Before this trip ever started, I had told the guys they would be heroes. I didn't tell 'em how hard it would be.

But I never imagined how 'heroic' they would actually be. We traveled as a team, so when one of us would say "I'm gonna help!" the rest of us would dive in. Gordo described us as a team of Type As - every man a captain of his own boat, so when one of us said "I can fix that!" the rest of us said "I can fix that, too!"

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all Puddle Duckers to the rescue, though, lots of other people pitched in. It was a communal effort by everyone who sailed the Texas 200 this year. My hat is off to each and every one of you.