I'm planning on doing the NCC100 on my recently acquired Hobie 18, which will be setup specifically for adventure racing.

One of my biggest concerns is the need to step the mast for this race and other similar races (Everglades Challenge) in order to get the boat through certain areas of the course. Currently my plan is to step the mast on the shore prior to entering the canal, however this might not be the fastest approach. Has anyone stepped a similar sized, none carbon mast on their beach cat while the boat was in the water and you can't stand on the bottom?

Here's a photo of the canal:


Harlowe Canal by samc99us, on Flickr

More photos here: http://sandybottomkayaker.blogspot.com/2009/04/harlow-canal.html

I eventually plan to add a spinnaker to the boat, probably not in time for this race as finances and time suggest other areas of the boat are more critical to get prepped for the race, however this will add more complexity to the mast stepping dilemma, or possibly provide a solution with the end of the pole useable as a winch mechanism.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Any of the TheMightyHobie18 guys who've done the Everglades Challenge have any tips?

Thanks,
Sam