Team Seacats

At almost exactly 6pm Team Bugaboo hit the beach to a hearty round of what we here in the South like to call whoopin’ and hollerin’. Seacats Orange and Royal Yellow, who have been sling-shotting and duking it out by turns all day long, are next up and in view from the beach.

How do I know all this? Well, the surfside applause part was because I was on the phone with our team manager Tim Owens during the first beach landing of the 2010 Tybee 500 in beautiful Hollywood Florida. The why and how of how I followed the race all day from the comfort of my home back here in South Carolina is that I spent the day checking in with the live tracking provided on the Tybee 500 web site. According to their places on the map at the top of the hour, it looks like Seacats Adrenaline were in 5th place around Miami Beach while Seacats White were in 7th and still at Key Biscayne.

I would heartily encourage you all to play along at home as well and not spend your time waiting for me to supply you with the trickle down theory of catamaran race coverage. Like the original theory of that name, it is an inherently flawed manner to expect anything of real value to be received by the truly needy. My goodness, in the time it takes me to write this, post it, and then for you to patiently sift through it, things have undoubtedly changed in one or several very important ways.

Here’s what I want you to do tomorrow at 10am: Make some popcorn. Open a beer. Make an event out of it, as it is indeed a sailing event. This plan should probably be undertaken only if you happen to work from home. If that’s not you then I would advise clearing it with your boss first. Tip: Offer him a beer before asking to spend the day watching live tracking and posting comments on Catsailor. Tell him I said it was all good. Watching the little icons move today upon each page refresh, I felt so voyeuristic, so powerful, so very in-the-know. This must be the way the race looks to God every year when He watches it. Only He can prolly hear them as well, mostly shouting and swearing, and so turns the volume waaay down.

Rick White, from Catsailor (both a cyber place as well as a being the name of an equally fabulous magazine) will be covering the event this year. He is the O.G. of  Tybee coverage, so bow down. There will be photos and daily reports on the site for your amusement and perusal, as well as lots of information, analysis, and scuttlebutt to be found on the site’s forums.

I’m not certain if I’ll be posting much at all this year as my ramblings have been made extra unnecessary due to all of the other fine team coverage that continues to sprout up every year. Well, that and the fact that I’m not physically present at the event. That’s just the tiniest bit of a handicap. Whatta dorkus. I wanted to go and had planned to do so but I thought we were leaving next (that is, the now upcoming) weekend and so didn’t have my ducks in a row, work-wise.

No big loss for you though, our most wonderful and loyal armchair Tybee fans, as there are links to both individual web sites and blogs from other teams that can be found on the official Tybee 500 race site. Hell, the RC is even Tweeting this year. Holla! So I’m sitting here with my old, whiny dog wishing I had my tootsies in the warm Florida sand instead. C’est la vie. C’est la guerre. I wish everyone the best. If you miss me, or have any questions I can answer about our three Seacats teams, Medieval history, or Postmodern critical theory, then feel free to contact me via bonnie at teamseacats dot com.

Update: Apparently, some of the tracking stats were faulty, or some teams’ little icons were disappearing into the Hollywood Triangle or something. In any case, Seacats Orange was in 4th place instead of 2nd. Still, not too shabby for the first day on a boat where the guys barely sail together more than once a year. They were still the second place boat in the I-20 fleet. See how incorrect and obsolete I’ve been rendered by a combination of technology and its inevitable glitches coupled with the inability to astrally project myself to a beach in Florida?

After spending 9 days away from Pittsburgh and my wife Monica and three boys, I just now have the time to look at the many posts/opinions on this forum and felt I should give my thanks and congratulations to the many people who made this regatta so successful this year.

Having done a few Tybees, this week was the very best in my opinion. My thanks to my tireless ground crew for their superlative efforts. Tim Owens, our team manager had our boat dialed in and corrected every day. Daryl Moss has become a Tybee legend and is a great team member and even better friend. I can’t imagine doing any major distance race without Daryl at my side. Bonnie Kohl’s brilliant and effortless writing gave so many who could not be at the race a vivid decryption of the minute by minute details as only she can describe. And finally, to my dear friend Jake Kohl nothing need to be said – we have been through many great adventures on the Atlantic together and I hope we have many many more. A very good week Jake – thank you kindly.

I also wish to congratulate a some of the people who made the journey to Tybee Island last week:

Chris Zander and David Strickland of Team Seacats White. You guys sailed very well and had some bad luck with the boat. Shake it off and look forward to next year – Jake and I will help you get back to the line next year – start planning now. Bjorn and Robin stay after these guys and start planning for the next big event. Bjorn, the photos were great – thanks!

To Chuck, Judy, Neil, and the RC thank you for putting it on again. None of us appreciate the BS that you go through and I am glad you took the time to get us into the Keys this year. Chuck I apologize for some of my loud comments about the Canaveral matters – the RC passed judgment and enough said. It wasn’t the first judgment I didn’t like and I am certain it won’t be the last. In the future, however, I suggest you add a sentence in the SIs that says the penalty will be 8 hours after the last boat in that day – problem solved! You will have the best little navigators in the world rounding the cape!

John Williams: God bless you for coming – your presence added greatly to the entire week. I hope to talk to you soon.

Rick Bliss: For those who remember, Rick was part of the Tybee RC in 2003 and was as helpful then as he was this year. I struggled mightily on Windy Hill’s “barge” or HT18 – I hated that boat. Rick found us everyday and gave advice and support on how to do better. You will not meet a finer gentlemen at any regatta. FYI: Thank you for bringing your parts trailer – it kept many a boat on the line each day!!!

Trey, Tad, JC, Misha, Alison, Derek, Kate and the entire Velocity Sailing entourage – you guys helped make this regatta a great one! No one will ever know how expensive and time consuming it is to get your boat and team ready to go on this journey – and you managed to do it for SEVEN BOATS!!!!!!!!!! Also, getting professional sailors on the line helps the event greatly – thanks for convincing Carrie, JC, Misha and Eduard to come to the states for the event.

Jay and Laurel Sonnenklar thank you for organizing your teams and convincing Steve to come to Tybee this year. You young fellas sailed like champs all week and I greatly enjoyed your company and help all week. Congratulations on winning the N20 class – a pretty good lot of sailors!

FYI: Chris and Terry looked way too comfortable on the beach this year – pull out the foulies and get to the gym – I hope to see you guys on the water next year!

Jamie and Leondro thanks for coming – we managed to keep you guys in sight on quite a few legs this year but you were just too fast! Congrats to Leondro on his first Tybee – I hope you come back next year.

Jared and Colin – Another super regatta. Jared, let me know when your congressional campaign starts – I will gladly send a check! You have a very bright future and I look forward to seeing where the path of your future takes you.

Mike and David of Team Zhik/Layline – thanks for getting the F18 guys coming to the event. You guys had a great week and I promise to lend you our extra paddle next year!

To the New England Sailors: Chris T., Chris B., Todd, Brandon, Morgan, Tyler, Mike & Tripp – Congratulations on a terrific regatta! Spread the word and get some more Yankees to come to the race next year. Also, get Michael Ferrara on the water this summer – he needs some on the water training for next year’s event!

Larry and Jackson you pilgrims have come very far indeed! You were fast and in the mix all week – I appreciate you being there and I am glad to have you as friends.

And lastly, to the TODD and his crew Jeff. Cat Fever had a great regatta and your flip at the finish line will grace many a magazine article(s) – I still don’t know how you managed to walk away from that dreadful landing but I am very glad you did – look forward to sailing with you again soon.

- Frank M. Moore

edfa

Well, I was totally wrong about the guys getting bored on the boats during the final leg up to Tybee Island from Fernandina. I had based my prediction on a faulty weather report and had not factored in the early start or the reasoning behind it.  Truth is, it was said by a meteorological expert advising the officials that the early start was vital to avoid that situation from happening. The wind was decidedly there for the teams, even though it varied in strength during the initial part of the trip. Once they were a little over halfway through the hundred-ish mile trip, they were able to heat it up and head North with the kites full and in a fairly challenging chop.

After reaching Fernandina the night before, it finally occurred to Jake (from our Seacats Orange) that if he rigged up a doubler on the spinnaker sheet to reduce the effort needed to work the line that he could save Frank a good deal of effort. After coming onto the beach at Tybee, Frank asked, “Just how long have you known about this?” Honestly though, Jake simply hadn’t thought of that little trick…most likely because it wasn’t his hands that were blown up like crazy balloon animals. As for next year, Frank (the most seasoned veteran of the Tybee 500) is thinking about taking a year off on 2010, while I’m trying to sell him and Jake on the idea of heading out Lee Wicklund’s way and doing the Great Texas.

Team Seacats White were understandably disheartened by having to withdraw from the race but they’re certain that they made the correct decision for the last leg as it was no place to suffer irreparable damage and attempt to be trailered out without anything approaching convenience. In fact, it would be entirely possible that the guys might even have lost their phone signal during any given point from the shore along the longest and last leg of the race. While Chris and their ground crew Bjorn got on up the road, a bunch of us had dinner last night with David and his wife Robyn. David remarked  that they’d like to make a run at the race again, but would probably take a year off before doing so, due to work and other considerations. They’ll make the necessary repairs on the I-20 quickly enough and be back on the lakes all over the Cackalacks and in Georgia.

Preliminary overall results can be found by clicking here: Again, I apologize that the boats beat us to the finish line and therefore I have no juicy details; but as I posted late yesterday, there are plenty of other quality options for photos and stories of the results. Chris Titcomb of Accelerated Chaos did tell me that they took honors during a photo finish with Seacats Orange. That would have been cool to see but Lord knows I’ve seen my fair share of thrilling finishes over the years. The close finishes, hot landings, and (I have to admit) the excitement of single hulled, near flippage in the surf are the most entertaining to watch – even while you’re praying that no one gets hurt in the process. Speaking of hot finishes, I heard that Catfever came in like a greased pig with wings yesterday. That was surprising considering how careful Todd Hart is in general with the pristine slickness of his hulls but everyone was well impressed.

The top three overall winners were Whike, Magic Marine, and Microwind. The top three in the F-18 class were identical. This reinforces the general theory that the light air week may have favored the F-18′s, although we’re talking about some seriously talented sailors leading the pack, some of whom could have won on any boat. The top three I-20′s were Royal Yellow, Velocity 1, and Royal Green. A hearty Congratulations from Frank and Jake to all of their friends and fellow competitors who did so well in the race this past week. Seacats Orange came in at a respectible sixth place, eaked out of the top five by Catfever to the tune of a mere six minutes. To this day I am amazed at how these boats can finish so closely together even after a distance of over five hundred miles. As I posted at the outset, this year’s roster included some really great sailors in contention for victory (including past winners of the event), making it almost too close at attempting to place odds on anyone in particular. That said, I’m not especially surprised that Mischa with Eduard and JC with Carrie took the top spots…because they rock.

Now I need to begin a list of Thanks You’s to all of those people without whom both our team and the race in general could not maintain its spirit and structural integrity. First I’ll address the folks from Seacats Orange. Obviously, Frank and Jake are the reason for the season and we wouldn’t even be here without them. They had some great starts, felt good about their performance on the water and – most importantly – had fun during the race. Our team manager, Tim Owens, did a superlative job, as always. A veteran of many Tybee 500′s with Jake and later Jake and Frank together, he anticipates both the boat’s and team members’ needs like no one else could and is always prepared for any scenario. And if something totally unexpected comes up then he starts running to get it done! He even goes out of his way to take care of me, which is totally unnecessary but much appreciated. Our pusher and helper extraordinaire is Daryl Moss. He began as ground crew during the years that Frank was sailing with Mike Ferrara (who is a sweetheart and joined us this year for part of the trip) and then stayed on board with the pairing of Jake and Frank. Not only the sweetest and most helpful guy on the beach (and, in my opinion, the yummiest member of any ground crew), Daryl is an enormous asset to the team and we don’t know what we’d do with his skill set, good natured attitude, and helpfulness towards any and every team in the race.

Seacats White also had a super group this year. Chris and David made a valiant effort during their maiden voyage as sailors rather than ground crew this year. As they will tell you, having now done each job enhanced their ability to empathize for the other one! While the days can be long and arduous as ground crew, the sailors are the ones literally busting their tushies and taxing their brainboxes nonstop for the entire leg. Their team manager, Bjorn Kronquist, did a fabulous job working on the boat, organizing the needs of his team, as well as selflessly assisting other teams on the beach. When Team Zhik had some serious trouble getting through the surf in Daytona (the same day so many teams had rudder breakages), Bjorn was considered the hero of the hour by David Lennard and Mike Krantz for working so hard to get them back out into the race. A native of Sweden, Bjorn is a great guy and was very good company during the trip. He also brought along a super duper camera and caught some really nice moments that he very graciously allowed us to add to the Team Seacats 2009 Tybee 500 photostream on Flickr. David Strickland’s wife Robyn was also a tremendous addition to the Seacats White. Having only attended the finish at Tybee Island in previous years when her husband and our other friends were ground crew members, Robyn did a fantastic job helping out her boys by both taking care of organizational duties but also running errands, acting as team cheerleader, and so much more.

The only thing I regret from the week is that I wasn’t able to spend more time socializing with the rest of the gang (as well as other sailors and ground crews), as I always seemed to be typing or gathering information from other people and places. I consider so many of these people to be my good friends and it was so nice to be spending the whole week with them. One special shout out has to go to my John-John, aka John Williams. He worked so hard a race official for this year’s race yet always had time for me whenever I phoned him with a question or for an update on a particular situation. He’s the sweetest and the best guy around, as anyone who knows him will attest.

That brings me to the official Race Committee for the Tybee 500. As per usual, Chuck and Judy Bargeron did an outstanding job organizing the race. A huge Thanks goes out to the two of them for taking time out of their lives to put so much energy into this event. They assembled a first class group to work with them during the race as well. In addition to the aforementioned John Williams, Sean Ferrell returned to act as PRO for the race and Claude Nix did a terrific job on the Tybee 500 web site. I also saw other familiar faces during the week and I apologize for not being able to remember both first and last names of all of them.

Finally, let’s remember to thank our friends and family (and dogs!) for supporting us in this event, whether it be monetarily and/or emotionally. It can be difficult for wives and husbands left to fend for themselves and their children for a week while their signifigant others disappear for an extended romp up the beaches of the East coast. Fortunately, many of the spouses and even children were able to enjoy the week with the teams.

Here are some more photos from the week. Thanks to everyone for reading my little blog here and for your comments and emails. They were much appreciated.

Seacats Orange

Seacats White

Daryl Moss

Tim Owens and son Cole

Bjorn Kronquist

David and Robyn Strickland with Chris Zander

Chris, me, and David

Sorry again that I missed the finish today…of all days. Please check out the coverage of the race at Catsailor for details, as I saw Rick White on the beach following the finish. Also, for some great photos and coverage from Wendy Daunheimer, tune in at  Pirates of the Chesapeake. Mike Krantz’s father, Dave, will continue to have excellent coverage from the vantage of what it’s like to watch his son go through this week of racing at ESPN Outdoors. His post from today’s finish may not be up until tomorrow so be sure and check back there then.

All of the boats who left Fernandina today are on the beach save for Mooseburd, who have dismasted and have rigged up their Spinnaker pole to get them back. They contacted the Coast Guard and relayed to them that they did not require assistance and that they plan to finish the race under their own steam. They are thirty miles out and traveling at four knots (if I recall my information correctly) and the race committee will continue to wait on them.

I will be writing more tomorrow about the race, stories overheard, and a long list of Thank You’s to many people. It may not be posted until I get home tomorrow evening but I hope you will check back then. I hope to cover more races in the future. I wish we could attend the Great Texas this year but Jake doesn’t have the vacation days for all of the races in which he’d love to participate. Maybe next year?

Everyone who is on the road or makes it home today and tomorrow are in our thoughts.  Drive safe and be proud of your accomplishment this week, both to the sailors and the amazing ground crews.

I have heard that there are two boats on the beach. Unfortunately, I am not down there so I can’t report as to who they are. I am very sorry.