boats, both new and used, are in the water and available for viewing at this free event. Admission is free. Marine trade booth space is available. Call Ed Massey at (941) 725-2350.
n OTHER EVENTS
Wrecker’s Cup Race, Key West, January, February, March, April This race, if you could call it that, is sponsored by the Schooner Wharf Bar on the waterfront in downtown Key West. This Sunday afternoon race commemorates the race to a wreck that signified the old days when Key West’s main business was wreck salvage. Boats race seven miles out to Sand Key from the Key West waterfront and back. The race has five classes: Classic, Schooner, Multihull, Monohull over 30 feet and Monohull under 30 feet. Locals and visitors are invited and welcome. It is known as the “anything-butserious race.” First boat back wins. No protests allowed. Sailing/boating rules and rules of seamanship always apply. Four races are held over four months. The race is videotaped and the awards ceremony after the race at the bar serves a barbecue dinner while guests watch the race on a big screen TV. Beer drinking is very common.
News & Views for Southern Sailors
Race dates are Jan. 27, Feb. 24, March 31, April 28. There is a captain’s meeting the day before the race at the bar at 7 pm, where “captains and crew contemplate strategy while reviewing course and race rules.” Race awards, booty, music and barbecue are after the race at the bar at 7 pm. www.schoonerwharf.com.
The Everglades Challenge, Tampa Bay, March 2 The Everglades Challenge is an unsupported, expedition-style adventure race for kayaks, canoes and small sailboats that starts above the high tide mark on the east beach of Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg, FL, and ends in Key Largo. It is run by the Watertribe, whose fearless leader, Steve Issac, conceived of the race in 2000. This year’s event starts at dawn on March 2, although if you want a good look at the boats, go on Friday, March 1, when the competitors will be going through inspection and setting up their boats on the starting line. Along the 300mile course, competitors are required to sail, row, or paddle into three checkpoints, but not required to stay there. The checkpoints going south along the coast are Placida, Chokoloskee, and Flamingo before the boats head to the Bay Cove Motel in Key Largo at the finish. For more on the Everglades Challenge, go to
SOUTHWINDS
March 2013
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