My wife and I were able to watch the start of the 2016 Everglades Challenge earlier this month.  The race started at Fort Desoto Beach, Tampa Bay.  This year the event had about 100 boats entered.

We saw 2 NE Dories and 2 Skerrys entered in the race.  I have been thinking about entering this event next year with my Dory.  I just need to figure how to get my boat there from Utah.

The start of the 2016 EC 300 is posted on YouTube.  The links below show the boat lineup...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2TN5g_bcpE&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTKIO_TPQFY

Yes, CLC's boats always figure prominently among the entries.  There are also a few SCAMPs which I've done some research on.  Don't forget that your "vacation" could last up to two weeks, after which you'll most likely be exhausted, sunburned and mosquito bitten.  I really want to do this too!

   Qoute from watertribe's disclaimer "if you are not an expert  paddler and or sailor do not enter this race .even if you Are a well prepared expert you may die . Yes you may die"

   I'm building a ne dory ,shooting for the 2018  everglades challenge,that'll give me over a year to transition from kayaking to sailing and  practice for it.take a look at watertribes Site And bear in mind this race is unsupported,  over 300 miles alone   in likely dangerous conditions, please read the warnings and requirementsand take them seriously ,they're not exagerating!

   Its fun to dream, but that's all it is. There is a good chance I will never be able to build a Dory. I truly hope to, but it will be a stretch. No way I could take 2 or more weeks off and travel from Idaho to Florida. But its still fun to dream.

   Mikeflys, yes it is fun to dream but I am a firm believer in making dreams happen by doing, not dreaming.   As the old saying goes, where there is a will there is a way.  I belong to an adventure motorcyle forum and I am currently following the trip report of a 70 years old grandmother who decided she was going to buy a motorcycle and travel the length of Souht American alone.  She is in Peru now.  As for the EC Challenge I just started building my NE Dory and my son and I have every intention of entering next year. 

Your right oceanluvr and as I said it is my goal to one day build a Dory. Having a will and a desire can be trumped by your income level as well though. You do have to be somewhat practical. Does anyone know of any similar events on the west coast? I was just looking at a map of the San Juan Islands off of Washington State. Somewhere my wife and I have always wanted to visit. Not nearly as great a distance as the Everglade Challenge but I bet it would be a blast to race around them!

   Teachers used to always complain about me  daydreaming in class, turns out its the most useful skill I ever learned! Every single person that's built one of these boats started out "just dreaming about it" 

There is a similar event here in the PNW.  It's the Race to Alaska!

http://r2ak.com

Seriously, I'll be taking my EP from Alki beach to Blake Island then to Bainbridge ISland for Father's Day campout.  We're also going camping at Moran State Park on Orcas Island or Camano Island.  I used to live on Lummi, so I want to sail either to or from Bellingham.

When I first started dreaming about actually building the EP, I thought that once I had one under my belt, I could start/sponsor a program where I helped parents build one with their kids starting in January.  Then some time that summer, all the teams bring their finished prams to Lake Whatcom for a big family BBQ and race around Reveille Island.

There are events like Pocket Yacht Palooza/Palooza Crooza or whatever they call it in Port Townsend.  I'll be camping and sailing down to the Wooden Boat Festival this September in what is hopefully my new PM.

Or you could just start your own.  These things can take off and gain surprising popularity around here.

sanjuanschallenge.com is available!

   I hear you Mikeflys in reference to income restrictions, perhaps you can partner with another 'dreamer' in your neck of the woods or give up something, like cable, cigarettes [if you smoke], lunch out or something else that we all assume are necessities, but are really luxuries.  Just sayin...good luck to you. 

I read the below long ago and keep it on my desk so when i get bogged down, procrastinate, lazy or feeling sorry for myself i read it. 

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.
 

I think TE Lawrence [Larry of Arabia] gets credit for it.

Expedition racing seems to be catching on. Here is  aother one.

http://www.lowcountryriverrats.com/

I just checked out the website for the Race to Alaska. 1500 miles round trip. 50 deg water and average daytime temp of......stupidly cold. I hate cold. I love the fact that the race has a $10K pot for 1st place. 2nd place gets steak knives! That made me laugh! Florida has poison snakes and alligators. Canada and Alaska have Polar bears and big foot and maybe a Windigo or two. I think I will skip that one.     

May I suggest the Okoumefest Challenge?   No lethal reptiles, May temps on the Chesapeake are survivable and you're boating in the designer's home waters.

Just a thought,

Laszlo

That looks like fun as wall, another one to add to the list after I win the Lottery. I guess I better start buying tickets! Just for the record, I don’t mind snakes. I have never seen an alligator outside of a zoo, but I really doubt they would be interested in climbing into my boat. I don’t think Sasquatch’s swim, but you just can’t trust a Windigo.

The onlly kayakers gators bother are yankees up north. Down hear they normally sound long before you can get close.  Very few get near coastal areas the Everglades challenge goes through anyway. Avoid skinny dipping after dark in the lilly pads of course.  Water tribe only stealth camp and are not likely to sleep near the pythons either.   

I've been mulling this over and with the assumption that I'll have a working PM in a few months, here's what I've come up with:

Leg   From                To                 Distance (NM)

1      Chuckanut         Legoe Bay        12

2      Legoe Bay         Sucia                 9

3      Sucia                Stuart                12

4      Stuart                Friday Harbor     10

5      Friday Harbor     Anacortes           11

6      Anacortes          Chuckanut          13

Sorry, the spreadsheet didn't paste so well...

The distances are straight line Google Earth Point A to Point B.

Can exchange Chuckanut for Bellingham easily.  There are plenty of civilized stops along the way to take some of the strain out of the trip.  Distances are easy for hull speeds of 12' sailboats.  Plenty of ditch points along the way.  Can easily add a day to Orcas.  Ferries run to Friday Harbor, Orcas, Shaw, Lopez and Anacortes if a support vehicle is needed.

CaptainSkully

That's some great information! My wife and I on our very 1st vacation together camped in Oak Harbor. We have often talked about going back, and also dreamed about visiting the islands. Now that the kids are gone I am hoping we will. Not this summer, this ones already planned out.