The Florida race starts tomorrow morning March 3, 2018 at 6:00 AM CST. Check out his earlier post for some of the details.
BeaV's earlier post with Challenge watching directions

Tracking Map link
You can follow along at this site. Just go to the link, enter EC2018, Class 2, Challenger: BeaV and hit "Regenerate". If you want to see his competition, in the Challengers column, select, All.

In his earlier post BeaV wrote about the Florida Everglades Challenge where he will be paddling the 300 mile Florida Gulf Coast from Fort Desoto (north end of Tampa Bay) to Key Largo. The race regulations state that to be a qualifying race finisher, the journey must be completed in 8 days.

A quick look did not pinpoint BeaV's icon. Maybe they are too bunched together yet or his spot is not uploading?

He will not turn on his SPOT until the morning start. With so many people they have been asked not to turn them on until the race starts.

I just came home from the Tampa area. I drove from Tampa down to Sarasota and back on Monday and Tuesday. I looked out over the waters and thought about him paddling that stretch soon. Didn't realize it was this soon. It looked like really nice paddling, scenic anyways. Good luck BeaV.

They got a late start due to weather. They got off the beach at 9 am instead of 7. That will affect where he is and how the tide will be for this evening. Hope he can make it to the first check point by midnight to stay on schedule. It will depend on the winds.

Small craft advisory this AM delaying the start, but it looks like they can take a route more-or-less inside the barrier islands all the way down until Naples or so. The NNE winds should be favorable- esp for any boat flying a sail. I'll venture a guess that tidal currents would be the bigger menace at any pass crossings.

I'll wish him luck from snowy MN!

Best wishes Beav. Looks Like he is rounding the southern tip now.

Grandma L: "
BeaV's earlier post with Challenge watching directions
"

In my mind it isn't that the paddle that is small, it's just that BeaV is that big.

What is BeaV's icon, does it have his name with it.
I'm using a tab E-lite with a small screen and can't locate him due to that.

His icon is a small picture of him. I am watching raceowl.com to see his progress within his class. Do a "filter" to narrow the field. He paddles Class 2, single male - which is no sail canoes and kayaks. At this point he is the leader of his group. Class 1 is canoes and kayaks with small simple sails. There are 5 or 6 classes most sailing rigs.

it's great to watch the progress of the various races and challenges members of this board particpate in. let's not forget Mzee is also in this challenge... he was also in the border challenge with Beav and others, eh?

Mocha: "it's great to watch the progress of the various races and challenges members of this board particpate in. let's not forget Mzee is also in this challenge... he was also in the border challenge with Beav and others, eh?
"

Great observation! David, Mzee, is in Class 1, single male. He is paddling and using a simple sail and has been making very good time. His result to the first Check point was just 3 minutes behind BeaV. Mzee's sail might not be of much use if the winds are not cooporating. There are also a couple of others who have done the BWCA Border Challenge in previous years in this Florida race. I actually have to pay close attention to keep up with them all.

Grandma L: "His icon is a small picture of him. I am watching raceowl.com to see his progress within his class. Do a "filter" to narrow the field. He paddles Class 2, single male - which is no sail canoes and kayaks. At this point he is the leader of his group. Class 1 is canoes and kayaks with small simple sails. There are 5 or 6 classes most sailing rigs. "

Thanks GrandmaL, found them on RaceOwl.

BeaV at Checkpoint 2 at 2:18PM -- I have not been following as close as in other years but this is about when BeaV gets into beast mode and will put out close to 100 miles in 24 hours... I think tonight is his favorite (challenging) part of the entire challenge.



Anyone else think the FL sun is not one of Beav's favorite things? :O) He is making damn sure that little bit of shade doesn't go to waste......

Yeah, looks like he broke camp at 2:30 this morning to get going!

I think you are right MF. I have to pay close attention - to the posted times - some are EST and my SPOT info is in CST. Best I can figure is he "rested" about 6.5 hours last night and is working his way throught the islands.
I think he was about 7+ hours ahead of his record setting time in 2016 when he was at Check Point #2.
David Is still making good progress and is hanging out with a group of other paddlers. Clewless, who did the BWCA Border Challenge back a couple of years, is in a Hobie TI. neither of them are close to BeaV.

Beav gonna make it to the finish tomorrow it looks like?

BeaV at Checkpoint #3. He's planning a short break then heading out for the finish.

Thus far he is still beating his own record but the last leg is yet to come.

looks like he's almost done. what a trip. would be interested in a trip report of this type of challenge with compare/contrast to a bw trip or his "BIG" trip a few years back.

Mocha: "looks like he's almost done. what a trip. would be interested in a trip report of this type of challenge with compare/contrast to a bw trip or his "BIG" trip a few years back."

He is in beast mode now and has been since about 24 hours ago-- will not quit no matter what. No matter what. Double needed for emphasis.

I can venture that he would say the EC300 is tougher then the BWCA Kruger deal--- but of course it all pails to the Alaska Deal. When you get real tough, the toughest part is staying tough. Anyone can win once I heard from coaches for years... . Just my .02. Congrats Beav-- nothing more I can say...

Just hit Key Largo - un-officially - about 10 hours ahead of his last record.
Very proud of him -to say the least. Our northwoods guy - does it again! Congrats!!

I second that! Job well done, congratulations! I've only been tracking for about the last 18 hours but it's been fun just watching. What an incredible feat :))

Face Book posts - show his finish. Note, the Bunny is still with him attached to the bow as a hood ornament?

Official time - 3 days, 23 hour, 19 minutes! His 2016 time was 4 days, 12 hours, 24 minutes.

WhiteWolf: "BeaV at Checkpoint 2 at 2:18PM -- ..... but this is about when BeaV gets into beast mode and will put out close to 100 miles in 24 hours... I think tonight is his favorite (challenging) part of the entire challenge.




"

I don't think that I could keep up with him in the BWCA even when he's not in "beast mode"!

I'd love to read a trip report from that bunny ;-)
Good job BeaV, are you going to Disney Land after this?

Congrats BeaV!

It's amazing what he can do with just a single blade paddle. I would love to read a trip report. Congrats BeaV!

TomT: "It's amazing what he can do with just a single blade paddle. I would love to read a trip report. Congrats BeaV!"

Ditto!

It is hard for me to even think of the kind of sustained paddling and speed that BeaV does........... or where he draws his inner strength from.

This was 300 nautical miles race (345 statute miles). In 95 hours he solo paddled 345 miles of ocean. That means his average speed was 3.6 mph both day and night in a decked canoe using a single blade paddle with no sail.......... just muscle and paddle.

Congratulations BeaV

Nice job BeaV. What's next?

Absolutely awesome BeaV, great job!

HighPlainsDrifter: "
It is hard for me to even think of the kind of sustained paddling and speed that BeaV does........... or where he draws his inner strength from.

This was 300 nautical miles race (345 statute miles). In 95 hours he solo paddled 345 miles of ocean. That means his average speed was 3.6 mph both day and night in a decked canoe using a single blade paddle with no sail.......... just muscle and paddle.

Congratulations BeaV"

And he's no spring chicken either! I bet he still fuels himself with peanut m& m's too. Seeing that old duluth pack warms my heart. Keepin' it old school! Don't ever tell BeaV he can't do something. :)

When I watched him split wood, I was in augh! He puts my mechanical splitter to shame. Strong is an understatement - and accurate! "Spring chicken", he might as well be. - he works harder than any of the "kids" in my life.

Glad to report that all of the BWCA.com members finished in good time, making it within the 8 day time line. BeaV, Mzee, and Clewless! Great job! Congrats to all!

Grandma L: "Glad to report that all of the BWCA.com members finished in good time, making it within the 8 day time line. BeaV, Mzee, and Clewless! Great job! Congrats to all!"

Thanks for keeping us updated!

Grandma L: "Glad to report that all of the BWCA.com members finished in good time, making it within the 8 day time line. BeaV, Mzee, and Clewless! Great job! Congrats to all!"

Thanks for keeping us updated!

Thanks all! Finally back in Minnesota and getting a chance to catch up with things.

The 2018 Everglades Challenge was a cooperative year as far as weather is concerned that resulted in many records being set. However, I don't think many of the Watertribers present will remember it as such. Instead, it will be remembered for the loss of BlueJay aka Thad Rice. Thad passed away doing what he loved- paddling and sailing.

We shared the beach before the launch and we had wished each other "good luck". I remember thinking he would be a potential tough competitor as he was young and in good shape (with sails on his Kruger Sea Wind). Late in that first day, a heart attack took his life.

Paddle On BlueJay

Congrats on the finish! That last 'day' looked pretty long :)

That is tragically sad about BlueJay, and humbling/scary to hear of a young, fit, experienced paddler who did not make it home. There is little doubt, however, that any one of you EC paddlers probably feel most alive when you're out there on the water.

It sounds like there was a coast guard rescue also- of a hall-of-fame sailor who has previous America's Cup and Olympic victories. ..Safe to say that the difficulty of the event is not to be underestimated!

muddyfeet: "Congrats on the finish! That last 'day' looked pretty long :)

That is tragically sad about BlueJay, and humbling/scary to hear of a young, fit, experienced paddler who did not make it home. There is little doubt, however, that any one of you EC paddlers probably feel most alive when you're out there on the water.

It sounds like there was a coast guard rescue also- of a hall-of-fame sailor who has previous America's Cup and Olympic victories. ..Safe to say that the difficulty of the event is not to be underestimated! "

Thanks muddyfeet. For the record- the first day was much longer than the last. I didn't plan it that way, it just sort of happened. In fact, I didn't have a firm plan this year. I wasn't sure what my goal was, except I wanted to push myself. I didn't try to go fast. In fact that first day I took time off to assist a sailor make a minor mechanical repair and then I paddled twenty miles with hall of fame WaterTriber SandyBottom that at times slowed me down when she didn't have wind in her sails. But it was enjoyable to paddle alongside someone else until we reached the first checkpoint around midnight.

I knew my time to checkpoint 1 was probably slow because of the nice tailwinds the sailors had all day. It gets a little disheartening to watch them blow by me all day as I work to make progress. But it wasn't the sailing rigs that gave me a spark. It was that the 2 SUP participants had also beaten me to CP 1. I had met the one prior to the start and liked his attitude. The other I just met now at the checkpoint as we logged our official times into the logbook. A little small talk ensued and I asked what their plans were for continuing or sleeping. New guy said he was continuing on another 35 miles like it was a piece of cake and made a comment about "his" film production crew that was following his endeavor. Yes he had multiple people tagging along for reasons I didn't know of or care of at the time. The way he said something or his attitude didn't set well with me. I put 'er up a gear and paddled away from the checkpoint with a purpose now.

I paddled the rest of the night and by sunrise made the 95 miles, and then I kept paddling into the new day. I really didn't want to continue but I hugged the Fort Meyers Beach searching for a place to pull off without any luck. One long continuous beach filled with beachgoers who would surely not let me get rest if I passed out somewhere. So I kept going all day until the second night fell again. Finally at around 8:30 pm I successfully made it ashore through some breaking surf. 130 miles paddled in 35 hours.

I just checked today on the SUP paddler's progress on the tracker map and see he gave it a good effort. Looks like he paddled all night, the next day and into the second night too. He crashed and burned out at 10:20 pm some miles behind me, never to return to the race. I will have to thank him for giving me the motivation to push hard and give him credit for his push. His tracks indicate many things to me but mostly he wasn't just "talk".

So now I was curious as to who he was and what was the production crew all about- found it. Josh Collins Army Veteran

After finding that and reading about his cause for bringing funding and awareness to wounded veterans, I now owe him a donation and a little PR. And now I understand his attitude toward paddling another 35 miles when he was already tired out. Heck, that ain't much considering his background as a Army Special Forces guy and his continued struggle to recover from service-related brain injury.

I wish I'd of known what he was doing, I would have offered support that night. Oh well, that's one of the unique things about the Everglades Challenge- the participants. You meet boat designers, world class sailors, extreme adventure racers, hardened Veterans, father/daughter teams, grandpa/grandson teams, and sometimes a combination thereof.

And sometimes even the most decorated sailor, tough guy army guy, or most prepared boater needs a little assistance. Stuff happens when you're pushing your gear or self under extreme conditions.