For the catsailor coverage of the Tybee 500, go to our welcome page. There is a lead-in story about the race and a link to our main Tybee coverage page where Rick will be posting stories and pictures once or twice a day. On that page there is also a box with links to information about the race -- like checkpoints, competitors, etc.

Yesterday Rick took pictures of all the teams, and those are already posted, along with team names, competitors' names, and boat type.

On our main Tybee coverage page you will also find a link to click through to Mary's Hotline. That is where I will be posting frequent updates when they are called in to me by Rick.

I started this thread on the Open Forum to give all the rest of you a place to offer input and to ask questions concerning the race. Tell us what you want to know, and we will try to get the answers for you.

Thanks.

Here it goes! While I'm going to miss following the Worrell, the Tybee 500 brings a lot of interest. There's a lot of faces from the Worrell and a lot of relatively new "underdogs" to cheer for. It is interesting to have such diversity for the start of such a race. So who's your pick?

Team Chaos has my admiration; two younger guys going busting out right after college finals and arriving at the last minute from Connecticut in a van and setting up their N6.0NA a couple of hours before the start this morning? - they're brothers too. Then there's the polar opposite and my local favorite; Team Tommy Bahama with resources that continue to surprise us (a freakin' 400hp chase boat? ). I'm rooting for both - who's your pick?

P.S. think about that chase boat! Safety, safety, safety. It's an expensive resource but something I think a race like this could really use on the water. I feel it would be akin to the $4million S.C. spent on cables between north and south bound traffic on I26 and I385 - you don't really appreciate it unless you know what it's like to have needed it! (I would still own a pristine '88 convertible RX-7 had those cables been in place two years ago).

Mary,
where can I find the list of the 27 (I read this no. somewhere) teams starting, competitors' names and boat type together with the pics of each team, you say Rick has already posted?
Thanks

Catsailor listing of Tybee teams

Race coverage

The sailing instructions list a 8:55 first gun for today and 9:55am for the other legs. Has this changed?

As per the Team Chaos Website,

"Monday, May 12 8:00 AM

Team Chaos is up and ready to sail! The start of the race is at 10:00 AM, and the race committee reports all boats will be in the water for a deep water start (the next 5 starts will be beach starts). Islamorada is warm with light breezes, with reports of little wind in the afternoon. This could be a problem. Today's leg is 90 miles long ending in Hollywood, FL. If winds stay light from the SSE, we could be looking at a long day. Nonetheless, spirits are high and the much anticipated race is about to begin. The warning horn goes off at 9:50, 5 minute gun at 9:55 and the starting gun at 10:00 AM."

Jake,
Thanks for putting in the links for me.

Maurizio,
If you go to our list of competitors with their pictures, it gives the sailors' names and their boat type.

And, yes, the notice of race and sailing instructions said the first start was going to be at 9:00 a.m., but at the skippers meeting Sunday, the start time was changed to 10:00 a.m.

Our links to each leg of the race currently refer to Worrell 1000 coverage from last year. These will be changed later today. There won't be anything in them anyway until after the fact. Those are the places where we put the stories and pictures from each leg after that leg is over and the next one has begun.

Do you know that all the "leg" links still point to W1k 2002? Didn't know if you had noticed that yet.

As I said above, those links to Leg 1, Leg 2, etc. are irrelevant right now -- they are just where we will be archiving each day's stories and photos after that leg is over and the new one starts.

Just received this by e-mail from Chris Stater:

Mary
I checked out list of competitors.
I know it would be a lot of work, but should team manager's be listed?
Maybe list major team sponsor?

Even though their websites carry alot of the sponsor info, managers, other team members.
To the infrequent viewer, it might impress. Anyway $0.02.

As always, thank you in advance for your great work,
Chris Stater

* * * * *
Chris,
It has been difficult to get much information from the race committee. They did not even have first names for the competitors, much less names of team managers. It took me all day yesterday to piece together full names for the competitors, including researching my magazine database and registration forms for past regattas that have been held at our place and placing phone calls to numerous people. I am hoping that all the names are correct.

This is the first year for this event, so it is a learning experience for the race committee people. They have been very, very busy; it is understandable that they have not had time to come up with all the little details the media wants.

I understand that at least two motorboats are following the T-500 (Tommy B and Cat Sailor via the Short's boat). How often do you plan to furniush updates? This is SO exciting, that I just can't stand it..............

Thanks for all of CS's great coverage and service to the sport of catsailing. I will check this site often for updates.

Chip and Barb Short said they will be along with their powerboat for part of the race, but I don't know which legs. I will get that information for you later.

As far as Tommy Bahama's powerboat, I presume that their reports will be on the Tommy Bahama website. Their link is in our competitor list.

For today Rick will be making his way by motorhome up to the finish line at Hollywood, so I don't imagine he will be seeing much of the boats along the way.

My reports are at my Hotline, http://www.catsailor.com/Tybee500/Hotline.htm

In case you haven't been checking, Rick has now posted pictures of the Tybee 500 start.

A quick (i.e. subject to mistakes) crosscheck between the teams listed on the Tybee 500 web site Registered Teams page and those listed on the Results page shows that 7 of the Inter 20's who signed up did not make the start (Chip Zenke, Mark Green, Rob Landcaster, Jay Roth, Eric Euler, Steve Marsh, and Easy Rider). There was one addition, Team Loewen (not listed on the Registered Teams page). All of the F18's shown on the Registerd Teams page are accounted for in the Results list, with the addition of the Fowler team. Among the Nacra 6.0's registered, Frank Dimeo and Garrett Norton are missing from the Results list.

There seems to be a nice mix of boats in this event. I am surprised that there were not more Nacra 6.0NEs, as they seem well suited for the event. The Tybee 500 seems to be off to a good start with nearly 30 boats starting.

I am looking forward to all the available internet coverage.

I suspect that given another year, more N6.0s will compete. Most of the I20 and especially the F18ht teams were already geared up for this kind of racing.

I really wanted to see the F18HT's compete in the graveyard of the atlantic that I had a baptism in last weekend.

Kevin,
I don't quite understand what you are saying. I do know that the list on our catsailor.com Tybee page is complete and accurate and the lists on the Tybee 500 site have not yet been updated and still do not include full names. As I said, the race volunteers have been very busy and they have not had time to take care of some of those details.

The only question mark I still have as far as the teams on our catsailor page is Will Sunnucks' crew. The Tybee people have the crew's last name as "Sela" and no first name. Until I can get a clarification, I have put the crew's name as Mark Self, since that is who usually sails with Will Sunnucks. If I find out differently, I will change it on our list.

Mary,

Sorry if there was any confusion with the post. Out of curiousity, I took a look at who showed for the race vs. those who were listed on the "Registered Teams" page of the Tybee500 site. I hope it didn't sound as if I were questioning your list.

I became curious when I saw that the N6.0 numbers were less than I'd anticipated. I then decided to look at who showed among the rest of the boats.

Can't wait for your reports durning the week.