I’m in a bit of a sentimental mood at the moment, so let’s start off with something every performance boater can relate to—the challenge to get to the water and the sacrifices we all go through to get there. Why? Because once there, we forget about all of our cares while enjoying the exhilaration of the open water and unbridled speed.

Wow, what a year—2009 threw the Miss GEICO offshore racing team several curveballs starting with an entire crew change to an internal team three weeks before the season opener in Biloxi, Miss.

It seemed every step forward was met by hurdles that challenged this new team to survive. Yet each time I thought, “How much more can we take?” our crew came through. From saltwater leaks, underwater logs, broken tunnel tabs, shattered driveshafts, trashed propellers, bent rudders, broken radios, and the list goes on—at every turn we found a way to rise above and conquer the challenge.

No, we didn’t always win, but we achieved our goal of making it to the water and putting up the best fight the boat had in her for that day. You may ask where’s he going with this? Well, as I sit here after a long day talking with racers and riggers and parts suppliers and engine builders, I’m reminded why I love this stuff so much.

It’s the challenge to succeed where others have failed, the challenge to make the boat faster without adding more power, the challenge to create a team that will be remembered long after Scotty B (Begovich, Miss GEICO throttleman) and I are retired. The same challenge I used to get every Saturday morning when I walked out on the dock, lifted the engine hatch, grabbed my tools, two legs sticking out … I know I can be on the water by 10 a.m. to meet my friends … I can do it.

Look for big Miami Boat Show news in my blog next week!