By Johna Till Johnson and Vladimir Brezina
Photos by Vladimir Brezina
We completed the 2014 WaterTribe Everglades Challenge in 7 days and about 14½ hours. We set no records—in fact, we were among the last to finish. But in a race in which many worthy competitors don’t finish, simply completing the course within the 8-day time limit felt like a “win”. (Plus, we got snazzy sharktooth necklaces to commemorate the event!)
As expected, it was quite an adventure: Bright sunshine, dark nights, wind, rain, laughter, tears, friendly and scary creatures, sleep deprivation, hypothermia, hallucinations… and water, 300 miles of it. We made friends and discovered many things that worked, and quite a few that didn’t.
Our writeup is forthcoming, but meanwhile, here are some of the photographic highlights (click on any photo to start slideshow):
Tension builds in the predawn darkness
Dawn over Tampa Bay
There’s a sandbar just offshore that we have to drag our boats over
… on a windsurfer
Backlit by the sun
A lovely morning to be out on the water
Approaching Anna Maria Island
Friendly WaterTribers
Out in the Gulf with the sailboats
The wind dies and we overtake them (later they will overtake us)
A friendly sea creature
In the afternoon, the wind (fortunately, a tailwind) picks up
Sparkling in the sun
A mass of silver
Today, we paddle on the “inside”… But what’s this??
A swimming sea hare
We paddle down the Intracoastal Waterway
We stop for dinner on North Captiva Island. Then we continue…
Dawn hunt among the highrises
… just big enough for one tent
… precious hours before we have to get going again
We paddle on
… we are still paddling
A brief nap on the beach
We land on one of the Ten Thousand Islands
We paddle on down the line of the Ten Thousand Islands
A marker…
Another evening on the water…
High clouds catch the last rays
Dawn in Chokoloskee Bay
We glide over the still water
We paddle down the line of the Ten Thousand Islands
Whale skull at Highland Beach
This is worse than The Nightmare! :-)
Out in broader waterways again… but the storm front overtakes us
Dinner and boat repair on the Harney River chickee
Dawn in the Joe River
Dead calm, for the moment
We surf the last few miles across Whitewater Bay and, soon, Flamingo
The passes are well marked
Markers mark the passes
And he’s got a fish!
We chat… before he moves ahead
Shoals grow new mangroves
It’s not all blue and green
Last evening over the teal waters
We watch the last sunset of the trip
We paddle on into the deepening colors
After 300 miles, the finish is just a couple of miles away!
Update March 17, 2014: Our writeup begins here.
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 
Great job !!!
Ciao ragazzi !
Max
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Thanks, Max!!
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Wow, what an adventure! Congratulations to both of you. It was cool that you did it within the limit, now you have an adventure with you in your heart.
The pictures speak for themselves, they are absolutely amazing :-)
All the best,
Hanna
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I worry that the pictures make it seem a bit too pretty—they don’t show the dark moments ;-)
Thanks, Hanna!!
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:-) I know it all too well. Where tasks are difficult you are busy with other things than shooting.
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Congrats! That really is quite an epic journey :-)
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After all the anticipation, the trip itself went by in a flash. It’s strange to realize that now, suddenly, it’s over…
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Thanks again for sharing another of your amazing paddles. Jeanie and I followed your progress every day. Google Earth showed us where you were. We got a little nervous for a while. You took our minds of the sub zero weather here in Maine.
Congratulations! to you both.
George and Jeanie
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Thanks for following our progress, George! But don’t get the idea that we were basking in balmy Florida weather—cold was actually one of the biggest problems…
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Congrats
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Thank you!!
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You are welcome
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Congratulations on finishing. You have shared some stunning photos with us. Love the one of the windsurfer.
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I was taking photos when I should have been paddling flat out like everyone else ;-)
Thanks, Colline!!
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Good Job!
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Thanks!! You can best appreciate it—you know all about that part of the world! :-)
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Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your journey in beautiful photos.
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You are most welcome, Robin—thank you!!
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Very impressive!
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Thanks, Lyn!!
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Amazing!
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Thanks so much, Melissa!
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Woohoo! What an adventure, well done you two. :)
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Thanks, Ailsa!! I knew you, with your adventurous spirit, would appreciate it! :-)
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Fantastic you completed, and within the time too! :)
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We had to get in within the time limit as everyone at the finish was going to go home. As it was, we missed the barbecue :-(
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congrats!!!!!
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Thanks!!
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Never had doubt you would finish. Your determination is legend. Like to hear more about your thoughts about using a sail next time?l
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Yes, definitely! I think this experience may provide the motivation for us to begin to get into kayak sailing more seriously…
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bravo . . . the water iditarod of the keys . . . and you did. am eager to hear the account.
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Thanks, tugster! Account coming up very soon, we hope!
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What an accomplishment!
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Thanks!!
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Love that swimming sea hare, by the way. Have never seen one of those!!!
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Sea hares (genus Aplysia) are pretty common round the world; only some of them swim. We’ve seen a few during our trips to the Gulf coast of Florida. This one was presumably Aplysia fasciata / brasiliana.
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Your photos were some of the BEST yet!…the colors…the sea life…the water…and the “aventurous kayakers”
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Glad you like them! Thanks, Marilyn!!
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That.Was.Awesome!
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:-) Thanks!!
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Phenomenal adventure – Can’t wait for the write-up. Great pictures. Was thinking of you last week, standing at water’s edge in Caxamus Park, Marco Island, “Ten Thousand Island” in view. (A brief Fla get-away with our dog from NJ snow!)
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We passed right past there, at sunrise on Tuesday (March 4)! :-) And we took a brief nap on the beach just across the channel from there—
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We were there Monday, 2/2 in the afternoon. !!!
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Just missed each other :-)
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What a feat you have done! It is the experience, adventures and memories that counts. Congratulations!
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We certainly have plenty of those now! Thanks, bebs!! :-)
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Congrats on a major accomplishment! Quite the adventure…. So glad you guys were able to finish the entire distance and in good time… Cheers to your success!
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Thanks so much!! I know you are well able to imagine what it was like… :-)
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I have paddled enough to know what arms and torso feel like after a 3 full days of paddling and sleeping on the ground. I cannot fully appreciate what I would feel like after 7.75 days of paddling with minimal breaks. You the Man! She the Woman!
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If we had done it right, 7.75 days should have felt no different, really, from 3 days. But we didn’t do it quite right, and so sleeplessness and the little accumulated cuts, bruises, and insect bites started to take their toll…
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Looks like a great adventure!! Congrats on finishing.
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Thanks!!
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LOVE the dead calm shot and the myriad of blues!
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Blue and green were certainly the dominant colors! :-)
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CONGRATULATIONS! 300×2…that’s one congrat per mile for each of you…sensational. Can’t wait to read the stories that are waiting to be told.
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Thanks 300 x 2!! Stories coming up! As we discovered in talking to other WaterTribers, stories are a major currency of exchange in the tribe—everyone is eager for stories… :-)
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Congratulations to both of you! Really looking forward to upcoming posts about the adventure!
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Writing them all up will certainly keep us busy for some time :-) Thanks!!
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Welcome Home. Congratulations!
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Thanks so much, Robert!! :-)
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woo hoo – congrats – and thanks for the many photos – :)
~y.
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You are most welcome. Thank you!!
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*glass raised in toast* Congratulations on an adventure well earned!
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We did have some celebratory champagne on the plane back to NYC :-) Thanks!!
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What a great accomplishment.
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Thanks so much, Gayle! :-)
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Fantastic photo documentation! Congrats- what an adventure!
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Many more photos to come… Thanks!!
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Congratulations — quite an achievement! The Valley boat a surprise, a Nordkapp no less, guess I was expecting an NDK reprise.
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Thanks, Michael! I think Johna wanted something a little faster and more lithe this time, and more like her own boats back in NYC, although with the degree to which the boat was loaded up, it probably made little difference…
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Finishing is a win. Great photos, but love that last shot!
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:-) Thanks!!
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Well done! And splendid pictures, as always!
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Thank you so much!!
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Wow amazing photographs of your travels, congratulations on making your destination. Very cool!
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Thanks, Mary!! :-)
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Congratulations for finishing and beating your record from last year! It looks like quite an adventure and I can’t wait to hear more about it.
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This was actually the first time we’ve done it—the previous trips were just little informal explorations of the territory. More coming up soon, we hope. Thanks, Milka!! :-)
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Bravo! I look forward to the write up on what worked and what didn’t work so well. Thanks for taking me along on your expeditions vicariously.
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Thanks, Taino! We’ll definitely try to provide a fairly thorough analysis of our successes and failures—very important for us to think about!!
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Oh T… we thought of you so many times!! (Particularly when the sharks went under our boats….I bet you had plenty of sharks in PR!) Update to come, thanks for posting!
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Super that your completed the course. Congrats. Thanks for sharing the wonderful photographs, too.
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You are most welcome—thanks, Ruth!!
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WOO-HOOOOO!!! Fantastic!!! Can’t wait to hear all about it!!
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And hear all about it you shall! :-)
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Congrats.. Wonderful pictures… Blessings, Lor
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Thanks, Lor!!
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CONGRATULATIONS! Knew you would do it. Great journey wonderful photos.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Thank you so much, Francine!! :-)
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I’m impressed. I went to Florida over the weekend, to dive rather than paddle, but made sure to tell everyone I knew two people doing this. Most were impressed.
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Thanks, Julie!
Most people we met were impressed too, but really had no clue. “Tampa to Key Largo? Can you do that in a day?” was the usual question… :-)
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Glad you got some sunshine in, Julie! Word is that it has been dark and cold up here… but in a few more days we’ll be at equinox. Can’t wait until summer comes!
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Congratulations! I’ve been following all the preparation posts (and stunning pictures that went with it). That’s really quite the achievement!
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Thank you! It’s still sinking in… (and we’re still catching up on sleep)…
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That is some achievement – especially when you consider the preparation also.
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Thanks, Scott! Yes, personally I was so psyched just to be at the starting line that the race itself was almost an afterthought…. ALMOST!!
But seriously, back in April 2013 we had no idea how we were going to do any of it: Get my boat, handle transport home, camp in heavily-settled Florida, paddle at night, etc. It took a lot of time, thought, and (yes) money to get everything sorted out, and that was a majority of the work. By the time the race started all that was left to do was paddle… and paddle…. and paddle…. and paddle some more. :-)
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I love the passion you guys have for your paddling – as I have already said to Vladimir my experience is river racing in a GP canoe then I moved on to a K2 and my best experience of all was an Open Canadian in the Boundary Water Canoe Area unsupported for 10 days inland lakes and the OMG sea lakes – health and safety would not stomach it now – ha ha – follow your dreams follow your passion – not all of us get the chance so we must grab it with both hands – when we do – thanks for responding :-)
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Got to do it while the opportunity is there—it might not be there next year, or even next week…
Thanks, Scott!!
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Congratulations! Completing the Watertribe event is a remarkable achievement. Love the photos. So proud to be a part of your water tribe!
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Thank you, Randy! Without you and NY Kayak Company, it would literally not have been possible. I cannot tell you how much I love the gear I got there, particularly the Watershed drybags! (Actually, we have an upcoming post called “gear we love” that will talk about them in greater detail.)
Thanks again for the congratulations, and for your help and support with everything!
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great photos of an amazing journey! congratulations!!!
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Thank you!! :-)
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Great pictures, again! What an adventure…I live vicariously through your photos and descriptions! We just flew home from Tampa this morning after half a week in Naples and half in Indian Rocks Beach. The closest I got to native creatures was during my visit to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary! Can’t wait to read more about your trip/race…
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We were in the same part of the world! And, actually, if you were anywhere close to the water, you were close to the native creatures, whether you were aware of it or not. What always strikes us about that part of Florida is how adaptable to coexistence with humans the animals are. The birds, turtles, dolphins are doing their thing right next to the highrise condos—
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Very true. I did watch a pair of dolphins from a 5th floor condo balcony!
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:-)
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