I think the Islands did great this year as I stated above. The WaterTribe EC will continue to be a pressure cooker for Islands, especially when the winds are up--maybe next year. There were several Mirage Drive failures this year. To Hobie's credit, they have been VERY active in reaching out to owners that experienced mechanical problems. Owners have expressed their appreciation on the WaterTribe forum,
http://watertribe.org/forums/topic/dorsalis-mechanical-failure-of-hobie-ai-mirage-drive/page/3Since we are touting our boats, I want to point out that
Dogslife and
PenquinMan solo-piloted their AIs to great times even though they did the Wilderness Waterway route (35-40 mi longer, difficult to navigate, fighting counter currents) and ran Nightmare--a particularly onerous section. You know, I always question the wisdom of taking an AI/TI down the WW and nightmare--but they did it! Hooray! Clearly, some Island owners continue to put themselves and their boats to the fullest personal challenge of the Everglades Challenge--and win.
In addition, if you want to parse the results further, my feeling is that
ChumBucket & TriSherpa in their TI--who also did the WW & Nightmare--were amazing. Kudos to them for their success.
SirTackalot finished solo in his Tandem, after he lost his partner in dramatic fashion off Broad River.
The rest of the AI/TIs? They did great, too, in their own way and to their own drummer.
As we know, Hobie continuously listens to their customers and continue to improve their boats.
Bravo to them.
Keith