And Awwwwwayyyy they go...

Every year a bunch of misfit toys——I mean non-motorized adventure vehicles——make their way to the high tide line of Fort DeSoto Beach in St. Pete, and on the first Saturday in March, they take to the water and head South.

My favorite skipper built two of these vessels.

Designed by OH Rodgers, and built mostly by Jeff and OH, but with assists from a squadron of friends, two boats, Spawn and Zygote, set sail on—respectively—their 13th? and inaugural Everglades Challenges earlier today. They have 300 miles to go until the finish line in Key Largo. 

They are equipped with a lot of safety gear, personal locators, sweet treats, bottles of frozen water, and on one of the two at least, a couple of beers.

From my perspective on shore, it's heartwarming the support both the Spawn team and my own TwoBeers gets. There's a crowd of well-wishers and curious folks. They had a kinda paparazzi swarming them, which is just cool. 

Three amigos!

Plus for Jeff, this means supportive stablemates who waited to be sure Zygote made the leap into the water. 

Bit of a funny story, actually, when we arrived Saturday, we found Zygote nosed down nearly to the surf line. Evidently, she slipped her hobbles and skidded down the beach overnight. It was the nervous work of moments to put idle hands to work and hoist her back up the high tide line.

Delayed briefly by in incoming freighter, the fleet waited like a good dog getting a treat, and when the horn sounded, Jeff gave a bit of encouragement and Zygote made a run for it.

Only to slew to starboard off the rollers.

The boat is carbon fiber reinforced with fiber glass, but she is a little hefty when she hit the sand.

The event really is a challenge: it's a challenge to GET to the beach, what with building and outfitting and making time.

​And it's a challenge to get off the beach: for instance, by rule, only the boat's crew is allowed to push the boat into the water.   None of the spectators is allowed to help, so we watched with bated breath.

Note how his stablemates, Dave "DSea" Clement and Jahn "Moresailesaid" Tihansky, who are sailing Spawn this year, give him legal assistance. Waiting for Zygote to clear Spawn's pathway into the water, they watch until Zygote is in the water before stepping in. 

Once the boat hits the water, the other WaterTribe rule comes into play: WaterTribers can always render assistance to one another. So that's when the Spawnsters help gather up the rollers (all beach gear has to travel with the vessel) and bring it out to Jeff so Zygote doesn't head out unmanned into the briney blue.

Shortly thereafter, Spawn took to the water without incident, moving with almost matronly grace down to the water and out over the horizon.

And now we hit refresh on the tracker.

Again. And again. 

And again.  

​Knock wood.