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1. 

   Sirtackalot
   Member

   As I read the forum I often see new guys asking questions through a number of different topics . It reminds me of the wealth of knowledge that tribers have from doing past races. So that lead me to think, if there was one piece of advice I could pass along to a rookie, what would it be? Would it be gear related, or food, or routes, or training, or ........ 

   So, from my standpoint my one tip would be getting my clothing gear right. Its a long race if you are wet and cold. Get the best dry suit or foul weather gear you can. Test it in cold wet weather with the right combo of layers prior to the race. Often you will be stuck in the same gear between check points, make sure it works for you. I have both a dry suit and dry suit pants and a foul weather jacket. I found great thermals at a sporting goods store in Iowa. My fleece jacket is a life saver when the chills set in. A divers neoprene hoodie works great when the temps drop. Cold weather dive gloves are great, but not as warm as I would have thought so I use liners inside. When I started doing these back in 2010, all I had was the dry suit and that was because of Chief.

   What is your tip for the race(s)? Pass it along!

   Posted 6 years ago #
2. 

   Scareman
   Member

   First - Buy a GoreTEX drysuit!  I wish that I had waited another year to save and buy a GoerTEX drysuit.

   My EC clothing list is below.  All of this clothing compresses and fits into 2 drybags  -  except for the drysuit.

   My paddling clothing is the following:

   1. Qty (2) Quicksilver board shorts with the 4-way diamond stretch for paddling (left untied under my sprayskirt in the event of a premature bladder evacuation - do not drink from the yellow Gatorade bottle!)
   2. Qty (4) Performance paddling shirts.  Wear up to 3 at a time if it is cold and dry.  Includes 2 WaterTribe performance shirts and 2 NRS Microlite - all long sleeve shirts.  I keep 1 as a "fresh" shirt for the next day while the others drip dry.
   3. Qty (1) Kokatat GoreTEX paddling jacket
   4. Qty (1) NRS Extreme Drysuit
   5. Qty (1 pr) insulated socks - only worn under drysuit
   6. Qty (1 pr) Crocs for paddling
   7. Qty (1 pr) Water shoes for better paddling footwear
   8. Qty (2) sun hats with optionl neck shade flap - Spare req'd for me
   9. Qty (2) Buffs - spare req'd for me
   10. Qty (2) Toboggan sock cap - keeps my head warm when it gets cold
   11. Qty (2) Sunglasses - Cheap Chili's from REI with a matching spare!
   12. Qty (1 pr) REI tights for paddling in cooler weather and insluation under drysuit.
   13. Qty (1) Rain Hat / Paddling Hat
   14. Qty (2) Mosquito head nets

    

   My Sacrosanct clothes include:

   1. Qty (1 pr) Columbia Fleece pants
   2. Qty (1) Columbia Fleece shirt
   3. Qty (1) Fleece pullover (my Green Bay Packers half-zip)
   4. Qty (1) GoreTEX BassPro Shops Rain pants
   5. Qty (1) GoreTEX Mountain Hardwear Rain Jacket
   6. Qty (1 pr) Columbia Pants
   7. Qty (1) Columbia long sleeve shirt
   8. Qty (1) NRS Dry Bag for stowage in kayak hatch
   9. Qty (2 pr) insulated/wool socks, 1 spares because I want warm and dry feet!
   10. Qty (1) additional Columbia zip jacket or fleece pullover depending on weather forecast

    

   For Dry Land and Re-entering Civilization:

   1. Qty (2 Pr) EXOFFICIO undies (wash them in the sink while traveling per EXOFFICIO instructions. I traveled through 100% humid China with these 2 babies for 2 weeks!!!)
   2. Qty (1 Pr) REI shorts
   3. Qty (1) WaterTribe T-shirt
   4. Qty (1) Columbia shirt
   5. Qty (1) belt
   6. Qty (1 Pr) REI Convertible pants
   7. Jackets, and Rain GEar to be pulled from SacroSanct bag

    

   I realize that I can shed a shirt or two, but I have learned that the cold and wind of past ECs with temps in the 30's with winds in the 20's can require lots of layers to stay warm both on and off the water

   I will reevaluate this list as the event and the forecast approach to cull a shirt or pants as applicable.

   The beauty of this gear is that I probably only paid full retail for the WaterTribe shirts and sock caps to keep my head warm.  All other clothing was discounted from REI clearance racks, REI online clearance sales (including my tent), BassPro Shop's clearance center in Macon, GA, Columbia gear from Clothing Carnival's discounts on I-75's Exit 122 in Unadilla, GA, and my discount that I use to have through NRS. 

   There is also a great laundromat across from the Bay Cove Motel that I walk to and do my laundry after the EC, or you can use their Drop Off Service.  I just looked at their bag in my closet...Island Coin Laundry at MM 99.5 Key Largo  99607 Overseas Hwy (305)451-4575.  "It's just like having Mom do it"

   Posted 6 years ago #
3. 

   MicroTom
   Key Master

   Hard to come up with just one tip for 1st time competitors. There is so much that goes into preparing for a trip like the Everglades Challenge. If I had to sum it up it would be do the derby to its fullest. Make sure you get your long paddles in with the required gear. Rack up some points with a few over night trips so you practice with your gear. Don't just go out on the nice days. Go on the ugly ones too. You will learn more that way. Keep refining your gear and strategy while you practice. If you put in a good amount of quality derby hours you will be well prepared and confident about your abilities. Confidence is an important part of the challenges. I believe the challenges are 90% mental and 10% physical. If you feel good about your prepreation you will have a high chance of success.

   Posted 6 years ago #
4. 

   Yakmandu
   Member

   I learned a lot during my first EC in 2012! To put it mildly, it was a windy event. After "the storm" passed, the wind was howling from the north. I was on the north end Sarasota Bay deciding if I should head south. It didn't look too bad. About half way down Sarasota Bay, I learned the true meaning of FETCH. Having spent most of my time paddling on lakes and rivers, fetch was never much of an issue. Rookie mistake! Somehow, I made it under the bridge without incident. Lesson learned...

   Speaking of wind and storms, when you are in open water, waves arrive with a storm. Better seek protected waters before a storm hits. You will have your hands full if you wait!

   Yakmandu

   Posted 6 years ago #
5. 

   Katamount
   Member

   This is probably more for kayaks...

   Leave room for a full 10L bag in each hatch. It takes way too long to repack a boat when it's chock full and it's amazing how bad you are at Tetris when you're sleep deprived. No matter how OCD you are, dark, tired, and hungry will undo all of your organization so leave room to rummage. 

   Redundancy is good, but you can definitely take it too far. I thought it would be good to have several of certain items scattered through my gear. Nope, it just took up room and confused things. I keep opening up gear bags and finding yet another baggie with lip stuff, contacts, a lighter, and wet wipes. The good thing is that I haven't bought any of that stuff since the last EC!

   Oh and there's this neat little relationship triangle between sleep, hydration, and nuitrition. Try to only screw up 2 out of the 3 ;-)

   Posted 6 years ago #
6. 

   BustedRudder
   Member

   Cannot agree with Katamount more. I maintain an excel spreadsheet with a packing list. Fine tuned after 4 years it helps me pack the kayak by rote by physical space:

   forward hatch/ deck bag/ cockpit/ day hatch / aft deck / aft hatch  and of course a race day bag so when I wake up at 5:00AM I have nothing to do but don the bag which includes race day hydration and food.

   Even when bonkers I know where to go for what I need and if it wasn't on the list I dont waste cycles looking. The only problem is that during an EC things get moved around when out of sorts usually in the dark.

   Posted 6 years ago #
7. 

   JoeVanGeaux
   Member

   Are there any experienced EC Class 4 Tribers out there (single-handed males) who are willing to share their detailed packing list?  That is, for all items not involved in making the boat go. I have been scouring the past posts and keep getting closer to a clean, efficient packing/shopping list but some items seem to be getting unecessarily redundant (and thats coming from a fan of redundancy) and I'm not sure what some of those items are, to be honest.

   I fiercely torqued my lower back, yesterday, pulling on my trailered boat, so being laid-up, I've got time to do some of the more "administrative" chores - like list-making ... and checking it twice (this is the season for checking lists twice, right!).

    

   Posted 6 years ago #
8. 

   PainenDias
   Blocked

   It's OK to launch unprepared as long as you are willing to accept the consequences!  People who have no understanding of what really goes on during a WaterTribe Challenge but have looked into the web site often ask me "are you ready?" I always answer "No!"  If hou wait until you are prepared you may never reach the start! Wind down the derby and slack off on the physical fitness stuff.  No sense ruining your back or torquing a shoulder preparing.  You will have plenty of that sort of thing during the Challenge.  Relax and try to keep distractions and niggleing details from driving you nuts. The single most important point is to be on the beach with most of your crap on the boat.  When you hear bagpipes, launch.  That is it.

   Posted 6 years ago #
9. 

   lugnut
   Member

   Actually the list is pretty much the same whether I'm along (2010) or with crew (all my other ECs). The list has been cut down over the years because less stuff makes for an easier launch and less pawing through dry bags to find something. The list is something like this:

   2 heavy fleece shirts, 2 heavy fleece pants, 3 pr long underwear (one in the emergency bag), 1 pr nylon pants, 1 pr shorts, 1 nylon sun shirt, 1 short sleeve non-cotton shirt. 3 pr heavy wool socks (one in the emergency bag), 2 pr light non-cotton socks, 1medium shirt and pants (non-cotton, for the emergency bag), 1 pr boots, 1 pr all weather sandals. Foul weather gear (or drysuit). 1 or 2 hats. Oh yeah, 3-4 pair nylon/polypropylene/polyester underwear.

   4-5 freeze dried scrambled eggs/breakfast skillet meals, 3 freeze dried dinner meals, 6-8 made instant oatmeals packets (I make my own with 1-minute oatmeal because it tastes better), trail mix to suit, lots of energy/protein bars in different flavors, instant soups/hot chocolate/cider/coffee, probably a couple other miscellaneous snacks. Cooking is with a JetBoil, mounted in a gimbals so it can be used underway in settled weather. A backup alcohol cooker/heater with fuel is in the emergency bag. Gatorade mix or in bottles. I can eat the eggs for any meal and only usually actually cook 2-3 dinners for any EC.

   My one tip is rather broad: Make sure no matter how rotten or foul the day has been that when it's over you can get dry, warm, and well fed with minimal effort. Noted small boat designer Phil Bolger observed that someone can put up with a lot of miserable conditions if he or she knows at the end they can be warm, dry, and fed. A lot of Chief's rules and lists and requirements are actually aimed at meeting this goal.

   Posted 6 years ago #
10. 

    Scareman
    Member

    My food tips:

    I do not boil my water anymore.  I simply heat it and let it soak into my Raman Noodles in a 20 oz styrofoam cup.  Boiling takes too long for that extra 20 seconds on the Jet Boil and the extra 15-20 minutes waiting for the dehyrated food to cool.  I once fell asleep at Matlacha Park while awaiting my Mountain House food to cool down.  I awoke to the clatter of raccoons pilfering my IKEA spoon and running amuck in my tent.  I fell asleep, or rather I collapsed, with my tent open laying halfway in and out of the tent.  I opened up the spaghetti and ate it after an hour's nap.  No harm by the raccoons on this one, I just cleansed the spoon in a quick cup of boiling water thanks to my Jet Boil.

    No more dehydrated foods for me.  Too many times I have forgotten to remove the "DO NOT EAT" packet in my delirious stupor.  After waiting for the food to cook and sthen waiting even longer for it to cool down, I was terribly disappointed to taste that iron-chemical food which was contaminated by that packet.  Now my menu consists of SPAM single packs on bagels (bagels keep well), breakfast bars, CLIF bars, a stick of jerky each day, small single serving tuna slad packs, almond joys (1 per day for essential coconut oils), raman noodles for something hot.  For an evening meal its Raman Noodles and a SPAM bagle.

    Hatches: I keep daily food packets in a mesh bag in my forward hatch and use one per day in my PFD, sprayskirt pouch, and deck bag.  I keep paring down my food and still have too much.  Also in the front hatch are my small gear kits for boat repair, fire, first aid one more - they are color coded.  I also keep my street clothes drybag and drysuit in the front hatch.  My rear hatch stowes sleeping pad, sleeping gear, ballast gatorade bottles, tent, 1 gallon rectangular water jug with handles from a Hawaiian Punch container with easy grab handle, a 1gallon rectangle water jug with powder mixed into Gatorade in the same container.  Sacrosanct gear should be in rear hatch in compressed dry bag.  Since I solo paddle my tandem, I throw a C-tug cart in the rear cockpit with the Kiwi wheels (hard plastic) for portages.

    Posted 6 years ago #
11. 

    stripbuilder
    Member

    The salt can get into everything - lights, spots, GPS. Protect them!

    Posted 6 years ago #
12. 

    Jarhead
    Member

    JVG, I will email you my packing lists tomorrow or the next day. Typically I take too much, and resolve at the end never to do that again. It's really not a problem in the SeaPearl, which is quite roomy for one person. I do definitely agree with Katamount and Busted Rudder that taking too much back-up stuff is a mistake. Obviously, if you take a back-up for everything, you have roughly twice as much stuff as you need. For me the big redundancy requirement is in headlamps--I take three. One at the ready can be critical, and they are prone to sudden failure.

    My one tip to a newbie would be to make finishing the goal. I have boogered up two ECs, including my first try, by being too aggressive. Take the challenge in stages and keep good form and judgement working for you, and you will do fine. You can beat your brains out to gain a few boat lengths, but later on screw up and run aground or miss a turn or drop an oar that costs you miles. Fatigue makes for mistakes, and extreme fatigue pulls your IQ down to roughly the ambient temperature. In tough conditions, that usually won't work well. 

    Posted 6 years ago #
13. 

    feralcat
    Blocked

    Wear Shoes!

    Posted 6 years ago #
14. 

    CousinEddy
    Member

    I really appreciate this post.  It's tough for new comers to begin to digest and distill all of the available information and then to ask meaningful questions.  I'm still in the digest and distill process.  Course, weather and tides are where my attention seems to naturally gravitate.  I'm looking forward to putting faces to names in March.  Many thanks to those who have gone before and share their experiences.

    Posted 6 years ago #
15. 

    JoeVanGeaux
    Member

    Jarhead,  Thanks! I'll be looking for that list... if I can figure out the PM system here, that is. (I downloaded that 'Inboxace' software and all it did, so far, was try to take over my whole PC.)

    I know my boat (a Lightning) is big enough to handle anybone's list but the fewer things I have to keep track of, the better.  I'm thinking a few days and nights on the local lake here will do wonders for my packing list.

    Posted 6 years ago #
16. 

    Karank
    Member

    I have

    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 379px" width="378">
    <tbody>
    <tr height="30">
    <td height="30" style="height: 30px; width: 379px">
    KiwiBird's EC 2013 Gear List </td>
    </tr>
    </tbody>
    <colgroup>
    <col />
    </colgroup>
    </table>

    it is on an excel spread sheet and has the description of each item and its weight down to detailed personal clothes and all gear. sooo I will not publish it without her permission although she did publish it on the forum back then. It is complete and organized by category.  I admire anyone so organized.  

      

    Posted 6 years ago #
17. 

    Jarhead
    Member

    OK JVG, I just sent you my list by email. Nothing like KiwiBirds list. She would put me to shame--except I have no shame!

    Posted 6 years ago #
18. 

    Sirtackalot
    Member

    Rice....... Just got back from practice on the hobie TI and my "waterproof" bags for the gps and spot both had cooked rice when I got done. Rice absorbs the water that gets inside the bags. Looks like it worked today.

    Posted 6 years ago #
19. 

    ClamCounter
    Member

    One tip to pass along...

    ...Sunblock, of all the things you ponder during the Challenge - don't forget the sun protection.  Particulary, on the hectic morning on day one. As you're mentally going over your check list before embarking, go ahead an lather up, hat-up, buff-up or all of the above before you launch. Also, those overcast days are the most deceiving.

    

    Posted 6 years ago #
20. 

    SavannahDan
    Member

    One tip? Go out for months before the EC, in whatever conditions, at night, and take notes with a space pen and waterproof paper pad on what you need to improve on.

    Posted 6 years ago #
21. 

    MisterMoon
    Member

    +1 on the sunscreen on morning of the start. I forgot that my first year, ouch. 

    This is more the class IV guys, but we found out last year the things to have for the off-watch to rest while underway were a bean bag chair and a blanket. The bean bag chair was very comfortable for the off watch nap and relax. This year, I'm bringing two so the on-watch guy has a comfortable seat as well. They are only ~$20 on sale at Walmart.

    The blanket was really nice for at night when it gets cool. The added warmth and wind blocking was very much appreciated. I've got a fleece one one side, nylon on the other stadium blanket I'm bringing this year. 

    Posted 6 years ago #
22. 

    Scareman
    Member

    Use the "dead AA or AAA batteries from your electronics on touch screens as a stylus.  The batteries work when your GPS or screens do not respond to wet surfaces, inside dry bags, or anyday for fun.

    Use surgical tubing to slip onto the battery and tie it off near your device.

    Posted 6 years ago #
23. 

    IronBob
    Member

    I guess one tip from TheJuice I and would be about eating. We eat because we need to keep going, duh! But how do we do that? Another consideration is keeping a healthy apetite. Eveyone loves to eat, but I think when we're over exerted, we can have trouble with apetite and eating. I think keeping the blood sugar up is key to having an apetite. Also, I think when we overtired, basic things like eating become too much trouble. This is not good!  

    Here's what Druce and I do; we snack every half hour no matter what. This keeps everything going, so instead of losing our apetites, we are looking forward to that eating/peeing/stretching (and anything else that needs doing) break.

    We pretty much only take real food. Real food tastes good no matter how many days of over exertion is going on. So called energy bars and powders can become very unappetizing after awhile, so we stay with real food. We might end up taking some bars and powders and we do take some Red Bull and 5 Hr Energy but those things are not part of our main eating plan. However they can be useful, for instance there might be an advantage to starting off the day with a big gulp of Hammer Perpetuem, downing a Red Bull at 4 PM, or downing a 5 Hour Energy at 2 AM. 

    Basically; we take 3 sandwiches apiece, lots of nuts and dried fruits, electrolyte capsules, and some dehydrated meals, along with a bit of powder and some 5 hours.   

    We eat nuts and fruits every half hour for the whole race, we eat some electrolyte capsules every hour, we eat some bit, like 1/3 to 1/2, of a sandwhich every 4 hours until they run out, and we take a 1 liter, wide mouth thermos, so that when we make a meal with our stove we can eat some then and take some with us. 

    That would be our one bit of advice to pass along. 

    Posted 6 years ago #
24. 

    Sirtackalot
    Member

    IronBob,

    Just wondering, premade sandwiches or do you attempt to make as you go along? Sounds better than some of the stuff we eat :)

    Posted 6 years ago #
25. 

    IronBob
    Member

    Premade, we go to Subway the night before.    

    Posted 6 years ago #
26. 

    KayakVagabond
    Member

    IronBob, do you care to comment on what flavor Subway goes best with the subtle "urine therapy" seasoning that results from keeping your sandwich stuffed in your pee cup?  :) :) :) 

    The essence of hard-core multi-use!   

    Posted 6 years ago #
27. 

    IronBob
    Member

    Well, I wasn't going to mention that. But now that you got me going, who hasn't tasted a little pee now and then? But anyway, tuna goes good, complementary fishy flavors and all...

    Posted 6 years ago #
28. 

    PainenDias
    Blocked

    I think I am skipping the Taco Bell stuff  for this year!  It did not go well for me wearing a dry suit!  But if you carry any of that stuff do not eat it if it is over 3 days old.  The 5 layer burritos are still good for 3 days, but not in a dry suit.  The little Goldfish crackers are great if you can wash them down with some liquid.  A rolled and sealed bag lasted longer than 8 days and today I was chewing on a bag that has been clipped with a clothes pin for over a month.  I tried the little individual bags in the NCC 2014 but they made a paper mess and were less than a handful so I was ripping them up all night.  Iron Bob has it right with the eating and drinking.  Just do it. You may not feel hot, thirsty, or hungry but your body knows the difference.  Load it up regularly and keep on moving.  I also like real food, but not doing much cooking.  I will be bringing a single burner stove this year to try out some Mountain House stuff but I still like canned meat, soup, stew, and sandwiches or fruit.  You guys in kayaks have my utmost admiration.  Maybe the best tip is read all the discussions here.  Lots of hard-earned wisdom distilled and dispensed by real-world enthusiasts. Maybe some day I will really learn how to sail a multihull!

    Posted 6 years ago #
29. 

    BeastOarman
    Member

    I struggled with this one for a bit, because I have found that many of the things that worked for me once maybe did not work as well a second time.  Luckily other Tribers have shared so much that I never run out of (their) ideas to try.

    But one thing that seems to always work for me comes in handy BEFORE the EC.  When the drums start to get louder, and keep me up - or wake me up at 2 AM - I have a trick for getting my shuteye.  I begin to visualize my race.  The excitement of the launch.  The crossing of Tampa Bay, against waves and wind.  The long trek to and across Sarasota Bay.  The unremarkable stretch of ICW to Venice.  Then the interminable canal, which certainly is a spiral that turns more than 720 degrees, followed by the too-long-too-straight run to CP1.  By this time I am sooo tired, I am usually out.  If not, I head across the Pass at Boca Grande!

    Sort of like Scareman, I practice rowing and meals and setting up/taking down camp with my eyes closed - except I do it all lying down.

    Posted 6 years ago #
30. 

    Scareman
    Member

    Use a pee container with enough volume! I just bought 20 oz Gatorade bottles on my trip, and I learned why my 32 oz bottle was the receptacle of evacuation. I learned this too late in my tent last weekend in the middle of the Boy Scout camp at Daytona. I will never forget to keep my 32 ozer within reach in my kayak and in my tent!

    Posted 6 years ago #

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