This video brings back all the memories. We were hit with major storms three out of the five days. Despite all of the storms, neither Mark Herendeen nor I wanted to go ashore no matter how crazy it got. We had a near pitch pole; I went overboard but was able to hang on to the main traveler and many other adventures. Despite boat issues caused by the storms, we were able to get the boat to the finish line and Mike Shappellll was able to get the boat back on the starting line the next morning.
You can't imagine the amount of preparation that goes into these long distance races. After working on organizing the event for the first two years, it was great to actually sail the race. The comradery between the sailors was incredible but on the water, we all raced hard against each other. First big thanks goes out to Dennis Green (Islander Watersports) who took over most of my marketing duties and put together some great coverage along with Damon Linkous (photo & stories) and Nick Bowers (video & drone). Also a special thanks goes to Chuck Bargeron and the rest of the Sail Series Promotions team for putting on a top notch race. Islander Watersports also helped with logistics and suplied a great place to stage and start the race. Sponsors big and small are needed to help get each boat to the starting line. Calvert Sails really came through for Team Cyberspeed expediting a beautiful new set of sails. It was also great having Visit Space Coast and Real Estate INK joining the team this year. We would not have an event if it wasn't for race sponsors including Waves Surf Shop, Zhik, Key Sailing and all of the other race sponsors. Nick Bowers and Kettle Cinema did a great job with the video footage and production capturing the essence of this years race. Enjoy the video!
