That didn't go as planned... Instead of pulling into the cool campground at Chockoloskee and checking the interwebs for the GPS location of Team Spawn, here I am lounging on the couch, surrounded by piles of gear, food, and clean clothes watching stinky movies (seriously, Jonah Hex –– pee-euw!) with Captain TwoBeers. On Friday, the boys launched Spawn in what they call "sporty" conditions. They used the boat-ramp at Fort DeSoto park, and then sailed it around Bunces Pass to the beach where all the other WaterTribe competitors were preparing for a Saturday start. A beautiful day, but breezy. A "small craft advisory" is how the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA of the fantastic artificial voice) tells the public that the wind is expected to be between 20-33 knots for more than two hours. |
It takes very little imagination to see where that might go badly.
On Saturday morning, the news came at the six-thirty competitor's meeting: small craft advisory still in effect. Consequently, a 24-hour delay on shore, and disqualification for anyone who ventured out before then.
Many of the competitors popped their vessels onto trailers and skipped ahead to Check Point #1 for the restart. Team Spawn considered it briefly, then weighed their original goals –– to top last year's time and to finally (finally!) stick around for the awards ceremony and receive one of those dang (alleged) shark's teeth.
Over a hearty breakfast and by the glow of multiple internet devices, the team gauged weather against time. And headed for the barn.
Until the next adventure...