By thefluidpen

Ft. Lauderdale, where high-rises move because they are cruise ships, rolled out the welcome mat with "unseasonably cool temperatures" (in the 70s), some sprinkles and a steady northwesterly breeze that swayed the palm fronds ashore and heeled the boats that ventured out to sea.

Last night, C Squared sailed down from West Palm Beach, where it was launched at Cracker Boy Boat Works, aka "The Crack." This 50-mile trip, with only a skeleton crew of boat captain Bill Erkelens and navigator Robert Flowerman on board, was quick and wet. The breeze was on the beam all the way pushing the nimble Wyliecat 44 to speeds beyond 15 knots-all without spinnaker.

Now the boat is parked it at the eastern end of the 17th Street Bridge, at the Hyatt Marina, where several other racing yachts also are tied up. Everyone is toiling to get ready for Wednesday's feeder race to Key West, a 160-mile run down the coast of Southern Florida.

The scene on our dock and around us was one of organized chaos, with guys scurrying to finish last-minute jobs on their boats. An excerpt of the work list on C Squared : Washing and installing sheet bags; putting in steering compasses and night lights; mounting jack lines and the Man Overboard Module (two safety and rescue devices); sending a man up into the rig for inspection and to reeve a reefing line; and, of course, numerous runs to the local West Marine store.

It is a small world, and an eclectic one, where the boys (and a few girls) who sail and maintain these boats for the owners, know each other well. For outsiders, it compares to a meeting of fellow roadies when their bands happen to play in the same town or at the same festival. A friendly "hi" is followed by some good-natured ribbing, a quick story about victory or defeat on the racecourse or a boat-bum Anecdote.

"You towed the boat?"
"All the way across from California."
"How was the trip?"
"Great."
"Did you have aligator?"
"Yeah, in Louisiana."
"Tastes swampy, eh?"
"Nah, mine was more like chicken with seabass. Found Jesus, too."
"Where?"
"At a gas station, in Texas."

Although it is "only" a coastal race, and a feeder to a larger, more important event, the yachts and their crews still have to be prepared for tough conditions, because they will be exposed to the vast Atlantic that will dish up a breeze and swells that run into adverse local current, which produces patches of rough water.

The weather forecast from Commander's Weather came in as a multi-page fax document that includes a summary of the general outlook for the area, a detailed wind forecast that breaks each day up into eight three-hour increments and the corresponding weather maps. C Squared is ready, if a boat ever can be ready. She's together and she's clean. The mainsail is bent on and all unnecessary stuff had been taken off the boat. And what has to stay was stowed in strategic locations to better trim the boat. On Wednesday, Jan 11, at 1 p.m. EST, the starting gun will send us on our way. We hope to cover the 160 miles in less than 24 hours, but with the wind against the current, it'll get lumpy and bumpy. No sleep til Key West. Let the real fun begin.

Find out how we were doing in the next part of this blog that will be filed after the finish in Key West.