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AMY SMITH LINTON

Sprinting Spawn of Frankenscot

3/8/2016

18 Comments

 
Everglades Challenge. Spawn
Ninjee and TwoBeers rolling sails. Morsailesed (out of frame) is tying up the boat.
To the sound of cheering crowds (modern-day crowds, that is –– the noise a swellign crescendo of plasticky key clicks) Spawn of Frankenscot arrived safe and sound in Key Largo 1 day, 12 hours, and 46 minutes after starting the 2016 Everglades Challenge. 

They were the first boat to finish and they broke the previous monohull record by 12 hours. Click-click-click hurrah! Social media applauds!

Here's a gorgeous short video of the team –– shot by Ninjee's cousin Simon Lew via helicopter over the Gulf of Mexico.
They were fortunate in the conditions. The wind stayed mostly abeam or aft, so that they were running or reaching about 75% of the course, with only a few chunks of rowing against the tide (like at the Indian River Pass), and short slogs upwind with crew on the wire. 
Picture
All three –– though they know better –– removed their drysuits on Saturday in anticipation of a hot, light-air afternoon off Sarasota.  

Of course, the wind piped up, the sea-state became spirited, and in the mischievous nature of salt water, a big wave completely soaked them.

At least one of the sailors put his dry suit back on without the benefit of any clothes. It was, shall we say, a bold move to avoid chafe.

​Lessons learned.
The Spawnsters barely had time to snack during the trip, though they wouldn't have starved: an unfortunate Spanish mackerel, leaping boisterously from the water somewhere out in the dark blue empty, landed with a surprising thud in the cockpit in the middle of Saturday night. The team trained their headlights onto the piscatorial visitor.  "What is it and where should I grab it?" Moresailesed inquired before flinging it (by the least harmful corner of its tail) back into the sea.

The mighty yacht herself landed with a thud from time to time in that last stretch of what navigators call "skinny water." Florida Bay (Rod Koch describes it as "lunar") is shallow and full of both mucky sand and hard coral.  Said boat designer Ninjee, "I didn't realize how much running aground we would be doing." Discussion of a stainless-steel leading edge on the centerboard followed. 

Spawn disturbed at least one hazard of the course: a 7-foot-long shark had the startle of its weekend when the boat passed over it in about 2 feet of water. "It looked like an explosion of mud behind us," said TwoBeers.
Picture
After a solid nine hours of sleep, as they were eating breakfast and de-rigging the boat, Ninjee, TwoBeers, and Morsailesed started hashing over the voyage.  

They had ideas about where they might have navigated better, how they might have saved a few tacks, how they might improve the performance of the boat. Warm discussions about possible centerboard and rudder modifications followed.

​Other things might have been covered, but this shore crew retired for more catching up on her sleep. 
​​ 
Special thanks to Ensign RumsDown, who IS a driving Ninja and generous friend.

As he announced to the team in a manly bellow from the shore of Chockoloskee (after Mary and I had warbled "I love you" across the starry, echoing darkness)  "I LIKE YOU!"  Really do.
18 Comments
Rapper
3/8/2016 09:56:48 am

Although it was painful to watch, they did rather well crossing Florida Bay. I looked at the record book...6 hours was one of the faster times. It's a tough place to navigate.

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:17:39 pm

Yeah, hard navigating -- even for us in a powerboat from shore! We went to meet them and sure enough, it's like a lunar landscape out there.

Reply
Team Eightball
3/8/2016 12:39:52 pm

Great write up Amy. Thanks. You've given us a super insight on the race and it was very exciting to follow.

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:18:17 pm

Aw gee! Thank you, I am glad to share the experience!

Reply
HHN92
3/8/2016 01:00:37 pm

Edge of the seat the last bit as they crossed the shallows, with 2 computers going to cover FB, SA, WT, and Google Earth. Great fun to see the start and follow to the finish.

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:18:48 pm

Thanks HHN92!

Reply
Chuck Koch
3/8/2016 03:11:01 pm

What a great vicarious experience. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:19:20 pm

Thanks for joining us!

Reply
george a.
3/8/2016 06:27:22 pm

Congrats! What's next for the Spawnster and crew?

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:21:47 pm

More racing (Lightnings), some farming, and then more racing (Scots and J-70s) then maybe the Black Beard Challenge in October?

Reply
EC Super Fleet !
3/8/2016 06:39:37 pm

Thanks to Frankie2014 Spawnie2016 we know it's the annual Watertribe armada paddlin' sailin' sputterin' (some standin!) past the Saturday Sarasota fleet sailors all these years. What a blast. The Olympic cadence maintained hour after hour by some of the kayakers is jaw-dropping. Middlenight sailing breakdown recoveries and other hard surprises... Much love and respect to the voyageurs, and many congratulations to the Spawn sailors and shoreside support gang too!

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:23:00 pm

I know -- those paddlers are still at it, five days later! Dang!
Thanks for the cheering --

Reply
greg
3/8/2016 08:28:06 pm

I really enjoyed the whole campaign. The design and building of the boat. Having raced in 2014 you could feel the lessons learned being molded into the boat, The equipment required from lessons learned. My offer still stands to be support for a Black Beard 300 here in Carolina. I know the roads. I've boated the waters. I love the mission. And I believe in the crew. That was a Great Sail.

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:24:17 pm

Thanks Greg!
If we do the Black Beard (and by we, I mean Jeff and his boys on the boat, me on shore worrying and socially media-ing), we will definitely take advantage of your local knowledge!

Reply
Ryan Finn link
3/9/2016 10:38:07 am

Cobbling a boat together twice and winning twice! That's really hard to pull off. Beautiful job. Congrats.

Reply
Amy
3/10/2016 09:24:59 pm

Thanks Ryan!
I am grateful they are safe and sound!

Reply
Sean Hawes (AKA SeaDogRocket)
3/14/2016 11:42:12 am

Great job to the whole team. What a fast boat! Congratulations!!

Reply
Amy
3/17/2016 10:10:49 pm

Thank you Sean!
Sorry your ride was not so good this time. One of these years, the conditions will be in your favor and you will tear it up! Hope to see you soon --

Reply



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