As you can see by the huge starting line in this drone video from yesterday, the Everglades Challenge grew too big for its britches this year, and thanks to a number of rescues (including several kayakers and a couple of dinghies) and a failure by organizers to have gotten themselves a Marine Event Permit (MEP) as required by federal law, the Coasties have terminated the regatta.
We hate to come down on the law and order side of things, but despite some of the watertribers’ insistence that it’s still a mom-and-pop regatta for the fringe, it’s time to get real. There’s no longer any complaint about resources; with entry fees at around $400 per person and more than 200 competitors, the money is there – and the Coast Guard makes getting an MEP a fairly smooth, if somewhat time-consuming process. And getting the permit requires organizers to really think through the possibilities, ensuring that there’s a safety and comms plan in place for the good of the fleet.
Discussion, pics, more videos in the forum.
