Alan sent this photograph for the Ultra Marathon awards ceremony, held at checkpoint 1 for the abbreviated race. Dawn Patrol arrived there yesterday afternoon, Kiwibird came in I think around 10:00 last night. As of this morning Dawn was at the southern end of Longboat Key. No doubt that everyone involved would have preferred the awards ceremony be held Saturday in Key Largo, but that was not meant to be.
I've received questions about why the event was cancelled. That will be a topic of discussion amongst the ec crowd for a while to come. In simple terms, it was because of safety concerns of the Coast Guard. Nine rescues in just a few hours does raise questions of safety. It will be interesting to see how the race will accommodate those concerns next year.
Here is a nice video on Sailing Anarchy from the start of the race, which I just learned about from Webb Chiles, who follows the site. And below are some observations made on SA.
We hate to come down on the law and order side of things, but despite some of the watertribers’ insistence that it’s still a mom-and-pop regatta for the fringe, it’s time to get real. There’s no longer any complaint about resources; with entry fees at around $400 per person and more than 200 competitors, the money is there – and the Coast Guard makes getting an MEP a fairly smooth, if somewhat time-consuming process. And getting the permit requires organizers to really think through the possibilities, ensuring that there’s a safety and comms plan in place for the good of the fleet.
I am not a participant in the event. I do not know enough to agree or disagree with SA, but these thoughts will be part of the conversation as the watertribe prepares for future events.
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