Anybody have any info? Where are they?

Mike Hill

Can't tell you where they are, but the weather sucks!

It's been raining all day with very little wind, and what wind there is is from the north. I'm in the middle of the state and my contact on the coast told me there is very little wind in Cocoa.

I just took a look at the Team Seacats site. Looks like the boys reported in (not sure what time though).

http://www.teamseacats.com

Dave

The only report I have seen is the following from Bonnie with Team Seacats. Don't know what time she posted it, but Rick told me the same thing, that they probably won't be arriving at Cocoa until around 8:00 p.m. Drizzling rain, wind ranges from non-existent to light, and what wind there is is coming out of the northern quadrants.

Bonnie's report:
With an underwhelming 8 knot breeze to their faces in what I would assume is the same drizzly weather we experienced all the way during the drive up from Jupiter, the guys reportedly had yet to make the halfway mark at Port St. Lucie as of my latest report. This may put them in Cocoa as late as 8pm. That may well once again blow my chance at some good action landing shots…and that’s all that really matters…my photographic offerings to you. Honestly, though, I can’t stand to think about any of them out there today. At least if it was raining and really honking they’d be too busy to get peeved about it; but this drizzle and slow conditions combined has got to be maddening. I’m just glad that both Frank and Jake made the last minute decision to change over to drysuits for the day as that will help keep their core temperatures up. I’ll post again later with photos and/or finish positions. In the meantime, we on the Ground Crew are watching bad cable TV in the Holiday Inn.

Meanwhile, I hope you all have been watching the great videos Brian Karr has been providing to the video player on this site ("Video" at the top of this page). The most recent is John Williams' interview with the Cat in the Hat team about their problems yesterday.

I remember a day like that last year. We ghosted along forever. I can't remember which leg for sure. I was thinking it was around Daytona so it might have been this one.

Anyway we cruised along trading spots with Jake and Carl about 10 times with nobody else in sight for miles. Then we are about a mile out and we see a fleet of I20's parked near a pier. Come to find out they had been parked for a while and we carried the breeze right up to them. The wind switched and hit us all about the same time and everyone finished within about 15 minutes of eachother.

Funny how that stuff happens.

It's tough concentrating for 12 hours in light air. Ground crews have a (Dry Sandwich) and some water ready for the crews. They'll be hungry. Then tell them you have the boat and to go to their rooms and get changed and relax. They'll be fried after that long day.

Not missing days like this one,
Mike Hill
www.stlouiscats.com

SNOOZE ALERT:
Rick just called and said the boats are just north of Ft. Pierce. And that is as of NOW. So it's looking like they won't be in until midnight.

Meanwhile, the ground crews will all be treated to one of Warren Greene's famous dinners at the hotel.

Addendum: Rick says the good news is that the wind has now shifted to the southeast, so maybe they will be able to make better time.

I think XM RADIO should be considered required equipment. When you start to realize that it is going to be a lonnnnnng trip it sucks when you have to listen to the crew sing nursery rhymes.
Row row row your boat, gently up the stream!

Trey and Tad gave us the update about 2 hours ago. They were about 10 miles south of Ft. Pierce zipping along at about 2 knots. They said the rest of the fleet was able to catch some wind from a passing storm. We're planning on hearing more from them around dark.

Unfortunately Tad didn't take his Treo out on the water today to provide the live updates <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the great coverage Rick and Mary --as always .

It is a fantasic race ,as were the 1000 mile versions , I'm missing the racing very much this week ,--but hope to be back in it in 07 .

Look for Jake to sail well this leg , in this light stuff and then night sailing most anything can happen though . sail safe teams --well wishes and safe check point landings for all .

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

No sign of boats. Wind is now down to about 2 mph out of the southwest. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Here is the report from the Tybee 500 web site:
"Current estimate is 40 miles out with 5 mph boat speed. This puts the teams in around 3-4 am. Front group of 7 boats are together with 2 boats within sight behind."

Carl, you are a stranger?

Okay, Maugan is sailing with Team Velocity. The nurse in me is getting upset about his diabetes. I assume he has a radio and some hard candy on board. Four am will be rediculous for all of them but it is insane for a diabetic. He is going to need some real food in a serious kind of way. Can somebody please look out for him when he gets in?

Wendy,
Tad will be well taken care of when he gets in. We have his girlfriend in our hotel room right now waiting for him. When we talked to them around 7:30 pm, Trey said Tad hadn't eaten anything since they've been out there. The next time we talked to them about 1/2 hour later he ate a powerbar. The waiting continues......

Mary, My thanks to you, Rick, Brian, John, and Bonnie! The videos are great, as is the coverage here and at Seacats! As to today-tonights weather, I was praying they wouldn't have any days like this! Wendy you are so right about our friend Tad. Luckily he seems to manage his condition well, as demonstrated in last years race. I just hope he prepared for this!

You guys got to see the latest video.
Video

I can't stop laughing.

No JW, "How you doin".

Obviously you guys are getting too much time on your hands.

Mike Hill
www.stlouiscats.com

from TeamSeaCats.com

Just before 2am Teams Tybee and Castrol 1 came in quite close together. After a brief interval Tygart and Team Seacats came in practically on top of each other. Castrol 2 followed several minutes later. It was a loooong day, but both Frank and Jake are in good spirits and ready to hit it again tomorrow morning…um, I mean, later today.

DAMN! talk about a long day sailing! Whats the final word on Tad and Velocity Sailing?

I am glad. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I am sorry to get all 'motherly' about it but I know the teams were expecting heavier air from approaching thuderstoms. When they left the beach I am sure nobody expected to be out that long. I was worried. I see that all the teams but Cat in the Hat are back out today.
I am sure both Tad and Trey were whipped last night. Tad must be one tough guy...or one incredibly stubborn one.