It sounds like a hell of a lot of fun.

I'm not a racer, this is the one race I do each year. Every year while I'm on the course, I wonder why I am doing it. This year we considered dropping out many times, but decided it was easier to just paddle home. In the end I'm glad we stuck it out. The stories are worth more than the temporary discomfort of the few hours it takes to do the circumnavigation of Cape Ann.

The Blackburn Challenge is called a "challenge" not a race because it is meant to be a personal challenge for the participants instead of a race for competitors. Most people who enter the event have no aspirations to win, they just want to see how they hold up to a challenge.