I would like to report that Team RAF has successfully completed the 2007 Everglades Challenge. Out of the 18 boats that entered in our class (class 4, sailboats) only 10 were able to finish the challenge. We came in third place overall with a time of 4 days and 8 min. Of the 8 boats that DNF, 2 EPIRBS were set off and the Coast Guard intervened.

We have about 10 videos and lots of pictures posted in a slide show on our website. Be sure to see the video called "Around East Cape" it shows how hard we pushed these boats.

We had lots of stuff break along the way including both lee boards and multiple rudder control failures but we dealt with it and kept on trucking. One especially memorable point of the adventure was rounding Cape Romano at 2am with 20knot winds out of the North East and 5 foot breakers from the shoals just feet sometimes hitting us from the side. I thought it was all over but the team stuck together all the way till the finish.

This race was the best sailing experience I have had to date. I will definitely be a challenger in the 2008 Everglades challenge.

Alan (AKA S.O.S)
acstewar@ncsu.edu