I'd say If you really have a burning desire to do the race for the right reasons then go for it.It is not an elitist group(or wasn't in the past).It's a group of some of the best people your gonna meet anywhere. That was a big reason I did it 4 times. Finishing is the number one goal for everyone, the farther up the better. If your wondering if Mike would accept your resume, call him and ask him,the sooner the better. He's very approachable and helpful. As far as owning a boat or not, it is certainly a huge benefit.You obviously can figure out a lot more ahead of time, and every second DOES count.Look at going into the last leg this year. Safety is just an issue of using your head and not going over your limits. The worst scenarios I've personally been through were Jensen and the 97? Steeplechase. Yeah they were hairy and few others came close but if your real worried about doing anything dangerous you'd pretty much lead a real boring life.Those are the things you remember.
If you've got any questions shoot me an E-mail at Todd@teamcatfever.com
Todd A. Hart
p.s. Oh yeah, it's expensive ,no way around it.
we checked the weather before we started the race and the front was supposed to move through before we hit it. unfortunately, it took a day and a half to reach where the front was at the time of the weather report and it had stalled. i was not concerned that we would have problems in the storm. it was more of an issue of comfort. the boat was completely seaworthy and we were never concerned about losing the boat. we were prepared for what we ran into. we had even replaced the rigging prior to the race.
by the way, good point on the helmets, but what good is avoiding a spinal injury if you crush your skull in the process? the statistics are with me on this one. helmets save lives, just as seatbelts and life jackets do.
I think you used the right word - "campaign". An event of this nature is not to be taken too lightly. If your idea of race preparation is to take along a map and a crate of beer, then yes, stick to cruising protected waterways (unless you`re from Australia or New Zealand !).
In terms of being an "elitist" event, I think that the fact that they change boats frequently, as well as the fact that it does cost a lot to do, probably excludes the average sailor, which is just as well - I`d hate to see the rescue
reports if you threw a whole bunch of weekend sailors at the Worrell. The race also attracts interest from some of the best ocean-racers, which also makes the possibility of the average guy qualifying a bit smaller.
Looking at the last Worrell from the South African team`s perspective, it was sailed on a tiny budget, since you can take the cost and multiply it by 10, so a $5000 entry fee is about 7 months income for an average guy.
If the desire is strong enough, you will make it happen.
It all depends on how big your dream is, and how much you are prepared to put into it.