We're in Hollywood!

We are in the middle (grey boat, we are wearing red) in this picture taken right after the start.  We got held up behind a crowded group at the boat that resulted in a t-bone.  It resulted in a rough first 30 minutes or so trying to fight for a clear lane.

First off we're in Hollywood, FL... we aren't quite rockstars yet.  

We sailed around 90 miles today starting just after 10 am with a light upwind beat with speeds of 6-8mph.  Soon into the race some F-18s were able to put up their spinnaker on a tight reach. Unforuntatley, the 20's spinnaker cannot be carried as high.  It was quite frustrating watching them sail quicker because of this.  We tried to put it up but it forced us to bear off way too much so we dropped it.  A couple hours in the wind clocked around just enough that we were able to put the chute back up and start sailing a double trapezed reach.  A double trapped reach in flat water is really a distance racers dream, however it kept taking us in toward the shallows so we had to drop it and head upwind away from shore a few times.  Only a few hours in we saw our first turtle (we saw 2 or 3 total)... they really blend into the water well!  Over the course of the day we sailed by many shallow spots, luckily our new GPS held up perfect and showed all of them to us, we didn't even have any  close  calls (feels good after running aground several times in the Steeplechase). 

The wind lightened up a bit entering Key Biscayne so we took turns being alone on the wire.  That didn't last long and we were double trapezed again reaching up the beaches of Miami at speeds of 16-21mph.   We got lucky enough to see some other sealife but we aren't quite sure what one of them was as it dove under the water once we got closer.

About 85 miles in we spotted the finish and were reaching REALLY fast, double trapezed, towards the shore.  We got close to shore a little too soon and had to drop the chute for a few minutes but raised it again to try to slip by Pirates of the Chesepeake who was right ahead of us.  We were flying in on starboard tack but in order to avoid uneccesary risks chose to take their stern and give them some room before we finished.  We then gybed and screamed into the beach, dropping the spinnaker about 20 feet off of it and running the boat up on the sand.  All and all we are really happy with our performance.  We didn't stick around to see how many boats we finished ahead of but we think it was 6-8.  We can't forget that there is a LONG way to go and anything could happen.  We are psyched for tomorrow, it's actually a "short" leg coming in at just over 60 miles!

Final note: Our Spot locater beacon turned off at some point early on.  We apologize for that and will try to make sure it stays on tomorrow.

2 hours until the 2009 Tybee starts!

We have 2 hours left until the start.  Today we will be sailing from Islamorada, FL to Hollywood Beach, FL, just over 90 miles.   The forecast is calling for 10 out of the Southeast but possibly switching to the west as we near Hollywood.  Looking outside at the palm trees swaying, I would say we already have 10, maybe more.  I hope this stays up or it could be a long long day!  Sorry I don't have any more pictures, we've been busy the last 3 days mostly doing boat work but we did manage to sail for a few hours each day to get our boat and ourselves dialed in to handle the next 546 miles.  The boat is rigged and all we have to do is get dressed and go, pretty good feeling!  I can finally say that we are actually 100% prepared.  All our efforts over the last 6 months are finally about to pay off!  Thanks again to family, friends, sponsors, and etc for all the support you have shown over this time.  

Stayed tuned for more updates... maybe tonight if I can muster up the energy.

1 Day until the start of the 09 Tybee 500!

Team Adrenalin is in Islamorada, FL making final preparations for the 2009 Tybee 500. Today we will finish up minor boat work, do our safety check, and get some more time on the water to be 110% fully prepared for what the next 560+ miles will throw at us.

Getting here was pretty much a logistical nightmare, despite starting planning 6 months ago, it seems as if there is always something else that has been overlooked!  My friends and family are all happy that it’s finally race time because they are sick of hearing me talk about it and quite frankly so am I!

It's been in the mid to high 80's here every day since we've been here.  The air is humid and there hasn't been all that much breeze so boat work has been brutal.  Between the sun and the heat it really sucks up your energy!  We sailed for the first time yesterday in the most incredible water ever!  The water is like bath water, it literally was almost too hot to stand in the shallows.  Once we got out past the shallows (which go out really far!) we found ourselves double trapezing in turquoise water which you could always see the bottom even when it was 50 feet deep!

Our boat is pretty much set to go.  With all the awesome gear donated by our sponsors the boat is really tricked out.  We only have a few final minor tweaks to do such as finalizing our chicken line set up and etc.

The scene down here is really great.  Pretty much all the boats are here and most teams are in final preparations.  Last night, Team Seacats hosted a Cruzan Rum party which certainly didn't aid in our waking up early this morning! It was a great night though, the vibe among the sailors, ground crews, and friends is incredible, I suppose it should be in such a beautiful setting.  This was the last time we are drinking until we reach Tybee Island though, this is definitely not a race to take lightly and we are not.

Well its time to get over to the boat but stay tuned for more updates today and the next several days!

On the road tomorrow!

We are off tomorrow morning to head down to FL for the Tybee 500. The plan is to be there midday Thursday and in Islamorada for Thursday night. Unfortunatley school is getting in the way for Brendon, he will be flying down Saturday morning. Todd will be picking up team manager Bret Sullivan in NJ and the two will be driving down from there. Sometime Thursday we will be picking up our other road crew, Angela, the coolest chick ever!
We have been busy practicing up in Newport, RI for the last month. Barry Moore was gracious enough to loan us his boat as ours is in South Florida in the enclosed trailer. Despite 40 degree water, we got some great practice days in. Almost everyday was 15-25 knots, perfect practice!We managed to only capsize once and of course we chose our first day which was by far the coldest. Maybe if we pretend the water during the Tybee is only 40 degrees we will make sure we stay upright! In all fairness though, as I write this the water temps in Newport are a toasty 48 degrees so we did get spoiled a bit towards the end haha. Team Moose-Burd also joined us for our last week of practice, those guys are looking good and with that big dumb animal in control of the front of the boat you can be sure they will be pushing it to the limit.
Stay tuned for an update at the end of the week from Islamorada!
The above picture was taken by the friendly Race Committee of the local Laser frostbite fleet on April 5th.

Unofficial Tybee 500 Teaser

With the 2009 Tybee less then a week away what a better way to get excited than with a little video action.
A little something I put together using footage I took soon after the start of last years race.