Well here's the thing, the FL spring breezes are notoriously unpredictable especially in the middle of the state so chasing the breeze would be futile. Besides for the last 2 years in a row there was solid breeze early and it would begin shutting off right around 10 AM, so those early start times are where you wanted to be.

The Mug Race is what you make it, either you're into it or you're not and it's been around a long time so I'm sure it's had it's share of folks fiddling with it. IMO, it's reached a pretty stable state. It's not a World Championship it's the Mug Race. It's a sail down a river with a bunch of your friends to a butt ton of food and cold beer.

Besides Timmy nobody's done it on an F16 uni and with the breezes the Mug Race gets I'm really surprised one of you uni guys haven't tried to capture the mug. If there is a race made for the F16 uni this one is it! You could be the hero! Are you waiting for one of the A-cat's w/ spin to take it before you pull the trigger?

When I saw the big RC 30 go by, I knew what boat I wanted to be on! I might put it on the callendar for next May. I told Matt the first year he had his Blade out, (I think that's the same year I crewed for you) he should have done it Uni as it was soooo light.

I've enjoyed all 3 of the ones I've done, but the wind is always a crap shoot. Has it ever blown 10-15 the whole day? What is the course record and on what type boat? I'm guessing it had to be a big cat that started late in a building sea breeze and flew it all the way to the Mug before it died out.

If it blew 10-15 all day, you'd never beat the ARC boats. The year that Tina and I did so well, we went down the river on the Cap with the kite up, up-wind in light air, for 90% of the race. We pulled that off with the small set of sails and a super loose rig - the big spin wouldn't have sailed that high. We passed the last monohull and led the race for over an hour, nobody in sight behind us... alone... until I did something stupid that resulted in a broken tiller extension just before the breeze filled in. We could only single-trap; the 30 passed us with two miles to go, the 27 was next, and we fought an A-cat all the way to the finish. If the breeze had been on for the whole trip (i.e., for the ARCs), we'd have been much farther back, I expect.

Like Ding says; you never know what you're going to get, and sometimes fortune favors odd combinations.

The breeze usually comes in late, and sometimes with a vengance. Mosttimes I have ghosted over the start and flew over the finish. I always enjoy the reach to that turning mark down in the corner at the finish.

The last year I did the race (2004)? It blew almost all day and it was a single trap spin run until the last 6 or 7 miles. Thunderstorms swooped in and sucked up the breeze temporarily. The breeze came back and I think 9 I20's finished within 10 minutes of each other and in sight of the big ARC boats. We were in pretty early.

This race is one of the most open opportunity races out there for different boats to have a chance at winning. Like A cats with spinnakers etc. The race is also about the first boat to finish. Because of that, the format was changed to give all a chance to be first across the finish line by using the reverse start. That said, the most disadvantaged group is the monohull cruisers. They have real issues making the math work. Meaning hull speed over the distance needed to finish in, given the time factored by available wind. Next is the monohull, then followed by a generic catamaran, to "fast" cat, those being newer design with power to weight ratios very high, like the M20's. Finally to the big RC boats.
I sail a big RC boat, and for that reason. Got very tired of getting smoked by them on my Prindle 19 with spinnaker. Now that I am on the darkside, it is not as easy as one might think to win.

That said the wind is so unpredictable in this race, that it really does equalize the fleet (at least as much as you can expect). As an example 2 years ago it was won by a Monohull, one of the big scows. During that race, we being an RC 27, with-in 1 mile of the start and we were jibing back and forth across the river with the RC 30. We were even with them and we went to one side of the river, they went to the other. We hit a hole in the light air they didn't. We sat in that no wind hole until 2:30 in the afternoon, still within sight of the start line.
It is this fluky wind that gives all boats the best chance. As John mentioned earlier, if there is real wind all day, the big cat will likely win. However that "real wind all day" only comes around once every 10 or 15 years. So it is definately a catamaran's perfect race and wide open.
Also the Club does its best to make this as easy as possible for the racer.

You're right, Ding. In it or not, that is the question. It's a very beautiful sail (lots of pretty river scenery, boats, people, etc.).

I liked the earlier start because you can often get through the course before nasty T-storms show up. I found out that her princessness has a friend that lives near Jax, so I may actually get a pass for this race sometime in the future...

The thunderstorm thing at that time of year is like getting solid breeze the whole day... it happens once every 10-15 years. Getting the piss scared out of you every once in a while is good for the soul.

And brother you keep hope alive!

I've got to hand it to him - he does keep hope alive and well! Hopefully the Mug race won't conflict for me like it has for the last 5 years this year...I really enjoy that race.

maybe someone scared her with the whole 2012 end of days thing, because I've actually gotten 2 kitchen passes for out of town stuff this season (maybe 3), and a few provisional passes for local stuff.

holy crap, that might actually mean I sail

Maybe there's a reason she's letting you out. When you come home, does the house smell of Old Spice??

"Look at him, look at me..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

"Where are you? You're on a boat with a man that could smell like me..."

if it gets me on a boat once in a while.....

But if you want clever commercials... I gotta give props to Allstate for their "Mayhem" guy...

Hahah, Nice one Jay

I went down the weeki wachee river 2 weeks ago in a kayak. i was blown away at how increasingly beautiful it was, seeing it turn from lush tropical to ocean estuary was amazing.

plus 72* clean water was like swimming in a pool (i haven't been in fresh water in years)

You see any of those Mermaids?

Pictures or it didn't happen!

I thought the Mayhem -guy- was really a chick?? Pink SUV, Pink sunglasses, pink headband...

I have no pics to prove it, but i dated one for a few months years ago. I was staying with a friend near weeki wachee (spring hill) and she was friends with a mermaid. we hit it off
having a gf wear hear fish outfit to bed isn't as much fun as one would think

Yeah but...what did it smell like??

"weeki"

I'll bet!

Still, you had a Mermaid IN BED and -didn't- take a PHOTO??!! Damn, I'd have taken one, else nobody would believe it!

They don't like flash photography (didnt you see SPLASH?)