Cape to Cape update and feedback :: Featured Mullet Event

– When registering, we will again ask you for custom race shirt sizes and you will be REQUIRED to wear this bright color race jersey. This requirement is not only for spotting and visibility, but also so the event staff knows which paddlers are part of the event. We had a situation where an independent paddler on a unapproved craft joined the first start wave, this caused major confusion among our paddlers in the second wave and the assignment of our safety fleet. The situation that occurred on the boat where paddlers wanted to wear their own club jersey’s should have been avoided and the two gentlemen from CapitalSUP did not get their proper race bibs until after the race was over. Not only from a marketing stand point, it was a safety issue to some participants in different color shirts. …Cody must have been onboard w Fielding and Chris to safely guide them across the race course in first place in their respective divisions.

– The Cape to Cape does not require individual vessel escorts and there is no guarantee that every division will have their own lead boat. There are navigational skills involved with this race, with the wind and tidal flow that come into play for the entire paddle. We work with USCG Station Cape May, SEA TOW, local water men and women, and have done countless reconnaissance trips to give our safety vessels a GPS coordinate corridor to have the best line along the race course. However, if any participants choose to have a private escort, this simply adds safety and more eyes on the water so it is totally encouraged.

– The Cape May Rips have very unpredictable currents and eddies, July 1 was no exception. This is the reason that we prefer to have paddlers get close to the Cape May Point State Park/Lighthouse, and then make the run with the outgoing current East to the finish line. By getting close to shore in Cape May Point, you avoid Middle Shoal and Overfalls, two of the most dangerous sections in the Cape May Rips. You are more than welcome to find your own line to the finish buoys, but as mentioned, our safety vessels have the best line. This is an open ocean event, and a requirement is you must be able to remount your craft on your own at any time, even in rough ocean conditions.

– We will request all participants to bring their own pads and cushioning for transportation in the box truck for future events, padded travel bags are preferred. If anyone has a connection for a surf ski or OC’s trailer, please let me know. From what we understand, each of these trailers can handle multiple surf ski and OC’s, so this would alleviate these crafts to be loaded into the same vehicle as the prone and SUP boards. We are also going to allow pre race drop off of craft to save time on race day. (And just to let everyone know, SUPRunner, who does the logistics for all of our transportation, handles $100,000’s of equipment in their own vehicles monthly. Ed Miller is a military vet, an expert in logistics, an integral part of our team, and again donates his time to help out Foundation.)

– Our board caddies were badgered by some of the participants as they approached the beach to aide them when they completed the event. These fellow paddlers, whom have completed past Cape to Cape events, are professional and are simply there to assist you as you make landfall. They do their best and if there are any trust issues in the future, kindly tell them that you would prefer to handle your craft on your own.

– One thing I failed to mention is that Queen Street Beach, where the City of Cape May allows us to setup, is a recreational water area. This is a limited amount of space for our special event permit.  Swimmers are NOT allowed in this section of the surf zone. It is a designated surfing beach, the City makes an exception for our land fall. The swimming zone are located about 25 yards to the West of our caddy zone. This is for the safety of all of you, as well as the beach goers who aren’t aware of our event. There are surfers in the water and many of us fought hard to have these dedicated surf zones along the beach front, swimming is strictly prohibited.

– Although our Race Committee give priority for previous year participants and class winners, entry is not guaranteed based solely on these credentials. We will be introducing a lottery system for future entry, and the registration process will be updated. As our race grows, we will do our best to honor our word for future entry but understand that decisions are based on the entire group, not one individual or class of craft.