The Wild Side

Registered for this years WaterTribe Everglades Challenge under the new 'Exhibition Class' is a 6-man outrigger sailing canoe. The team is Captained by Terry Tomalin, the Florida, St. Petersburg Times Outdoors Editor.

Terry competed in the very first EC seven years ago, and wrote a 5 part article of his experiences. The articles are a fun read. That first years Challenge began with 25-knot winds and 5-foot seas in Tampa Bay. Only 14 of the 27 starting boats even made it to the first checkpoint at 72 miles., only 7 boats finished the race. 300 miles in a week is tough enough, but every year, the EC is all about the weather.

Terry is at it again. Another EC and writing about his own adventure. This time he'll also be writing about the other challengers as well. In addition to the outrigger canoe, there will be a boat with photographers and videographers following along. Darn, I never did lose the extra weight, and the camera always puts so many extra pounds on :)

You don't even have to wait. As Terry prepares for the Challenge, he's started posting daily to a blog called "The Wild Side". He's writing about his previous Challenge, his team this year, and other regular WaterTribe Challengers.

I can't wait to meet him. I've said it before, the very best thing about WaterTribe is the incredible people it attracts.