RS Sailing
Premier Way, Abbey Park
Romsey Hampshire SO51 9DQ
01794 526760
RS Sailing
Premier Way, Abbey Park
Romsey Hampshire SO51 9DQ
01794 526760

Taking on The Everglades Challenge in a RS Venture

June 29, 2021
The Everglades Challenge in a RS Venture

When David Hosler moved back to Florida after being in California for several years, he went looking for ways to rediscover the Florida he left behind years before. One day, an old friend came into his music store with the perfect solution, the Everglades Challenge. This fateful day helped Hosler rediscover his passion for the sport of sailing and journey into his love of the unknown.

The Everglades Challenge is an unsupported, expedition style race for small sailboats, kayaks and canoes. Competitors have eight days to travel the roughly 300-mile distance without any assistance from safety boats or support crews. The Challenge course follows the Florida coastline from Fort Desoto to Key Largo, with much of the race occurring within the boundaries of the Everglades National Forest.

Intrigued by the idea of participating, Hosler began looking into the Challenge. “I had just picked up sailing again; I sailed when I was younger, but it had been a while since I had been out in a boat. So that first year I just went out and watched the boats launch,” he says. After seeing the boats launch, he was hooked and knew he wanted to be a part of it as a competitor. The first challenge was figuring out what boat to use. He spent the next year building a Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) Dory with his grandkids. The boat was compact but had sufficient storage for the expedition style voyage.

Looking back, Hosler chuckles remembering his first time participating in the Challenge, “I didn’t really understand the challenging nature of it and I way overpacked,” he says. “I treated it as more of a camping trip than a sailing challenge. I would stop and pitch a tent and build a fire, I didn’t realize that you had to keep moving.” For the first year Hosler had his grandson with him, and the pair made it down to the end of Tampa Bay before treacherous weather forced them to end their journey. Hosler was not deterred.

The following year bad weather once again sidelined his efforts, “I went solo that second year, I ultimately crashed onto a beach and a sandbar caught the boat and flipped it over,” Hosler says. “After that, my wife told me that I could never do the Challenge in the CLC Dory again.” Enter: The RS Venture. “The Venture has been the best boat imaginable,” he says. “It is a really nice, stable sailing boat. If you want to go fast you can, but you don’t have to. Plus, it’s wide enough that you can sleep in it.”

With a large cockpit and exceptional stability, the Venture is perfect for coastal expeditions. “I sailed the boat at night for two nights and never had any concerns,” Hosler says. “We got caught in one big storm and we just anchored the boat and hung on, but the boat did really well in those conditions, and we were never concerned for safety.”

Hosler’s third attempt saw him go the furthest he has ever gone, “I made it all the way to the third checkpoint,” he says. “Unfortunately, the breeze was coming straight out of the east, which has a tendency to drain the water out; so we ended up at the wrong key, 30 miles south of the finish line.” But for Hosler, the event is not about winning or losing, “I’m honestly not a racing sailor,” he says. “I am much more of a leisure sailor, but I love the challenge.” And the Venture truly lets him embrace the challenge.

This year however, the challenge was even more unexpected, and one faced by more than the sailors. With Covid-19 affecting races and events across the world, there was uncertainty about whether the Everglades Challenge would happen this year. But, after working with local health officials, it was decided that given the nature of the event it did not pose a large health risk and was allowed to proceed. This year, Hosler made it to the second checkpoint before bad weather and strong winds forced him to retire. But, regardless of results, Hosler plans to continue competing in the Challenge.

“I have loved getting involved in the Everglades Challenge,” he says. “The expedition style racing definitely makes it a challenge and different than anything I’ve done before.” And with the Venture, Hosler can be confident every time he gets out on the water. “The Venture handles so well that you don’t have to be a brilliant sailor to sail it,” he says. “It sails well in all conditions and with various numbers of crew.” Being able to singlehand the Venture is a huge positive for Hosler, who plans to sail the Challenge solo next year.

After four years, he has no plans of slowing down; “The Everglades Challenge has been such a great experience,” he says. “It is a huge motivator for me to stay fit and I love the camaraderie between all the racers; I will probably do it until the day I die.”

To learn more about The Everglades Challenge head to their website, and for more info on the RS Venture please click here.

 

 

Share this story!

 

SUBSCRIBE

  • Sign up for RS stories, offers, epic wipeout videos and much more!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

RS Aero – Try & Buy in the USA!

Are you interested in an RS Aero and want to try it first? Or can't quite justify buying a brand-new one?  Announcing the RS Aero "Try and buy" this is an exclusive opportunity to demo our...

RS21 British Isles and Ireland Cup 2023 Event 1 at the Scottish Series

By Paul Fisk A small, lean and keen fleet of four RS21s joined around 600 sailors in the Scottish Series at Tarbert on beautiful Loch Fyne with four days of racing over the bank holiday weekend of...

Challenge 50 – One crazy sailor, one very small dinghy, some unfinished business and the fight against cancer

Yodare is an epic sailing challenge taken on by the hugely inspirational Ken Fowler. His goal is to become the first ever single-handed dinghy to sail around all the islands of England and Wales....

Challenge 50

Here's all your incredible Challenge 50 stories below, find out more about this amazing cause here.    

RS Aero 6 and 9 UK National Championship 2023

by the RS Aero UK Class Association The first split RS Aero UK 6 & 9 Nationals took place over the Bank Holiday weekend with the two Classes competing at a sun drenched Weymouth enjoying a...

RS21 Race & Demo Day – 17 June 2023 – Lymington Town Sailing Club

Join the RS Team on the 17th of June at Lymington Town Sailing Club for our RS21 Race and Demo day! What can you expect? Rock Up and Race - simply bring your kit and step on board one of our UK demo...

San Francisco Yacht Club Women’s Sailing Program

In recent years, many yacht clubs across the US have seen a decrease in adult sailing. While member numbers are still increasing, the number of sailing members is not following the same trend. San...

TOP 10 RS FEVA ACCESSORIES

Exciting performance is the secret behind the success of the RS Feva, with the added benefit of modern styling and practical features making it irresistible to Junior and Youth sailors around the...

Join the RS Team – Summer Role – Parts and Dispatch Team

Are you looking for part-time summer work? At RS Sailing, we are looking for people who are passionate about sailing, and enjoy providing information and support to other sailors, to join our busy...

Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023

Written by Times of Oman, "Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023...

RS21 British Isles and Ireland Cup 2023 Event 1 at the Scottish Series

By Paul Fisk A small, lean and keen fleet of four RS21s joined around 600 sailors in the Scottish Series at Tarbert on beautiful Loch Fyne with four days of racing over the bank holiday weekend of...

Challenge 50 – One crazy sailor, one very small dinghy, some unfinished business and the fight against cancer

Yodare is an epic sailing challenge taken on by the hugely inspirational Ken Fowler. His goal is to become the first ever single-handed dinghy to sail around all the islands of England and Wales....

Challenge 50

Here's all your incredible Challenge 50 stories below, find out more about this amazing cause here.    

RS Aero 6 and 9 UK National Championship 2023

by the RS Aero UK Class Association The first split RS Aero UK 6 & 9 Nationals took place over the Bank Holiday weekend with the two Classes competing at a sun drenched Weymouth enjoying a...

RS21 Race & Demo Day – 17 June 2023 – Lymington Town Sailing Club

Join the RS Team on the 17th of June at Lymington Town Sailing Club for our RS21 Race and Demo day! What can you expect? Rock Up and Race - simply bring your kit and step on board one of our UK demo...

San Francisco Yacht Club Women’s Sailing Program

In recent years, many yacht clubs across the US have seen a decrease in adult sailing. While member numbers are still increasing, the number of sailing members is not following the same trend. San...

TOP 10 RS FEVA ACCESSORIES

Exciting performance is the secret behind the success of the RS Feva, with the added benefit of modern styling and practical features making it irresistible to Junior and Youth sailors around the...

Join the RS Team – Summer Role – Parts and Dispatch Team

Are you looking for part-time summer work? At RS Sailing, we are looking for people who are passionate about sailing, and enjoy providing information and support to other sailors, to join our busy...

Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023

Written by Times of Oman, "Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023...

Get your RS Aero race ready for the RS Aero 6 and RS Aero 9 National Championship!

The RS Team are really looking forward to supporting you all at the RS Aero 6 & 9 UK Nationals at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in a few weeks' time! What does RS Event...

Challenge 50 – One crazy sailor, one very small dinghy, some unfinished business and the fight against cancer

Yodare is an epic sailing challenge taken on by the hugely inspirational Ken Fowler. His goal is to become the first ever single-handed dinghy to sail around all the islands of England and Wales....

Challenge 50

Here's all your incredible Challenge 50 stories below, find out more about this amazing cause here.    

RS Aero 6 and 9 UK National Championship 2023

by the RS Aero UK Class Association The first split RS Aero UK 6 & 9 Nationals took place over the Bank Holiday weekend with the two Classes competing at a sun drenched Weymouth enjoying a...

RS21 Race & Demo Day – 17 June 2023 – Lymington Town Sailing Club

Join the RS Team on the 17th of June at Lymington Town Sailing Club for our RS21 Race and Demo day! What can you expect? Rock Up and Race - simply bring your kit and step on board one of our UK demo...

San Francisco Yacht Club Women’s Sailing Program

In recent years, many yacht clubs across the US have seen a decrease in adult sailing. While member numbers are still increasing, the number of sailing members is not following the same trend. San...

TOP 10 RS FEVA ACCESSORIES

Exciting performance is the secret behind the success of the RS Feva, with the added benefit of modern styling and practical features making it irresistible to Junior and Youth sailors around the...

Join the RS Team – Summer Role – Parts and Dispatch Team

Are you looking for part-time summer work? At RS Sailing, we are looking for people who are passionate about sailing, and enjoy providing information and support to other sailors, to join our busy...

Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023

Written by Times of Oman, "Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023...

Get your RS Aero race ready for the RS Aero 6 and RS Aero 9 National Championship!

The RS Team are really looking forward to supporting you all at the RS Aero 6 & 9 UK Nationals at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in a few weeks' time! What does RS Event...

10 practical ideas to help reduce the plastics in our oceans  

This year's theme for Ocean Day 2023 is “Invest In Our Planet”, which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving climate change and other environmental...

Challenge 50

Here's all your incredible Challenge 50 stories below, find out more about this amazing cause here.    

RS Aero 6 and 9 UK National Championship 2023

by the RS Aero UK Class Association The first split RS Aero UK 6 & 9 Nationals took place over the Bank Holiday weekend with the two Classes competing at a sun drenched Weymouth enjoying a...

RS21 Race & Demo Day – 17 June 2023 – Lymington Town Sailing Club

Join the RS Team on the 17th of June at Lymington Town Sailing Club for our RS21 Race and Demo day! What can you expect? Rock Up and Race - simply bring your kit and step on board one of our UK demo...

San Francisco Yacht Club Women’s Sailing Program

In recent years, many yacht clubs across the US have seen a decrease in adult sailing. While member numbers are still increasing, the number of sailing members is not following the same trend. San...

TOP 10 RS FEVA ACCESSORIES

Exciting performance is the secret behind the success of the RS Feva, with the added benefit of modern styling and practical features making it irresistible to Junior and Youth sailors around the...

Join the RS Team – Summer Role – Parts and Dispatch Team

Are you looking for part-time summer work? At RS Sailing, we are looking for people who are passionate about sailing, and enjoy providing information and support to other sailors, to join our busy...

Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023

Written by Times of Oman, "Oman Sail’s pioneering programme, SailFree, has won gold for the Best Sports Event CSR Initiative category at the prestigious Middle East Sports Industry Awards 2023...

Get your RS Aero race ready for the RS Aero 6 and RS Aero 9 National Championship!

The RS Team are really looking forward to supporting you all at the RS Aero 6 & 9 UK Nationals at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in a few weeks' time! What does RS Event...

10 practical ideas to help reduce the plastics in our oceans  

This year's theme for Ocean Day 2023 is “Invest In Our Planet”, which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving climate change and other environmental...

RS Aero – International Class Status

The RS Aero Class has gone from strength to strength since its launch back in 2014, with 3,500+ boats sold worldwide, a 200+ boat World Championship in its 4th year, winning the Men's and Women's...

Pin It on Pinterest