Did they launch this morning? When is the fleet supposed to pass by Ft. Pierce? I would love to go down to the South Jetty and watch them blow thru.
Is 9:14 my time as I type this...

Regards,
Bob

Unless it's YOUR boat you hear that fiberglass crunch noise on....

Interesting question- is this race about being "hard-core" by forcing the start in big surf? Or could you call it "stupid" by forcing a start. Is this race worth the thousands of dollars breakage? (I know it is expensive anyway, whats a mast, boards, rudders, leg in addition to that?)

Bob -

Start scheduled at 10:00... waiting for results of skippers' meeting...

If it were an automobile race, you'd slow down if the road got slick with rain, right?

It's their money.

I thought they called the racing if the roads were wet (well, except for some Formula and rally racing) because it could result in way to much risk for the drivers.

So what is the surf conditions this morning? I know Jensen is rather infamous for close-out sets and steep breaks in shallow water...

How about having them roll the boats across the road (well, down the street a bit) to the intracoastal, and racing up the ICW to the Ft. Pierce inlet and going out there? The inlet will be tough, but not as bad as that surf...

Ill run down to the end of the street and check it out...Im about one mile south of the Ft. Pierce inlet...be back in ten..

Regards,
Bob

Velocity's website indicates a lot of riptide (expected). I guess if you had to shoot the surf, find a riptide and sail out on it....

I wouldn't worry about the boat unless it flipped, got its mast stuck in the sand and started getting pounded by the surf.

Do any on you "old timers", like me, remember a H-18 magnum, called Black Magic, getting pulverized at Daytona?

Took the guy a couple of hours to police up all the various and sundry pieces.

Ask all of the guys that go broken up off of Jensen Beach in one of the last Worrell 1000's. I've never race either the Worrell or Tybee but I have ground crewed for both. You go through the year or more of preperation trying to find sponsorship, re-rigging the boat, and if you decide on your own to stay on the beach your done! Get in the car and drive home. The team feels responsible for each other and to the few sponsors that you could round up. So I think there is some pressure to push on out. Alot of those boats on jensen crashed, got back to the beach, re-rigged, and tried again. A mast might be a lot of money but you've got so much invested personally already. I get it. Not to mention that pride can be a real (censored) too.

Ft. Pierce...Is breaking about head high with sets as big as two foot overhead...shore pound. The picture makes it look at lot smaller than it issince there is nothing to reference the wave hight to. The wind is great at about a steady 15-18mph...the down side is it is almost straight on shore...

Regards,
Bob

Seeker, thats not too too bad. It looks like the curling breaks are happening close to shore, so they are easy to time to avoid. The bigger swells out further are able to be powered through. Its really those nasty biguns that are pointy and curl at the top that will stand you up that you have to worry about.

Thanks for the update on the F18 crew. They are doing well against the big boats. It will be interesting to see how they fair in today's conditions. They will be less overpowered, but that extra 2 foot of bow sure is nice in that large swell. It looks like a reaching leg today, so it may get ugly.

I was hoping to see more F18s. Leonard and Krantz would have been a stiff competitor. But in conditions like today I think I would want to be on an I20.

So far as getting out in today's surf.. If the wind is coming directly onshore.. look for lots of carnage. It takes a lot of practice to power through the surf, not get into irons or get sideways. You got to dance with the waves.

"Its really those nasty biguns that are pointy and curl at the top that will stand you up that you have to worry about."

They are there...I just couldn't get it with my "old school" digital camera...the delay kills you when you are trying to "stop action" So while I tried to time it right, the camera just wouldn't let me get the waves at their peak...trust me when I say they are head high...While the picture tends to make it look like no big deal, maybe about waist high, its really not...that wave had a solid 6-7' face at it's peak.

If one of the set waves caught you in the shore grind, you would be able to load up the boat in a couple of Hefty bags. There is no gradual beach here anymore since they replenish it every year or so. It goes from ankle deep to 5’ deep in a instant drop off…and while that might sound great in comparison to a gradual slope…it’s not because you have 6-8’ waves breaking in angle deep water…it would be hard enough to get out thru it with a windsurfer today with an on shore wind… let alone try to set up a 20’ cat, launch it and get out far enough to keep from getting slammed back on the beach…If you got sucked back over the falls on a 6-8’ shore pound someone could very easily get killed if pummeled between the boat and the bottom.

I hope where ever they are launching from and ending up is better condition wise that it is here.

Regards,
Bob

update on blog.acceleratedchaos.com/wp

-Nate

it appears that they didn't all make it off the beach ok.

Bob,

Thanks for the pics. Living in Stuart for 10 years I know the conditions you speak of. That looks like south jetty (Ft. Pierce).

A good clue as to the conditions - there aren't a lot of people (surfers, swimmers, windsurfers, kitesailors) out there.

The real issue is that there isn't enough time between those lumps to get any real boatspeed going (and control from the foils). The first wave knocks you back, and while you're struggling to reset the sails (because your heading is now off by 45 degrees) and get the airflow to generate power, the next wave is just about to crash (now broadside) into you.

Where are they now? I spent about a half an hour waiting at the beach for someone to come by Ft. Pierce, but nothing yet...are they staying too far offshore to see?

Regards,
Bob