The day started out with about 12 to 15 knots of breeze (quite a bit) blowing from the NNW - meaning we were again sailing close hauled and not able to use our speed-boosting spinnakers. Our plan was to stay near shore because I had elected to try the rhumb line the two prior years and it hurt our finish time substantially. So we set out pointing right at the St. Mary’s Jetti that juts out a mile or better into the ocean. Most of the fleet sailed nearly a mile outside of the end of the jetti so we sailed a little deeper to not get separated from them. We found ourselves in 2nd place behind Tybee once we got realigned with the fleet. It wasn’t long before Castrol 2 of Sonnenklar and Livingston got into a groove and started chasing us down. Our strategy today was to be safe and again with no mistakes - Castrol 2 was 45 minutes behind us in the standings so we didn’t fight too hard but intended to keep them in sight. The wind continued to build and the conditions became trying as we would be sailing along in 18 to 20 knots of wind and run into a sudden area with NO breeze causing us to splash down and nearly capsize the boat on top of ourselves (since we were both on the trapeze and depowering the boat madly). We saw a crew member fall off the Tygart boat behind us and capsize shortly thereafter but watched to make sure that they had assistance from a boat behind.  Spacecoast picked up the separated sailor and returned him to their boat and would receive a time credit for doing so. The wind shifted a little as it continued to build and the sailing turned into a deeper reach. Castrol 1 and Spacecoast again demonstrated an ability to dial in great speed in these conditions and it wasn’t long before they were charging up behind us. Castrol 1 capsized while they were beside us which served as a reminder for us to be a little conservitive in the conditions. Spacecoast passed us, and like Castrol 2, we just needed to keep them in sight in order to maintain our overall position. The wind relentlessly continued to build and build to over 25 knots and for an unusual 10 minutes Frank and I were silent on the boat as we tried to deal with the increasing wind. It had steadily gone from “try to go fast” conditions to “survival” conditions and we had changed to where we were simply doing all we could to keep the boat upright. I finally broke the silence by turning to Frank and saying “wow”. He returned the remark and we kept working the boat trying to maintain a deep enough angle to clear the mudflats at Tybee but still keep the boat upright. Eventually the wind subsided a little but the gusts were still healthy. We were still sailing a pretty deep angle to clear the mud flats when Castrol 1 and Castrol 3 started closing on us. We elected to turn the heat back up and sailed a bit higher realizing that we would have to set the spinnaker in order to get back out far enough to clear the flats. We did eventually run the spinnaker for a short while before dropping it and making the final course change to the pier at Tybee. Castrol 1 closed up a good bit of the distance and finished within a minute of us. It was again one tack the entire way - we only changed course slightly to enable us to run the spinnaker for a short while before hardening back up into the wind for the finish. We later learned that Team Tygart continued to struggle with capsizes and that they ultimately received assistance from the Coast Guard RIB to put one of the sailors back on the boat…meaning they were DSQ’d from the race. Tygart sailed a brilliant race and were fast and consistent all week long and it was disheartening to see them struggle yesterday. We very much look forward to racing them again next year.

I won’t gush too much about our team this year but please allow me a moment… I’m proud of the ability that Frank and I showed on the water especially considering that we had never sailed together before this race. Frank has terrific intuition, patience, and focus on the water and it was a pleasure sailing with him in what turned out to be a very physically demanding Tybee 500 - even Team Tybee commented about how difficult this year turned out to be. Our ground crew was phenominal with Daryl Moss, Tim Owens, and Jim Kohl (my Dad). The attitude, skill level, and positive effort these guys put forth maintaining and tuning the boat was flawless. We certainly would not have been as consistent without every single one of them. Bonnie’s reporting and photography provided very popular coverage of the racing again and drove over 100,000 hits to this website this week! Thanks again to Chris, Tim, Chris, David, Courtney, and Travis for helping put this boat together in time - we had one of the best prepared boats out here.

A large thanks goes to Sailmax.biz for helping us with the boat advice and equipment helping us get up to speed. Thanks to Sprint for providing our communications equipment during the race including the phone carried on the boat that helped us mentally get through that 16.5 hour day by being able to talk with our ground crew. Thanks to Mansmann and Moore for their support of this effort. Thanks to Astral Bouyancy for the Tempo 300 life vests that performed absolutely flawlessly and provided mobility and features that we aren’t used to having (ending my search for the ultimate distance racing life vest). Thanks to Bill Hendrix at Mainsail marine with the fine finish work on the daggerboards and rudders and the trampoline and sail repair work. Thanks again to Amigos drysuit repair for the dry ride (I can’t tell you how much more bearable it is to have the equivalent of a 50gal per minute salt water hose in your face while the rest of you stays perfectly dry). Finally, thank all of you for reading all of this and hopefully learning some things about all of these great companies that helped us put this thing together.

I’ll keep updating with other major event coverage - We’ll be dusting off the Nacra Formula 18 catamaran for the NAF18 North American Championship in September of this year. This blue boat will likely be back in action in December for the Key Largo Steeplechase (a 100+ trek around Key Largo, FL through sand flats, prop channels, and mangrove creeks). We also intend to bring all the Seacats back to the Tybee again for another run in the 2007 Tybee 500 too - stay tuned!

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

We’ll have more about it soon - but as they usually say about the last leg of this race that covers over 100 miles of desolate coast line, “anything can happen”.  Tygart struggled today with capsizes and ultimately received some assistance just before the end of the leg when one of their sailors was separated from the boat.  That put Team Seacats in 3rd position overall for the 2006 Tybee 500.  Many thanks to our ground crew and sponsors that helped us put together a campaign that was so consistant - it made the difference.  We look forward to racing Team Tygart, the rest of this year’s Tybee 500 teams, and more again next year.

JC and Kenny came blazing up the coast at around 4pm, taking most everyone by surprise. The surprise wasn’t so much that they came in first, of course, but that it was such a quick day for all of the sailors. Space Coast came in after a short interval followed hotly by Castrol 2. Mark Herendeen’s wife, Lisa, was ecstatic, and Laurel Sonnenklar was shouting, He beat his Daddy!, about her son Jared who was skipper of Castrol 2. It was fun to see everyone so happy and another great day for Space Coast placing second. What was even more admirable about their performance in today’s leg was that Mark and Tom stopped along the way to help Tygart following a capsize. Unfortunately, Tygart’s troubles didn’t end there. Within view of the finish line, Doug and Andy flipped again and were approached by both a Coast Guard RIB and helicoptor. They weren’t injured and didn’t need assistance; but it took some time to get righted and underway again. It was a long day for everyone and Tygart wasn’t the only team to go pointy side down. Tad and Trey made it back with their boat on the trailer. They’re naturally disappointed but they can always try again. The final finish positions for the day are as follows: Team Tybee, Space Coast by a nose over Castrol 2, Seacats followed on the heels by Castrol 1, Castrol 3, Tygart.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

We’re thrilled to have Amigos Drysuit Repair onboard as a sponsor this year. They specialize in repairs to gaskets in drysuits and drytops. Not only is their work affordable and completed in a timely manner, it’s also flawless. Generally, Jake’s the kind of guy who likes to try and fix anything himself, but we’ve all seen those home neck seal repair jobs and they’re a mess, so even Jake left this one up to the professionals. Located in Chapel Hill, NC, they’re also friendly folks. Check out the details of the 10% online discount when you get all five gaskets replaced on your drysuit at once. Oh, and did I mention that their work is flawless? As in, like new.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

It’s another gorgeous day here in Florida. The teams took off from Fernandina with the wind blowing about 10 knots directly off the beach this morning. The ocean was extremely calm for this final, long, and often tricky leg of the Tybee 500. It’s shaping up to be a spinnaker run which should make for a beautiful finish and we’re hoping that everyone makes it in before dark this year. The teams will be on the lookout for the mud flats and frequent shore changes or some may choose not to cut the corner and sail out further, which is always a gamble. After having been released from the hospital yesterday evening with a case of exhaustion, Tad Pecorak of Team Velocity decided to continue the race this morning. Around 1pm, a member Team Velocity’s Ground Crew called to say that they had broken a rudder irreparably to the point that they were taking on water. Fortunately, this happened during the portion of the leg where the boat was still accessible via roads so they have just picked them up and are continuing up to Tybee Island.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

What a ride yesterday. We got a good start but struggled early and slipped to the back of the fleet. It didn’t take us long to get in stride and start plugging away though. With the wind out of the north-west, there were huge holes of no breeze surrounded by gusts up to about 18knots. Buildings on the shoreline would also leave big wind shadows to avoid. The way the wind and the holes were working meant that some people could simply just pull away. Team Tybee checked out early and was out of site. We got ahead of Castrol 2 and Castrol 3 and somehow got into a sequence that they missed with the gusts and the holes and we quickly caught up to the lead pack. We worked hard - Frank on the mainsheet and me working the main traveller and we started picking off boats one by one. Tygart was ahead with Castrol 1 when Tygart got hit with a “gonzo blast” that caused them to capsize immediately (we’re guessing it was a sudden gust over 25 knots of breeze). That left us and Castrol 1 duking it out. We actually held 2nd place for a short period. It wasn’t long before Space Coast got on a groove and passed all of us. Then Frank and I got caught in a 5 second moment of letting our guard down and a gonzo blast got us. We had capsized and both of us landed in the mainsail which pulled it out of the luff groove in the mast. We had to lower the main and rehoist it once we righted the boat. That left us in a solid 5th for the day. We’re something like 45 minutes ahead of 5th place and about 20 minutes out of 3rd (Tygart). Tygart would have to have a major problem today for us to get 3rd. We’re going to try and stick with Tygart and keep an eye on Castrol 2 - making sure to make no major mistakes. The wind should allow us to run the spinnaker most of the day today - so it should be a fast run.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

The leg to Fernandina was feast or famine, wind-wise, blowing either zero or twenty knots. They’d be sailing along double trapped, teeth clenched and humming Wagner then…nothing. That, or else a wicked puff out of nowhere that would leave them trying to keep the boat pointy side up with all their might. Team Seacats were last in the starting sequence, along with Castrol 2 and Castrol 3. They got a lead over them as the finally got in sequence with the pattern of holes and puffs that were happening on the water and were able to catch up with the front of the pack. As they were battling Space Coast for position, they saw Tygart flip and later flipped over themselves, pulling the main out of the track. By the time they had dealt with that problem they had lost a lot of real estate on the front of the fleet. Both Castrol 1 and Seacats fell in some holes and Space Coast made up some ground to have a great finish today. Team Tybee absolutely walked away from the rest of the competitors today, finishing at least twenty minutes ahead of the fleet. Team Seacats hit the beach at 6pm. The order of finish for today was Tybee, Space Coast, Tygart, Castrol 1, Seacats, Castrol 3, Castrol 2, and Team Velocity. Team Velocity has just rolled up onto the beach safe and sound as of 7:20pm and Tad was released from the hospital around the time that Team Tybee was coming in. Team Velocity’s Ground Crew reports that, at this point, Tad plans to continue racing tomorrow.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

Team Velocity suffered a capsize and a pitchpole early on in the race this morning, one of which was difficult to recover from and left them fighting to right the boat for a time in the water. As a result, Tad became exhausted and opted to switch out with their alternate, Alan Stewart. As a precautionary measure, Tad was met by his Ground Crew and taken to the hospital for evaluation. He was given fluids and will be kept for observation for another half hour and then released. The rest of the fleet is reported to be about 35 miles out so we hope to see them around 5:30.

It was interesting start this morning at Ormond Beach. Waves were low, the breeze was light, and everyone seemed to have a different strategy as to how to attack the leg to Fernandina. Some teams began to head further out immediately trying to gain boat speed and position, just enough to dirty the air and temporarily stall the boats closer to the shore. A few teams went twisty and everything stalled momentarily until they began to separate and get their own air back and head away. Team Tybee, Castrol 1, and Team Velocity didn’t have to contend with the cluster. I may have missed other details as I was taking these fantastic photos! Plus, I have a memory like a sieve. We don’t really expect them into Fernandina until about the same time as yesterday…’round 5-ish. We’ll keep you posted.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

Had a great start yesterday but lost a bit in the heavy stuff to some of the more experienced teams. Waves off the cape were occasionally quite large with an 8 to 10 footer ever 15 minutes or so. After making the last tack (49 miles without a tack - on the trapeze 99% of the time!) the waves smoothed out a little but it was a heavy slapping chop the rest of the way. Caught up with Castrol II but then they found high gear and took off. Pretty tired yesterday but feeling better today - sorry so brief but gotta get ready for today!

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

Team Tybee led with a decent margin over Castrol I shortly after 5pm. Castrol 2 followed on the horizon with Tygart and Seacats coming in close together. A few minutes later, Team Space Coast made it to shore followed by Castrol 3. Team Velocity rounded up the bunch. Most of the teams are still pretty worn out from yesterday’s leg. Jake may provide a sailing report later on tonight.
In other news, I neglected to mention that Steve Lohmeyer has replaced Brian Lambert on Team Castrol 1 for the completion of the race.

We have a wide range of gadgets we rely upon to keep us on track and entertained during the Tybee 500: laptop computer, GPS, cell phones, satellite radio, etc. Speaking of the latter, I want to thank the folks at Sprint together with Nextel for outfitting us with the latest in cellular technology so that we can talk to the guys in case they need us or have important news to relay. Each phone is enabled with three modes of communication: regular cellular, Nextel Direct Connect (which requires the user to be on the network), as well as DirecTalk, which is a ground radio that is off the network and accessible to anyone within a six mile radius. They are also fully GPS enabled. Pretty fun for a gadget geek like Jake. It’s just too bad he doesn’t have time to play with it while he’s on the boat!

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

It was a short night’s sleep for most of the teams but it was an all nighter for Cat in the Hat who rolled up onto the beach at around 8:30 this morning. What a marathon of a sailing leg! They looked pretty good to me, but have decided it might be best for them to drop out of the race at this point. Larry said they had a great time while they were here. They will certainly be missed. Jake and Frank had a good start and all of the remaining teams looked good as they sailed into the distance, most of them double trapped and flying a hull. It’s going to be a screaming reach for the beach in a fair breeze on the way up to Ormond.

Wow what a long and tough day yesterday. Every inch earned was hard fought. We set our boat up for heavy air expecting to have extensive thunderstorms but that never came to fruition and we struggled in the light air to maintain position - I suspect we weren’t alone in missing the setup though. After the sun went down, we were in a gybing dual for hours with Tygart and Castrol II and the lead (for 2nd place) must have changed hands 12 times. Frank and I nearly got caught inside a break water we didn’t notice until we saw an 8′ breaking wave right next to the boat. We eventually broke from the other three boats, thinking we saw an advantage and lost touch with them for hours. With the finish line 10 miles out, we finally had a fresh breeze and were tight reaching with the spinnaker single, sometimes double, trapezed in the blackness (and I was still having trouble keeping my eyes open!). We were using pinpoints of light on the horizon to maintain course and sailing by feel. The moon finally came out and we could make out a boat behind us - it looked like it might be Tygart. With 2 miles to go, the moon was covered by clouds and we lost contact with Tygart but kept plugging away straight at the finish. With about 1 mile to go, Frank spotted Tygart underneath us and in clear air as we struggled to get though the spoiled air off the buildings on the coast - they had made a brilliant move! We footed to cover and were bow to bow with them for the last run in - only inches away from being able to steal their air. With 100 yards to the finish, we couldn’t close the door on them and they broke out ahead! We safely made the last tack for the beach - not wanting to put on a full fight for the finish line (the fight was mostly over at that point anyway) that could lead to potentially unsafe landings, we tacked comfortably for the beach allowing Tygart room to cover us to the beach. As we approached, just seconds behind Tygart, we noticed a head bobbing in the surf just as a large wave picked up our boat and accelerated us quickly to the beach. Someone put a spotlight on that person in the surf which resulted in blinding us since we had been sailing in pitch black for hours. With our energy low, our vision impaired, and our focus distracted on not hitting this person, we didn’t get our weight back on the boat in time for the landing and we plowed the bows of the boat into the sand causing the boat to come to a violent stop. Frank landed hard on his knees and I rolled forward on the trampoline. Frank has some bruises but I think the boat is OK.

It looks like an upwind run today - we’re sore from the long day yesterday but a few minutes of trapezing in a head sea should loosen us up quickly.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.

Just before 2am Teams Tybee and Castrol 1 came in quite close together. After a brief interval Tygart and Team Seacats came in practically on top of each other. Castrol 2 followed several minutes later. It was a loooong day, but both Frank and Jake are in good spirits and ready to hit it again tomorrow morning…um, I mean, later today.