You can be resupplied at official checkpoints, using outside support. Mostly you just stop and camp whever you think you can avoid being harassed. You actually can stop and eat in a restaurant or stay in a motel, but that slows you down.

Ultimate Florida was ran twice, in 2006 and in 2010. Next one is planed for 2012, it will be bi-annual event, seems like Watertribe reached flash point for enough crazy people to sustain the race.
There are 11 people finished the race so far, two of them did it twice.
All but two finishers did it in canoe/kayak of one type or another.
Matt the Wizard did it in capsular self righting unsinkable monohulls "Enigma" (12 ft long, 180 lbs, 4 ft wide) in 2006, and her smaller sister Elusion ( 9 ft long) in 2010

I did it on inflatable catamaran of Russian origin. 15 ft long, 6.5 ft wide, about 100 sq ft upwind sail area, 170 downwind. weighted at check-in last time I flied with the boat at 180 lbs fully packed in three bags. The boat was lighter for this challenge, I guess somewhere around 170 lbs.

Pelican took Hobie Adventure Island tandem trimaran all way to portage this year, He dropped out there (He finished 2006 challenge with canoe). He dropped out because he was running out of time, he didn't have full month available and he had number of misfortunes on the trip. Boat was heavy too, however he was sure he could bring it all way around if he had enough time.

I and Pelican by-passed upper 30 miles of St. Marys river on land, opting out for a longer portage. This option is no longer available.

St. Marys river is navigatable on sailboat for about 60 miles. It is tidal river, current reverses or stops twice a day for about 70 miles. There is one low bridge, but other than that it can be paddled, rowed or sailed relatively easy. On my second day on the river I ran into stiff headwinds, so I was tacking every 30 seconds all day long

Upper 30 miles of the river is a nightmare even for kayakers.
Stiff current, low branches, shoals,strainers, deadwoods.

Portage is about 40 miles long, flat with very low divider half the way it is slight uphill, half way - downhill.
It is active two line road, with soft shoulder, Traffic is not heavy but cars and tracks are there.

Then you have about 220 miles of Suwannee river, first 80 miles are not sailable.
Full course overview is here
http://watertribe.com/Events/UltimateFloridaChallenge/Default.aspx

Overall, Cross Florida Stage from Fort Clinch on east coast to Cedar key on west coast is about 390 miles. Best paddling time for this stage is 6 days. My time was 10 days.

After all this torturous info, I still believe that taking light catamaran is a way to go

Actually rivers part wasn't all that bad. I was moving, I slept full nights (I couldn't do much at night with inflatable hulls around snags) and I was worm and dry finally and I had plenty of fresh water
Sailing Atlantic side was much more exhausting in the weather we had.

Spindennis.
I think you are on a right track. Don't expect to be fast. But we have had many instances when slow but steady won.

I personally don't see any advantages in bi-sail rig and I see quite a few disadvantages - it seems like windward sail always will be in a way of a person on a board, and leeward sail is hard to control. But idea is around for so long so it may have some merits.

I saw on another forum that you are getting your towing set-up right. Just think light. Try to make your boat as light as possible.

Good luck
Vlad

vlad,
I sense you have a good feeling of what I'm going thru, you as a proven competitor had already gone this path, and still doing it. I was especially tuned in to your race, being on a cat, I feel we are part of a pride of big cats!

I've got a few more youtube videos now going: 4 total so far
youtube ufc build videos
subscribe to my channel to stay updated .....

I'm gonna go back and see all the other posts again,
and see why I'm not getting email notifications .....

the starck design is kinda weird .....
and these pics over simplify things .....
I see some problems with the wheel setup but,
i have thought about a similar idea,
but it would have to tie in both wheels together .....
still interesting though.
my simple dolly worked pretty nicely , see the video
so now I have a baseline to work from.
it will be hard to beat though .....

the triack is also interesting,
but like others have said ....
being in there for 3 weeks could be rough.
I prefer to stretch out some ....
I learned this the hard way
when I paddle the coast of texas back in may.

Vlad,
I also believe this, and once I got this fine tuned, this folding catamaran system will become the standard ufc boat.

And this will be a fast boat, someday. maybe not in the river sections but in open waters.

It still has years of development to go though, but the first version will/could be ready soon. But like you, I'm on a budget so I can't just jump into what I think the best design is gonna be.

Like another poster said, look around for an older A-class boat and modify that, though this kind of shopping around will take time and I'm not exactly in the middle of the fleet if you know what I mean. south padre is a great place, but it's far removed from much!

Does anyone want 2 wooden A-cat hulls? Very nice but Unfinished project. Weight about 60 pounds each, epoxy marine 3 mm plywood. Location GAinesville.

BTW- does everybody know how low the Suwannee River is? It is at its Historic low- canoers cannot get down upper part. Trips cancelled. No rain this fall. I believe with a dry winter it will have very little water in March.

I also have an actual Prindle 15 for sale cheap. Better than a P16 for this.

Dacarls, how is volume of those wooden hulls? I'm too heavy for A-cat, unfortunately. It is 220 lbs body and another 50-60 lbs of gear and water.

I did 2003 Everglades Challenge on wooden A-cat. Didn't show any spectacular time. I had all sorts of fun, broke dolphin striker while launching the boat, run into low bridge and wedged the boat between pilings. Crashed one GPS between my knee and crossbar while navigating Coxambas pass. Another GPS was completely dead from water penetration already. It was fun sailing in 10000 island area in complete dark without GPS, not really knowing where I was. With wind from rear quarters I tried to go slowly for a change. I actually stopped at some campsites and asked for direction. Smashed both boards. Get bombarded by school of mullet, with fishes hitting me into face and jumping on a trampoline. I slept on trampoline with the boat on water two nights, just had no place to pull the boat on a shore. Waves were washing over me – boat was so low in water. Run over a manatee, now it was scary. Got hypothermic around Cape Sable, in very worm weather - I didn’t want to change into drysuit with sun going down and I was trying to catch as much light as I could. As a result I lost almost a day – getting on a beach, building a fire and then not having any will power to continue into night.

Overall, it was remarkable trip
Anyway, got any pics of hulls?
How heavy this Prindle 15 thing?

Vlad,

If Hobie 14 is about 220 pounds, Hobie 16 360lbs, Prindle 15 right in between at 300 pounds is my guess. More flotation than H14 or a skinny A-cat. These are fatter A-cat hulls= ok.
UNderstand 220 lbs plus gear is a load on a small performance cat.

dacaris,
No problem, those hulls are perfect for me! I'm 165lbs ,,,,,
and it's just what my ufc boat calls for!
dennis
south padre island, texas

+1 the Prindle 15 was 265 pounds (when new)