WaterTribe^TM Ultra Marathon (UM)

Tampa Bay To Stump Pass at Cape Haze Marina In Sea Kayaks, Canoes and Small Boats

The next Ultra Marathon is  Saturday, March 07, 2020. There is an equipment inspection Friday, March 06, 2020. Cost is $245.00  for the captain and $245.00 for a crew member if any.

Billing starts January 1.
Registration ends January 31 at noon.
Payment Deadline is January 31 at noon.

Due to the exteme commitment for this race late registration and/or late payments will not be allowed. We recommend that you commit to this race early so you have plenty of time for planning, training, and preparation. Pay early in the payment cycle. You can get a full refund up until January 31 at noon. No refunds after that date and time.

All WaterTribe events are dangerous events as defined by Florida law and common sense. You are responsible for your own safety. You must read and understand the warning before you register for this event.

The Ultra Marathon is an unsupported, expedition style adventure race for kayaks, canoes, and small boats. The distance is roughly 62 miles depending on your course selection. There is a time limit of 2 days or less. Your safety and well being are completely up to you.

Unsupported means that there are no safety boats or support crews to help you during the race. You are not allowed to have a support crew follow you or meet you during the race. It is OK to have family or friends meet you at the official checkpoints, but they cannot provide anything other than emotional support. See the official WaterTribe rules for more details.

Expedition style means that you must carry the same type of equipment and supplies that you would carry on a major expedition lasting 4 weeks or more. Camping equipment, food, water, safety, communication, etc. is required. See the Rules and Warning link at the top of this page for the official required equipment list for more details.

Although this is a race, many participants are more interesting in cruising and adventure. Whether you are a cruiser or racer is up to you. Just getting to the starting line is a major accomplishment and only about 40% of starters are able to finish. You should be an expert kayaker and/or sailor before you consider this challenge.

SPECIAL NOTE: As of UM2008 the required finish time is noon on Sunday.

Note that the WaterTribe Marathon runs concurrently with the Everglades Challenge.

Start - Fort Desoto Park, Tampa Bay, Florida

The race will start in Fort Desoto Park (the link shows a nice bird's eye view of the starting beach) located on Mullet Key in Tampa Bay, Florida.  A large pavilion is reserved for all day Friday.  Boats may assemble on the adjacent beach.   All boats should be left on the beach above the high water mark Friday night. A guard will be posted.  

The pavilion is at East Beach on the eastern leg of Mullet Key facing south.  There is a very nice beach perfect for launching boats.  There is road access to the beach for sailboats.  See the Chief at the captains meeting for directions 

Friday afternoon there will be a captain and crew meeting which is mandatory.  Your boat may be inspected for final class determination.  If you can't make it to the normal equipment inspection on Friday, you should arrange another time.  mailto:Chief@WaterTribe.com  to make special arrangements well in advance.

If you don't want to off load your boat right on the beach, there is a very nice boat ramp on Mullet Key.  After you pass through the toll booth ($0.35 per car + $0.10 per axle) and go over the bridge, the ramp is on your right.  Many cars are parked here for days at a time for extended fishing trips.  This is where you will leave your car and trailer if you don't get someone to drive it down to Key Largo.  The lot is patrolled.  Please note that none of us associated with the race accepts any responsibility for your vehicle or trailer or their contents.

After you launch, you can sail around Mullet Key to the pavilion.  The Lat/Lon of the pavilion and the beach adjacent to it will be provided in due course.

Camping on Mullet Key

There is a very nice campground on Mullet Key.  

• Sites 1-85 are designed for tent, van, and pop-up campers.

• Sites 86-233 are designed and equipped to accommodate all camping units

• All sites have water, electrical hookup ( 30 amps), picnic table, and a charcoal grill

• Dump stations, restrooms, showers, and laundry are available

• Many sites are waterfront with room for your kayak or boat in your camp site.

Reservation is VERY limited.  Reserve your site as early as possible.  Google Fort Desoto park for reservation information.

EC CP1 and UM Finish - Cape Haze Marina, Englewood, Florida

Cape Haze Marina is the first checkpoint for the Everglades Challenge and the finish for the Ultra Marathon.

Roughly 60 miles along the coast from Tampa Bay you will come to Stump Pass which feeds into the Intracoastal Waterway. The Cape Haze Marina checkpoint is located a couple miles south of Stump Pass on your port side.

Finding Cape Haze Marina

Near Intracoastal Waterway Markers Red "8" and Green "9" there are private channel markers into Cape Haze Marina on your port side as you are heading south. After entering the marina, turn right just after the first set of docks. Turn left at the sea wall and proceed to the floating dock next to the rock sea wall. Sailboats can pick any open dock opposite the rock sea wall to tie up.

• Cape Haze Entrance
  Lat 26.875422°
  Lon -82.314172°
• Cape Haze Dock
  Lat 26.874206°
  Lon -82.312763°
• CP1Beach001 - See Special Note Below
  Lat 26.87348°
  Lon 82.31439°
• CP1Beach002 - Trail Head to CP1 - See Special Note Below
  Lat 26.87363°
  Lon 82.31445°

SPECIAL NOTE - The beach landing is for Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Hobie AIs, and Hobie TIs only. All other boats must go into the marina docks. Class 3 boats and Hobies MUST retract or take off their amas and akas. Also, if you will be at CP1 longer than 20 minutes, you must use a boat cart to move your boat up to the grassy area at CP1.

The beach landing is located near marker Red 8. As you are heading south, turn left just after passing Red 8 and you can't miss the small beach landing. The landing and trail to CP1 is near an apartment building so BE QUIET when you land or launch.

Accommodations at Cape Haze Marina

There are two docks shown near the bottom left quadrant of the picture. The one farthest to the left in this aerial shot (partially obstructed by a tree in this shot) is a floating dock that is the official checkpoint landing. Please do not use the dock next to it.

Larger boats can tie up at any open dock opposite the grassy area and rock sea wall. There is no official time limit but try to make your stay at the dock as short as possible.

There is plenty of room to pitch tents as needed in the grassy area next to the rock sea wall on the left side of the picture. We will have a boat cart for kayaks to help move your boat up to the tent area.

Resupply is within a couple of miles and some shuttles will be available from time to time. Fresh water is available at the marina but you might want to filter for taste. We might have some bottled water for sale at the same price we pay for it. There is a shower, rest rooms and more.

One of the toughest filters in the whole course is the hot tub and pool. It is recommended that you do not use these features because you may decide not to leave.