I have only done one of these races and it was very light, we didn't finish the half way point at Annes Beach until 9:30 or later. We had some mechanical issues that didn't help either... It seems to me the idea of doing the whole thing in one day is very condition specific, and while do-able, would not be ideal.

My other input is that here we are only a month away from the start date of a race that for some requires quite a bit of planning. I have bought plane tickets for myself and a few friends who are using this as a winter getaway. We have made reservations at Gilberts. Its not that the plane tickets would change with a change in the race format, or that we couldn't cancel at Gilberts and go somewhere else, just that doing so a month before the event isn't great planning.

I don't have the experience in distance racing beach cats that some of you do, but I do have a lot of experience distance racing other boats, with lots of boat and crew logistics involved. It is in fact a large part of my livelihood. If you are going to change the format, start now and get it figured out for next year (2013), not a month before this years event.

Two years ago we had no problems with Gilberts whatsoever. We plan to arrive earlier this year to have a bit more setup and leisure time.

That my $0.02. That said, whatever happens we'll have a great time! Looking forward to less time drifting and more time socializing this time around.