Starting the Everglades Challenge 2015

Core Sound 20 ’Dawn Patrol’ starts her fifth Everglades Challenge and tries to stay ahead of the EC-22 which was chartered. This year the event was prematurely cancelled by the CG. Some still went on to have a vacation down the coast. The start of the race in 2015 featured some rough conditions and a few boats capsized. Reports of capsized boats in Tampa bay prompted a CG response and when they saw the magnitude of boats in the bay and more than a handful seemed to be struggling they realized there was an event taking place and told us to cancel the event. Before this year, a permit for the event was not thought to be needed but afterward the CG have asked us to get a permit. The only conditions of the permit thus far have been that we do not launch if there is a small craft advisory for the area and that we have a certain number of support boats in the water at the start to help anyone who may flip in the navigation channel (a major channel). Both very reasonable. I would classify the CG feeling toward the water-tribe in general as “very positive“. We like the CG and they like us because we are in general a very prepared and skilled group.