Keys-Tybee Comments to Chuck

Catamaran Sailor has opinions about the 500-mile Keys to Tybee Race being organized by Chuck Bargeron. My recommendations are that the race be held in the fall and that it start from Key West.

The Keys to Tybee Island Race and its venue could be another great one and we applaud your idea. Not only would the Florida coastline from the Keys to Jacksonville be excellent sailing, but the grand finale to Tybee Island would make for some really great tie-breaking experiences.

With that said, they only thing left is to set a date that will make this still another great race that will go on for yars and years to come

Setting the Right Date

However, it would appear that plans are to set a date that would highly conflict with the Worrell 1000 – late May or early June.

We must all keep in mind that there simply are not enough sailors that have the time, money, ability or desire to sail back-to-back mega-distance races. The Tybee organizer believes that those that sail in the Worrell will not want to sail in the Keys-Tybee event, but I disagree. There would a good many of the Worrell sailors and teams that would love to sail in this race as well. But those teams cannot and would not, if it is scheduled so close to the Worrell dates. Those sailors might be able to do something like this twice a year, if the dates are far enough apart to get back home, get their lives back together, lick their wounds and fix boats and parts, and then prepare for the Keys-Tybee Race.

A lot more sailors would be able to participate in the fall, including Worrell 1000 sailors and also Worrell 1000 ground crews who may want to sail this particular course instead of ground-crewing. After the Worrell 1000 in the spring, everybody is totally burned out, and out of money and out of vacation time.

Even in the case of this magazine and website, we spend a great deal of money following and reporting on the Worrell 1000. We are certainly not eager to turn around, speed to the Keys and start the road show all over again. And the folks that are eagerly watching the Worrell are not going to care what happens either – they, like the sailors, teams, ground crews, sponsors and media, will be burned out

On the other hand, if the race was set in the fall, the interest by sailors around the world, the media, Catamaran Sailor and catsailor.com would be itching for another big event. We could even utilize some or all of the same equipment, gear and reporting means for the Keys-Tybee Race.

We are already gearing up for the 2003 Worrell 1000 coverage – it will be bigger, better, and more LIVE. This will cost a lot of time and money, but we feel the world loves to see that race. And the same gear could apply for this Keys-Tybee Race. In other words, in the fall we could give this race the same or similar coverage that the Worrell 1000 enjoys. However, we could not, should it be scheduled anytime in the spring. Also, I normally schedule all of my seminars in the spring, so there is no way I could do anything about this race in the spring of the year.

In other words, if the Keys-Tybee Race is set for the fall of the year, it will get a lot of attention, but if this race is held during the same or similar time frame as the Worrell, it will not get much media or spectator interest at all.

Even the Weather is Better in the Fall

We have heard one of the negatives for the fall scheduling is the weather, but I can tell you that the weather is awesome in Florida in the fall. And it could not be any colder in Georgia in October than it is in Virginia Beach in May.

In late September/early October the weather and wind are the most ideal and reliable of the entire year — usually steady 10-15 knot Tradewinds out of the southeast.

Of course, hurricanes need to be addressed, but late May and June are also hurricane season. The best part about hurricane season is that you have plenty of warning of their whereabouts and tracking. And tropical disturbances at that time most often form in the lower Gulf of Mexico or down by South America in the southern Caribbean and usually do not impact the eastern coastline with high surf as do the hurricanes and tropical storms that come across the Atlantic during the hottest part of the summer -- early and mid summer. (Weather can be more problematic in late May and early June because of heavy-duty thunderstorm activity in most of Florida.)

And as far as northeasters up in the Tybee area, don't these sailors know how to sail upwind?

High Season Rates in Early Summer

In June all the tourist areas are in full bloom and the motel rates are at their very highest – this is the beginning of high season for most of the location stops on this proposed race. Tybee Island itself will have to charge outrageous prices for lodging and other amenities. Plus, stays along the Florida coastline would also be quite expensive.

However, after Labor Day, the room rates will be the lowest of the year in the fall -- it will be off season everywhere on the race course. That alone will make this race very affordable for all.

Don't Compete with Worrell

We would really like to see this race come into existence and then grow over the years, but if it starts out in direct competition to the Worrell 1000, it will be doomed to failure. And that would be too bad.

We sincerely hope you will consider not competing with the Worrell and schedule this race for the fall – the time of the year when sailing is winding down around North America and folks will still have the interest in either competing or just watching "one more time" before winter sets in.

I hope you will do the right thing.

Reasons for starting at Key West:

It would be a true Keys-to-Tybee Race, starting from the southernmost point in the United States.

The boats could start from Smathers Beach.

Motel rates will be very reasonable anytime after the Labor Day Weekend, and there is a campground right outside of town where you can also launch your boat and sail from there over to Smathers.

There are two possible checkpoints in Islamorada, and Keys sailor-businesspeople have strong connections at both.

There is a good possibility that the Florida Keys could be a major sponsor of the race in the future, with funding through the Tourist Development Council. They would offer major advertising and other coverage.

We highly recommend a date somewhere in the fall – September., October or early November.

Mary had this to say:

"This could be the beginning of a great annual event, and there is a lot of interest in the concept of this race, and we would like to be able to help it, but the course and the scheduling are extremely important. If the organizer doesn't want to listen to me, that's fine. But he should be forewarned that I am always right (just ask Rick) and I am an expert at saying, ‘I told you so.'"

Thanks for listening,

Rick White, Exec. Editor/Webmaster

Catamaran Sailor Magazine

rick@catsailor.com