The courses have been changed up for the Southern Straits race for 2010.
I remember after completing my first Southern Straits on the WEASEL last year I swore I would never do that hellish race again. I was exhausted, hungry, wet, cold, and miserable. Two weeks later I was planning my come back for 20 10.
For anyone who has done this race before they realize it is as much a test of endurance, and seamanship than race tactics. The teams that can keep the most switched on and on top of their game are the ones that will succeed. One has to be prepared for a lot and be prepared to manage being on their boat for over 24 hours. The race has seen light flukey drifters to 50+ knot winds with vessels damaged and the others running for shelter. In recent years the number of boats of the same size and rating of SEA WEASEL have been in decline. We hope that this year we will see a revival of the 4-knot-shit-box fleet in the race.
Last year was a first and while I thought I was prepared I found that we had made a number of mistakes that lead to the trip being more arduous than necessary. The challenge was that of space and crew management. We initially went with 6 crew and initially thought we would have two three man shifts and go through 4 hour rotations. In the end we all stayed up until midnight and then one by one crashed or became incapacitated with sea sickness. This left two people to bring the boat to the finish line alone for the last five hours of the race.
In addition to not following a set schedule we brought way too much gear and food. In the end we literally never opened any of the gear bags we brought. This gear not only took up most of the space down below but in the light conditions at the beginning of the race had a impact.
We were all impacted by cold, fatigue, and some of us by sea sickness. This all could have been dressed ahead of time. The schedule would have helped with the fatigue. Having a better schedule would have allowed us two go below from time to time and get warm. For those with a propensity for sea sickness. Pre-medicating would have eased their suffering dramatically and allowed them to not only be more useful but help themselves stay more comfortable.
This year Team SEA WEASEL will take part in the race and implement the lessons learned from the year before. This year there will be only four people on the boat in a effort to give a little bit more room for everyone. If you are interested in crewing contact me.
Race Details:
dates: April 2nd-4th 2010
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