way up the coast!

Tuesday, May 10th, 9am

After Carl treated us all to dinner at Outback last night, we came back to the hotel room and I stayed up waaaay too late trying to upload photos and plow through an update with (have I mentioned?) a ridiculously slow connection. After having broadband at home, it's difficult to accept anything less than instant gratification. The upshot is that I uploaded some pretty crummy photos - the effects of being tired and bleary. I swear I was stone, cold sober. I plan to work on this problem some later today (or not until I get home as I'm so busy!) considering that the fleet may be coming in well after dark today for at least two reasons: First, this leg to Cocoa Beach is 111 miles - about the distance of the last two legs of the race combined. Two, it's another light air day with the wind at 5-10k. I've gotta go help the guys get ready now, so I'll be back with more news later.

10:00pm

What a great first official forward motion leg of this year's Tybee500 for Mike Krantz and Dave Lennard! After starting in 5th place this morning, they completed the last three miles of the race in a three way battle for first place between Tybee and Coconut Grove. Mike said there were no fewer than eighteen jibes within the last one mile and numerous changes in position. In the end, SailMax I didn't have quite enough to take it and Mike Krantz waved Carla of Coconut Grove across as she jibed in front of them at the line as they both dropped their chutes. It was extremely exciting...and I missed it. What you won't miss (if you come back and listen to me again) is some Tybee500 video footage shot by New West Productions that I'm supposed to be uploading soon! I won't list the entire standings of the race today. Catsailor is handling that quite well enough and I know you all go there anyway. I know I do. Speaking of which, I'd like to say Hello to regular Catsailor poster Craig Van Eaton, who shouted Hello to Jake on the boat today from his home on Singer Island. I cannot believe he heard you, man. Go drink some tea and nurse that throat now, or else go on the road entering State Fair hollerin' contests, okay? As for Carl and Jake on SailMax II, they had a four foot tear in their spinnaker after a series of unfortunate events at the Hollywood start. Instead of playing it safe and foregoing the use of the spinnaker on the reach to Jupiter or coming back for a replacement, they opted to push it, hoping the situation didn't worsen. Thankfully, it didn't. It's all taped up now and has been hoisted for a check, repacked, and is ready for another (better) day. Carl and Jake feel as if they are just beginning to hit their stride; while Mike and Dave are feeling confident and competitive (Harooogah!). The Ground Crew is having a good time as well. It couldn't be much better. Oh, yeah...they could be in first and second place overall instead of 4th and 7th; but hey, it's just the first leg.

1:50pm

We've just passed the fleet just before Palm Beach. It's hard to say since the view from A1A is a peek-a-boo ride of curves and foliage up the coast. Tybee's not in the lead at the moment, but I couldn't tell who was in front from my vantage. I didn't see SailMax II (that I could tell), but SailMax I was in the process of walking somebody down! We should be in Jupiter soon.

Monday, May 9th, 1pm

Let me just say that the police officers in Hollywood Florida are as friendly as everyone else we met there over the past few days. 'Nuff said. Repairs were finished on SailMax II this morning, including re-adjusting the mast rake and cutting two inches off the tiller crossbar to get proper rudder alignment. Hopefully things will go better for them today. The fleet set out on a spinnaker run straight off the beach this morning. There was a good deal of shrimping and several teams had some trouble getting their chutes hoisted, but they were soon underway towards Jupiter. Mike Krantz and Dave Lennard on. SailMax I got a great start and had no problems with their chute, quickly setting a fast pace towards the front of the pack along with Tybee. SailMax II seemed to have a snarl high up, brought it back down, re-set it, and were off again to join the rest of the group. I'm trying to type from the van right now and it's not so easy! More later...


7:00pm

Jake just told me that, while Chris and David Strickland are making minor repairs to SailMax I, he and Tim have discovered the reason that there's so much water in one of the hulls of SailMax II: There's a crack in bottom of the starboard hull that's obviously been there for awhile as there's South Carolina red lake mud caked into it. He's laid it on its side and he and Tim are going to lay up some fiberglass to try and repair it. This portends an obscenely early day for both the sailors and ground crew as they have to finish yet another unexpected job...the kind you decidedly do not want to be doing on a beach. Mike and Dave Lennard had some minor spinnaker repairs to attend to before dinner. That's when I heard the story of Dave falling off the boat when the shackle on his harness broke. He yelled to Mike, "Let out the main! Let out the main!" What Dave didn't realize was that he was the one holding the mainsheet! After a good laugh, Dave was able to get back onto the boat and underway again with relative ease.

5:30pm

The trip out to Fowey Light looked as if it prove more lengthy than expected, with the bulk of the pack rounding it at around 3pm. Both team SailMax I and SailMax II rounded the lighthouse in 8th and 7th place, respectively. The first team to hit the beach was Team Tybee, followed closely by Team Morada, with co-skipper Curt Johnson's wife, Denise, jumping up and down with excitement on the beach. It's been such a long time since I've seen anyone quite that happy that I even got a contact happy buzz. Next, was Coconut Grove Sails on the Marstrom 20. A few minutes later we spotted blue hulls and knew it had to be Windy Hill/Jaypro Sports. Their starboard hull was the only damage I saw today, with their rudder torn completely off, but laying up on the trampoline. At least it wasn't lost. I'm not sure what happened to them. I hope there's not a sad sea turtle story there. Then SailMax I made it back, much to our excitement. The guys were flying their spinnaker as they came in, as were most of the teams. St. Louis Cats and Pirates of the Tybeean finished almost simultaneously, which was quite a lot of fun to watch, but the most exciting finish by far was trying to gauge from far away whether or not Key Sailing was going to take SailMax II or the other way around. In the end, what happened was that one of their Jake and Carl's dagger boards was sticking and they had to let out the sail to take off pressure so that they could release it. At that point, Key Sailing came screaming into the beach in a lovely beach landing, followed hotly by my boys. I haven't had a chance to interview Mike and Dave extensively yet about their day, but I hope to over supper and will post more details later. I ran up here just to post the results. I do know that Team SailMax I worked really hard today and made a super advance back up the pack to finish in 5th place after starting in 10th. In the relatively light air with a heavy crew on a newly rigged/re-engineered boat, I feel that Team SailMax II had a respectable finish at 9th place for the first day. Carl and Jake feel optimistic that things will only get better and Mike and Dave are in great spirits as well.

Day One: "Race for the Line"
Hollywood to Fowey Light, Miami

1. Team Tybee
2. Team Morada
3. Team Coconut Grove Sails
4. Team Windy Hill/Jaypro Sports
5. Team SailMax I
6. Team St. Louis Cats
7. Team Pirates of the Tybeean
8. Team Key Sailing
9. Team SailMax II
10. Team Space Coast
11. Team Velocity


Noon-ish

Jake and Carl finally got out for a practice run before the Skipper's Meeting at 10am. All they really wanted to do was make certain that the boat seemed sound. After all the work that went into it yesterday and this morning and the way it performed on the water this morning through a few tacks and jibes, they feel pretty good about it. At the Skipper's Meeting/weigh-in this morning, playing cards were drawn to determine start position in a two tiered start off of the beach: first six boats, then five. Monte Carlo starts will be the standard hereafter. I'm not certain why the water start was abandoned, but to take advantage of publicity options (there are a few photographers and film crews here, plus quite a crowd) and to give the sailors all an opportunity at a starboard start, they first rounded a yellow buoy just offshore before heading down to Miami. They were warned about the possible presence of pleasure boats around Fowey as well as the need to be aware of both manatee and sea turtles. They were given the option of rounding the lighthouse at Fowey on either port or starboard, but were "word-to-the-wise" advised to round on port. Also during the Skipper's meeting, Chuck Bargeron gave an heartfelt tribute to the late Lee Queensberry, crediting him with passing along his knowledge of sailing to so many and dedicating this race to him. By Noon, everyone was dressed, eager and ready. Even I had butterflies and I was only taking photos! SailMax I and II were line buddies with start orders of 10 and 9, respectively, in the second sequence. It seemed that everyone in both tiers got a good start and I didn't see any bumping or carnage in the relatively mellow surf. It's only blowing about 15k, so sea gods willing, they should be back in a few to several hours. I should have some photos uploaded soon.

Sunday, May 8th: 9am

Everyone's preparing for the Skipper's Meeting at 10am. Nothing else much to tell at this point. I'm going to go hit the beach now and start clicking away and talking to folks.


8:00pm

While SailMax I spent the morning and part of the afternoon rigging the boat before taking her out for a test swim, SailMax II is still sitting on the sand soaking up rays. It seems there was a lot more re-rigging to be done than had been previously anticipated, but everyone has done a great job helping out and plain old engineering today, especially Tim Owens, for SailMax II. My favorite part of the day was when Chris Zander found an ex-spiny puffer fish in the surf...no - not under his feet, thank Gawd. He disposed of it in such a way that everyone will be able to enjoy it's trash-can-sun-poached odiferousity by tomorrow. I spent the afternoon walking around taking photos and annoying folks by asking questions about their teams. Hey, I'm not much help rigging the boat when there are already two men who know what they're doing scrambling all over it, so I have to justify my presence here somehow. Newsworthy item one: I met woman and man today who work for a company called New West Productions out of New Mexico who are shooting footage for an action feature that will be shown on OLN (Outdoor Life Network) next month. We were talking shop about gadgets and such and so I asked about why they were here. Apparently, it's something that Chuck Bargeron has been instrumental in orchestrating. How exciting is that? Newsworthy item two: Jake just phoned me from the beach to say that he's signed his first autograph. It seems that a little girl on the beach just asked both him and Carl to sign their names for her. Awwwww.

As to sail tests and tuning in particular: Everyone I watched seemed to have good runs, but I'm not certain that everyone made it out today. It was a virtual beehive of rigging activity. Still, even though Pirates of the Tybeean arrived quite late yesterday, they set up and took off well before anyone else. Color me impressed! Team Key Sailing went out a couple of times. I suppose they were working out some kinks. Team Velocity and Team Windy Hill/Jaypro Sports seemed to have good runs as well. It was blowing about 15-20k; enough to be able push the boats into breaking something if it was about to break but not so rowdy that you were unable to focus on the task at hand. I didn't talk to anyone who sustained any major damage, just some lines that need to be replaced, that sort of thing. Mike Krantz said that he was happy to be back on an I-20 for a change. He said he'd forgotten just how hard you can push these boats and he's excited to get out there tomorrow. They went to Fort Lauderdale and back today, so it was a healthy tuning run. Tonight, the City of Hollywood very graciously put on a party for us with a great band and food. It was at that time that Chuck announced an on-the-water start for tomorrow's "Run for the Line" race to Fowey Rocks Light in Miami. This start is subject to change at the discretion of the Race Committee and will be finalized by the time of the Skipper's Meeting tomorrow morning at 10am; which is when the weigh-in will also take place. Some of the guys were just as pleased that it wasn't held after dinner, as was previously scheduled! Tomorrow's race is to determine (perhaps obviously to everyone) the most favored start position for the official start of the race proper on Monday morning. Every day thereafter, favored (most Northerly) position will be determined by current race standings. Personally, I think that a water start will prove favorable here particularly as there's quite a steep beach and a hot landing combined with a slight miscalculation of a wave on a steep beach can be...um, really effing exciting. I've added more photos to the Photo Gallery and will continue to do so every day...hopefully good photos, hopefully every day. (I'll stop reminding you now.)

Saturday, May 7th: 11am

Good morning, Hollywood! It's a gorgeous, sunny day here in Florida. This will be short as I'm about to go down to the beach and take photos of the test runs of all the teams as they work out the kinks and find any potential problems before tomorrow hits...and if the wind is blowing like it was yesterday, it will hit them hard. Right now, it looks like perfect tuning conditions if they can stop fiddling and get sailing! The good news is that everyone on both SailMax.biz teams is in great shape, both emotionally and physically. Mike Krantz has a bit of a crick in his neck, but fortunately he can turn his head to the right and apparently that's all that he really needs. Unlike last year's aborted Team WeatherMark campaign, there are no blown knee boys hobbling sadly away. Carl arrived late yesterday evening and we fed him immediately. He's a man who needs his feed. Then we all settled in for a "pick-and-stick" sail graphics party with adult beverages on the floor of the hotel's empty 2nd floor esplanade. I broke a nail, so don't say I'm not dedicated, man. The SailMax.biz graphics look great. Tracie VanHouten did a great job with the design. I'd also like to thank Tracie for mentioning us in the Eastern Multihull Sailing Organization website News as well as everyone else who is supporting our team and wishing us well. We really appreciate it. Check out our Photo Gallery and I'll have more for you later


Friday, May 6th: 11am

We arrived in Hollywood relatively unscathed at around 1am. Well, there was something of a "What happens in Florida, stays in Florida" moment, but the less said about that, the better. As penance for holding back on that tidbit, I will divulge that someone left on the parking break for about the first five miles of the trip. It smelled extra good. DOH! There was a light rain intermittently throughout the drive, but it wasn't that bad. Well, it wasn't that bad for me as I didn't take a turn driving! Certain rituals prevailed: The side trailer lights were mysteriously taken out on curbs somewhere along the way, Strickland was a sleepy head, and all the boys played with their electronic toys. Speaking of contraptions, there were waaaaay too many gadgets for one RV. Not counting what Dave Lennard was bringing down in his own vehicle, I made a quick count and discovered the following: Of the six adults aboard, and I do use that term loosely <Tim Owens> we had seven cell phones, four laptops (with at least two left on at any given moment), one Gameboy, and elevvvven GPS units, including the onboard. Say it with me folks, Techno-geeks. Thankfully, the waypoints have now been posted so Jake was able to program the GPS for the race.

Dave Lennard arrived shortly after us, driving in like the proverbial bat outta hell, and they all camped out in the parking lot of the hotel where Jake, Carl, and I are staying. So far, parking and access has been a bit of an issue for the Tybee 500 participants, but I'm certain that it will be reconciled to everyone's comfort and convenience as the City of Hollywood was so generous and welcoming during last year's event. It's early days yet and I suspect things are in the process of getting smoothed out. Carl should be well on his way down from Michigan as I type this, after a stopover in Georgia for an overnight stay with family. I know that Jake is very excited and honored to be crewing for the veteran of so many Worrell and Tybee campaigns, as well as being a part of Team SailMax.biz with Mike Krantz, Dave Lennard, and all our friends on the Ground Crew that we see, not only at so many other regattas, but socially as well. You will not find a nicer group of guys anywhere. Can I prove it? It would certainly have to be an exemplary group of sailors for a (not a tomboy) woman to go chasing up the coast in a van with them for a week, documenting, gofering, managing, cleaning up after, etc., etc.,...right? We're all very excited. It's going to be fun.

So here's the plan, both for today and for this site: The guys are currently (and for the rest of the day) setting up the boats. Tomorrow's schedule includes tweaking, a test run, followed by further tweaking...and then some more tweaking on account of the fact that these guys are the way they are. You know. Jake also has a sewing project in the form of sewing his Camelbak into a new harness. I will be joining them shortly to take some photos which I will post here later. I will continue to update information, photos, and embarrassing anecdotes about the participants and their wives as they become available throughout the race. Maybe I'll have a special bikini photo gallery just for my favorite pervs over at Sailing Anarchy.

Perhaps someone has already updated the Tybee 500 site or posted this information on Catsailor, but I've put together an ongoing list of all the teams' particulars that I'm going to post below. Comments/corrections are welcome. I'll be checking in on Catsailor and if you need (or want) you can PM me there or reach me via email as Bonnie at teamseacats dot com (changed to text to avoid those pesky web worms). I will also be updating and completing all of this information as I go along. I haven't yet had a chance to speak to some of the guys and I also hate to bother them while they're busy setting up, don'tcha know. Have a great weekend, please check back with us, and join me in wishing all the teams a safe and enjoyable event.

Team SailMax.biz I

Mike Krantz 165 and Dave Lennard 165 (combined weight 330) Team Manager - David Strickland Ground Crew - Chris Zander

Team SailMax.biz II

Carl Roberts 235 and Jake Kohl 167 (combined weight 402) Team Manager - Bonnie Kohl Ground Crew - Tim Owens

Team Key Sailing

Harry Newkirk 133 and Charlie Trinque 178 (combined weight 311) Ground Crew - Kirk Newkirk and Mark Smith

Team Velocity

Trey Brown 184 and Tad Pecorak 172 (combined weight 356) Ground Crew - Derek Binkley and James Boicourt

Team Tybee Island

John Casey 176 and Kenny Pierce 165 (combined weight 341) Ground Crew - John Schlossberg, Kenny's dad, and Gary Bargeron (Chuck's brother)

Team St. Louis Cats

Mike Hill 190 and John McDonald 176 (combined weight 366) (co-skippers) Team Manager - Tom Paoli Crew Chief - Tom Pinkel Web Skipper - John McDonald, Sr.

Team Pirates of the Tybeean

Rod Waterhouse 170 and Rob Remmers 180 (combined weight 350) Ground Crew - Jim and Roxy Stone, Hoop, John, Buddy, and Tom

Team Windy Hill/Jaypro Sports

Frank Moore 195 and Mike Ferrara 154 (combined weight 347) Team Manager - Daryl Moss Ground Crew - Matt DeBold

Team Space Coast

Mark Herendeen 173 and Charles Tomeo 181 (combined weight 354) (co-skippers) Ground Crew - Lisa Herendeen (looking for pushers...anyone?)

Team Morada

Dennis Green 185 and Curt Johnson 188 (combined weight 373) (co-skippers) Team Manager - Denise Johnson Ground Crew - Eric Norman, Claire Johnson, Warren Green, Dan Green, Brooke McCullough, and Toby Johnson

Team Coconut Grove Sails

Carla Schiefer 149 and Clive Mayo 232 (combined weight 381) Ground Crew - John Schiefer and Johanna Schieffer