WaterTribe NCC 2021

If you have ever considered doing a WaterTribe challenge (the EC300 - Everglades Challenge - is the most well known), this video will give you an idea of what it is like for a first timer in a monohull sailboat. The NCC - North Carolina Challenge - is the shorter 96 mile option that most competitors choose, although there is also a 300 mile Blackbeard’s Challenge run concurrently. The NCC route was a great challenge to start with as it provides a variety of waterways to traverse, from large sounds to narrow canals, but the navigation is simple (4 left turns) and there are fewer alligators than in Florida. I have a fair bit of sailing experience, but most has been in racing dinghies or larger cruising boats. I purchased this 16ft wooden skiff last fall and spent the winter making repairs. It has been a whole new experience already and the Challenge provided me with a big collection of firsts on top of that: first time cooking on a camp stove first time camping in an open boat first time going more than 24hrs with stepping ashore in almost 20 years first time sleeping outside for 3 days in a row (maybe ever, or at least in 30 years) first time riding out a big thunderstorm in a small open boat first time in 10 years I didn’t check work emails for more than a day That last one may be the most significant. I am a pretty adventurous person, but most of those adventures end back at home before dark and most mornings involve checking the weather to see what plans to make. It was very refreshing to be out in the weather no matter what with a simple goal each day of forward progress along the route.