Scoot SpecificsThis is a Living Document, and as such may change from time to time for any reason.
The Scoot
scoot (skōōt)
v. scoot•ed, scoot•ing, scoots
v.intr. To go suddenly and speedily; hurry.
An open challenge for individuals who would like to go cross-ocean sailing to the Bahamas, departing from the Beaufort, NC area, and completing the voyage non-stop.
The first, primary, and over-riding concern of anyone striving to meet this common goal is to seek to ensure the possibility of their own safe arrival at their planned destination, prior to their departure.
Voluntary participation in the Scoot means each person/participant will be assuming the individual responsibility of being involved in a challenge which absolutely requires high standards of independent judgment, preparation, and good seamanship in the individual realization of reaching a common goal.
There are no entry fees, no inspections, and no "Scoot rules".
There is no rescue committee, or rescue plan, other than that which individual skippers prepare for themselves and their own craft.
There will only be you, your boat, and the ever-changing and sometimes merciless open ocean.
Be Ready. Because it's all up to You, and only You.
Start Date: April 26, 2010 - more or less.
Start Point: Off of Beaufort, NC, likely from the Lookout Bight area.
Finish Place: Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas
The exact final destination yet to be determined, and totally dependent on suitability for our purposes and in the spirit of the other considerations for the Scoot.
Costs of Entering the Bahamas and other such legalities will be assumed by the individual skippers.
Distance: approximately 650 NM
Entry Fee: $0.00
Deadline to Join In: Sometime on or after the Start Date.
Deadline to drop out: The entry fee will be refunded if you drop out before the first day of your Scoot.
Minimum Equipment List: Completely and totally at the discretion of the individual participants.
There will be no official inspection.
You are responsible for you, your boat, and related equipment being able, capable, equipped, and ready for the inherent challenges, difficulties, and dangers of crossing the open ocean in a relatively small boat.
Time Limit to Finish: Before the sun burns out, or before the start of the next Scoot.
Use of engines: This is nominally a sailing challenge, so the use of an engine for propulsion would seem to go against the spirit of the event. That said, each individual is responsible for how they conduct their own Scoot, and if you'd like to motor, that is your choice.
Regulations: The Rules of the Sea, COLREGs, International Maritime Law, etc...
Handicaps: None.
Prizes: There will be no prizes for participation in the Scoot.
There will likely be the feeling of a sense of accomplishment and success for those who complete their own Scoot.
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As of the writing of this document, 2 Scooters have set the basic parameters of their own Scoots, which happen to be occurring concurrently. Scooters may at their own choice, as these two have done, make available whatever information they have regarding their own Scoots via the Scoot web page and/or discussion forum area on the sailFar website. Other Scooters may decide on their own to do this as well.
It is not a recommendation that you make any decisions based upon *any other Scooters decisions*.
These Scooters, all Scooters, are doing their Scoot according to their own personal parameters, just as you should do your own.
Note: sailFar is simply providing space for Scoot discussion, and in no way is promoting the idea that you yourself, or anyone else, should Scoot.
The decision to Scoot, and the attendant concerns, possibilities, problems, and consequences of you having made that decision are entirely up to YOU.
No Scooter, or anyone else in the *entire world* for that matter, has any responsibility whatsoever for the preparedness, well being, skills, or decisions of the individual Scooters.
Doing a Scoot is entirely up to you as your own individual choice - from the initial consideration, to however far you decide to go with it, to what might happen or what does happen relevant at all to the Scoot concept, is entirely your responsibility.
Scooters are asked to report their status whenever practical to some other party, especially 1) on arrival at the destination, 2) if they retire from their Scoot, or 3) otherwise will be delayed in arriving. This is pure common sense, and will help avoid unnecessary worry on friends and family members, and may have side benefits like negating the possibility of an unnecessary and extremely costly and dangerous Search and Rescue which would endanger the lives of others than yourself.
The measure of the success of a Scoot could loosely be defined as NOT having to call the Coast Guard, nor to have anyone even wonder how your Scoot went until you have finished it.
What is a Scoot? (and what it isn't, too!)
Scooters!