It was nine years ago I read an article in small craft advisor interviewing Jarhead on his solo adventure in the EC. Not sure how I had missed this race up to that point but there was no sleeping the next three nights and telling anyone who would listen that I would do this the next year. My good buddy and partner in shenanaggins had an old Bluejay stashed in his side yard. He donated it to the cause and we began to modify it to meet the rules. It was a lot of work making it bombproof, but it handled everything along the way. I did okay in the race and Mrs Mullet met me at the finish, after a kiss her first question was " Are you going to do this again?" I had been freezing, sweating, sunburned, and scared shitless. Nothing like entering a pass in the dark where the waves broke the whole way across. My response was I would prefer to slam my privates in a car door than do the race again! 4 months later I signed up again. I needed to correct all the mistakes I made the first time. Three races in the open boat made me buckle down and make a boat for comfort, but that is another story. I am ready for #8 and against all practical reason and logic have the same excitiment felt for the first time. I want to say this is the last time, the effort, finances, disruption from the rest of lifes issues and obligations. This really doesn't make a lot of sense, 1 month from now I will probably be excited to go again. I guess the real question is WTF is wrong with us! DWM
Why do we do this?
(10 posts) (9 voices)-
Bermudaboy
MemberDWM; my wife skimmed thru you post over my shoulder, and asked me if you were talking about child birth and told me to let you know her exact same sentiments.
Btw, along same lines not sure why I spend the whole year training, talking incessantly about it, and yearning for the moment, and then the week before start questioning my sanity, ability, mental toughness, and how it is possible that there are this many butterflies buzzing around in my abdomen. Nervous.... specially with first day gust forecast...
Posted 2 years ago # -
Sirtackalot
MemberBoy do I understand. After doing 6 races and the issues of the 2015 race I decided to skip last year's race. But as the time got closer, I could feel my body getting excited about it. I was there on set up and race day. Watching the boats take off that Sat morning was almost to much to bear. I thought about swimming to Key Largo, but decided it was better to just start planning for 2017. See ya all on the beach for real this year!!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Coastie
MemberDWM....Your post really got me thinking....Why do we do this? For me, I believe I have some strange addictive, challenge driven gene inside me. Although I love sports, I was always the skinny kid who would never be a baseball, football, or track jock. For some strange reason, I decided to abuse my body playing Rugby at USCGA (I really enjoyed getting beat up.....and then drinking lots of beer and singing bizarre songs). I was never a runner, but in my 30s discovered 5K and 10K races....and within three months decided to run half marathons and marathons. 12 marathons later, I decided to retire from that distance in 2005. Not sure why I kept on doing them, but I guess I liked the pain and challenge. I bungee jumped once (but that may have been influenced by warm weather and too much beer). In my 50s I decided to get back into karate.....something I started in between ship patrols when I was younger. After getting a black belt, I'm in a holding pattern from going further (probably has something to do with ....."the wife was tired of my minor broken ribs, bruises, and cuts"). I slowed down.......but then my son Josh (ClamCounter) said "lets go sailing at the Clearwater Sailing Center on a Hobie Getaway". He had picked up great skills at a USF sailing class. We eventually got tired of not being able to play in the rough weather or go offshore, so we bought our own Hobie Getaway.....and the fun times began! I remember reading an article about the EC, so I talked to Chief to see if our boat could, should, or has done the EC. That was 2012....and although the first year we ended up getting a 10 hour tow job between CP2 and CP3......we plugged away and forgot all the pain and scary moments.......and completed the next 4 ECs. At 60 (really a youngster in the tribe), I still get a tremendous charge out of competing in such an awesome challenge. Somehow I forgot about the 8 hours of no wind, or the howling gales and choppy seas, and the 48 hours of no sleep:) I'm just addicted to the challenge! Nothing better than doing it with your son. As I slow down, I figure ClamCounter will eventually just duct tape me to the mast.......as secure as Fred the Pink Flamingo for this annual voyage. Can't wait to hit the beach!
Coastie
Posted 2 years ago # -
Aleutian
MemberLove it Coastie! I was a baseball, football, and track jock. Although I gave up football early in HS and went to Cross Country. I wasn't a great XC runner, but I was good enough. I was better at track. Baseball was always my passion growing up. I played it for 17 years. But endurance sports were what I got addicted to doing. I started doing triathlons in my late teens. Swimming is not my forte by any means however. It's one thing to be able to swim, it's an entirely different thing to be able to swim quickly. So triathlon went by the wayside when I ran collegiate XC. I hated collegiate XC. So I went into cycling only. After a few years of competitive cycling I had had enough of that. Then one of my cycling partners asked me to do a Watertribe event with him (EC 2014). I had limited sailing experience at the time, but I said what the hell, let's do it. We finished (and I learned how to sail). Kayaking is something I've been doing since about 4th grade, but I never viewed it or even considered it as a sport. It was just fun, or a way to get from one little island to the next little island. So now I'm kayaking Watertribe events. The kayak is like the perfect blend of passion (baseball) and endurance sport (cycling/running/triathlon). I'm not particularly great at any of them, but I'm good enough.
Posted 2 years ago #
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