The boys finished 7th in their division of 15 cayucos,beaten only by the 5 veteran teams and one other team they were neck to neck with the whole time.
Thanks to blistered hands and some mishaps on Sunday races (stuck on a rock,rammed by another boat),they were slowed down and lost 6th place by under 2 minutes. Danny reports great satisfaction on having accomplished something so difficult and unique. Check our picture gallery (link in the righthand column) for more pictures.
The race starts on Friday,with a leg above the Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side. The cayucos leave from a port in the city of Cristobal and paddle as far as the entrance to the locks. Saturday morning they put in on the other side of the locks and paddle across Gatun Lake,which takes at least 3 hours,for many teams more than 4. This brings them to Gamboa,roughly halfway down the canal. Sunday morning they do an early sprint,then paddle from Gamboa to the Pedro Miguel Locks. The boats are taken out and around those locks and Miraflores locks,then they paddle from there to the finish,near the Pacific entrance. Normally the cayucos go through the locks,but this year were unable to,due to low water and the need for conservation (this was a decision of the Canal Authority). If you’re interested in more information,including maps,go here:
http://www.cayucorace.org/cayucopedia/index.php?title=Ocean_to_Ocean_Cayuco_Race
