I have always been curious about these races, is it just a "run what you brung" kinda race or do they have specific boats allowed.
At one time, the Worrell was full of custom creations. The Tybee creators have been pretty focused on having class racing. Logistically, having boats of widely varying performance can be an issue for the race committee when spread over such a large distance.
I think we have AdventureOnline.TV for their video production to thank for some of the additional participation!