I'd say If you really have a burning desire to do the race for the right reasons then go for it.It is not an elitist group(or wasn't in the past).It's a group of some of the best people your gonna meet anywhere. That was a big reason I did it 4 times. Finishing is the number one goal for everyone, the farther up the better. If your wondering if Mike would accept your resume, call him and ask him,the sooner the better. He's very approachable and helpful. As far as owning a boat or not, it is certainly a huge benefit.You obviously can figure out a lot more ahead of time, and every second DOES count.Look at going into the last leg this year. Safety is just an issue of using your head and not going over your limits. The worst scenarios I've personally been through were Jensen and the 97? Steeplechase. Yeah they were hairy and few others came close but if your real worried about doing anything dangerous you'd pretty much lead a real boring life.Those are the things you remember.
If you've got any questions shoot me an E-mail at Todd@teamcatfever.com
Todd A. Hart
p.s. Oh yeah, it's expensive ,no way around it.