If so you’d qualify as one of the wackos competing in the 2021 Skiff Challenge later this week.
Yes, people actually do this. They get in an 18-foot (max) skiff in Pensacola and literally do not stop (minus a tiny media break at the halfway point) until they get to Fernandina Beach around two days later. This can take anywhere from 38-50 hours.
I would liken this kind of masochism to getting in a race car with the tightest suspension possible and going as fast as you can as long as you can down a dirt road with potholes, washboard, and exposed rocks… in the dark, with blinding rain, and hidden obstacles to avoid. In short, this is an incredibly physical challenge—not to mention the mental hurdles this presents.
While talking to Captains for Clean Water’s co-founder, Chris Whitman, last week about the event, he likened it to a religious experience and gave me the rundown of the history, how you can follow along, and even take minutes off certain teams times by pledging a donation in honor of one of the teams times involved. At this point over $60K has been raised of the $100K goal, and all of the money raised for the event will go to the Captains for Clean Water general fund which, “works to advance science-based solutions through efforts focused on awareness and education, and empowering people like you to speak up for our water quality and hold elected officials accountable in the state of Florida.”
Right now, Florida is facing yet another in a long string of clean water challenges.
Click here to get more detailed info on how to donate, follow along with live GPS tracking, or learn more about the challenge. It starts this week on April 8th and aims to wrap up on the 11th.
-Tim Romano
