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Gamayun
12-30-2015, 10:57 PM
Ivo and I have stayed in touch, sailed together, and become family, since that day in 2008 when he skillfully piloted his ship, MSC TORONTO, into position to safely take me aboard from WILDFLOWER, 400 miles off the California Coast.

Wow, that's very cool you two remained in contact.

sleddog
01-03-2016, 02:46 PM
The history and development of marine grade plywood is a fascinating subject. DAZZLER, RAGTIME, and I touched on this subject when discussing STARBUCK and other van De Standt designs on pages 20-21 of this Forum in 2012.
http://sfbaysss.org/forum/showthread.php?655-New-Boat-4-Sled/page20

Though not true plywood hulls, high speed WWII PT "boats" were built with two diagonals of 1 in. thick, mahogany planks, with a glue-impregnated layer of canvas between, held together by thousands of nails and screws. This type of construction made for a quick but strong build of these lightweight, planing, torpedo firing, "mosquitos." Damage to the PT boats' wooden hulls could be repaired at the front lines, and if worst came to worst, parts of a PT boat would stay afloat indefinitely, as happened with the bow section of PT 109, (future President) John F. Kennedy's command, when it was rammed by a Japanese destroyer in August, 1943, in the Solomon Islands. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-forces-attack-pt-boat-with-kennedy-on-board

After WWII, with the growing popularity of the recreational boat market, plywood's use increased.. Many fiberglass boats built in Costa Mesa in the 60's and early 70's, including CALs, Ericsons, Rangers, Santanas, and MacGregors, used plywood in their deck coring and internal structures, including bulkheads, furniture, and floorboards.

The birth of modern marine grade plywood first began in 1939 when Cornelius Bruynzeel of Holland developed a plywood that used naturally water resistant wood, and synthetic resins and glue. In conjunction with yacht designer Ricus van De Stadt, in the 1950's and early 1960's, Bruynzeel's son, South African yachtsman Cornelius Bruynzeel, Jr. of STORMVOGEL fame, pioneered the use of Bruynzeel plywood, a high quality marine plywood that found increasing popularity in both amateur and professional boatbuilding. To this day, Bruynzeel Okume remains the gold standard in marine ply.

Over subsequent years, marine plywood has continued to be improved upon, and remains popular in boat building, especially for small craft. Howard and I built my 22 foot cat WILDFLOWER almost entirely of marine plywood, Douglas Fir stringers, West System epoxy glue, stainless steel screws and bronze nails.

An insightful look at how marine plywood is made is the 5 minute video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGnr8ATHHX8

hodgmo
01-03-2016, 09:44 PM
A thorough restoration is being done on PT-305 in New Orleans. The time I spent touring that and the associated WWII museum was well spent.

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/see-hear/collections/artifacts/pt-305.html

sleddog
01-03-2016, 10:59 PM
A thorough restoration is being done on PT-305 in New Orleans. The time I spent touring that and the associated WWII museum was well spent. http://www.nationalww2museum.org/see-hear/collections/artifacts/pt-305.html

Thanks, Steve, for bringing this community backed restoration and preservation of PT 305 to our attention. What a cool project for New Orleans, and inspirational for the memory of all who served. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNmB-1wq5n4

As a kid in Newport Beach, just across the Bay in front of Christian's Hut, was moored "PT Joe." (PT 695) 1242
When they started up those three 1500 horsepower Packards with six giant exhaust pipes, you could hear the throaty roar a mile away.

I wonder if anyone has seen "PT Joe" on SF Bay?. It is rumored she was, or still is, a Sea Scout Ship at Rio Vista. http://www.warboats.org/ptjoe.htm
http://www.warboats.org/ptjoe.htm

sleddog
01-05-2016, 09:23 AM
Here's a nice sunset Green Flash taken by Jim Howes on New Years Eve from Moss Landing.

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It was good sunrise Green Flash viewing at the end of last year with 5 sightings since Dec.23.

No two Green Flashes appear quite the same, varying subtly in color, intensity, shape, and timing.

A notable blue-emerald flash, for a count of 11, appeared Dec.26 as the sunrise was split by El Gabilan Peak, above Hollister, about 25 miles distant.

Catching a sunrise (or sunset) Green Flash can be elusive and rarely done with the naked eye or camera. Even with a clear horizon, because of atmospheric conditions, GF don't always occur. Elevation and a steady position help. I place my binoculars on a cliff fence post. When afloat, being braced against something sturdy like the mast or cabin top helps.

Wearing sunglasses when looking through binos also helps.

For some reason I do not understand, if it is clear on the horizon at sunrise, about 20 seconds before the moment of sunrise, a horizontal band of "steam" appears near the position of sunrise.

Green Flashes can be seen over land as well as over water. Sailing from Hawaii to the West Coast often sees GF's in the region of the Pacific High, where the atmosphere is clear and the ocean's surface calm.

Same is true from Princeville, above Hanalei Bay, Kauai.

At sunset, best not to focus on the sun too early. Wait until the sun is dipping below the horizon. The moment of the Green Flash usually occurs when the upper limb of the sun is tangent to the horizon. However, Jim Howe's photograph appears to show the GF when the lower limb is tangent, something I have not seen before.

Good hunting in 2016!.

Wylieguy
01-05-2016, 02:41 PM
My brother's father-in-law was Marine in WWII, but since he was a farm boy with mechanical skills, once he arrived in the S. Pacific he was "sort of" transferred to the Navy and spent most of his time in PT Boats keeping those Packard engines running. They were essentially Rolls Royce-Packard airplane engines (think Spitfire and P-51 fighters) and burned aviation fuel. And, according to him, were very temperamental. Everything we love about the ocean - salt, moisture, rust, fuel contamination - played havoc with their performance. And since they were fresh-water cooled, there was the added complication of keeping pumps and radiators working. He wore hearing aids in later life. If the roar from across Newport Bay was loud, think about inside the hull of PT Boat.

By the way, he also talked about the wooden plugs they kept aboard the boats to stop up bullet holes. Since the hulls were essentially a form of plywood, small caliber bullets just went straight through and out the other side without too much damage if they didn't hit something on the way. The plugs were like the wooden ones we keep onboard to stop up thru-hull issues. They just hammered the tapered plugs into the holes. One of my uncles was in the Navy in the S. Pacific, too. He'd been a high school wood shop student (not an academic!) and his Navy job was patching the wooden hulls the Navy used for various small boats. Sometimes the military uses good sense in matching up skills with jobs.

Harrier
01-05-2016, 03:50 PM
I have seen many green flashes, but only one at sunrise. A wee bit harder to predict exactly when and where to gaze! Don't recall seeing "steam". One of the best places I have been to see green flashes from land is the Palau Pacific Resort, just one island south of Koror. Built on an old Japanese seaplane base (and an earlier China Clipper stop) you can sip a cocktail by the pool on the beach outside the restaurant and watch for it. I've often had luck on Hanalei's beach near the "tree". Sailing to Mexico often offers good opportunity.

The "bullet plugs" for the PT boats may have been the seed idea behind our use of green duct tape on on our helicopters in Viet Nam. The Air Force used "silver" colored tape...actually sticky back thin aluminum or stainless steel.

Fair Winds to all in the new year....

Wylieguy
01-06-2016, 02:15 PM
The B-29 on display at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson has "silver dollar" patches were some Japanese fighter bullets went through. These were riveted into the holes once the plane returned from the mission. The B-29 was pressurized, so the crew didn't wear oxygen masks at high altitudes as other American bomber crews did. The pressure came off the engine superchargers. B-29s carried "rubber" patches for the crew to use to plug up holes, but reports indicated the supercharger pressure could keep up with things without the plugs most of the time, so if the hole(s) were in difficult place to get to they just flew home with them.

My cousin Doug flew helicopters in Viet Nam and talks about the duct tape. Actually he said it was more like the metallic tape A/C guys use, but colored green to match the camo paint. He said it worked for about a 100 uses around the base, but that he never had to use it on one of his helicopters during his two tours. I'm glad!

sleddog
01-06-2016, 08:47 PM
The "bullet plugs" for the PT boats may have been the seed idea behind our use of green duct tape on on our helicopters in Viet Nam. Fair Winds to all in the new year....

Plugging bullet holes with duct tape and single-handed sailing may seem unrelated. But not really. I've written about the top of my mainsail being perforated by a trigger happy guard in his tower on Alcatraz as we short tacked up the Cone in search of current relief. The warning sign to keep 200 yards off was obscured by bird poop. As if that would have had much effect.

A better bullet hole story may be the that of Stan and Sally Honey. Somewhere back in the mid-80's, before Stan won the 1994 SHTP with their Cal-40 ILLUSION, ILLUSION sat near the Hwy 1 freeway fence, out back at Moore's Reef Boatyard in Santa Cruz.

Stan and Sally had bought ILLUSION, Cal-40 #57, from an East Coast owner, and she was in a sad state of neglect after arriving cross-country by truck.

Stan and Sally commuted from Palo Alto to Santa Cruz on weekends to work on their dream boat. I visited them one Saturday afternoon after the inside of the boat had been stripped. As we sat on a bare bunktop and shared enthusiasms for Cal 40's, I couldn't help but notice many small holes in the port side.

I remarked on this and asked why they were drilling holes in their fiberglass hull. Were they trying to let in ventilation to dry out the insides?

Stan was a bit sheepish, and replied, "those are bullet holes. People driving by on the freeway like to take target practice."

I don't remember sticking around very long after that revelation.

Gamayun
01-07-2016, 12:14 PM
Skip, have you seen this: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/business/20160106/sailboat-featured-in-documentary-180-south-for-sale. If I'm recalling this film correctly, it lost integrity for me when they attempted a technical climb with a girl they had picked up in Easter Island, potentially putting everyone's lives at risk. Others said they enjoyed the film.

sleddog
01-07-2016, 12:52 PM
Dawn this morning at Capitola Esplanade revealed storm surf overtopping the seawall, depositing kelp in the street. A spring high tide coupled with Soquel Creek at the top of its banks from rain runoff was keeping Public Works busy.

Here's the Cement Ship, two miles down the Coast, at Sea Cliff Beach.
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A large log, 2' x 30', likely weighing several tons, came cruising down Soquel Creek, and just before reaching the surfline, was thrown over the seawall at the beachside Venetian Court, where it began to play ping pong amongst the multi-colored summer rentals.

Nextdoor to the Venetian, Capitola Wharf was closed, as sets of large swells broke well outside and raked the underside of the wharf deck. Wooden steps to the beach were ripped away. The gulls and shorebirds, as well as a small crowd of early risers, took in the wild scene, with a soundtrack of ocean rumble. Only the Surf Scoters were afloat, bobbing serenely in the frothy surfline.

Unfortunately, at Carmel, the storm surf separated a baby sea otter and its mother, and the pup was washed ashore. Rescuers tried to reunite the otters, but the cry of the baby to its mother was carried away by the wind. It will now be cared for by a surrogate mother otter at Monterey Bay Aquarium. http://www.ksbw.com/news/sea-otter-pup-rescued-from-storm-waves-off-carmel-beach/37299050

On the other side of the Monterey Penisula came happier news. "Cuteness overload" prevailed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium when a wild otter momma used the Aquarium tidepool for her maternity ward.
http://www.ksbw.com/news/photos-wild-sea-otter-gives-birth-in-monterey/37068846

Now, what the heck was a tornado doing touching down in Hollister yesterday? No injuries reported in the "Earthquake Capital of the World."

sleddog
01-09-2016, 05:23 PM
I'm partial to pickles. Nothing better when offshore than a pnut butter and pickle sandwich.

Imagine sweet pickles found in a shipwreck still edible after 160 years. Did I mention the keg of ale, oysters, sardines, coffee beans, ketchup, bottled pie filling and crates of gin, cognac and still-bubbly champagne? Sounds like lunch to me.

The record Midwest flooding of recent weeks brings to mind a different kind of shipwreck. In 1856, the steamboat ARABIA, with 200 tons of cargo, was heading upstream on the Missouri from Kansas City, bound for small towns along the frontier, when she hit a walnut tree snag and quickly sank. No loss of life except for a forgotten mule.
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The ARABIA disappeared into the mud overnight, the Missouri shifted course over time, and the shipwreck was forgotten except by folklore and legend.

In 1988, enterprising treasure hunters, using old maps and metal detectors, located the ARABIA in a Kansas farmer's cornfield, 45 feet down in the dirt and half mile from the river. It took them a while to dig out the shipwreck. When they did, they found the remains of the ship and cargo perfectly preserved by the mud and silt, the walnut tree snag still embedded in the hull. Even the skeleton and saddle of the poor, sad, mule came to light, and was affectionately nicknamed "Lawrence" by the salvors.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324432404579053372039058850

What was found was fascinating. Not modern day Chinese fluff and self igniting hoverboards in shipping containers. http://www.pbase.com/hockingphotos/steamboat_arabia

And the pickles...Oh the pickles...
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sleddog
01-09-2016, 08:07 PM
Contrary to press reports that 12 containers were "washed overboard by heavy seas" on Dec. 13, 2015 off the Matson container ship MANOA, 8 miles west of the Golden Gate, other extenuating circumstances may have occurred that are likely being investigated by the Coast Guard.

According to dock talk, it appears the 3 lost stacks of 4 containers each were unlocked in Oakland, and then not resecured when the ship left Oakland for Seattle.
Apparently, the unsecured containers "slid" overboard when the MANOA slowed in heavy seas to discharge its pilot.

This was likely an "Oh Shit!" moment on the Pilot Boat.

Providentially, the falling containers narrowly missed landing on the nearby Pilot Boat. That would have been a potential disaster with possible injury or loss of life.

It will be interesting to hear what facts the CG reveals. Although we are not likely to hear from Matson, the shipping company said shortly after the incident that they'd be making an investigation. Usually, the responsibility for the cargo, and its loading, and security remains with the Chief Mate. My guess is there is an ex-chief looking for a new job.

Gamayun
01-09-2016, 09:12 PM
Not the first time containers were lost shortly outside the gate...

I'd bet that the majority of cases have a direct link to human error during loading.

Philpott
01-09-2016, 10:40 PM
Contrary to press reports that 12 containers were "washed overboard by heavy seas" on Dec. 13, 2015 off the Matson container ship MANOA, 8 miles west of the Golden Gate, other extenuating circumstances may have occurred that are likely being investigated by the Coast Guard.

According to dock talk, it appears the 3 lost stacks of 4 containers each were unlocked in Oakland, and then not resecured when the ship left Oakland for Seattle.
Apparently, the unsecured containers "slid" overboard when the MANOA slowed in heavy seas to discharge its pilot.

This was likely an "Oh Shit!" moment on the Pilot Boat.

Providentially, the falling containers narrowly missed landing on the nearby Pilot Boat. That would have been a potential disaster with possible injury or loss of life.

It will be interesting to hear what facts the CG reveals. Although we are not likely to hear from Matson, the shipping company said shortly after the incident that they'd be making an investigation. Usually, the responsibility for the cargo, and its loading, and security remains with the Chief Mate. My guess is there is an ex-chief looking for a new job.. Wow! What does Bob say? Is he your deep/dock throat?

sleddog
01-12-2016, 10:17 AM
William Del Monte died yesterday at 109 years. He was the last survivor of the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

That quake, and the resulting fire, changed the course of racing to Hawaii.

In 1906, Hawaiian yachtsman Clarance MacFarlane sailed his 47' LA PALOMA from Honolulu to San Francisco, only to discover upon arrival that San Francisco was burning and in ruins. Imagine the shock of LA PALOMA's crew as they wearily sailed in the Golden Gate on their leaking boat. "Holy Smoke, What do we do now?"

The start of the first Transpac Race had to be rescheduled to San Pedro on June 11, 1906. Including LA PALOMA, only three boats started. The first winner, the 86 foot schooner LURLINE, crossed the finish at Diamond Head 12 days and 10 hours later.

Earthquakes. Similar to pounding westward the first night of a SHTP.

In 1989, I had the moving experience of being two miles from the epicenter of the 6.9 Loma Prieta Earthquake. A floor to ceiling bookshelf fell over at my feet, almost submerging me in literacy. Few chimneys remained standing in Santa Cruz County. Dave Wahle and other Santa Cruz boat builders quickly got good paying work as bricklayers. Santa Cruz Harbor, where I was living aboard, was heavily damaged. You could hear aftershocks coming. And small fish would pop out of the vibrating water, much to the joy of the local gulls and pelicans.

The "Really Big" quake for the Pacific Coast is overdue. For an excellent analysis of this eventuality, I recommend reading Kathryn Sullivan's well researched and written article in the New Yorker. Her description of large areas of populated coast as "Toast" is attention getting. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one

I'm on a plane southbound for Yelapa, Mexico, 15 miles southwest of Puerto Vallarta. Before departing, like any responsible boat owner, I secured WILDFLOWER with good mooring lines. In this case, to substantial eyebolts in the exterior of the house. The last thing I need to think about is an earthquake, and the boat and trailer coming off their jack stands and taking off downhill into Capitola village.
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Doggies.

Gamayun
01-12-2016, 06:08 PM
Semper vigilans, Skip. In the 5 years I've been on the West Coast, my son in DC has felt two earthquakes; while I have not felt one yet. Safe travels. We'll hold down the fort while you're gone :)

Daydreamer
01-12-2016, 11:54 PM
When I was young, my aunt introduced me to peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.
Mom used to can some terrific dills. Haven't had one in ages.
Don't run into many who indulge :)

Cheers

BobJ
01-16-2016, 12:52 PM
Careful about loose OK talk... although the Snowbird reminded me more of a Penguin we had in the garage.

my folks raced and built OK's back in the day... in fact I learned how to use power tools working on them.
I have a set of plans and a vague idea about next winter...Now that would be really stupid.

DH

Dave, you should go rescue this one from an inglorious fate. The only problem is it's in Denmark:
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sleddog
01-16-2016, 04:42 PM
The theory behind Mexican airport customs is simple. You are invited to press the red button. If the light flashes green, you are free to pass. If the light flashes red, you get searched.

I hit the jackpot. First, everything, even Wooden Boat magazine, went into the x-ray machine. Then it was the hands on inspection.

I'd done my research, and knew my half dozen bags of Tom's Best Ever Granola were legal. No matter. The official called over his superior. They negotiated. I was guessing they were hungry, and could see they were eyeing Tom's tasty ingredients.

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Mmmmmm, senor? Oats, Pecans, Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Pepitas, Raisins, Cranberries, Apricots, Cherries, Peaches, Honey, molasses, Safflower Oil and Maple Syrup?

Ultimately, customs confiscated a banana, and hard boiled egg. "Free to go."

I've done a lot of solo racing, cruising, and traveling with Tom's Best Ever Granola. He's my brother-in-law, it's a family business, and it is the best. Even the double bag is compostable, but probably not recommended as edible.

Tom's is available in the East Bay at the Marin and Kensington Farmers Markets (you can meet Tom, an interesting fellow. Tell him and my sister hi from sleddog)
Also at Whole Foods.

http://tomsbestevergranola.com/

Mexican customs missed a good deal.

DaveH
01-16-2016, 06:18 PM
Dave, you should go rescue this one from an inglorious fate. The only problem is it's in Denmark:
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I think the champagne will be gone by the time I get there... On the other hand, it appears to be fully rigged and ready to go...

sleddog
01-18-2016, 08:31 PM
The Dreissigacker brothers, Peter, and his Olympic rower brother Dick, are legendary for inventive improvements in the world of competitive rowing. Both Stanford grads, in 1975 the Dreissigackers were the first to develop carbon fiber oars, lighter, stronger, and more flexible than their wooden counterparts.

Then in early 1981 the Dreissigackers decided to create a winter training device for rowers. Peter nailed his old bicycle to the floor of a barn and pulled on the free end of the chain, and the indoor rower was born, leading to the creation of their successful company Concept2.
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Over the last eight years I've come to know and appreciate Concept2 Indoor Rowers well. Our local harbor is not well suited for on-the-water rowing, and I needed to train for the 2008 Singlehanded Transpac. The Concept2 proved the ideal means, giving a well balanced upper and lower body, and cardio workout with zero impact, while toughening the hands. And with the sophisticated computer monitor, it proved easy to log daily workouts, and satisfy competitive urges by competing online with other Concept2 rowers world wide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8USP6GJAvMk

I was glad I discovered the Concept2. The strength I developed proved critical to climbing the just-within-reach lower rung of the pilot's ladder when I left WILDFLOWER and boarded the the MSC TORONTO on the return passage from Hanalei.
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Since that time, I've continued rowing on the Concept2, most recently in training for a proposed Race2Alaska, where rowing my WILDFLOWER cat could play a significant role in the light airs of the Inside Passage. To date, my Concept2 computer logbook shows 7,232,875 meters, or nearly 4,000 nautical miles, rowed since 2008. Calluses? We got calluses.

Philpott
01-18-2016, 11:28 PM
[QUOTE=sleddog;13451

Since that time, I've continued rowing on the Concept2, most recently in training for a proposed Race2Alaska, where rowing my WILDFLOWER cat could play a significant role in the light airs of the Inside Passage. To date, my Concept2 computer logbook shows 7,232,875 meters, or nearly 4,000 nautical miles, rowed since 2008. Calluses? We got calluses.[/QUOTE]

Gosh, that's a poignant photo!

So your head is still in that race?! Well good on you!!! Where is the Fund Wildflower site?

sleddog
01-19-2016, 07:27 AM
Not sure what the Dreissigacker brothers would think of my 2 bit indoor rower here in Yelapa... 30 pesos of bungee and PVC pipe.
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Thanks, DURA MATER, for the kind words. I remain a student of the R2AK, and continue training and research. But sanity and financial realities have prevailed, and WILDFLOWER will not be on the R2AK start line at Port Townsend next June 23rd.

http://r2ak.com/

sleddog
01-21-2016, 06:23 AM
Not everyday is one fortunate enough to race doublehanded to Hawaii on a boat as fast and well appointed as the 60' Tom Wylie Design ROXANNE. Dr. Tom Petty, with Jim Betts, built this pretty boat of aluminum at Lake Tahoe for family cruising the Pacific. 20 years later ROXANNE is still at sea, although the kids are now grown and in college.
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ROXANNE had many cool features for ocean cruising: a sliding coach roof that can be extended over the cockpit for protection, a garage in the stern and dedicated workshop/cabin below, a large head with washing machine and heated towel racks.

Tom and I spent the early half of 1998 shaking ROXANNE down, doing as many local races as possible in anticipation of that year's Pacific Cup. Our schedule included the Three Bridge Fiasco, which seemed a good idea at the time for short handed sail handling drill.

The sunny afternoon's southwesterly was just filling as we approached Red Rock under spinnaker, coming from Treasure Island on our counter-clockwise circuit. Our rounding of Red Rock was to port. The drill was to unfurl the jib, snuffer the spinnaker, and make the drop down the forehatch while the autopilot briefly steered with an apparent wind angle of 150 degrees.

All good, except for a picket line of small boats under spinnaker coming the other way around Red Rock. There were a dozen or so Moore 24's spinnaker pole to mainsail leech, with other 20 footers bringing up the filling breeze and blanketing the boats ahead as everyone hit the lee behind Red Rock simultaneously.

There didn't appear much we could do without entering the fray. An end run outside the armada, or turning 180 with a spinnaker half way lowered seemed only faint options.

Fortunately, ROXANNE carried an industrial strength air horn.

With my freehand lowering the spinnaker halyard to Tom, I went to the bow with the air horn. One long blast ("entering a blind turn or obstructed area") appeared to get the fleet's attention.
Then 5 short blasts ("standing into danger, I do not understand your intentions...")

Magically, a hole in the wall of sails opened to allow ROXANNE through.

A nice thing about the 3BF is most understand the course and conditions lead to potentially crowded situations. Neighborly interactions are a tradition of the 3BF.

H Spruit
01-24-2016, 07:46 AM
[QUOTE=Philpott;13453]"Gosh, that's a poignant photo!"

I was about to write an essay explaining how the pic of Skip climbing up the side of the freighter made me feel until I looked up the definition of POIGNANT!
that says it all.

sleddog
01-25-2016, 09:48 AM
3 Cheers for Laura, Emma, Natalia, Isabel, Lizanne, and Meg, the All Women Coxless Crew on the 29 foot DORIS for having completed their row from San Francisco to Cairns, Australia.

This determined crew persevered through numerous challenges to help publicize support for their chosen charities.
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Their 7339 nautical mile journey was completed in 257 days with three layovers (Santa Barbara, Honolulu, and Western Samoa) for an average underway speed of 1.2 knots. This was 102 days longer than originally planned, a result of gales, adversarial winds, currents, heat, and barnacles growing on the bottom of DORIS.

DORIS will be shipped back to England to inspire future generations. A tour, book, and movie is planned. Though one could argue that their achievement was hardly "unsupported" as claimed, DORIS's shoreside crew kept interest high and the ladies aimed in the right direction.

An additional notable achievement was the crew's daily blog that was published online, no mean fact given the cramped quarters, motion of the boat, overall dampness, and electronic requirements.
http://coxlesscrew.com/

Yay, DORIS!

sleddog
01-25-2016, 04:19 PM
I didn't even have to lift my head from the pillow early this morning to see a 40 foot cutter drifting onto the rocks in the frontyard. Was I dreaming? There was a panga circling the unlit boat. No other noise but the hum of a furling mast as the TRUANT approached, her name visible in the full moon light.

In my half awake state, I fantasized either El Chapo had escaped again and was making a night time landing on our beach in Yelapa. Or the local cartel was off loading square groupers onto Isabels Beach next door.

WTF?

TRUANT continued her wayward drift, narrowing missing the rocky ledge. Over the next 40 minutes TRUANT drifted seaward, then circled in some unseen current, headed back into Yelapa Bay, and disappeared around the corner, still blacked out. Strange.

Dawn's early light revealed more mysteries. The Island Packet 38 HONU was drifting out of the Bay, and the CAT2FOLD catamaran was not where she was moored when the sun went down.

All three boats had taken local commercial moorings the afternoon before, believing in the moorings' integrity, and paying for the privilege. I'm not sure they would do that again.

If visiting Yelapa by boat for an overnight, I'd anchor bow and stern with plenty of scope. The depths are substantial, even near shore. And the local moorings aren't trustworthy.

sleddog
01-27-2016, 10:46 AM
Yelapa, a small Mexican village on the southern shore of Banderas Bay is blessed with several cascadias (waterfalls). One cascadia, just uphill of the center of town, is about 100 feet high and empties into a pool with a small restaurant/bar nearby. Another cascadia is about two miles up the river valley, where we hiked yesterday in the shade of the jungle canopy and to the accompaniment of squawking and colorful macaws.

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Early this morning a rare tropical deluge lasted about 15 minutes. Winter is dry season in this part of Mexico, and thus far the effects of El Nino are minimal in this area.

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Awake and listening to the rain brings "aha" moments at 4 a.m.

For better or worse, 29 races to Hawaii over five decades sometimes dominates my dreamscape.

The Tropic of Cancer circles the Earth at latitude 23.5 degrees North latitude, where the sun passes directly overhead at noon on June 21, marking the beginning of summer.

2016 SHTP racers, starting 9 days later, will have the sun nearly overhead at LAN (Local Apparent Noon) for the latter half of the passage to Kauai. Those supplementing their electrical requirements with solar panels may experience lower than hoped for charging rates.

The first half of the SHTP, out to 135 degrees W., is often cool, overcast and misty. The second half of the passage, in the tradewinds, from 135 W to Kauai, finds the sun hidden behind the sails as it sets in the southwest. Solar panels don't do well in shade, yet shade covers much of the deck during the afternoon. Portable and adjustable solar panels with quick clamps may be of more value than fixed panels. I would often take WILDFLOWER's solar panels off the stern during the afternoon, and mount them forward on the bow pulpit....

This year's SHTP will be sailed during little or no moon. The new moon is July 4, and the full moon on July 19, well after racers are safely at anchor at Hanalei. Even with no moon, nights are rarely pitch black. The ambient light from stars is amazingly illuminative. It usually about takes 15 minutes of darkness to achieve full night vision. When going below to temporarily turn on a cabin light, good practice is to keep one eye closed so as not to totally destroy night vision in both eyes. That said, some 3 a.m. squalls and their accompanying cloud can make things dark as a dungeon and damp as the dew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIxKqQJpgqc....In this case, if hand steering, nothing beats white nylon telltales lit by a forward shining flashlite to reduce chances of an accidental jibe.

Anticipation of night time boat handling drills will increase both safety and speed. Good lighting forward on the front sails and downward onto the foredeck can well increase sail trim and management. Often, the steaming light on the front of the mast can be modified to softly light the sails without causing night blindness. The steaming light bulb can either be replaced with a low wattage bulb. Alternatively, the bulb can be painted over with red nail polish, or the lens can be covered with tape. All this takes some experimentation.

A well lit mast head Windex is critical for good night time sail trimming. Thought should be given well ahead of time on how to best achieve this. I found by drilling a 1.5 inch hole in the top of my Aqua Signal tri-color light, and covering it with clear Plexi-glas, that sufficient light shone upwards to illuminate the Windex. Other options are available, including taping a flashlite to the backstay that shines upwards.

And sure as heck, the compass lite will fail at some point, and having a spare ready to plug in is wise.

My 2 cents. Ya get what ya pays for.

H Spruit
01-27-2016, 10:46 AM
"This determined crew persevered through numerous challenges to help publicize support for their chosen charities."

These ladies have accomplished a major adventure, YES!
But, from my perspective failed their PR!
What charities, did they publicize?

sleddog
01-28-2016, 12:03 PM
As kids, we didn't know what to make of the 41' futuristic sloop LADY GODIVA, the boat with an unclothed lady on a horse painted on the stern. LADY G was a 41 foot Bounty II, one of the first fiberglass boats made. At the head of the cockpit on her custom built flush deck was a wrap around airplane windscreen. Her owner, advanced in years, steered with a joystick, really a vertical tiller. His unforgettable name: Waldo Waterman.

At the age of 14, five years after the Wright Brothers' historic flight, local San Diego high school kid Waldo Waterman became enamored with flying. A 1909 Popular Mechanics article on gliders enabled Waldo to construct and fly a glider down the slopes of a canyon in San Diego near his home.

Soon after, Waterman built and was flying his own powered aircraft. His early craft lacked sufficient power for take off, so Waldo used the method of being pulled into the air behind a horseless carriage (car.) A crash of his homebuilt plane broke both Waterman's ankles, and kept him out of active flying in WWI.

After WWI, Waterman designed and built many planes, barnstormed in S. Cal., managed airports and airlines, and set flight records for altitude and speed. In the 1930's he briefly became a pilot for TWA before embarking on designing and building an "Everyman's Airplane": simple, easy to fly, low cost, and convertible from highway to air and back. Here was his answer, now viewable at the Smithsonian Museum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6N_T6RMznw

Waldo Waterman, aviation pioneer, continued to fly, and sail, until his death in 1976.
1305

JohnS
01-28-2016, 08:52 PM
Ah, the flying car/roadable airplane, an idea that never quite seems to make it to commercial reality. I think the Terrafugia (http://www.terrafugia.com/) has been a couple of years away from available for a decade. Waterman's design is interesting in that it lacks an empannage but it doesn't look like you can take the wing with you when you drive.

One of the problems that has plagued roadable aircraft design has been the need to construct controls for both driving and flying. It gets complicated quickly. Burt Rutan's Bipod design offered and interesting solution to this dilemma by splitting the two functions between two separate fuselages: you drive from one side and fly from the other (http://www.scaled.com/projects/bipod). But then most of Rutan's work was off the beaten path in interesting, and successful ways. Kind of reminds me a fellow named Bolger...

The stuff you come up with, Skip...Always sends me thinking.

dolfinbill
01-28-2016, 09:52 PM
Skip - Love all your stories, including nighttime moonless sailing in the SHTP. Don't know if you noticed but I'm finally doing it this year on 31 year old Dolfin. Great photos of Yelapa and notes on the sketchy moorings. Patty and I gave it a pass in 2013 because we were unsure of the anchorage but missed a beautiful place as a result. Good to see you doing so well.

Bill Meanley
Crealock 37, Dolfin

sleddog
01-30-2016, 01:49 PM
Greetings to DOLFIN Bill and Patty! 30 years ago I met DOLFIN and crew in French Polynesia while sailing WILDFLOWER in the same waters...

While the fleet is circumnavigating SF Bay today in the 3BF, four of us chartered the panga KARINA and captain Seferino to run us 12 miles southwest, down the undeveloped south coast of Banderas Bay, to the little village of Chimo, last stop before Cabo Corrientes.

An interesting feature of the Mexican pangas is the universal use of Zolatone splatter paint for the inside of the hull. For those who don't know Zolatone, it was first used in the 1950's to coat the inside of Airstream trailers and truck beds. Zolatone most resembles a bad acid trip crossed with a Jackson Pollock painting. But its toughness and longevity is undisputed.
1306

The coastline from Yelapa to Chimo was rocky, backed by steep jungle, with infrequent and small pocket sand beaches. Seferino skirted the jagged shoreline close aboard, while a southbound whale paid more heed and kept a safe 100 yards off.

Entering the little bay of Chimo, Seferino anchored KARINA about 50 yards offshore, and we waited for the shoreboat to ferry us ashore through the surf. While waiting, I hesitantly pondered what we might be in for: the shoreboat was an ancient dugout log canoe, the original watercraft for many indigenous peoples, and probably well over a 100 years old. The dugout's crew of two was alternating paddling and bailing.

1307

Somehow, all seven of us made it ashore in one load of the dugout. On the beach, we were greeted by a snuffling pig and dozen pelicans. The pig, good sized railmeat for a J-92, lay down on the beach at our feet, belly up.

1308

On the other side of the beach was a shoal lagoon, home of the Chimo Club de Yates, whose fleet numbered eight rough looking pangas.

1309

Chimo, population 250, hasn't much for the visitor but a single beach side restaurant with one table and two welcoming cats. To the cats delight, we ordered fish and shrimp ceviche, a baked huachinango (red snapper) and cold beer. The cats became our new best friends, wanted to sit in our laps and help celebrate our visit. One wrapped around my neck.

After lunch we returned to the shore where the dugout canoe and crew were waiting. I couldn't help but notice daylight shining through a foot-long crack in the hull at the waterline.

1310

Again we cheated death, negotiated the shorebreak, made the short ocean transit, and boarded the KARINA for the 45 minute run back to Yelapa.

If ever given the chance to visit Chimo, don't miss it. The lunch was delicious, the locals friendly, the cats affectionate, and the dugout canoe ride epic.

dolfinbill
01-30-2016, 03:19 PM
Skip, You also attended Kelly's 8th birthday in Moorea, bobbing for donuts dangling from trees, gave us your chart and encouragement for the Vava'u group and then two years later out of the blue arrived in Wildflower in the Gulf Islands and helped celebrate Kelly's 10th. Great memories.

Bill Meanley
Crealock 37, Dolfin

sleddog
01-31-2016, 09:02 AM
I have recently been advised by good friend Rob Wood, a Yorkshire man himself, that the friendly pig that greeted us on the beach at Chimo is properly called a Yorkshire Pig.

Rob, a mountaineer as well as a sailor, was the first Euro to ascend Yosemite's El Cap in 1968. Rob and wife Laurie, based out of Maurelle Island in British Columbia, built their 33 foot workhorse catamaran QUINTANO out of two amas from a Norman Cross 38 trimaran.

They then used QUINTANO to lead expeditions up rugged and remote Bute Inlet to ascend BC's highest peak, 13,177 foot Mt. Waddington. Rob wrote a book about their adventures, Towards the Unknown Mountains

1311

Just getting the 40 miles up Bute Inlet was an adventure. It's waters are turquoise-blue glacier runoff. There are no anchorages or harbors of refuge in this steepsided fiord.

At the head of Bute Inlet, QUINTANO would cross the bar and enter the Homathko River, then fight strong currents up river to their base camp, where they would moor QUINTANO, and begin the ascent of Waddington Glacier on skis.

1312

Rob and Laurie also sailed QUINTANO to the Queen Charlottes, as well as circumnavigating Vancouver Island. It was aboard QUINTANO I first sailed with a horse. But that's another story back in post #847 http://sfbaysss.org/forum/showthread.php?655-New-Boat-4-Sled/page85

sleddog
02-03-2016, 05:43 PM
Before there were EPIRB's, Personal Locator Beacons PLB's, and SPOTs for signaling emergency at sea, there were Gibson Girl hand crank powered radios, carried aboard trans-ocean racing yachts through mid-20th century, and aboard nuclear submarines as late as 1990. (!)

These radios, originally invented by the Germans in 1941 for their Luftwafte airforce during WW II, were waterproof, buoyant, and could send a continuous radio distress signal on 500 kHz to searching aircraft and ships. They were transmit only, not receive.

Gibson Girls were bright yellow and had a peculiar wineglass shape, meant to be held between the legs, thus the name "Gibson Girl" after the idealized women in Charles Dana Gibson's drawings of the 1890's.

1324

I don't know how many mariners or WW II warriors Gibson Girl's actually saved. Just deploying them looks like a major chore. The wind had to between 12 and 20 knots to get the box kite and 300 feet of antenna aloft. Otherwise, hydrogen had to be made in a hydrogen generator tube by mixing chemicals together. The hydrogen then inflated a 3 foot diameter balloon that was deployed from the liferaft to take the antenna up.

1325

Early Gibson Girls weighed 50 pounds or more. Later, the Brits and Yanks copied captured Gibson Girl's from the Germans, and the Yanks reduced their weight to as little as 34 pounds.

The best Gibson Girl rescue story I ever heard was from a retired WW II aviator who ditched his plane at sea. He dutifully inflated his raft, launched his kite and antenna, and cranked up his Gibson Girl. As if on schedule, a rescue aircraft appeared. The airplane dipped down to get a better look. Unfortunately, the plane snagged the antenna and dragged the airman out of his raft before the antenna broke. Yiiiii doggies.

I hope not one of you ever has to use a modern EPIRB or PLB satellite based system in survival conditions. But if so, thank goodness you are not relying on the Gibson Girl radio of yesteryear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY4pu9SoVfw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWJ5qvfPj_I

pogen
02-03-2016, 05:44 PM
Wow, you really had my hopes up with the Gibson Girl thing.

pogen
02-03-2016, 05:48 PM
"Of course there are mermaids."

1326

Philpott
02-03-2016, 11:07 PM
"Of course there are mermaids."

1326

I've seen your site, David. Your choice of mermaid shows admirable restraint.

sleddog
02-04-2016, 04:41 PM
1328

No mermaids here: Heart stopping photo of semi-submersible drill rig OCEAN VALIANT anchored west of the Shetlands (north UK) in hurricane force and 35 foot seas. Anchored?? Yup, with 8x10 ton, MK4 Bruce Anchors, sorta like what you got hanging off your bow.

There are two anchors off each corner of OCEAN VALIANT. Can't imagine the loads. The science of deep ocean anchoring has obviously advanced since the old days when the Danforth was designed for a single direction pull of Landing Craft off sandy beaches during WWII.

Peter Bruce was the man who advanced anchor design from the Dark Ages, patenting the Bruce Anchor in 1971. His patent has since expired, and there are many cheap knock-offs out there, some not so good. Obviously OCEAN VALIANT's anchoring gear is of the highest quality.

The Bruce Anchors on OCEAN VALIANT meet the design criteria for effective hold irrespective of the angle or position at which they first settle on the sea bed.

1329

There is much written about anchors and their effectiveness. If you enjoy the subject of anchoring with your breakfast cereal, here are two interesting websites.

http://www.vryhof.com/anchor_manual.pdf
http://www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/old-generation-anchors.php

And if you are in the market for a less expensive alternative, the Mexican panga rebar anchor is universally used and might be a good look. Available everywhere South of the Border, except West Marine.

1330

BobJ
02-05-2016, 09:16 AM
Careful about loose OK talk... although the Snowbird reminded me more of a Penguin we had in the garage.

my folks raced and built OK's back in the day... in fact I learned how to use power tools working on them.
I have a set of plans and a vague idea about next winter...Now that would be really stupid.

DH

More for Dave (no pressure...)
1331133213331334

sleddog
02-05-2016, 03:30 PM
1335

OK Dinghies are one of the finest hi-tech sailing dinghies there is, on par with a 505. Originally designed by Knud Olsen ("OK" was the reversal of his initials) in 1957 for the Seattle area as a youth trainer for the Olympic Finn, OK's have survived the test of time and remain a truly wonderful planing dinghy, better than a Laser I think.

Certainly Paul Elvstrom, probably the best small boat sailor ever, thought so. Paul had a long history in the OK Class, and built many boats, and sails as well.

OK's were designed to be built using conventional plywood construction. Although many OK's now are built of fiberglass, wood OK's still are very competitive. And are they pretty to look at! Just look at RAGTIME's pics. Thanks, Robert.

Another cool thing about OK's is, unlike the Laser, strict one design class rules do allow you to tinker with gear and location to your heart's content. This freedom allows customizing your OK Dinghy to suit your body shape, weight, strength and style of sailing.

I cannot speak highly enough about OK Dinghies and their international class organization and comradery. If you ever have the chance to sail an OK, go for it! Not only will you have fun, but become a better sailor for it.

1336

DaveH
02-06-2016, 02:10 PM
Well, I suppose its pretty clear where I get my affinity for boats with lots of strings.
OK Bob, you've goaded me into it... I have a winter project for 2016-17.
I'm unlikely to build a varnished piece of furniture, but hopefully I'll end up with a decent dinghy in the end.

I have a lot of great memories from growing up around the class in Seattle, including an early trip to Half Moon Bay for Nationals. I was about 4, and what I most clearly recall is getting to ride in the committee boat on the "real ocean" with swells [vs Puget Sound].
I also recall being highly put out on the ride home that I was displaced from the back of the family Travelall by the cases of wine my father bootlegged home...

Philpott
02-07-2016, 12:09 AM
Greetings to DOLFIN Bill and Patty! 30 years ago I met DOLFIN and crew in French Polynesia while sailing WILDFLOWER in the same waters...

While the fleet is circumnavigating SF Bay today in the 3BF, four of us chartered the panga KARINA and captain Severino to run us 12 miles southwest, down the undeveloped south coast of Banderas Bay, to the little village of Chimo, last stop before Cabo Corrientes.

An interesting feature of the Mexican pangas is the universal use of Zolatone splatter paint for the inside of the hull. For those who don't know Zolatone, it was first used in the 1950's to coat the inside of Airstream trailers and truck beds. Zolatone most resembles a bad acid trip crossed with a Jackson Pollock painting. But its toughness and longevity is undisputed.
1306

The coastline from Yelapa to Chimo was rocky, backed by steep jungle, with infrequent and small pocket sand beaches. Severino skirted the jagged shoreline close aboard, while a southbound whale paid more heed and kept a safe 100 yards off.

Entering the little bay of Chimo, Severino anchored KARINA about 50 yards offshore, and we waited for the shoreboat to ferry us ashore through the surf. While waiting, I hesitantly pondered what we might be in for: the shoreboat was an ancient dugout log canoe, the original watercraft for many indigenous peoples, and probably well over a 100 years old. The dugout's crew of two was alternating paddling and bailing.

1307

Somehow, all seven of us made it ashore in one load of the dugout. On the beach, we were greeted by a snuffling pig and dozen pelicans. The pig, good sized railmeat for a J-92, lay down on the beach at our feet, belly up.

1308

On the other side of the beach was a shoal lagoon, home of the Chimo Club de Yates, whose fleet numbered eight rough looking pangas.

1309

Chimo, population 250, hasn't much for the visitor but a single beach side restaurant with one table and two welcoming cats. To the cats delight, we ordered fish and shrimp ceviche, a baked huachinango (red snapper) and cold beer. The cats became our new best friends, wanted to sit in our laps and help celebrate our visit. One wrapped around my neck.

After lunch we returned to the shore where the dugout canoe and crew were waiting. I couldn't help but notice daylight shining through a foot-long crack in the hull at the waterline.

1310

Again we cheated death, negotiated the shorebreak, made the short ocean transit, and boarded the KARINA for the 45 minute run back to Yelapa.

If ever given the chance to visit Chimo, don't miss it. The lunch was delicious, the locals friendly, the cats affectionate, and the dugout canoe ride epic.

So many great phrases, so many lovely images! I keep coming back to read this story again and again.

sleddog
02-07-2016, 10:11 AM
Having recently returned visiting a coastline where GPS put our boat a mile inland on the most recent chart, I can sympathize with this determined fellow, who misspelled his destination in Iceland and then seemed to lack common sense and situational awareness. His reward, other than not dying on icy roads, was sampling the local delicacy, putrefied shark.

LONDON — When Noel Santillan typed the word Laugarvegur instead of Laugavegur into his rental car’s GPS, the New Jersey resident couldn’t have imagined the extra “r” would make him a celebrity in Iceland.

Santillan, 28, arrived at Keflavik International Airport on Monday after a five-hour flight from New York and was eager to get to the Hotel Fron on Laugavegur, a main street in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. But the spelling error got in his way, according to Visir, an Icelandic news website.

While driving nearly six hours over icy roads, Santillan, began to think something might be wrong, local news reports said.

His suspicion was confirmed when he arrived in Siglufjordur, a remote fishing village in northern Iceland that is roughly 270 miles from the airport and has a road named Laugarvegur.

There, a woman told Santillan he was not in Reykjavik, which is about 45 minutes by bus from the airport at which Santillan arrived.

“I was very tired after the flight and wanted to get to the hotel as soon as possible,” Santillan was quoted by Visir as saying. “That’s why I kept driving. I did enjoy the scenery on the way.”

He told the state broadcaster that he saw signs showing Reykjavik was in the other direction, but he had put his faith in the GPS.

But his unintended journey has captured the imagination of Iceland, and the people of Siglufjordur have embraced the American, who has since visited the local herring museum and tasted a favorite local delicacy, putrefied shark.

sleddog
02-07-2016, 10:44 AM
Congrats to friend of sailors everywhere, Chuck Hawley, on his recent receipt of U.S.Sailing's Timothea Larr Award for outstanding contributions to the advancement of sailor education in the U.S.

Chuck is leader of the Safety at Sea Committee and member of the Offshore Committee. Currently, he is working to improve best practices in sail and boating training. He is a SHTP verteran, respected member of the offshore community, and serves on multiple panels investigating offshore sailing tragedies to help improve our best practices.

Chuck headed the Independent Review Panel for the Chicago to Mackinac Island WINGNUTS tragedy in 2011. He set the standard and format for subsequent panels and most recently Chuck was part of a panel that investigated the VESTAS WIND Volvo Ocean Race grounding on the Cargados Carajos Shoals.

As part of LOW SPEED CHASE 2012 tragedy investigation. Chuck worked with the US Coast Guard and the yacht clubs of the San Francisco Bay area to craft user-friendly Safety Requirements written in easily understandable language for use in races outside of the Bay. These were expanded into the US Safety Equipment Requirements (SERs).

Chuck has long been a Moderator for the Safety at Sea Seminars He is also at the forefront of creating online safety training units used to supplement the standard seminar topics so that an abbreviated version combined with hands-on training can be done in one day, as opposed to two.

What Chuck has to say about his recent attendance to the ISAF annual meeting (now "World Sailing") likely has relevance to SSS members, and all who sail offshore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Safety Gear Usefulness - Feb., 3, 2016

When Does Safety Gear Outlive Its Usefulness?

Chuck Hawley, February 2016

In early November, the annual meeting of the International Sailing Federation, now known as World Sailing, was held in Sanya, Hainan, China. One of the committees that met was the Offshore Special Regulations committee, which is responsible for creating equipment rules for six categories of sailboat racing, based on the proximity to rescue and the duration of the event. The Offshore Special Regulations have grown over the years: in fact, the 1982 version published by the then-United States Yacht Racing Union fit on a single sheet of paper. By 2014, the OSRs as they are known had grown to over 200 pages.

It’s interesting to consider why a relatively simple document like the 1982 version would grow to be a bloated, complicated, and ultimately undesirable document that tormented yacht owners, boat captains, and pre-race inspectors due to its incomprehensibility. One could argue that a wide range of new products have come to the market since 1982, and many of those items have greatly reduced the risks of going offshore, or even along the shore. Who wouldn’t want to have an EPIRB, a high buoyancy inflatable life jacket, GPS, AIS transceivers, satellite telephones, VHF radios with Digital Selective Calling, even if it caused the page of requirements to become a small booklet of requirements?

Items tend to be added to the Offshore Special Regulations with relatively little debate about their merits compared to either not adding them, or exchanging them for other items. When AIS became available a few years ago, I can imagine that most offshore sailors felt that the ability to know the location of AIS-equipped vessels was absolutely worth the cost of adding an AIS receiver or transceiver. How could it not be the right thing to do? What about improved safety harness tethers that would have different snaps at each end, and a dated tag that showed when it was purchased, and a overload indicator that would show when the tether had been subjected to a large load (undefined, as it turns out, in the Special Regulations).

Sometimes the new items or technologies obsolete some thing that is already bought and paid for and on the boat. If we’re lucky, the new technology is given a few years of leadtime before it’s required, and the old items are allowed for a few years of additional use before being relegated to the rubbish bin or marine flea markets. But it’s always hard to resist new pieces of kit, since everyone worries that if only one life is saved with the new gear, then it will have been worth it.

Thus, it was somewhat amazing that one of the submissions presented in Sanya was to eliminate the carriage of SOLAS rocket parachute flares on offshore race boats. Instead of having six relatively expensive pyros on board, Category 1 boats would not have any. Not only are these flares dated, with a expiration date of 42 months, but they are virtually impossible to recycle or ship, and they have relatively few instances where they have been the critical alerting device in rescues. Remarkably, the Offshore Special Regulations committee voted to remove the need to carry these devices, showing a reversal of the trend to add consistently rather than to have each item fight for its place on the list of gear.

This raises the obvious question: how DO you decide what gear should be voluntarily carried, or require it to be carried, when sailing offshore? Is more always better? Are you playing fast and loose with the safety of your crew when you elect to not carry a piece of gear?

Let’s look at an example. Most of us would not consider voyaging down the coast of California and certainly not to Hawaii without carrying a life raft. But is this a logical choice? Life rafts cost around $4,500, require periodic maintenance that might amortize out to $200 per year, and last about 15 years. Total cost per year of ownership: $500 per year. But how many U.S. sailors are saved by life rafts every year? It’s a tiny number: perhaps 20 in a particularly bad year, and perhaps fewer than 10 in a good year. Is it worth it, ignoring the obvious argument that, “if it were your family, you’d sure want to have one if the boat sank” which is always going to be raised. A better argument that lacks some of the emotion is “what alternative do you have if your boat burns or sinks?” A life raft is nearly the only choice.

Let’s return to SOLAS rocket parachute flares. How may sailors are saved by this item, considering that they may have VHF radios, hand flares, EPIRBs, SEND devices, Iridium phones, strobe lights, spot lights and on and on? Perhaps parachute flares have fallen prey to the improving technologies that we all embrace, especially the ability to communicate over the horizon to either rescue networks or rescuing vessels. Perhaps, in this case, we can confidently retire these devices, and their frequent replacement, hazardous waste disposal, and potential to harm the B&G masthead unit, and feel confident that we’ve evolved beyond technologies that were more appropriate for the Titanic generation. As the song says, breaking up is hard to do, but sometimes it’s the right thing to do.

Submarino
02-07-2016, 05:05 PM
There is a stark imbalance here! Unfortunately, safety in the boating and sailing often translates into equipment & technology. In parallel, I believe there should be an equal effort in training and influencing behaviors.

JB

Dazzler
02-07-2016, 10:29 PM
Having recently returned visiting a coastline where GPS put our boat a mile inland on the most recent chart, I can sympathize with this determined fellow, who misspelled his destination in Iceland and then seemed to lack common sense and situational awareness. His reward, other than not dying on icy roads, was sampling the local delicacy, putrefied shark.

BIG SNIP

[/I]

Sled:
Cute story, but sorry, it’s hard to accept as presented. I believe the Icelandic tourist bureau saw an opportunity for publicity. Sue and I were in Iceland for two weeks last August and we visited Siglufjordur and The Herring Era Museum. A few observations:
• Most all the flights from North America arrive around 6 AM, so yes, the guy could have been pretty tired from the overnight flight; I know we were.
• Icelandic names can be pretty confusing; they have lots of letters and don’t look like English.
• From the airport at Keflavik, he had to drive through Reykjavik to get to Siglufjordur. Reykjavik is a large city (2/3 of the Icelandic population lives there); it would have been hard to miss.
• To get to Siglufjordur one must drive through two very long tunnels. One of which is one-way. It’s not any easy place to get to and it’s a long drive.

Siglufjordur is in the far reaches of North-West Iceland. It is an amazing place with deep glacier carved fiords and a wonderful maritime history. One could easily spend hours exploring the award winning Herring Era Museum at Siglufjordur.

Siglufjordur has an interesting (and surprising) connection to the SF Bay Area. The fifth herring factory at Siglufjordur was opened in 1926 by German industrialist Carl Paul. Remaining in what is now the museum is the engine/generator for the Paul Factory. It’s comprised of a very large 400 hp ATLAS IMPERIAL diesel engine made in OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA connected to a 368 hp GENERAL ELECTRIC dynamo, with 270 kW capacity.

On a more serious note and to the point, there have been some tragic results from tourists blindly following car GPS directions. The most notable that I recall had to do with dirt roads and Death Valley.

1340

Tom P.
CLOUD

Cover Craft
02-07-2016, 10:31 PM
The photos bring back great memories, I bought a used OK when I was in high school, that would have been about 1969-70. Wooden mast, wire reel winch vang and all! IIRC it was US333. Sailed it constantly in the local (Marina del Rey) fleet and a regatta or two in windy Long Beach. The fleet didn't withstand the onslaught of the Laser class though and I also made the shit to a Laser in 1972. Too bad because the OK is such a better sailing boat. I was really disappointed my first time in the Laser but if you wanted to race that's what you sailed. Those were the days of wet sweatshirts (for increased hiking weight for the younger set who haven't heard of such things). My knees and back were never the same.

It would be great to see a rebirth of that great design although I don't think I'll be sailing one. I think that was my second favorite boat ever, not a coincidence that it was a woodie... Favorite was the Constellation which I sold last year after 25 years. Still not over it.

Tom Krase

BobJ
02-08-2016, 12:21 AM
Tom, what number Laser did you have? Mine was #1042 - new numbers are now over 207,000. And I agree there were (and are) many better dinghies.

The challenge I'd have with an OK (or a Finn) is the low boom. A career of sitting and staring at computer screens has made my neck and upper back muscles kind of touchy.

sleddog
02-08-2016, 09:15 AM
Thanks to DAZZLER for the Icelandic geography and history lesson. The depth of knowledge on this Forum is truly astonishing.

The Atlas Imperial 400 horsepower, 6 cylinder, diesel engine Tom and Sue saw at the Siglufjordur Herring Era Museum was manufactured in 1926 on the north shore of the Alameda Estuary, 1000 19th Ave., just across from Coast Guard Island.

Atlas engines are tough, low-turning, and powerful, especially favored for tugboats. There's not many Atlas engines still running these days. But when you hear one, you will know. It is like catnip to the senses. Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGYuDL34HC0

Philpott
02-08-2016, 12:03 PM
It is like catnip to the senses. Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGYuDL34HC0

Oh my, yes. I would certainly enjoy listening to that for a long time. Especially while trying to sleep. Meow.

red roo
02-08-2016, 01:02 PM
Atlas engines are tough, low-turning, and powerful, especially favored for tugboats...when you hear one, you will know. It is like catnip to the senses.
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sleddog
02-08-2016, 04:52 PM
83 degrees this afternoon in Capitola (Santa Cruz.), a new record. It will be clear and dark tonight, with no moon and plenty of stars.

I'm of the mind that simplicity, reliability, and common sense should apply to offshore safety requirements. Complexity and multi-interpretation should have no place in SSS offshore, Long Pac, or SHTP rules. I applaud attempts to minimize well intentioned efforts to save us from ourselves. I encourage SSS members to continue to speak up on what works, and what doesn't, especially when hands-on experiences can be provided.

The NorCalORC Equipment requirements for SSS sailors is a well intentioned effort that I believe falls short. These requirements are meant "as a supplement to Coast Guard requirements...." That statement leaves me scratching my head.

I believe some US Coast Guard safety requirements may promote unsafe equipment manufacture, promotion, and practices. An argument could be made that NorCalORC (and SSS) should not be in the business of enforcement of governmental regulations.

Here is one example.

The USCG navigation requirements for vessel lighting are outdated and dangerous. Never mind their misnomer of a "masthead light" (there is nothing masthead about your masthead light, likely fixed to the front of the mast near the lower spreaders and used when motorsailing.) Nor is their Rule 25 requirement for a black conical "I Steam" shape to be hoisted apex downward when motorsailing seaward of Pt. Bonita.

My beef is with lighting requirements. If you are greater than 40 feet in length, your sidelights are required to have 2 mile visibility. Fair enough. Less than 40 feet, only one mile. Really? With your one mile "Coast Guard approved sidelight" as sold by West Marine, you may be seen about 3 minutes before being run over by that 20 knot container ship, who's bow lookout may just be a camera, or a mate on the bridge, wearing photochromic glasses and drinking coffee.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/perko--chrome-plated-bi-colored-bow-light--281097
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/aqua-signal--series-22-navigation-lights--P009_277_001_002

In this day and age of low draw LED bulbs, the CG is thinking backwardly, not in the 21st century. All ocean racing sailboats regardless of length should have at least two mile visibility bulbs, not pissant fragile incandescent bulbs that can burn out with the impact of dropping off a wave or banged by a whisker pole.

My suggestion to NorCal ORC (and US Sailing) is to drop Rule 3.31. regarding Coast Guard required lights. In fact, drop the reference to CG requirements. If we want to be CG compliant, that's our business. Just like I don't want the CG telling me I can only use a (highly dangerous) white anchor light, when a colored one, amber or red, would be more noticeable.

The argument that USCG Rules for small craft needing to comply with the international standards of ColRegs doesn't hold water with me. If this were truly so, we would repaint all our navigation buoys and aids, so its "red left returning" like the rest of the World.

And could the Navy and Coast Guard turn on their navigation lights? The present practice of running dark in peace time seems a bit dangerous. Surprise!

Philpott
02-08-2016, 07:12 PM
And could the Navy and Coast Guard turn on their navigation lights? The present practice of running dark in peace time seems a bit dangerous. Surprise!

Returning to Berkeley from the Fiasco as darkness fell, Paul and I were vigilant about turning on our running lights. As we approached the entrance to the marina we noticed several light-less sailboats exiting and returning. Ah, Berkeley! And yet! What is this? Directly ahead of us was another boat drifting in without running lights, its transom festooned instead with Christmas - ahem - holiday lights. That's the Berkeley attitude.

sleddog
02-08-2016, 07:36 PM
And yet! What is this? Directly ahead of us was another boat drifting in without running lights, its transom festooned instead with Christmas - ahem - holiday lights. That's the Berkeley attitude.

Attempting to educate a friend regarding small craft navigation lights, I pointed out the green light is on the right hand side. (Except in Mexico, where green is just as likely to be on the port side on local pangas)

I then asked my friend, "what side do you think the red light is on?"

"That would be the brake light, it's on the back."

BobJ
02-08-2016, 07:48 PM
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Cover Craft
02-08-2016, 11:30 PM
Tom, what number Laser did you have? Mine was #1042 - new numbers are now over 207,000. And I agree there were (and are) many better dinghies.

The challenge I'd have with an OK (or a Finn) is the low boom. A career of sitting and staring at computer screens has made my neck and upper back muscles kind of touchy.

But it was somewhere in the 1400s I think, maybe 1478. Lime green. It was a used demo boat & when I got it home it seemed awfully heavy so I put a deck plate in and dried out the waterlogged foam blocks inside.

You might do better than you think with an OK, the cockpit's really pretty deep. I remember expecting it to be a problem but it wasn't. I think I hit my head more on the Laser.

And I was nowhere near big enough for a Finn!

Best thing about all that dinghy sailing was it got me a ride on the Tahiti race in '74.

Tom

sleddog
02-09-2016, 07:44 AM
Best thing about all that dinghy sailing was it got me a ride on the Tahiti race in '74.
Tom

A quick followup: I don't think I know Tom..but there were 9 entries in the '74 Los Angeles to Tahiti Race. 3571 miles. SORCERY the big C&C 61 was FtF and 1st Overall. Also SPIRIT, PARAGON, CONCERTO, WITCHCRAFT the 36' Bill Lee ultralight, OBSESSION, another SPIRIT, RAPTURE, and future 1978 SHTP winner Norton Smith skippering his Ericson-41 EOS.

Tom, could tell us a little more about your adventure?

sleddog
02-09-2016, 09:33 AM
It seemed like a good idea at the time, a winter cruise southbound from New York to the Bahamas on ANTHEM OF THE SEAS, third biggest cruise ship in the world. At 1,142 feet long, with 1,500 crew attending 4,905 passengers on 16 decks, what could go wrong?

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Plenty it seems. Somebody forgot to check the weather forecast. Keeping to a tight schedule, the captain drove his top heavy ship into "extreme weather" 200 miles south of Hatteras, off the Carolina coast. The ship began rolling and the 18 swimming pools began to slosh, the skydiving had to be shut down, as did the gondola.

Glass began breaking, furniture was thrown willy-nilly, ceilings were falling, and passengers were confined to their rooms.

The captain turned the ship around and went home. The cruise was canceled.

At least they didn't lose Wi-Fi.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/travel/royal-caribbean-cruise-storm.html?&hpw&rref=travel&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

sleddog
02-11-2016, 10:10 AM
On Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, at 11:49 p.m PST. a GPS satellite's ground system software went down, reportedly causing hours of escalating system errors. It's unknown if any ship's navigators were aware of, or noticed any anomalies. Certainly, ground stations noticed, including the BBC, which had two days of digital outages. The Air Force is "investigating." But it does point to potential vulnerabilities in the GPS system ....
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35491962

If sailing to Hawaii, and not conversant with celestial navigation and carrying a sextant, I would recommend an old school back-up to GPS:an inexpensive portable AM radio. Much mo' bettah than looking for contrails.

By rotating the radio and therefore the antenna, a null can be found, pointing the direction to Kauai. KUAI country radio, near Lihue, is 570 AM on the radio dial. KKCR FM is Hanalei's community radio, but that is FM and non-directional. http://www.kkcr.org/

Of course practicing ahead of time is always recommended. I like to put a tape mark on the top of the radio with the direction of null.

At night, strong AM radio stations, both on the Mainland and in Hawaii, can be heard hundreds of miles at sea, and do double duty by helping to stay awake.

And of course late night "Coast to Coast" AM radio will attempt to explain those UFO's sighted overhead as weariness sets in.

BobJ
02-15-2016, 09:40 AM
To follow up the "slooner" and "sloa" posts in mid-December - I'm thinking of getting one of these upwind asymmetrics for Rags. Looks fast:

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JohnS
02-16-2016, 10:13 AM
Nice to see that the afterguard relocated to the bow, er, neo-stern, er...oh to hell with it, to the other end of the boat. I can only surmise that this was due to inherent fear of proximity to colorful sails and not any innate intelligence. I am still trying to sort out how wealth so dramatically alters the physics of a hull moving through water.

BobJ
02-16-2016, 10:36 AM
The more you look at it, the weirder it gets. At first I thought they just Photoshopped the hull on backwards and the rest was okay, but then I noticed the spinnaker pole going nowhere, the size of the crew vs. a five spreader rig, the directions they're looking even if you swap the hull around, the ass'y unattached at the corners, etc.

I quickly concluded I wouldn't be hiring NCB to manage my wealth - whatever is left of it after owning a sailboat.

JohnS
02-16-2016, 10:56 AM
I also noticed the spin pole. And the top of the kite is above the masthead. That's a neat trick. Looks like someone put a large amount of effort into photochopping that nightmare. Stranger and stranger.

On the other hand, maybe you should hire them to manage your wealth. Just consider how much money a boat that can do all the things pictured must cost. I'd hire them to manage my wealth but I doubt they deal in coins. Pennies, I have lots of pennies.

sleddog
02-18-2016, 11:46 AM
After enduring rugged LA Freeway traffic jams, I ran downwind north up Hwy 101 yesterday with a gusty SE tailwind. As measured at Santa Cruz Harbor, the pre-frontal wind speed was 25 knots, gusting 45, doubtless helping my van achieve a record 27 miles/gallon. The tail end of the front passed early this morning with a dash of hail, thunder and lightning, and two feet of fresh snow in the Sierra.

I had been in S.Cal saying goodbye to long time shipmate, Rex Banks, who went on his final voyage Tuesday aboard WINDWARD PASSAGE, on whose decks Rex had sailed thousands of miles.

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Rex was the consummate shipmate, never failing to keep us laughing when the chips were down and all hell was breaking loose. We all became better sailors because of Rex.

Tuesday was warm, clear, and glassy, with Catalina clearly visible to the west, as were the snow topped San Gabriels 60 miles inland.

Half a mile outside the Newport breakwater the fleet slowed and circled WINDWARD PASSAGE. A piper piped. Rex was commended to the ocean he loved, followed by leis and roses from all who loved him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUTyLEyV0ak

After, we gathered at NHYC. Gary Weisman read a moving tribute written by Rex's wife Tara. Rex's son Walker, an outstanding young sailor in his own right, eloquently spoke. Many were moved to tears.

I did not know. Rex loved cats.... Tara remarked that once when Rex saw a clouded leopard at San Diego Zoo, he could not talk about anything else for two days. http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/clouded-leopard.

A hui hou, Rex. Until we meet again.

The 101 Freeway, just north of San Luis Obispo, had an interesting sign at the bottom of steep Cuesta grade: "Bear Crossing" with a drawing of a momma and baby bear.

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Back in Central Calif, I swung by Dave Wahle's WylieCat boatshop on historic Grove St. in Watsonville. Next door to WylieCat, Craig Smith runs Elkhorn Composites, one of the best little boat repair shops in all of Calif.

As well as fixing boats, Craig lovingly cares for all the feral cats that live under boats and molds out in the yard: Fluffy with the one eye, Rusty, Pipsqueak, Harry, Bruno, Diabla, Gomez, and the rest.

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Rex would approve.

red roo
02-20-2016, 02:44 PM
Inspired by Bob J's photo of the NCB Wealth Management ad above, I found a few vintage cigarette and beverage ads that may be worth a closer look.

Ok, because nothing says "seamanship" like pulling on your sea boots while standing on the coach roof, and all while under sail. Love the spotless white foulies too.
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Can't think of a better good time than taking out the skiff and, when it begins to rain, pulling out an umbrella and the banjo for a good 'ole singalong. Who cares that you're wearing street shoes on a boat? You've got Coca-Cola.
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A special message to any gal goin' duck-huntin' by herself: who says that boats, guns, beer, ducks and dogs don't mix?
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sleddog
02-20-2016, 05:53 PM
That Merit smoker leaning into thin air while using both hands to pull on his sea boots is a piece of work. But if he stays onboard, "getting the taste of it," he may be in for a surprise. Check the lead of the roller furling line on the jib. It has a half turn around the anchor windlass. This might be an inventive single-handed technique for those dark nights at sea: roll up the jib and drop the anchor simultaneously.

Paging Robert Redford. Robert Redford to the foredeck please.

BobJ
02-20-2016, 08:44 PM
Somebody wrote that recently: "From the Robert Redford School of Seamanship." I have my doubts about how long the main is going to stay up over Mr. White Foulies' head, given the state of the halyard. I don't think it's in the self-tailer or made fast to a cleat, and I don't think the little shackle in the standing part is doing much. As for Miss Rheingold, <sorry, it was good but I really needed to delete it>.

I have a funny one of my own boat taken by no less than Latitude 38. I'll have to scan it in to post it.

I know it was a somber occasion but I have to comment on how great WINDWARD PASSAGE looks - a beautiful boat, beautifully maintained.

Harrier
02-21-2016, 11:32 AM
There used to be a new Miss Rheingold every year. Something else to look forward to while I was at the US Military Academy (Sing Sing, West). We couldn't have the beer, but the newspaper carried the commercials...

sleddog
02-21-2016, 11:45 AM
"Who's the Fairest of Them All?"

My vote would be for the Santa Cruz 27 first built in 1974 on Hilltop in Soquel in Bill Lee's chicken coop boat shop.

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About 145 SC-27's were built. Now a 42 year old design, they remain pretty, strong, fast, ocean-worthy, trailerable, cruiseable, and good value.

http://www.fastisfun.com/wizwisdom/27.html

Overnight on Oct. 2, 1979, a large swell hit Capitola. The surf was breaking outside the mooring field and over the end of the Wharf. All 15 moored boats off Capitola Main Beach broke loose and were driven ashore. The giant surf quickly broke them into bits and pieces, where their sad remnants were put into dumpsters by Public Works.

None survived except for the yellow SC-27 CIAO. Before an appreciative early morning crowd, CIAO did three somersaults before landing on the beach. Local boat builder Jeff Tracey hooked up his truck to CIAO and pulled her up on the Esplanade, where she was loaded on a trailer and taken home, little the worse for wear except a broken mast.

As for being the " fairest" of Santa Cruz built boats, Bill Lee's early brochure for the SC-27 shows just how fair the boat is. Smooth as a baby's butt. Check out the fourth photo.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzYzI3bmNhfGd4OjMwNzg1ZTZl ZDVmY2Y1OWM

Cover Craft
02-21-2016, 10:46 PM
A quick followup: I don't think I know Tom..but there were 9 entries in the '74 Los Angeles to Tahiti Race. 3571 miles. SORCERY the big C&C 61 was FtF and 1st Overall. Also SPIRIT, PARAGON, CONCERTO, WITCHCRAFT the 36' Bill Lee ultralight, OBSESSION, another SPIRIT, RAPTURE, and future 1978 SHTP winner Norton Smith skippering his Ericson-41 EOS.

Tom, could tell us a little more about your adventure?

Slow reply. It took a while to write a book but you asked for it. :-)

(Sled – I think we've only met very briefly a couple of times.)

I got a phone call one evening during the last few weeks of my senior year of high school (Palisades High School, Class of '74) from a man named Art Biehl, owner of Witchcraft. He was from some yacht club I'd never heard of in Northern California – Richmond YC. I had no inkling that 42 years later I'd have been a member of that club for over 30 years.

One of his crew for the upcoming race had to drop out due to a health issue (anybody remember Dave Killian?) and Art had been asking around at California YC (Marina del Rey) for a replacement. I had been crewing in the local ocean races quite a bit and he'd been referred to me. He was interviewing several potential crew and my dinghy racing experience was a big plus for him. Of course before I could answer I had to see about school, so the next morning I was at the principal’s office. In those more relaxed days all I had to do was to get all my teachers to sign off on agreeing to my absence for the last two weeks of school, and fortunately they all thought that I'd learn a lot more sailing to Tahiti than sitting at a desk.

So it was a flurry of getting a passport and a one-way ticket home and packing my sea bag. Art had a strict requirement that your entire kit couldn't weigh more than 20 lbs. Including foulies. But somehow I made it to Tahiti with a clean and dry set of shore clothes. I think we did a practice sail or two and sailed Witchcraft down to San Pedro for the start.

The boat was quite an anomaly for the time, very light, a very crude interior, just 6 pipe berths, a piece of plywood over the keel that might very generously be called a cabin sole, and a fitted bucket under the leaky forward hatch for the head. The sink was a plastic bucket that was also used for rinsing the decks, showers, and whatever else. A large stringer each side under the lower berth formed the storage bins for all the canned food. An air-cooled Wankel engine just aft of the mast step was there to satisfy the requirements; on the rare occasions when actual propulsion was desired, an outboard was hung on the stern but that didn't go along on races. We sailed in and out of the slip. I think Witchcraft was Bill Lee's second design, the first being Magic which I'd watched in amazement from my Dad's Ranger 26 a few years earlier as it passed us quickly in the night on an Ensenada Race. Far more famous than Witchcraft was Chutzpah, hull # 2 from the same mold but with much less ballast and a much taller rig. One step at a time in yacht design. The mold eventually found its way to Lancer Yachts where it became the Lancer 36. “Bill Lee Design!”

The race was fantastic from my point of view, not because we did well (we didn't) but for the sailing, 24+ days at sea, a wide variety of weather, becoming a shellback with full ceremony, the stunning sunsets rolling in waves of color from horizon to horizon. The other crew (Wally Geer, Bob Lord, and Flamenco dancer and future yacht designer Richard Black) were all great friends and mentors to this young punk.

Some of the highlights... The lower screw of the headstay turnbuckle broke loudly a couple days out on a windy jib reach, possibly due to its being used to fasten the dock lines (no mooring cleats to save weight). Don't do that! Those were the days of jib hanks and wire luffs in heavy air sails so the rig stayed up. We were able to scavenge parts from the below deck rigging to repair it. And the albatrosses! My favorite bird ever since.

By far the most exquisite time I've ever experienced at sea was one day in the trade winds when we came upon a vast congregation of dolphins. First a few, then more and more until there were dolphins everywhere as far as you could see in every direction, jumping, tail spinning, surfing 6 or 8 abreast. There had to be at least a thousand of them. It went on for a couple of hours, we were all just sitting there in slack-jawed amazement.

Even then there was a lot of plastic trash floating around in the ITCZ. Lots of Styrofoam cups. Ugh.

The skipper had been a navigator in the Navy and it showed. He'd set up for evening or morning stars with a couple of us recording and taking times and come out with 5 or 6 of 7 LOPs in a tight polygon a mile or so across. Art set a really a good example of seamanship. When we got to Papeetee he brought us into the quay (a lee shore) and moored stern-to, anchor off the bow, under sail. Not many people would even attempt that especially in these days of bow thrusters.

One of the things that has really stayed with me is how close friends you become with the other crew. Night watches are great!

After the race and a few days on Tahiti and a few on Moorea it was a long plane ride home, then off to school and then a career working on boats. I've always wanted to get back there by boat... maybe an airplane will have to suffice.

Tom Krase

JohnS
02-22-2016, 09:04 AM
"Who's the Fairest of Them All?"

My vote would be for the Santa Cruz 27 first built in 1974 on Hilltop in Soquel in Bill Lee's chicken coop boat shop.

1375

About 145 SC-27's were built. Now a 42 year old design, they remain pretty, strong, fast, ocean-worthy, trailerable, cruiseable, and good value.

http://www.fastisfun.com/wizwisdom/27.html

Overnight on Oct. 2, 1979, a large swell hit Capitola. The surf was breaking outside the mooring field and over the end of the Wharf. All 15 moored boats off Capitola Main Beach broke loose and were driven ashore. The giant surf quickly broke them into bits and pieces, where their sad remnants were put into dumpsters by Public Works.

None survived except for the yellow SC-27 CIAO. Before an appreciative early morning crowd, CIAO did three somersaults before landing on the beach. Local boat builder Jeff Tracey hooked up his truck to CIAO and pulled her up on the Esplanade, where she was loaded on a trailer and taken home, little the worse for wear except a broken mast.

As for being the " fairest" of Santa Cruz built boats, Bill Lee's early brochure for the SC-27 shows just how fair the boat is. Smooth as a baby's butt. Check out the fourth photo.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzYzI3bmNhfGd4OjMwNzg1ZTZl ZDVmY2Y1OWM


I actually have a paper copy of that brochure and price list. They came with the boat. The price list is entertaining in the way it displays shifting costs. Most items have doubled, tripled, quadrupled (or more) in cost over the past 35 years the VHF was very expensive back then. Although, it did have 12 channels!

And then this past weekend up in Alameda I came across an old girl in dire need of a face lift (and more?). One of the earlier mintings with the recessed running lights in the hull. Still floating but I fear the economics of the situation doom some of these forlorn creatures to finish their days without access to the resources required for the surgery as those who hunt up a 4 or 5 thousand dollar vessel with a good pedigree rarely spend tens of thousands on refurbishment. I did, however, also see what I think was the former Jersey Girl (does anyone else remember the voluptuous girl emblazoned on that rudder?) in the yard the week prior getting a fresh paint topsides and bottom.

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H Spruit
02-22-2016, 09:37 PM
(anybody remember Dave Killian?)
TOM~
Yes. I remember Dave, I sailed with him and Art both. I sailed on Art's Quasar and helped build Witch craft, Chutzpah, & Panache.

Philpott
02-22-2016, 10:44 PM
(anybody remember Dave Killian?) TOM~
Yes. I remember Dave, I sailed with him and Art both. I sailed on Art's Quasar and helped build Witch craft, Chutzpah, & Panache.

Of course you did, Howard. Tell us more.

Cover Craft
02-22-2016, 11:08 PM
I actually have a paper copy of that brochure and price list. They came with the boat. The price list is entertaining in the way it displays shifting costs. Most items have doubled, tripled, quadrupled (or more) in cost over the past 35 years the VHF was very expensive back then. Although, it did have 12 channels!

And then this past weekend up in Alameda I came across an old girl in dire need of a face lift (and more?). One of the earlier mintings with the recessed running lights in the hull. Still floating but I fear the economics of the situation doom some of these forlorn creatures to finish their days without access to the resources required for the surgery as those who hunt up a 4 or 5 thousand dollar vessel with a good pedigree rarely spend tens of thousands on refurbishment. I did, however, also see what I think was the former Jersey Girl (does anyone else remember the voluptuous girl emblazoned on that rudder?) in the yard the week prior getting a fresh paint topsides and bottom.

1376137713781379

The one that gets me is the sail cover for $75. Since that's my business I just priced one, it's $396. Yow!

Cover Craft
02-22-2016, 11:14 PM
Too bad he didn't get to do the race. For years I carried around my participation trinket from the race with his name on it because the crew change was too late to show up in the paperwork. Really paperwork back then. I think I got rid of that thing while purging before heading to Mexico in the Constellation.
Tom

skatzman
02-23-2016, 09:48 AM
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Rufus finished this restoration October 2015. Dianne Martin, the proud owner. Rufus on the forklift.

sleddog
02-23-2016, 03:01 PM
Category 5 Cyclone Winston just scored a bulls-eye on Fiji. Strongest cyclone on record in those waters, causing heartbreaking devastation and a mounting death toll.

Before landfall, someone officially measured Winston with sustained 160 knot winds, gusting 195 knots. How do they do that?

Ron Holland checked in aboard M-5, ex-MIRABELLA 5, one of his larger designs. What the hell they were doing cruising Fijian waters this time of year is difficult to fathom. I guess being aboard the largest sloop in the world at 255 feet, air conditioned, with a mast too tall to clear under the Golden Gate bridge, one can mount a certain amount of panache while risking everything.
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Hope they got the float plane on the aft deck well tied down before the breeze set in.
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sleddog
02-24-2016, 09:03 AM
The biggest surf since 1969 pounded the North Shore of Oahu yesterday, with waves to 50 feet temporarily closing 12 miles of shoreline Kam Highway from Haleiwa to Kahuku. With a brief lull of 30 foot surf today, the forecast is for even bigger waves tomorrow. Thanks to Captain Bob at Sunset Beach for the below photo:

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Organizers of the Eddie Aikau big wave surf contest have given a green light for Thursday (tomorrow) morning, meaning if conditions are right, The "Eddie Would Go" contest will be held for only the ninth time in 30 years.

A mini-city is being assembled at Waimea Bay complete with grandstands. 30,000 spectators are expected for the invitational only "Eddie", which is only held when waves are consistently 40 feet for six to eight hours.

With this assemblage, if you live on the North Shore like Captain Bob, you likely won't be driving anywhere tomorrow.

Apparently the Eddie may be viewed online at the World Surf League Website.

Philpott
02-25-2016, 01:22 PM
Happy belated Birthday, Skip. It is in my birthday book.

sleddog
02-25-2016, 10:29 PM
Good to hear from Synthia, sailmaker to SSS, that CHESAPEAKE safely made St.Helena on their passage from Cape Town to Trinidad.

St. Helena Island, first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, lies in the tropical South Atlantic and is one of the World's most remote inhabited islands.

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Later, Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena, where he lived out his days, ultimately making St.Helena a tourist attraction, as does swimming with whale sharks, which were apparently licking their largish lips when Synthia went snorkling by.

Here's the 411 from Synthia on their first day ashore at St. Helena.

When we arrived Sunday evening we were instructed to contact the port captain for further instructions regarding clearing customs and integration at 8:45 Monday morning. Once contacted, one of his first questions was "is everyone aboard healthy?" or something along those lines, and with our affirmative reply thus completed our "quarantine" and we were instructed to come ashore and proceed directly to the customs office along the wharf where the water taxi would drop us off. Clearing customs basically involves the skipper answering some questions about their boat and then paying a fee to enter the country while the crew just tags along chitty-chatting with the other office workers in the room and checking out the stuff that's thumb tacked to the office walls. Then we were instructed to proceed over to immigration, across the street come the police station and next to the prison. Arriving there, we all, including crew, filled out an immigration form, basically duplicating the info on our passports plus the name and policy number of our health insurance that would evacuate us off the island if necessary, and the skipper paid some more money. Then: welcome to St Helena, have a good day. And off we went to find a bank to get British pounds currency. There is a local joint in town called the Consulate Hotel where all the cruisers seem to congregate, share sea tales, buy wifi time, and eat. So we went there next.

After finishing up a yummy piece of carrot cake and drip coffee (French press) I'd sort of had my fill of listening in on shared cruising tales so I wandered into town to explore; browsing through shops; taking video and photos of homes, gardens, churches, etc.; visited the castle (really, a castle), and the museum. This place is like something out of Disneyland, a man made fantasy, but it's real and over 500 years are old. Abundant delights indeed!

Today started with plans for a day tour of the island with a few other cruisers and a hired car, or as the case may be, a pickup truck with bench seats along the sides and a frame/cover over the top. Robert was quite knowledgeable about the history or the island and happily shared it with us as he drove us up and over and here and there. We saw forts, we saw churches, we saw Boer POW encampments, we saw mountain peaks, we saw cow pastures, and mules, we saw the governor's Plantation House where the world's oldest reptile Jonathan the Tortoise lives, we saw Napoleon's last residence in exile and where he died, we saw the new airport under construction (current access to the island is by ship, commercial and private), we saw the Wirebird, the last surviving endemic (found only on St Helena) land bird. On our way to see Bonie's tomb followed by a tour of the St Helens Distillery,... the truck gear box (or something) failed and we were stranded. But the island being an island, word got back to the tourist office and a bus was sent to fetch us, but delivering us back to town so we missed the the best touristy bits, the grave yards and the booze. :)

Returning to town prematurely meant the shops were still open so I found my way to the upholstery shop that is listed in the tourist map as the sail repair shop. The lady who runs the shop was delighted to meet a "real" sailmaker and was happy to chat with me for some time, and her husband showed me about when a "pesky customer" walked in and wanted to talk business. How rude!

From there I wandered back towards the water front hoping to spend some more time in the museum but alas, past 4 PM and closed, so I sat in the Castle gardens and watched the doves and Mynah birds do bird stuff.

JohnS
02-26-2016, 11:35 AM
Without intending to hijack Sled's enormously entertaining and illuminating thread, I can't think of a more apt place to share the story of Wisdom, the sexagenarian albatross who just hatched what may be her 40th chick on Midway Island:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160211-albatrosses-mothers-babies-animals-science/

Estimates are that she may have traveled in excess of 3 million miles in her lifetime, a staggering 46 thousand miles for each of her estimated 65 years. Chandler Robbins, the scientist who first banded Wisdom in 1956 is also still among us and active. An amazing tale of shared longevity.

Running across Wisdom's story this morning reminded me of the black footed albatross who kept me company on the morning of my fourth day of last year's Slo-pac. I had momentary visions of dental floss harnesses and an albatross tow but I am sure the honest bird would have turned me in to the RC. (With apologies to the beautiful bird. The stupid phone picture does her no justice.)

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sleddog
02-26-2016, 12:38 PM
Happy belated Birthday, Skip. It is in my birthday book.

Thanks, DM. And thanks, JohnS. I encourage "hi-jacking" for any reason one may find worthy. Wisdom, the 65 year old Laysan albatross from Midway, having flown nearly 3 million miles and hatched 30 chicks, is a most wonderful story.

Wednesday was to be a memorable day, beginning early with a sunrise green flash sparkling for a count of five through the 3 mile distant coastal eucalyptus.

We drove up Hwy 1 from Santa Cruz to the Golden Gate. For much of the 40 miles to HMB, the fields and hills were carpeted with intense yellow. I know Death Valley is having a similar, once in 10 year bloom. But this is closer to home.

Far below the vertical cliffs, large ocean swells were sending explosions skyward as they thundered ashore. At the west end of Half Moon Bay airport, a road west and upward led to the east end of Ocean Blvd. We parked, and hiked the Jean Lauer trail towards Pillar Point and its unearthly radomes. Surfers at Maverick's, a mile south, looked smaller than ants against a background of mountainous waves.

Across the Golden Gate we exited for the Marin Headlands, and followed the coast towards Pt. Bonita Lighthouse. At one point the one-way road narrowed and dropped down an 18% grade for a half mile. As I downshifted into 1st, I could only glance at what looked like the Potato Patch "going off."

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We parked at Rodeo Beach and gazed seaward in wonder. As far as the eye could see, and we had binoculars, the north lobe of the horseshoe shaped San Francisco Bar was breaking. The Potato Patch (Four Fathom Bank on charts) began a half mile offshore. We were looking into a sea of cresting and curling, foaming and frothing breakers where a small boat on an ebb tide would likely not survive.

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Properly impressed, we hiked uphill to the site of the old Nike Missile Base, now the Marine Mammal Center. What a wonderful and interesting place. Part of the missile storage has been converted into tanks for the mixing and filtration of salt water continuously pumped into the many pools of the MMC.

The Marine Mammal Center specializes in rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing marine mammals who are injured, ill, or abandoned. The MMC also serves as a center for environmental research and education about marine mammals, mostly cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and pinnipeds (harbor seals, fur seals, sea lions, and the occasional stellar sealion). Otters usually go to Monterey Bay Aquarium for rehab.

At the Center, distressed mammals, and occasionally turtles, receive specialized veterinary care, are diagnosed, treated, rehabilitated, and ideally released back into the ocean, usually up at Chimney Rock at Pt. Reyes.

Elephant seal weaners, 75 pounds at birth and separated from their mothers, were squalling loudly. Juvenile sea lions were racing around the perimeter decks of their pools. A spotless kitchen of a dozen volunteers with industrial blenders were preparing the special fish smoothies for their barking guests, of whom approximately 60% survive and are able to be returned to the ocean.

Unfortunately, not all make it, and El Nino has been especially hard on the young sea lions. Most sobering, and ominous, was the front and center Ghost Net Monster sculpture, created from 450 pounds of nets and trash found in the stomach of a deceased 51 foot sperm whale that came ashore.

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The Marine Mammal Center and its research and educational programs: worth a visit. Worthy of support.

sleddog
02-28-2016, 12:33 PM
Running across Wisdom's story this morning reminded me of the black footed albatross who kept me company on the morning of my fourth day of last year's Slo-pac. I had momentary visions of dental floss harnesses and an albatross tow....

Sharp-eyed singlehanders can encounter Laysan and Black Footed albatross close offshore the California Coast all the way to Hawaii. Albatross are notorious ship followers, knowing a potential meal may be coming their way.

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Albatross need about 11 knots of wind to dynamically soar, wave to wave, without flapping. Dynamically soaring, up crests, down slopes, and crosswise over waves allows albatross to exceed the true wind while making apparent wind, expending less energy than sitting on a nest while flying for hours, even days on end.

In glassy conditions, albatross will rest on the ocean's surface. It isn't until the ocean becomes rippled that they can reach take off speed, sometimes energetically paddling a mile or more to get airborne. With the requisite 11 knots of true wind, albatross can spread their 6.5 foot wings and take-off without paddling much at all.

I spent sunup this morning with a bird at the other end of the scale from an albatross, an Anna's hummingbird I've nick-named Andre'. Andre' is about the size of my little finger, weighs less than a nickel, and has a fierce countenance. He can ascend vertically 100 feet in the blink of an eye, and effortlessly hover overhead, nearly out of sight.

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Andre' has been a cliff side friend for four years. In the warming sunlight, Andre' appeared and landed on his favorite nearby willow twig while I watched the surfers below. Andre' seemed inquisitive, fluttering, and alternatively displaying his tail feathers and mohawk headdress like a pint-sized tom turkey.

We spent about 30 minutes looking each other's way. My binoculars could bring Andre' into close focus. He invariably lands on his favorite twig facing northwest, towards land, presumably so his back is warmed by the sunrise, and he can watch the early morning dogwalkers and joggers.

At one point this morning, Andre' took off to intercept a passing gull. On his return, Andre' landed on a closer willow twig, maybe 7 feet away. I imagined he seemed agitated or excited. With a hummingbird heart rate of 15-20/second, hummers are high speed in a different way from the wandering albatross.

I could hear Andre' singing with his partially opened beak. The notes were soft, barely audible, even at close distance. I've heard Andre sing as many as 3 different notes. Which is why I call him Andre', the operatic hummingbird.

I took a 6 foot, broken off, bare willow branch, with twigs at its end, and slowly extended the branch in Andre's direction. The little hummer, with the iridescent ruby throat and emerald green back, tilted his head, trying to figure out what was coming. He didn't seem afraid.

My extended willow branch touched Andre's perch, and jiggled him a bit. I extended the willow branch as far as I could reach, about an inch from Andre's breast.

I couldn't hold the extended willow branch outwards very long, maybe a minute. We both wondered what was supposed to happen next.

Andre' disappeared for a moment. I laid my bare willow branch against his nearby perch, the inboard end gripped in my palm. (There's a wooden fence along the cliff, between where I stand and Andre's favorite willow bushes).

Andre returned and landed on the proffered branch. I slowly picked up the inboard end of the willow branch. For a moment Andre' and I were connected. With my arm extended and holding the 4 foot willow branch with a hummingbird bird at the far end, I must have jiggled. Andre' buzzed off, then returned. For the moment the dance was over, maybe to begin anew another morning.

oregonian
02-28-2016, 09:46 PM
Hello Skip,
I just read your letter to the editor of "Small Craft Advisor" for Mar/Apr. Thanks for doing that. It is appreciated. I believe there are a number of "Experts" in our world that need to be told to "step up your game". Dave

sleddog
02-29-2016, 03:18 PM
I wrote last December 22:A shout-out to my dear nephew Jeremy (29) who has taken a year off from the New York Times and is currently on an adventurous singlehanded tour of the Americas.Jeremy left New York City in late Sept., bound towards Tierra Del Fuego on the southern tip of South America. His transportation is a modified KLR 650 motorcycle he setup: Steel panniers, a tarp tent, hammock, and rain suit. USB charging on the bike. Heated vest & grips.
To cross the swampy, roadless and notorious Darien Gap of southern Panama, Jeremy hitched a ride with his hog on a cruising boat transiting the Panama Canal and heading to Cartegena. Just today, Jeremy successfully crossed from southern Columbia into northern Ecuador after a long day on gravel roads of the "Pan American Highway."


Sending congrats and respect to nephew Jeremy on making it from New York to Patagonia, the southern tip of Chile, where he safely arrived in late January. Since then, Jeremy's ridden into Argentina, crossed back over the Andes to Santiago, Chile, to retrieve a young lady he met on the passage south, recrossed the Andes again, and they are now headed across Argentina into Brazil. Holy Guacamole. Jeremy's parents, Tom and Marilee, don't know whether to feel proud, relieved, or terrified. Probably all three. Did I mention Jeremy takes amazing photos while riding his bike?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBcna0vyD_f/?taken-by=jashkenas

Philpott
02-29-2016, 05:12 PM
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBcna0vyD_f/?taken-by=jashkenas

Wow, what a kid! I'm cold sitting here in the sun!!

sleddog
03-03-2016, 12:07 PM
Ernest, "Shorty," Aderman (1888-1976) stood about five feet three and had the strongest hands, gruffest demeanor, and most fascinating sea stories a young boy could ever imagine.

Shorty was a master mariner and marine photographer, and before he became LAYC club steward in 1942, Shorty sailed on training ships, light house tenders, lifesaving vessels, schooners, barks, steamers, fishing vessels, steam schooners and yachts.

Shorty lived in a small room at the back of the club, where he ran the shoreboat and was the club caretaker. Shorty mostly kept to himself, while affectionately tending his ever increasing population of kittens that lived under the semi-ancient clubhouse.

Occasionally Shorty would let us kids in his smoke stained room and tell fascinating stories of his life at sea. You see, Shorty was a true "Cape Horner," the last of a dying breed, who had rounded Cape Stiff numerous times in tall ships (square riggers.) Over the years, Shorty had worked his way up to the rank of second mate, where he served in that capacity for many years on the FALLS of CLYDE, one of the last working square rigged ships, a four master, and now a national historic landmark and part of the Honolulu Maritime Museum.

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Today, while working on the roof of the Harbor Café with Howard, we rigged a rectangular blue awning Howard had designed and sewn. The "squares'l" is meant to keep rain and sun off Harbor Café patrons, and is of unique construction with steel rope guy wires, a yardarm, braces and buntlines, blocks and cleats. By pulling on the appropriate ropes, the awning can be reefed or furrowed according to the weather, much like a squares'l on a full rigged ship.
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While aloft on the restaurant roof, rigging H.S.'s awning in benign conditions, I had a vision of what it must have been like for Shorty and his crew on FALLS of CLYDE as they doubled the Horn in a raging gale, furrowing heavy canvas in snow squalls as the ship rolled heavily and the crew aloft balanced precariously on footropes. As the well worn adage went, it was "one hand for the ship and one hand for yourself."

Sometimes when we visited his cabin, Shorty would be doing splices and fine rope work. It was during these times he would quiz us on the sail plan of a four master like FALLS of CLYDE: We learned the spanker, the jigger, the lower jigger topsail, the upper jigger topsail, the jigger topgallant, and jigger skysail. The crojik, lower mizzen topsail, upper mizzen topsail, mizzen topgallant, mizzen royal, mizzen skysail. Then the main course, lower main topsail, upper main topsail, main topgallant, main royal. And on the fore mast was the fore course, lower fore topsail, upper topsail, fore topgallant, and fore royal. Forward was the foretopmast stays'l, the jib, outer jib, and flying jib.

Above all this canvas, higher than any other sail, in fair weather, a four master could fly moonsails or "moonrakers." Shorty, the consummate seaman, did not have kind words for moonrakers. He called them "hope-in-heaven" sails.

Ernest Shorty Aderman. His advice to us kids dreaming of sailing to the South Seas was "bring bigger ground tackle, and beware naked women."
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(That's Shorty on the left in the photograph, holding his camera, on FALLS of CLYDE.)

sleddog
03-05-2016, 11:17 PM
Recently, while fly fishing for false albacore inshore of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, my brother and his son had a close encounter with a humpback whale. The humpback apparently was scooping up menhaden, a small silvery fish, when it vertically surfaced within inches of their 19 foot runabout, and came 12' out of the water. My brother said the whale had bad breath, and later did a complete breach out of the water.

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sleddog
03-06-2016, 03:15 PM
On another thread, Gamayun wrote
Some of us are still trying to figure out how pay our yard fees without resorting to panhandling or something worse!

Back in the day, I was $100 short of paying the balance of the yard bill and getting WF liberated. I asked the yard manager if he'd be interested in buying some clean lead, and if so, what would he pay.

"We'll take it, give you 40 cents a pound."

I did a quick calculation, chalked a horizontal line 3.5" up from the bottom of WF's keel, and called my friend Dave Wahle. I told DKW I needed him ASAP at the boatyard, and to bring his chain saw.

Dave showed up, and I pointed to the chalked line on the keel and said, "Cut there." Dave loves moving heavy objects, and is experienced cutting lead with a chain saw. Using liberal quantities of oil and tallow, Dave cut off the bottom of WF's keel in 10 minutes. "Like cutting butter," was his comment.

The bottom of the keel went "thunk" on the tarmac about the same time the yard manager showed up to see what was going on. I said, "there's $100 worth of lead. Launch me."

Philpott
03-06-2016, 05:07 PM
about the same time the yard manager showed up to see what was going on. I said, "there's $100 worth of lead. Launch me."

So Wildflower was shallower-draft than originally designed? Did you ever notice a difference in her performance that made you regret your decision?

sleddog
03-06-2016, 07:56 PM
So Wildflower was shallower-draft than originally designed? Did you ever notice a difference in her performance that made you regret your decision?

WILDFLOWER's keel was a reject from the Wylie-28 Half Tonner keel mold. On the 9th pouring, the keel mold deformed and bulged, making the keel an inch wider and several hundred pounds heavier, as well as having cavities and flaws. Unusable. Wylie Design Group was going to junk the keel and melt it down. I bought the keel for cost of materials, cleaned it up, and fitted it to WILDFLOWER, which I was building after work over in the corner of the WDG shop at Willow and Clement, in Alameda, spring and summer of 1975.

When Dave Wahle cut off 3" of the bottom of WF's keel in January, 1986, it probably put the keel at about its designed weight, 2,750 pounds. I never noticed a difference in her sailing qualities, especially as WF was built as a cruiser, with a full length skeg and usually a bilge full of anchor chain and canned stores. Draft was reduced from 5'8" to 5-5", which was a good thing for getting over Santa Cruz Harbor entrance sand bar.

There's WILDFLOWER leading Norton Smith's SC-27 SOLITAIRE out the Golden Gate, start of the 1978 SHTP:
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sleddog
03-06-2016, 10:32 PM
Yesterday's storm locally brought 3.5 inches of much needed rain, and a southerly wind 30, gusting to 40 knots. Howard furled his new moonraker awning at Harbor Cafe, and no damage reported. The Santa Cruz Harbor entrance again filled with sand, negating the dredging done over the last four months during which time 206,000 cubic yards of sand has been dredged at great effort and expense. Any port in a storm? Don't try Santa Cruz Harbor.

Happier news across the Bay, where yesterday afternoon about 3:15 p.m. a baby sea otter was born in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Great Tide Pool. Mom, a wild otter, had swam into the tidepool, apparently to avoid the storm going on outside.
While small crowds of Aquarium onlookers huddled under their umbrellas and respectfully maintained silence, just below and unfazed by the attention, Mom gave birth to an apparently healthy baby otter.

Post birth, Mom and baby bonded and groomed on a rock in the middle of the tidepool.1405

http://www.ksbw.com/news/otter-gives-birth-to-pup-at-monterey-bay-aquarium/37057638

sleddog
03-08-2016, 11:05 AM
Sending congrats and respect to nephew Jeremy on making it from New York to Patagonia, the southern tip of Chile, where he safely arrived in late January.

When last heard from, my nephew Jeremy has picked up a lady passenger for the back of his KLR650 motorcycle as he continues his explorations in southern South America. I don't know how this creativity would do over the Andean passes. But looks way more comfortable for those pampas traverses. Can't say much about their sails though. Trim! Hike!
https://vimeo.com/89231356
https://vimeo.com/86823830

sleddog
03-12-2016, 01:32 PM
It was "breeze on" during yesterday's (Friday, 3/12/16) frontal passage in Central CA. 40 mph gusts were recorded most of the day at Pt. Blunt on Angel Island and a 52 mph blast registered at 1 pm.

At Bolinas, IMP crew member and author of Legend of IMP, "Bio"Bill Barton reported his backyard model of the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse "took a major hit. 60 knot blasts reported.. No one hurt!"
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Bill keeps his Fastnet Rock Lighthouse well planted on his cliff overlooking Duxbury Reef as a reminder of the '79 Fastnet Race Storm in which 18 lives were lost.

On IMP, we beat the last 15 miles up to the Fastnet Rock in conditions that could be described as a Turner-esque maelstrom. I don't mean Ted Turner, whose 62 foot TENACIOUS, the 1979 Fastnet Race overall winner, had already rounded the Fastnet Rock and was headed back for Plymouth before things got downright mean. (See Christian Williams new book Alone Together. Christian was aboard TENACIOUS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY3GFaHwRAA

William Turner was a prolific and much beloved artistic genius and English Romantic seascape painter. Seeing his paintings at the Tate and National Gallery in London is an experience not to be missed if given the chance
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Conditions that night, 37 years ago, were described by British Met as "Force 10." On IMP, after we blew away our storm jib, we carried on under triple reef main, going sideways as fast as forward. The last 15 miles up to the Fastnet Rock were dead to windward, in the dark, with no distinction between air and water. Everything was spume.

IMP was the next to last boat to round the Fastnet Rock that memorable night. ECLIPSE, another 39 footer, was last around, having suffered a severe knockdown when only 12 miles from the Rock. Shortly after, conditions "closed out" and became too extreme for any of the smaller boats to make headway.

It began to get light a few hours after IMP ultimately rounded the Fastnet Rock. What dawn revealed was awe-inspiring. The waves were mountains, many breaking on their top 20 feet with whitewater cascading down 40-50 foot faces.

Bill Barton and I were watchmates that morning, alternating at IMP's tiller, as we tried to broad reach through the dangerous seas. The other six crew were below, much the safest place should we be knocked down beyond horizontal or rolled 360 degrees, as at least 77 racing boats ultimately were.

Bill and I tried to whistle and sing. The wind blew away our feeble efforts. It was scary to look astern. It was scarier not to, knowing that if one of those monsters had our name on it, we were likely going upside down.

During the afternoon, the breeze and seas moderated. IMP and her crew, wet and tired, were OK. We set the spinnaker in 30 knots, which seemed like a calm, and carried on racing.
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It wasn't until after we finished that we learned the magnitude of the storm and subsequent rescue efforts, the largest since the evacuation of Dunkirk in early WW II and biggest ever rescue operation in peace-time, involving over 4,000 people, including ships from the Dutch, Irish, and English Navy, lifeboats, commercial boats, fixed wing aircraft, and helicopters.

I'm sure Bill Barton is busy righting his Fastnet Rock Lighthouse.
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The Smokester
03-12-2016, 04:34 PM
If interested in the artist William Turner (1775-1851), the movie "Mr. Turner (2014)" is excellent:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_turner/

sleddog
03-16-2016, 04:26 PM
Hello Skip,
I just read your letter to the editor of "Small Craft Advisor" for Mar/Apr. Thanks for doing that. It is appreciated. I believe there are a number of "Experts" in our world that need to be told to "step up your game". Dave

Many readers are familiar with Small Craft Advisor, a glossy and popular Wooden Boat derivative published in Port Townsend. $7.95 at the newstand, or $34.95 for a year's subscription (6 issues.)

SCA is full of interesting stories, many of them mis-adventures by the experienced and in-experienced alike.

Unfortunately for readers, SCA's editor recently sailed a Yankee Dolphin for their "Boat Review." The YD was featured on the cover, and other photos were also included. The written review was mixed, and not representative of the excellent characteristics of this 24 foot Sparkman and Stephens design I am well familiar with. And which won her Division and 2nd Overall in the 1996 SHTP.
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Here was my Letter to the Editor which oregonian refers to, which I am surprised was printed:

"Though the Yankee Dolphin is one of my favorite small boats, I feel a civic duty to advise the editors they have done a disservice to this fine design in their Boat Review. The cover photo, and other photos of BLUE DOLPHIN, though perhaps picturesque, show the featured boat out of trim, with the main boom held nearly amidships and topped awkwardly by what appears to be a fouled topping lift. The outhaul is slack with many foot wrinkles, making the mainsail too full for the point of sail. The partially rolled jib is sadly misshapen while the winch looks to have an override.

Add the fact the photos show BLUE DOLPHIN being steered with the tiller held nearly vertical, compromising its leverage, and it's no wonder the writer found this Yankee Dolphin "taxed, heeling a bit much, exhibiting weather helm that remained a touch strong."

SCA may need to up its game to retain its "Advisor" status."

Skip Allan, Capitola, CA

And here was SCA's reply:

You're right, Skip. While we worked out some of the kinks you mention during the course of the review sail, some of what is pictured looks sloppy. A few things-like the outboard wouldn't kick all the way up, the fixed height of the aftermarket tiller, etc., were out of our control-but we still could have done better a better job of it. Having said that, we don't think we mischaracterized the boat or its disposition. Regardless of our clumsy handling, she did fine and, as we noted, tucking in a reef in the main would likely have settled her down nicely.

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(photos by Debra Colvin, SCA)

Pobrecito.

BobJ
03-16-2016, 06:09 PM
That looks like the YD's hull but it's very different from the sheerline up - maybe they explain this in the article (which I haven't read).

sleddog
03-16-2016, 09:03 PM
That looks like the YD's hull but it's very different from the sheerline up - maybe they explain this in the article (which I haven't read).

Approximately 300 Dolphins were built by various companies, each with different deck and cabin layouts. Some were wood, and some were fiberglass. The Dolphin builders included O'Day Dolphins, Yankee Dolphins, Pacific Dolphins, Tripp Dolphins, J.J. Taylor Dolphins, the Mermaid 24, the fin keeled dolphins built in New Zealand - the S&S 24 and the Falcon 24, and the Shaw 24.

Bill Shaw, later the designer of Pearson yachts, actually drew the Dolphin's lines when he worked for Sparkman and Stephens. He was influenced by the lines of the famous FINISTERRE, and liked to say the Dolphin was a baby FINISTERRE.

For more info on this classic design: http://www.dolphin24.org/

sleddog
03-16-2016, 09:17 PM
Correspondent Slo-Poke from Anacortes writes:

Here's some heavy wx. KOMO news footage of a west bound San Juan ferry crossing Rosario Strait from Anacortes to Orcas Island during last Sunday's big blow (gusting 50 to 60 mph). In the upper right hand you can see Tide Point on Cypress Island. Looks like they alter course to the north after taking the big wave until Jones & Decatur Islands gave them a bit of a lee approaching Thatcher Pass. Wonder why the skipper didn't run off and use Pevine Pass? If I was one of the cars parked in the bow, a car wash would be my 1st stop upon disembarking. Notice how the right hand car is washed backwards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9VHZTfNl0

Good Grief, what is the driver doing inside his SUV directly in front of the camera? He puts his foot on the brake! I think this ferry was closer to being driven under than anyone imagines...

Reminds me of the time I was riding the same ferry, the CHELAN. We came to a stop mid-channel and the captain announced a lifeboat drill. The single lifeboat, a Boston Whaler, was lowered on its hoist cable. But something fouled, and the lifeboat was left dangling several feet above the water. Nobody, including the crew, seemed to know what was going on. For good measure, as a passenger, I announced in a loud voice, "won't reach the water, the tide's out."

That seemed an acceptable explanation for all within hearing. The lifeboat was rehoisted aboard, and we continued the passage.

Steevee
03-17-2016, 08:08 AM
Thanks for mentioning the Yankee Dolphin. I owned and refurbished one and just sold her last year. It's what I really learned to sail on...a great single handed boat. Here's a link to a video of me sailing her out Humboldt Bay and South to just north of Cape Mendocino.https://vimeo.com/94210999

sleddog
03-18-2016, 10:19 AM
Bugliters,

Out of sight, out of mind? Not so fast. While aloft at the mast head figuring out the tri-color, and how to light the Windex for those dark nights, worth a look at potential main halyard chafe.

When sailing downwind for extended periods with the main eased, the main halyard crosses over the edge of the sheave and sheave box before attaching to the main headboard.

If the edges of the sheave and sheave box are not round and smooth, the main halyard will potentially chafe, even part. No bueno when that happens.

On WILDFLOWER I took a file and sandpaper to these edges to smooth them. One can also afix the main halyard shackle to the inboard headboard hole to lessen the acute angle. Adjusting the halyard every 12 hours can also lessen chafe.

If chafe persists, cut off the shackle and worn area and tie a knot.

Unless it's a new mast, the main halyard sheave should also come out, to check for wear on the clevis pin as well as the clevis pin hole in the sheave. Over time, the hole in the sheave wears oblong, the sheave gets harder to turn, and the main more difficult to hoist.

Just don't drop the sheave into the mast.:confused:

The Windex should be sited so the tri-color light illuminates it at night. Usually this means mounting the Windex on a little 8" extension of aluminum behind the tricolor.

If the VHF antenna is in the way, it doesn't have to be vertical. The antenna can be angled, or bent with no degradation of signal. WILDFLOWER's VHF antenna angled aft 30 degrees to avoid the WINDEX, which was mounted above the Aqua Signal tricolor, which had a small, clear, custom, plexi-glass window in its top to let light shine upward onto the Windex.

At the other end, on through deck masts, the butt should be secured to the mast step, either with a bolt or lashing, to prevent the butt lifting off the mast step and levering structural damage in the event of dismasting.

KA4NZP: hope to see you this summer. Give me a call at 831-475-0278. PS, if you didn't notice, your license expires this week. 73, N6NEN

sleddog
03-18-2016, 05:33 PM
Here's a good looking, well crafted, and substantial masthead plate being fitted in a dry run to KYNTANNA's old masthead. Gamayun writes: Michael Jefferson has this incredible machine shop at his house and helped me enlarge and improve the top of the mast crane so I could install my new stuff: VHF antenna, tri color, steaming light, Windex and anemometer. We installed two beefy U bolts on the back side so I can add another halyard as well as a back up to go up the mast. We even machined new sheaves. After the picture of the dry fitting was taken, we ended up adding a base to the tri color because it was hidden a little bit behind the anemometer. It now sits up just about an inch under the windex blade.

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I'd say their hard work ticks off all the necessary masthead requirements for SHTP and future ocean voyaging. For those not familiar, KYNTANNA is a Mull design, Freedom 38 sloop with a big main, small fractional jib, and free standing mast...Carliane says the new jib and spinny halyard sheave boxes are coming next.

Impressive, Guys. Photo compliment of CJ.

Gamayun
03-19-2016, 09:35 AM
Ha! Well, look'it that. Thanks for those kind words, Sled :) It's amazing what the right kinds of tools can accomplish. Mike said to me one time, "I just don't know how any sailor can function without their own machine shop." He was being quite serious, too (as anyone who knows him knows). He's quite the character, and an extremely skilled machinist. Here's a picture of the sheave box etched up and rough cut. We did this yesterday afternoon. The problem was that TPI (builder of the F38) cut an over-sized hole into the carbon fiber mast so that their off-the-shelf jib sheave box could be dropped in, then just slipped onto this thin aluminum plate, which had been shaped over and riveted onto the CF. The only thing holding the box onto the plate to keep it from sliding off was a bolt through the CF. Corrosion was setting in and it was only a matter of time before it all came off. It is a sturdy boat and this thing has lasted 28 years, but really; what were they thinking with such a twinky fix?!
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sleddog
03-20-2016, 08:44 PM
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Whee! This surfer is vying for a $40,000 prize at the Santa Cruz Harbor Entrance. Errr, make that a potential $40,000 fine and Class D Felony. That is if the 47' Coast Guard Motor Life Boat, currently stationed off the breakwater, can catch him and his friends.

The MLB's are good in surf, and their crews highly trained. But I doubt they're that good...foot races between the surfers and Harbor cops have occurred in the past. Surfboards confiscated.

But now the crab fishermen are really upset, their season already compromised by closure due to toxic domoic acid. We all learned Saturday morning, four months after the Entrance was initially shoaled, that our emergency situation at the Santa Cruz Harbor has caught the eye of US Coast Guard Captain Gregg Stump of Station San Francisco. Capt. Stump, who without apparent forethought, plan, or communication with the Santa Cruz Harbor Office, decided to stop all vessel traffic transiting the entrance beginning Friday evening, March 18, 2016. http://www.santacruzharbor.org/documents/SafetyZoneNOTICE.pdf

Capt. Stump should consult his chart. He can't even get his safety zone properly defined and says "harbor eastern shore" when he means "western." And if you go to the head pump out facility at the fuel dock, you are in violation of his boundaries.

Apparently, if you are game, you can drive 180 miles round trip, present evidence, and receive written permission from the San Francisco Coasties to go get your crab traps. Otherwise, no go. The launch ramp is roped off, and armed officers were enforcing the No-Float Zone, which ends May 1. WTF??

Santa Cruz sailors have never much cared for officialdom or bureaucracy. Much to the Harbor Master's chagrin, they staged their own Wed. Night Races, inside the Harbor. Everyone had a good time, with upwards of 50 spectators cheering the fleet on. Everyone that is but the recently hired Harbor Master, who with little or no boating experience, and weapon at the ready, was decidedly grumpy.
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I feel badly for the crabs. Only in Santa Cruz.

sleddog
03-22-2016, 12:33 PM
NOZOMI once asked where I get "your stuff. "It reads like Forrest Gump witnessing defining events of the latter half of the 20th century."

Thanks, Rob. As close friends and family know, I've been keeping logbooks for more than 55 years. To date, there are 30 logs, of different sizes and shapes, detailing a life of sail. Notes, writing, photos, and sketches cover about 4,500 pages, 300,000 miles, and weigh a hefty 30 pounds. All the logs are written in ink, as befits a requirement to be a legal document.
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It's not always about sailing. Logbooks are a record of life's passages, course and direction, adventures, mishaps, lessons learned, friends met, safe anchorages.

Here's Day 5 of the 1978 Singlehanded Transpac on WILDFLOWER
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And a hideout in the Sea of Cortez
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I began writing early partly because I could only speak with great difficulty. Since childhood I've been a stutterer. Spoken words were precious, hard fought, infrequent, subject to interruption, misinterpretation, even derision. Writing was easier. Until 8th grade that is, when a high school English teacher required essays be produced in order of 1) outline 2) rough draft 3) final draft. Miss Fenner was not amused when she discovered I wrote my final draft first, faked a rough draft second, and created an outline last.

The written word took me into books, especially sea stories of voyaging in small boats. Voyagers were my heroes, and their little ships had relatable personalities: Tough, simple, unpretentious. YANKEE's Wander-World was one, TREKKA 'Round the World was another. Little did I realize that later in life I would be honored to meet Irving Johnson and John Guzzwell. both men of big heart and stature whose writing had helped influence pursuing a life of sail.

By the end of 8th grade hell, I'd surreptitiously, in the back of class, designed my boat, completed lists of supplies, researched equipment, and pursued necessary charts.

Later, in 1973, long time friend Kim Desenberg and I became partners in a communal bookstore as I began the final push of building the boat, WILDFLOWER, I'd dreamed back in elementary school. In 1973, Kim and I crossed the Pacific together, as far as Australia, on IMPROBABLE. We continue sailing together to this day.

I wish to thank SSS, the Forum, friends, and readers for providing a safe and supportive harbor in which to anchor. It's been fun, especially digging out history from the logs, and other sources. I hope it's entertaining, educational, maybe controversial. There are a 1000 ways to rig and sail a boat, and mine is only one.

I encourage anyone with questions, subjects needing investigation no matter how trivial, or seeking an opinion, to speak up, publicly or privately.

As long as it's fun.....
~skip

sleddog
03-23-2016, 02:52 PM
Oh Dear. Just when potential entrants to this June's Race2Alaska were getting comfortable with minimal rules, a stink has arisen. Seems a candidate for 1st to Finish has its entry on hold because of the trimaran's name: SPIRIT OF MR. FLOATIE.COM.

What is this about? Mr. Floatie is a protest against the fact all of Vancouver Island (including Vancouver on the mainland, and Victoria) pump raw pooh into the ocean. And have been doing so for years, with no working plan or funding to alter the situation.

Victoria alone pumps in excess of 27 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Straits of Juan De Fuca daily. The crew of the SPIRIT OF MR. FLOATIE.COM wish to draw attention to this ongoing embarrassment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-NWbzB3ut0

Not sure I see the problem with the boat name being too controversial to disallow entry to the R2AK. Something else must be going on. Mr. Floatie has been around as a symbol of protest for at least 10 years.

Victoria needs to meet CAN OWHOOPASS

hodgmo
03-23-2016, 09:02 PM
Oh my, Mr Floatie must be related to Mr Hanky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCWa4Y0lmcA

chautauqua
03-24-2016, 03:58 AM
Skip....Your 8th grade "beat the system"....writing of final draft first, then rough draft, then outline.... reminds me of my attempts to fool my piano and vocal teachers into thinking I was sight reading music scores. I would memorize the piece first, and then pretend to sight read during lessons...bringing up the questions of intent of the method in the first place. Having taught HS English for many years, I can say that the advent of computers as well as increased knowledge of how the brain works, changed some of the scaffolding we thought necessary for successful writing and thinking forever. I can only hope that my early students have 'work arounds" for some of what I assigned and have moved on to what makes them own and use their writing. I am in awe of your ability to log and then retrieve your adventures with such detail. The value is what you do with your logs, weaving and connecting us with what is going on in the here and now. Yes, you do take us with you on a very entertaining, educational and valuable voyage. Hope it continues to be fun for you for a long time. Keep on, keeping on, my friend.

sleddog
03-24-2016, 05:39 AM
Back to our regularly unscheduled programming.

An "outgrabber" seems an unlikely piece of sailing equipment for the SHTP. Actually quite handy.

An outgrabber is nothing more than a snatch block on an outhaul line to the boom end. The block goes around the spinnaker, twin, or jib sheet and pulls the sheet lead outboard. This opens up the slot and improves the shape of the sail, stabilizes the spinnaker (especially in big breeze), lessens chafe on the underside of the boom, and even acts as a preventer so a dedicated preventer isn't needed.

The easiest way to rig an outgrabber is with a reef line. It doesn't have to be pulled all the way to the end of the boom. Halfway is fine. See below photo of outgrabber in use on the Honey's Cal-40 ILLUSION.1428

hodgmo
03-24-2016, 09:29 AM
In the 2014 SHTP I used the outgrabber and really appreciated it for the somewhat improved spinnaker performance and elimination of a main preventer (reduced clutter). The advantages were well worth the slightly more complicated jibe. I ran the outgrabber line along the boom to the mast and then to the deck and back to a clutch in the cockpit. I found it very convenient to have both an aft led sheet and mid-ship led afterguy on each spin clew, with the outgrabber on the afterguy. To jibe, I shifted the load from the leeward outgrabbed guy to the sheet, released the outgrabber line, stepped out of the cockpit to remove the outgrabber snatch block from the guy, and then did a normal jibe (usually from the cockpit using a 2nd pole, though that is not shown in this image). After the jibe was complete, the outgrabber was re-rigged on the leeward afterguy….

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Somewhat related (vaguely) is the twin jib twistle rig article on bluewater cruising. Though, based on the article image, I can’t figure out how the rig was fixed to the mast…

https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2016/03/Pisces-David-Everett-and-the-twistle-rig.jpg

http://www.pbo.co.uk/cruising/testing-times-on-the-atlantic-rally-for-cruisers-arc-28022

Steevee
03-24-2016, 11:36 AM
Referring to the picture of the Cal 40...is that other pole a reaching strut? I've never seen one used only heard of it. What's the advantage, how is it rigged?
I'm a spinnaker novice, so I have my hands full with just the pole, sheets and guys.

sleddog
03-24-2016, 02:18 PM
Referring to the picture of the Cal 40...is that other pole a reaching strut? I've never seen one used only heard of it. What's the advantage, how is it rigged?

Yes, the shorter pole on ILLUSION, about 6-7 feet long, is the reaching strut. The spinnaker afterguy is led thru the outboard end of the reaching strut when spinnaker reaching. This betters the angle of the afterguy off the pole and lessens the compressive force driving the inboard end of the pole into the mast. The reaching strut also reduces stretch of the afterguy so the pole doesn't hit the headstay, as well as reducing chafe on the afterguy from the windward upper shroud.

The reaching strut is affixed horizontal and waist high to the windward side of the mast, then tied with a sail tie to the upper shroud. It doesn't need any other topping lift or downhaul. The reaching strut automatically assumes the correct angle to fairlead the afterguy as the sail tie slides up or down on the shroud. When not in use, it can temporarily rest on the upper lifeline as shown in the ILLUSION photo.

On WILDFLOWER, I used my adjustable Forespar whisker pole in the shortened position as my reaching strut. On ILLUSION we had the reaching strut on standby, as we would get williwaw gusts down the Island valleys inland of Maunalua Bay and would quickly have to ease the afterguy so the pole went way forward.

If your boat is small enough, or lightly loaded like a Moore 24 or Express 27, you probably don't need a reaching strut. Just lead the afterguy forward to the widest point on the boat. Or use a twing. In the SHTP, reaching struts are only useful for Day 2-4. But they do allow one to be more aggressive about setting the spinnaker earlier, with the pole near the headstay. On average, most TransPac racers, even fully crewed, tend to wait 6-12 hours too long to set the spinnaker, losing 10-20 miles in the process. It's amazing what rationalizations will do.

Some boats, like sprit boats, don't use spinnaker poles...If you are reaching with a spinnaker, either symmetrical or assymetrical, you don't necessarily need a spinnaker pole. Instead, tack the sail to the stem fitting with a tackline 3-5' long and Bob's your uncle.

Spinnaker poles on a reach are a mixed blessing. Standing between the pole and headstay can be a dangerous proposition.

Steevee
03-25-2016, 10:01 AM
Thanks for the info. Very clear. The bowsprit is a definite advantage on my boat and I don't use a pole with the asymmetric. I just got to learn to trust my autopilot when sailing with a spinnaker up. I still drop the spinnaker at 10-12 knts when I could probably power her up even more. Still building up trust with this boat and my ability.
I'll keep experimenting. This site is a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate everyone's experience that they share.

sleddog
03-26-2016, 10:05 PM
With bicycle in tow, I rode the ferry from Tiburon to Angel Island. Over on the City Front, the Double-Handers heading out to the Farallones were suffering through two hours of postponements while waiting for the wind to fill. By the time the breeze began to make, the tide had turned to flood, turning the race into a long day for those who stuck it out. Out at the Rockpile, it was breeze "on," NW 23, gusting 29.

News from Ayala Cove at Angel Island. State Park Rangers report refurbishment of the cove's paired bow and stern moorings has been completed, including new 3/8" chain, mooring buoys, and color coded mooring lines.

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The anchors are the helix type, screwed into the bottom, and should never drag. New top-of-the-line mooring gear at Ayala Cove will set overnighters back $30/night, payable ashore prior to picking up a mooring.

While on Angel Island I was able to visit one of my favorite San Francisco Bay hidden gems, a pristine tan sand beach 200 yards long, backed by wildflowers, Pride of Maderia, and succulents. What's unique about the beach, reachable by road and short gravel path, is the 180 degree view, from the City eastward, then north to Point Richmond. And the fact it is secluded and rarely sees visitors, even on busy weekends. The only sounds were waves lapping and Pt.Blunt's sound signal to the south.

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For those seeking serenity only a few miles from downtown San Francisco, this beach and fronting cove bears 209 degrees magnetic, 1.5 miles from Southhampton Shoal. Nearby is an historical sign saying there was once a bowling alley in the vicinity. Bowling on Angel Island?

sleddog
03-27-2016, 09:14 AM
Difficult to fathom. Called "exceptional vessels" by their "heroic" leader, two KON-TIKI 2 balsa log rafts have been evacuated 995 miles west of Chile, with their crews transferred to a commercial ship. They had previously "sailed" (drifted?) to Easter Island.

"We realize that reaching South America will take too long and we prefer to evacuate to ensure safety for all," expedition leader Torgeir Higraff said on the expedition's website.

"They are in a good state of health, a little tired. The rafts were beginning to deteriorate and that made it risky for the people to stay on board," the navy said.

Higraff said the balsa rafts had been "exceptional vessels at sea" and had shown that it was possible for such boats to make the journey from South America to Easter Island.

The rafts had also collected valuable data for research into climate change and pollution, he said."

Photos show the rafts loaded with plastic gear. Was all this offloaded by the crews? I doubt it. KON-TIKI 2 was studying other people's pollution while generating their own? Ironic. Tell me it isn't so.

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sleddog
03-27-2016, 09:51 AM
After 24.5 days at sea, the crew of CHESAPEAKE has safely reached Trinidad. Compared to KON-TIKI 2, check out how little plastic trash was generated using mindful practice.

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Synthia reports:

Ahoy from hey the land stuff is pretty fun too,

Sorry I've been remiss with my daily reports on my continuing adventures, I guess I've been too busy living it and collapsing from exhaustion, or maybe it's the rum sundowners. :) Or both!!

Weather - Well, the sun comes up just moments after sunrise, it shines good and strong all day long warming things up a bit too much, sometimes a cloud will pass by here and there, and just moments after sunset it's gone again. Then the moon comes up, sometimes almost precisely when the sun sets, and it's big and bright until it sets a bit later on. And there's also the stars, they show up shortly after sunset and go away shortly before sunrise. And finally there's the wind, it doesn't seem to blow that much where we are right now, but just enough to chill you off when you get out of the swimming pool, and make it pretty easy to sleep at night. It's been like that since I've been here and doesn't seem like it will change much until I leave because I'm not wandering to far off from day to day so I'll just stop talking about it until something new happens, k?

Navigations - Phew, where to begin, so many things so far. I'm going to need a vacation to recover from my vacation. Thursday morning our dock neighbors, John and Maggie from England, whom have been coming back to Trinidad for some 12 years now clued us in about Jessie James (yup, really his name) a local Trini guy that basically gets things done for the cruisers, including really great road trips in his 12 passenger van. They and a group of other cruisers had booked a tour to a hummingbird habitat and there were a few seats still available. Unfortunately the skipper and admiral came down with a nasty bug and we're not feeling up for it so yes please I'll have me some of that, thank you very much, and off I went with the 2 Brits, 2 Irish couples, an Alaskan, and another fellow who didn't talk much but I think he was a Brit as well. All of them seem to leave there boats here and return year after year. Most of them from what I can tell don't do much sailing anymore, but do boat maintenance in this exotic place when the weather back home is too unpleasant.


Departing the marina at 9:30AM Thursday the first adventure of the day was just negotiating the ridiculous traffic on these ridiculously narrow roads that are not well maintained what so ever. I will never complain about the Bay Area traffic ever again. On the way to the hummingbirds we stopped at Fort George, an old lookout post from way back when cannons were state of the art, which has a beautiful 360 degree view of the northern end of Trinidad. The hummingbird place is called Yerettê, which is a private residence up in the hills that is owned by a fellow Theo whose passion is photographing hummingbirds. So to make his job easier he started setting up bird feeders, and "if you build it they will come" holds true for this place. Thankfully he decided that he must share this paradise with the world so he started doing presentations by appointment only, lasting over 3 hours including lunch, while you get to watch all these birds hover just overhead darting hither and yon. Truly amazing. After lunch we drove down the one hill and up another to the Mount St Benedict Monastery. Being that most monasteries need to generate income in some fashion, this monastery, through trial and error and many other failures, is currently in the yogurt business. We stopped in for a quick look see and a view from this hill top, then dropped down the road a touch to the Pax Guest House for afternoon tea. Located within the forest there was lush vegetation, more hummingbirds, and still a view extending off and beyond to the valley below. Then back in the van to fight the afternoon commute returning to the marina at 6PM.


As we were leaving Yerettê, there were signs to a waterfall that the Alaskan Andrew had heard of and inquired some details from Jessie James. When Andrew indicated that he just might drive back (he has a rental car) the next day for a hike I offered to keep him company and he accepted. Being that the next day was Good Friday (aren't all Fridays good? Sorry Pam, I've been living with your brother for too long) Andrew felt it necessary to get an early start before the traffic got nasty so we agreed to meet at SIX AM!! So even before the sun has risen, off we drive to Maracas Falls, and what took almost 3 hrs driving the day before took 40 minutes without traffic. After parking the car along the road side near a house a young clean cut sort of fellow walked up and warned us that it wasn't safe to leave our car parked there, nor was it safe to walk up to the falls without someone to guide us as the trail was difficult to follow and that there might be nefarious sorts lurking in the bush to cause us harm if we were not accompanied by a local. So we inquired if he would be willing to be our guide and he accepted our invitation. When we asked him what is would cost, he replied, "whatever you like". When we asked about leaving the car there, he went to check with the home owner just there and returned saying that they would watch our car for us. Darrel was the nicest of fellows, a 26 year old, in the army, that had the most beautiful accent that I could barely understand a word of, but Andrew, having spent many a season in Trinidad, seemed to not have a bit of trouble so they chatted away as I followed along. Within three quarters an hours time we had made it to the bottom of the falls, which was not flowing too heavily being the dry season. Previous visitors had set up a bit of an altar on a nearby large rock with candles and fruit and such, indicating to me that this was obviously a sacred place and therefore necessary to be anointed by the water, so with GoPro in hand I scrambled over the rocks and stood under the falls. Hiking back down we veered off onto another trail that led down to a deep swimming pool downstream from the base of the falls. I went for a swim there too. Finally returning to the car we gave Darrel a $100 TT bill (worth about $16.50 US, or the price of a relatively nice meal). During our stroll Andrew and Darrel spoke of another hike to the top of a waterfall that then leads down to a beach, an arduous 4 hr hike with either a return hike back or flagging a taxi for the car ride back. Darrel agreed to be our guild for that hike as well so the two exchanged cell phone numbers to set up a date later on. During our drive back towards the marina Andrew told me of a few other hiking spots near by which sounded like a worthwhile effort since it was barely 9 AM at that time. We stopped at the marina cafe for breakfast and then drove on towards Macqueripe Bay at the end of the road. Along the way we stopped for a short stroll through the Bamboo Cathedral, which is a path through a towering bamboo forest. When the wind would blow just enough the bamboo stalks would bang together like a living wind chime and I felt like I was a miniaturized human walking through a patch of tall grass. We made another stop at a park with this ginormous tree that has dozens and dozens of other plants growing from it; bromeliads, ferns, vines, even other trees. Truly a "Tree of Life" indeed. Finally at the end of the road we came to the beach parking lot almost completely full, with possibly the last spot just for us. Strolling down to the beach there were many families enjoying the water, kids climbing on to the derelict remains of an abandoned loading dock (the valley used to be a sugar cane plantation) to jump into the water, young mothers with their infant babies still in diapers playing in the sand, and one muscular ebony fellow covered with sand strolling up the beach singing some beautifully sounding hymnal about repentance and salvation - then stopping to raise his arms up to the sky to take in the suns energy - then turning, pausing, preparing, then sprinting full speed the short length to the other end of the beach. Repeating this as if he was in a trance, all the while the crowd of beach visitors almost unaware of his ritual, until a young women spoke to him and he smiled and laughed and began chatting with her. Huh. Andrew then lead the way up the trail to the ridge looking down on the beach and also off to the north towards Tobago and the open space of ocean that I had just traverse two days previously. The path led on a bit more then started to descend down a steeper bit then into another bamboo forest and finally opening up to a clearing with a golf course, and an open air club house, that was open for business, selling chilled beverages. Ding ding!! Resting there for a good while, Andrew mentioned another waterfall just up a ways which sounded doable, but we decided that we should first return back to the car (the way we came) and then drive back to the golf course before hiking this second waterfall. On the return hike through the bamboo forest we encountered a group of Howler Monkeys (including a tiny little one) perched high up in the bamboo stalks with the male member howling and barking warnings to us of their presence. I hope the GoPro video captured it appropriately. Returning to the car seemed a much shorter hike than the way in and we drove off back towards the marina arriving about 2 PM completely involved in conversation so forgetting to turn off for the golf course and the second waterfall hike. Another day perhaps. Returning to the boat for a quick lunch and to check in with the skipper and admiral who were feeling worse cold symptoms I gathered a few things and retired poolside where I spent the rest of the afternoon working on recovering from the mornings workout with a man 14 years my age that I could barely keep up with. I certainly hope I'm as young as he when I reach his age.


Today I slept in to half pass six and enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee on the boat while reading the gossipy local newspaper that is delivered daily to our uh, boat step. Seems that yesterday there were reenactments in both Trinidad and Tobago of Jesus bearing the cross through the streets lined with wailing women and Roman guards holding them back, followed by sermons with the message of practicing love and forgiveness over revenge or self gratifying judgement. Good stuff. Before the heat of day could set in I did a few chores around the boat, and wanting to give the Sunbrella boat cushions a good scrubbing as the accumulation of salt and sweat from our passage made them too unpleasant to me to even want to sit on, they would have all of the day to dry. The admiral and skipper wanted to walk around to the other side of the small bay where the boat yard scheduled to haul their boat was located, so I tagged along as well. Spending some time browsing the chandlery (boat stuff store) we then strolled over to the restaurant next door for breakfast before walking back to the boat at just about high noon and the accompanying heat of the day, so I again grabbed a few things and headed back poolside like any reasonably sane person would do. About half until sunset I walked back around the other side to join up with some of the cruisers again for Shark-n-bake dinner at the Wheelhouse Cafe. Many of the same from the van ride tour and a few new faces. Turns out one of the Irish lasses races Folkboats and has been to 2 regattas over the years hosted by the St. Francis YC in SF. Andrew was also in attendance and he's got another hike (not the 4 hour one, thankfully) in mind for tomorrow so I guess I should finish up here and get some sleep.

Sightings - Old Forts, Hummingbirds, Monasteries, waterfalls, bamboo forests, beaches, howler monkeys, and KRAZY drivers!!! None yet: muggers, drug dealers, prostitutes, sex slaves, or any other mean or unhappy people.

Food - Wednesday Dinner at The Lighthouse Restaurant here in the marina: grilled fish of the day (sea trout?) with LOADS of vegetables and french fries with a most strong and yummy rum punch. I couldn't finish my dinner and glad they forgot to bring the 2nd rum punch (one was plenty). Thursday breakfast: granola & yogurt onboard. Lunch at the hummingbird house: homemade pumpkin soup & tossed salad. Afternoon tea at the Pax Guest House: brown bread with jam, sliced cheese, cucumber, some sort of sweet bread, and tea. Dinner: potluck salad and a pork chop with the cruisers at their Thursday night potluck BBQ. Friday Breakfast before hike: some tasty veggie stuff on a roll from a street vendor. Breakfast after hike: veggie quiche and coffee. Lunch: tossed salad and slice of bread on the boat. Dinner: PBJ. Saturday Early Breakfast: Fruit smoothly and coffee. Saturday later Breakfast: Salt fish scramble with a Bake (bread roll sorta like a ciabatta). Late lunch: passion fruit yogurt and fruit. Dinner: Shark-n-bake, which is a Trini dish that's basically deep fried shark in that ciabatta bread thing with a choice of a few different sauces. Mighty tasty must say.


Word to my peeps -


Now that I have direct wifi access, tho limited to the range of the marina, you can send your questions or comments to me directly : synpetroka@gmail.com
so that Terry does not have to be burdened with forwarding them to me any more. Big round of applause to Terry for his tremendous efforts in sharing my adventure tales. Yea!!!!! Smooch.

Chow from the s/v Chesapeake, 1200 GMT position
10-41'N x 061-38'W, COG 0, SOG 0 kts, DTG 0 nm
http://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Chesapeake
synpetroka@gmail.com

sleddog
04-01-2016, 08:08 AM
What could go wrong? Not an April Fool. The Navy has recently launched an unmanned "drone" trimaran submarine hunter. Certainly not a "she", it will be christened this week in Portland before undergoing sea trials off the California Coast.

http://gcaptain.com/first-look-at-the-pentagons-new-unmanned-sub-chaser/

With an overall length of 132 feet and displacement of 140 tons, top speed will be in excess of 27 knots. Questions arise. What powers this ship other than taxpayer's dollars? (The Navy estimates a "very economical cost of $20,000/day.") Who's on watch? Did the designers remember an automated kelp cutter for the keel and rudder?

We can rest assured the Navy has thought of everything for its new multihull. The report that skilled computer gamers were used to develop tactical and navigational skills does not instill confidence. The COLREGS requirement for a continuous lookout aboard the new drone subchaser will apparently be met by automated devices including, but not limited to radar.

Not sure I would want to test the collision avoidance capabilities of this ship with my small, plywood sailboat. And does it answer VHF channel 16?

Philpott
04-01-2016, 08:42 AM
Is this vessel meant to chase drug dealers or women throwing banana peels overboard?

sleddog
04-01-2016, 08:59 AM
Is this vessel meant to chase drug dealers or women throwing banana peels overboard?

The stated intention was to chase submarines.
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BobJ
04-01-2016, 09:47 AM
It's meant to chase women drug dealers throwing "banana peels" overboard:

Linky (http://sfbaysss.org/forum/showthread.php?1660-Late-Pacs&p=14151#post14151)

In other news, I finally caved in to a guy back on the Great Lakes (Wisconsin, ironically) who has been after me for a year to sell Rags to him.

The timing works with the boat show next week.
.

Critter
04-01-2016, 08:02 PM
In other news, I finally caved in to a guy back on the Great Lakes (Wisconsin, ironically) who has been after me for a year to sell Rags to him.
ha ha good one

BobJ
04-01-2016, 08:28 PM
I got some pretty good responses today.

hodgmo
04-02-2016, 07:01 AM
The stated intention was to chase submarines.

They may be looking for fishbots too

http://images.slideplayer.com/25/8209068/slides/slide_10.jpg

sleddog
04-03-2016, 03:53 PM
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This year the venerable Fish Class is entering it's second century. Originally designed and built by Nathanael Herreshoff, this 20'9" day sailor is no nonsense, unpretentious, chunky, yet pretty to look at. And capable of a good turn of speed. So much so, that the original NGH design has been much copied and tweaked over the years.

With but three exceptions, all the original Fish were named after species of fish. There was Anchovy and Shrimp. Sardine and Snapper. Perch. Eel and Cod. Squid, Minnow and Marlin. J.P. Morgan owned appropriately named Shark. Barracuda, Bonita, Tarpon and Pompano. Amberjack and Tuna. And don't forget sturdy little Grunt.

http://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/a-three-generation-dream-boat-the-herreshoff-fish-class-sloop-perch/

I like the idea of a 21 footer being able to sail well to windward drawing only 3' of water, with no need for "rail meat" uncomfortably hiked out for stability, nor the cabin entry compromised by a kelp cutter, or a dozen color coded lengths of running rigging spaghetti.

http://www.maineboats.com/print/issue-136/herreshoff-fish-a-good-catch

The most recent iteration (1999) of the century old Fish Class is Chuck Paine's Pisces. What a sweetie the Pisces 21 is. And so is the Fish. Which would win in a match race? The Pisces would. But not by much. Go Fish!

http://www.classicboatshop.com/usa/pisces-21/about-pisces/

If you like to fantasize sailing designs as I do, the Fish is worth a look.

H Spruit
04-03-2016, 08:45 PM
I have studied the Pisces, because the adds in Wooden Boat mag. are very catching to my eye.
The advertised price for a new one is close to what I paid for my house.
There are several boats here in Santa Cruz that have the same sailing characteristics that the Pisces offers, and are similar in size with similar hull configuration, we call them Ensigns.
Of coarse they are constructed from that miserable glop called fiberglass, that does't require a lot of maintenance and seems to last forever.
But the Pisces boats are very attractive.

skatzman
04-04-2016, 10:42 AM
Skip said one may post items on this thread of interest so here's one. These tugs have been tied up at Richmond Wharf 1 for over a year. I like them, they add character to the local sailing. Does anyone know the history of these tugs?14471448

sleddog
04-04-2016, 11:46 AM
The tugs BLACKHAWK and BLACKKITE are ex-Navy 100' foot harbor tugs launched in 1945 and used up around Benecia. The Navy decommissioned them in 1977 and they became part of the Suisun Bay Mothball Fleet.

Since then, with the dissolution of the Mothball Fleet, the twin tugs have met on hard times. Apparently derelict, slowly sinking, and abandoned by whomever owned them, the City of Richmond considers them a hazard and would like to get rid of them.

I'm not sure what the history is on the third tug rafted up. There are probably some good stories about these workboats....but their future care looks bleak.

sleddog
04-04-2016, 08:43 PM
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News today that United Flt.724 from Hono to SF had to turn back when two hours out because strong headwinds were causing "fuel overburn" and the real chance of running out of gas brings back memories of Ocean Station November, a fixture of Transpac Races until 1973.

Ocean Station November was a Coast Guard ship stationed at the point-of-no- return, halfway to Hawaii, along the Great Circle Route and usually in the middle of the Pacific High. A usual tour of duty for Ocean Station November was a month before relief.

On Oct.16, 1956, Pan Am Flight 6 radioed the CG cutter PONCHATRAIN that she had two engines out and would have to ditch. Preparation was rushed, a foam path was laid on the ocean wave, and Captain Dick Ogg safely landed Flight 6 nearby to the PONCHATRAIN. Even though the Stratocruiser 377 broke in half, all passengers were safely rescued.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvagZxur7sU

Ocean Station November was discontinued in 1974. If a 2016 Bugliter receives a radio call from the sky above requesting fuel, would suggest a nap and/or stiff drink may be in order.

But this begs the point. What was today's United flight doing running low on fuel because of "strong headwinds' while flying west to east? I consulted upper atmosphere wind charts this afternoon: the usual west to east jetstream was in place. And there weren't no stinkin' headwinds anywhere to be found.

JohnS
04-05-2016, 08:44 AM
United 724's return yesterday was odd and the "fuel overburn" explanation seems strange. But going back does beat turning the flight into Gimli Glider version 2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider).

Airliners attempt to operate with a minimal fuel load to save money. However, FAR 121.639 specifies that the aircraft have enough fuel to reach the destination, then fly to the most distant alternate, and then still have an additional 45 minutes normal cruise fuel remaining.

Still, things happen. I know of a Virgin America flight that diverted to KOAK for fuel because traffic control was delaying the flight's arrival at KSFO. (You can only fly in circles for so long.) The flight landed at Oakland, got a little gas, and then flew from Oakland to SFO with a plane full of disgruntled, delayed passengers and undoubtedly some explaining to do to the home office for the expensive pit stop.

sleddog
04-05-2016, 10:18 AM
John S commented: United 724's return yesterday was odd and the "fuel overburn" explanation seems strange. But going back does beat turning the flight into Gimli Glider version 2

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider).

Thanks, John, for recalling the remarkable story of the Boeing 767 "Gimli Glider" running out of fuel and successfully gliding 17 minutes to a semi-controlled crash landing at a Canadian race track/drag strip on July 22, 1983. The only injuries were to passengers in the rear who slid down the evacuation slides, which, because the front landing gear had collapsed, did not reach to the ground.

The causes of the Gimli Glider running out of fuel are a classic case of incorrect assumptions and human error, including calculating the fuel in Imperial pounds rather then the correct Metric. As well, the fuel gauges were not working.

Thank goodness the pilot of the Gimli Glider had glider experience he put to good use to bring his plane down safely without engines, mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, or navigational assistance. In an ironic twist, both the pilot and co-pilot were reprimanded and faced demotion and suspension while at the same time being awarded the first ever Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Diploma for Outstanding Airmanship.

Since the Gimli Glider incident, no one has been able to replicate the incredible landing in a simulator. The 767 aircraft was temporarily repaired on site, and flown off the drag strip.

Can you imagine being the two young boys on bicycles riding on the race track only to look back and find a completely quiet commercial airliner about to land on your heads?

hodgmo
04-05-2016, 10:33 AM
it might've been like this.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqIeM3blPck

sleddog
04-08-2016, 07:10 AM
Welcome Home, Synthia! (just returned from 3 months sailing the Atlantic)
https://youtu.be/e3uAJvHoWFk

Philpott
04-08-2016, 09:42 AM
Welcome Home, Synthia! (just returned from 3 months sailing the Atlantic)
https://youtu.be/e3uAJvHoWFk

Perfect undiluted love!

sleddog
04-09-2016, 11:42 AM
Aspiring Buglighters, if not already, should be aware of large and often opposing forces generated in the area of the gooseneck, the boom vang attachment at the boom, and the boom vang attachment at the base of the mast.

30% of Buglighters suffer some damage in these vulnerable areas where forces can be vertical, horizontal, downward, and rotational, simultaneously, and at locations that are point loaded for extended periods.

For example, the leech of the main, spinnaker sheet, and sometimes a dip in an ocean wave will be trying to lift the end of the boom, while the vang is trying its best to prevent the boom from lifting. Boom vang attachment points are subject to failure, as is the boom itself, at the boom vang's point of attachment. One method of mitigation is a sleeve, either internal, external, or both, on the boom.

Another common failure is the gooseneck fitting itself. If the gooseneck is meant to operate smoothly with the boom horizontal, and the mainsheet is attached to an eye or bale on the bottom of the boom, when sailing downwind with the main eased, the mainsheet will be trying to rotate the boom sideways, a force the gooseneck may not have been designed for. This rotational force can often be minimized by using a webbing attachment for the mainsheet block to the boom.

Travelers also take a lot of load. The safest thing to do with a traveler on a dark night, or going into a jibe, is to secure it amidships. Stan Honey likes to use stretchy nylon line on his traveler adjustment lines to provide some shock absorption during a windy jibe.

Fingers, travelers, and jibeing do not mix.

sleddog
04-10-2016, 08:27 AM
On a recent road trip with Safety at Sea and Product Advisor Chuck Hawley, Chuck produced from his bag of tricks an aluminum propeller shaft, clamp-on, "zinc" collar. Though I don't have a propeller shaft on my current boat, Chuck convinced me that aluminum zincs are better for the environment, less expensive, and lighter than traditional magnesium zincs traditionally used to combat underwater galvanic corrosion. I have no reason to doubt Mr.Hawley, and am sure if I had the need, would choose aluminum zincs.

For SHTP racers, propeller shaft zincs create parasitic drag in the worst place: at the leading edge of the rudder. The day before the SHTP I made it a practice to dive the bottom of WILDFLOWER, wipe the bottom with a towel, remove the shaft zinc, and band my Martec folding prop with a heavy duty rubber band. I also made sure the prop shaft was marked with the propeller vertical, as well as having a functional shaft lock using Vice-Grips to keep things in place.

Once at anchor in Hanalei, it was easy to reattach the prop shaft zinc in the clear water.

sleddog
04-11-2016, 07:57 AM
"the best laid plans o' mice an' men gang aft agley." So wrote the Scots poet Robbie Burns.

Last year at Catalina Island's West End Bald Eagle nest, the lone eaglet that was hatched didn't survive. This year things look better, with scrappy eaglet twins seeming to double in size weekly, their attentive parents bringing fish tidbits on a regular basis.

http://www.ustream.tv/west-end-cam

We wish these birds well. Their extinction due to DDT was almost a sure thing. Their comeback on Catalina and in the Channel Islands is a happy ending, success story.

sleddog
04-13-2016, 10:27 AM
The phone rang. It was our local mast maker, Buzz Ballenger.

"Hey, Skip, How'd you like to drive MERLIN's new mast to the anodizer in LA? It's the only tank long enough in California."

"Sure Buzz, How long did you say the mast is?"

"92 feet, Skip. But you shouldn't have any problem."

Gulp. For two years I'd been driving dozens of Buzz's new masts and booms over Highway 17 and up the Nimitz Freewary to/from Metalco, the anodizer in Emeryville. But most of those spars hadn't been over 50 feet long.

It turned out the anodizer in LA was pretty much right downtown. This trip was pre car-GPS mapping. I had to have every exit and turn carefully thought out. Or risk disaster, and being on the 5 o'clock news.

Though there were some heart racing moments, things went smoothly, with MERLIN's mast sticking forward over the hood of the Ford van, and 70 feet behind on its special trailer.

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Just yesterday, I read the last remaining Space Shuttle external fuel tank is underway by tug and barge from New Orleans, through the Panama Canal, to Marina Del Rey. There the fuel tank, 28 feet in diameter and 154 feet long, will traverse city streets to be put on exhibit downtown at the California Science Center. Anticipated arrival in MDR is May 19, pending a successful "Baja Bash."

Then a giant, 42 wheel trailer will take 18 hours to move the 15 story long, 33 ton fuel tank 16 miles through Los Angeles suburbs to its new resting place.

What a scene that will be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdqZyACCYZc

https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/04/12/final-space-shuttle-fuel-tank-in-existence-heads-to-california-museum/

"Hello. NASA calling?" "You say you need another driver?"

As that overlooked and lesser known Liverpudlian band, Yachts Without Radar, sang: "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCbI-7joT50

sleddog
04-18-2016, 08:59 AM
Contrary to what one would think, smells have been an important part of a lifetime afloat. As a kid, the family L-36 was kept on a mooring at San Pedro's Fish Harbor, next door to the StarKist tuna canning factory. The olfactory sensation of canned tuna is forever imprinted in my mind.

I learned early on the smell of land shortly after dark meant the old sea breeze was dying and a new offshore breeze was beginning to waft down shoreside canyons. Windshift and sail change coming!

The smell of fresh varnish was always a delight for the senses. And boatyards regularly smelled of Red Lead, traditionally used for bottom paint on wood hulls.

An alcohol stove or Aladdin lantern in the cabin gave off an unmistakable odor as it was being pressurized. So did the smell of mildewed canvas, an electrical short, and engine exhaust from outboard motors.

In September, 1987, I was 18 days out of Bora Bora, bound for Hilo, Hawaii when I encountered the most pleasurable smell at sea I'd yet experienced. It was dawn, and the downslope breeze of the Big Island's volcanos reached well offshore and enveloped WILDFLOWER in the luscious scent of moist land and tropical flowers.

Though it's not everybody's idea of an ideal fragrance, the scent of pine tar certainly evokes the romantic ideal of the long past Age of Sail with their wooden ships and iron men.

Pine Tar Recipe, ingredients available from a local hardware store:
(Ideal for finishing and preserving pine, oak, cedar, spruce, and traditional rigging.)
Equal parts pine tar, Japan Drier, boiled linseed oil, and turpentine.

BobJ
04-18-2016, 09:47 AM
Okay I get it - I'll try to shower before I invite a bunch of folks aboard for a sail.

Great day Saturday - it was fun having you aboard again (along with Philpott and Cliff Shaw, both of whom are temporarily boatless).

sleddog
04-18-2016, 03:55 PM
Great day Saturday - it was fun having you aboard again (along with Philpott and Cliff Shaw, both of whom are temporarily boatless).

Thank you for the Estuary tacking and jibing practice! But what we really want to know is did the new, dark blue fender covers with the embroidered "RAGTIME" get fitted to the fenders to protect and enhance the shiny new paint job?

Doggies.

BobJ
04-18-2016, 04:49 PM
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skatzman
04-18-2016, 06:20 PM
For me the smell is resin. Teen years it meant surfboards, now it means boat.

red roo
04-19-2016, 02:33 PM
Diesel fumes + salt air + a faint whiff of fiberglass = Boat

Add the sound of clicking halyards to the equation, and it's a full-on flashback to childhood boats.

The Smokester
04-19-2016, 03:29 PM
Then there's the smell of burning money.

H Spruit
04-20-2016, 08:08 AM
And then there is the sweet smell of Sapele saw dust mixed with the odor of epoxy resin, which in this case means that that the Dog's sled is getting a new rudder.

Philpott
04-20-2016, 09:27 AM
And then there is the sweet smell of Sapele saw dust mixed with the odor of epoxy resin, which in this case means that that the Dog's sled is getting a new rudder.

Okay, I'll bite. Photo, please?

sleddog
04-20-2016, 10:15 AM
Okay, I'll bite. Photo, please?

WILDFLOWER's (my 22' cat) original RudderCraft polyethelene rudder blade had the unpleasant tendency to breakaway when boat speed reached 13 knots.

H.S. and I found a beautiful Sapele plank at Jackal hardwoods in Watsonville. The new laminated rudder blade, using Lamello technology for additional strengthening, should be much stronger, a more hydrodynamic shape, 6" deeper, and 4 pounds lighter. It is taking shape in Howard's shop, and will be finished bright for Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival appreciation factor in September.

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The old polyethelene rudder blade overlaying the new.

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Port & Starboard side, & trailing edge are shaped.
Sealer coat applied prior to shaping the leading edge to protect the trailing edge and stabilize the shape while finishing the leading edge

Wylieguy
04-20-2016, 11:52 AM
A good memory is vital to woodworkers, especially wooden boat builders. All that beautiful wood, the grain, the colors, and - yes - the smell, disappears under multiple coats of protective paint seldom to be seen again. As I watched "FREDA's" rebirth at Spaulding's Boat Works in Sausalito over the years, I savored every rib and plank as it was lovingly shaped, steamed, fastened or hung until a beautiful piece of wooden sculpture stood proudly in the shed. Then one day when I visited I saw a white boat sitting there. All those thousands of wood working hours disappeared under the protective paint, only to be seen in another hundred years when a new generation of dedicated wooden boat builders with hopefully dismantle this century's work and do it all over again.

That's a beautiful piece of wood and will be a great rudder to safely steer you through those San Juan islands shoals and rocks.

sleddog
04-22-2016, 09:43 AM
Celebrate Earth Day!

Each year, Earth Day—April 22—marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

The height of counterculture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” War raged in Vietnam and students nationwide overwhelmingly opposed it.

At the time, Americans were running leaded gas in massive V8 sedans. Industry belched smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Our school classes in the LA Basin were regularly kept indoors because of the pain of breathing eye stinging smog.

Although mainstream America largely remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries, and began to raise public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment, and links between pollution and public health.

After witnessing the ravages of the massive 1969 oil spill off Santa Barbara, Earth Day 1970 was imagined, planned, and promoted by classmate and student body president Denis Hayes to give voice to an emerging environmental consciousness by channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement to put environmental concerns on the front page.

Denis Hayes, with the support of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin and then Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey of California, built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land. April 22, falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, was selected as the date of the first Earth Day.

On April 22,1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city folk and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. By the end of that year, the first Earth Day had led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

As the millennium approached, Denis Hayes spearheaded yet another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. With 5,000 environmental groups in a record 184 countries reaching out to hundreds of millions of people, Earth Day 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990.

Earth Day 2000 used the power of the Internet to organize activists. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC for a First Amendment Rally. Earth Day 2000 sent world leaders the loud and clear message that citizens around the world wanted quick and decisive action on global warming and clean energy.

Much like the early days of 1970, Earth Day 2016 comes at a time of great challenge for the environmental community. Climate change deniers, well-funded oil lobbyists, reticent politicians, a distracted public, and a divided environmental community all contribute to a narrative of cynicism versus activism. Despite these challenges, Earth Day has prevailed and remains a relevant, powerful focal point, celebrated by more than a billion people in 192 countries, the largest secular observance in the world.

The fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the effects of climate change and pollution become more manifest every day. As sailors skilled at turning the wind into forward motion, and who regularly see the effect of pollution on the health of the world's seas, we have a responsibility to educate, whenever possible, the desirability of leaving a clean wake.

sleddog
04-23-2016, 02:02 PM
WILDFLOWER's new rudder has its final shaping complete and checked with templates. Next up is a protective sheath of 4 oz. S glass fiberglass cloth. overlapped at the leading edge. The fiberglass cloth is not for strength, rather abrasion resistance, and to keep the finish materials from cracking, and letting moisture into the wood.
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Howard says 4 oz.S glass cloth is as strong as 6 oz. E glass and 80% strong as carbon fiber.

The finish coat on the S glass will be West System #103 epoxy resin with #207 clear hardener, applied with a reusable black bristle brush, making for a clear and glossy finish. (We don't use foam rollers as they force bubbles into the goo. Likewise, we don't use disposable brushes as they tend to shed, no bueno on wood that will be finished bright.) It's the #207 clear hardener that makes the rudder finish glossy, clear, and smooth.

Lastly, several coats of varnish will be added for UV protection, and the leading edge will be painted white to show weed. Also, we will build a sheave box at the top of the rudder for the kick-up adjustment line, as well as the attachment point for the pneumatic cylinder that assists in kicking up the rudder when pulled by hand, or when it hits a submerged object, like the bottom on a beach landing.

If you are wondering why a single rudder on a catamaran, it is because the single rudder is on centerline. No, we don't fly a-hull except by accident.

sleddog
04-24-2016, 10:00 AM
Some nice chicken skin music for a Sunday morning. Check out the Hanalei Pier at 1:00 and 6:15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDa0YmZD0Jk

sleddog
04-25-2016, 09:20 AM
The breeze fan along the CA coast is currently on "High" setting, with gale warnings for NW winds from Oregon/CA border all the way to Mexico. In the last 24 hours gusts of 40 plus knots have been recorded at weather buoys offshore Bodega Bay, Half Moon Bay, Monterey Bay, Santa Maria, and Santa Rosa Island.

Similar conditions will continue today, as a strong high pressure, 1031 mb., is anchored off the coast. Conditions will moderate later in the week, 20-25 knots through Friday. But currently not a good window to be bashing north in anything less than a 40,000 hp container ship.

It's why the lighthouse keepers at Pt. Sur used to keep their children and chickens on leashes. As the good sail doctor would say: "Sheep's in the meadow." "Bolt your socks on, take two reds, and call me in the morning."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO5Wr-R3Og0

sleddog
04-27-2016, 09:39 AM
Though I am well aware that Rocky Mountain Elk jerky is particularly favored by some SHTP buglighters for its nutritional and tasty qualities, I was unprepared for an "unclear on the concept" encounter yesterday at our local West Marine.

I'd briefly visited the store to retrieve some free sailing magazines, usually stacked on shelves between the footwear and bungee cord. I guess I was too late in the month to find Lat-38, 48 North, or Pacific NW Yachting.

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The only printed matter available was a glossy 2016 California Big Game Hunting published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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A West Marine sales person approached and asked if he could help me find something. I said, pointing to page 46 in the Big Game Hunting magazine,
" these hunters on page 46 look happy with their magnificent deceased wild animal. What aisle has guns and ammo so I can get in on the action?"

The store went silent... The sales rep rolled his eyes... Ammunition in West Marine?

The good news is, to protect endangered California condors from lead poisoning, hunters cannot use lead bullets in condor habitat.

sleddog
04-27-2016, 04:39 PM
Howard assures me we will not be putting small bumps, "tubercles," on the edges of WILDFLOWER's new rudder.

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Says Howard: "Tubercles are found on humpback whale pectorals. Humpbacks weigh many tons and don't swim much faster than 5 knots."

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Paul Bieker is designing foils (rudder and daggerboards) with tubercles. His foils are being tested on ORACLE's AC catamarans. Reportedly, Paul's tubercles act as vortex generators and work to delay rudder stalling caused by cavitation, especially at high speed. The tubercles are said to divert air flowing downward on the rudder's surface that causes lack of control at high angles of heel.
http://ptsail.org/2011/10/11/whale-fins-and-rudder-designs/

If whales could fly.
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hodgmo
04-27-2016, 06:28 PM
"If whales could fly"

That is almost infinitely improbable, according to some

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h02a2HSB58M

stege
04-27-2016, 10:20 PM
Nice looking rudder! How do you come up with the templates for the shape? I am making a new kick-up rudder for my Jester dinghy.

Robert Stege

BobJ
04-28-2016, 04:13 PM
With reference to post #1394 above, it appears "the race is on." I received this photo yesterday:

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sleddog
04-29-2016, 02:37 PM
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Fender covers actually a pretty good deal for keeping dock grease, grime, and mildew off the fenders and topsides. Mine get tossed in the laundry every so often. When worn out, they're tossed in the ragbag. Replacements are < $3.00 a pair at the Thrift Shop for a pair of sweat pants. Cut the legs off to the right length, slip the legs over the fenders, and Bob's your uncle.

Don't tell Patagonia.

sleddog
04-30-2016, 11:35 AM
Nice looking rudder! How do you come up with the templates for the shape? I am making a new kick-up rudder for my Jester dinghy.
Robert Stege

Robert,
Howard built his kick up Jester rudder for Jester #8, which was built in 1967. Here's Howard's description:

I used a NACA 0009 foil shape. The max. thickness is 30% aft from the nose, and the thickness is multiplied by 0.09 times the distance from the nose to the trailing edge.

The tiller is cross linked to the rudder head so when the tiller is raised it lifts the blade.

Being able to sail through the kelp beds with the rudder kicked up helped Howard win that most prestigious of Jester races, from SC Harbor, 4 miles to China Beach, just east of Capitola.

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sleddog
05-01-2016, 03:55 PM
A toast to Hans Vielhauer, veteran of the first two SHTP's on the Scampi 30 MACH SCHNELL, then two more SHTP's on his Cal-40 CHAPARRAL, as well as a circumnavigation.

Hans was tough as nails, an excellent sailor, calm, confident, and in tune with the ocean. Hans was also quite shy. He told me this story, not bragging, but as matter of fact. It was later confirmed by video and by his close friend and crew Marianne Wheeler, who wrote the following tale for Latitude 38:

"On June 13, '95, Sonoma's Hans Vielhauer and his Cal 40 Chaparral were caught in the entrance channel of the Ala Wai Boat Harbor by the 'great southwest swell of '95'. This was the swell that caused lots of damage and killed several surfers in the islands. According to Honolulu newspapers, the swells were the biggest to hit the south shore in 15 years. Hans and Chaparral were motoring in the channel when a towering wave broke across the entire opening, ripping the signs off the channel markers and pounding the shore. Chaparral was knocked down by the breaking wave, and Hans was washed overboard. As he went over, the heel of his foot kicked the gearshift into reverse. When the breaking wave passed, Chaparral righted herself, and made a nice circle in reverse — right back at Hans! When he surfaced and saw his boat coming back toward him, he knew there was only one thing to do — get back aboard! Although well past the age of 60 at the time, Hans managed to climb aboard his Cal 40, after which he put the transmission in forward and set a course for deeper water!"

Go, Hans.

Gamayun
05-01-2016, 06:32 PM
What a fascinating story. I mentioned to someone a few days ago after I declined their back up dive computer when I changed the battery in mine (it's not easy and could have cost me a dive in a remote area if it had leaked) that I'd rather be lucky than good. It seems certain that Hans was both.

Also, from your previous post about Howard's nifty rudder design. I thought I'd show you my rudder post when I dropped it recently. There's not much I can do to get through kelp beds with it, but it's beefy, ain't it? An older J-boat pulled out across from me and his was similar though it had a bearing on the ring that was a bear for the yard to remove. Mine is just chocked full of grease with 4 zerc fittings that I had no idea about till now. It's always good to know how your boat works...

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pogen
05-02-2016, 11:11 AM
What is that rudder post made of? Looks like redwood slathered in lanolin.

BobJ
05-02-2016, 12:31 PM
Alan would know - I think they throw those in the Scottish Games.

Gamayun
05-02-2016, 01:04 PM
What is that rudder post made of? Looks like redwood slathered in lanolin.

It does look "drippy" doesn't it? No one could really tell what it's made of, but the consensus is that it probably has a metal core that has fiberglass tapered to fit the large end. Not sure why they would make it club-footed like that. Other guesses are certainly welcome! Do you think I can get a waiver on the emergency rudder requirement because it's such a beefy rudder? If this thing were to go, it would probably take my stern with it and negate the need for an e-rudd.

sleddog
05-02-2016, 02:12 PM
Hi KYNNTANA,
Hard to say what the rudder shaft construction is without cutting into it. And you are not going to do that!

Zerk fittings are nifty for rudder posts. On the Cal-40 we had several Zerks, and just kept pumping in grease, once a day, all the way to Hono. Not a squeak or clunk to be heard, and no friction either. (This was before carbon shafts and hi-tech rudder bearings.)

I don't know if you did this while hauled out. But it can be a good idea on older rudders to drill a small drain hole, 1/16" is fine, and see how much, if any, water drains out.

When the rudder proves dry, or stops draining, you can easily re-plug the little drain hole with Marinetex, Bondo, or chewing gum. I drilled and tapped my rudder drain hole for a #8/32 SS machine screw, which was screwed in place with silicone sealant. On haulouts it was an easy matter to unscrew the drain plug and check the rudder guts for rusty brown water, never a popular thing to find should there be weldments in the interior framework fabrication.

Out of sight, out of mind. Has anyone had a rudder x-rayed?

stege
05-02-2016, 02:23 PM
Thanks Skip, that was just the info that I needed. I have found several websites that describe NACA 0009 in detail. I sailed that Jester race in the early '80s and was envious of those that had kick-up rudders and were able to sail through the kelp bed. I had to take the outside route and finished second to last, just missing being awarded the Jester hat. My rudder will not be as fancy as Howards as I am not racing and don't really need the tiller activation feature.

---Robert

DaveH
05-02-2016, 06:49 PM
Out of sight, out of mind. Has anyone had a rudder x-rayed?

Well, sorta, if you count ultrasound... fat lot of good that did me in the end!

OTOH, maybe an X-ray would have told me more about the construction errors, maybe not.
probably would have given a clearer outline of the metal work.

Apologies; the above is a little off topic. You're speaking of water in the rudder and corrosion, not shoddy engineering of the armature.

DH

sleddog
05-03-2016, 02:35 PM
I'm outta here for an appointment with John Muir's ghost, in his bay of glaciers.

Keep the bow pointed forward, write if you get work, and don't forget the figure 8's in the end of the jibsheets.

~sled

Philpott
05-03-2016, 03:21 PM
I'm outta here for an appointment with John Muir's ghost, in his bay of glaciers. Keep the bow pointed forward, write if you get work, and don't forget the figure 8's in the end of the jibsheets.
~sled

Fair winds, Skip per
Don't forget to write.

sleddog
05-17-2016, 06:41 PM
Fair winds, Skip per
Don't forget to write.

Glacier Bay, Alaska, 5130 square miles, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park since 1980, accessible only by boat (cruise ship, yacht, raft or kayak) or by plane. Likely one of the most difficult National Parks to visit, except by cruise ship, lack of access has kept this wondrous part of the World relatively undeveloped: The forests surrounding the mountain peaks have never been logged. Mining and commercial fishing in Glacier Bay is banned. Hunting is only allowed outside the Park. The high mountains, including spectacular Mt. Fairweather at 15,325', are rarely climbed. Mt. Fairweather, first sighted and named by Capt. Cook in 1778, is one of the world's highest coastal mountains, only 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean, and marks the northern boundary of Glacier Bay National Park.

I'd always dreamed of sailing my Wylie 27 custom sloop WILDFLOWER to historical and legendary Glacier Bay, explored by John Muir in 1874, when the Bay was still filled for much of its length by glacier ice. My multiple attempts to reach Glacier Bay via the narrow channels of the Inside Passage fell short, as WILDFLOWER's older 4 hp engine wasn't up to the task, and the north end of Vancouver Island was the furthest north we reached.

In 1999, temporarily abandoning the route up the Inside Passage, I made the decision to sail WILDFLOWER offshore, northwest into the Pacific, until I could tack to port and lay Glacier Bay, at latitude 59 degrees North, 137 degrees West, or about 1,700 miles northwest of my homeport of Santa Cruz. This challenge didn't work either. Prevailing headwinds from the northwest ultimately drove WILDFLOWER south, and we ended up 300 miles further south than when we set out, ultimately anchoring in the Channel Islands of Southern California.

As H.W. Tilman once wrote, "There is little point of setting out for a place that one is certain to reach." A noble expression for sure for those who followed Tilman. And, by default, a fact of life if you sail in small boats.

Finally, in 2004, with a new Yanmar 7 hp engine, WILDFLOWER and I got up a head of steam, departing Anacortes, WA, in early May, and via the Inside Passage, ultimately arrived at the confluence of Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers, at the head of Glacier Bay, on the Summer Solstice, June 20th, 2004.

Glacier Bay was so amazing I vowed to return with friends, which we did in 2010 by plane from Juneau. Unfortunately, the engines on the Glacier Bay catamaran tour boat were broken, and we never got out of Bartlett Cove, where Glacier Bay's only hotel sits, the Glacier Bay Lodge, as well as the ranger station.

This year, with friends owning the 75', 1932, wooden, converted research motor vessel CATALYST, we booked passage in one of 6 cabins for a 10 day voyage of exploration into Glacier Bay in early May. It was a good decision. The surrounding mountains were snow capped as if the hand of God had spread whipped cream, sometimes right down to sea level.

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The animals, including brown (grizzly) and black bears, were recently coming out of hibernation and we saw many from the deck of CATALYST, including a memorable hour watching from kayaks as a brown bear on the nearby beach turned over dozens of large rocks (50-100 pounds) in search of food. Mr. Bear paid us no mind as we drifted about 75' away, and answered the proverbial question of "does the bear poop in the woods?"... Nope, we confirmed he does his business on the beach.

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Griz on small island. He swam out there.

CATALYST's crew of 4 included Sarah, a professional naturalist and kayaker. Sarah was often first to identify what we were looking at, especially the smaller plants and mosses. After an hour of looking under grounded bergy bits, Sarah even found and showed us ice worms, small, eyeless, black worms that live inside glacier ice, possibly by having blood of anti-freeze. http://www.damninteresting.com/the-ice-worm-cometh/

With a dozen pair of binoculars at hand, and Sarah's guidance, we met several hundred species of birds, mammals, plants, fish, and intertidal life in our walks on shore, kayaking, and just viewing from CATALYST's foredeck, bridge, salon dining table, and fantail. Most notable were the orcas, Dall porpoise, and humpback whales, moose, bald eagles, loons, kittiwakes, rock ptarmigans, and hummingbirds. Mountain goats in white fur coats wandered fearlessly on almost vertical glacier polished cliffs while grazing on small patches of grass and yellow flowers. We saw a cute porcupine up close who showed no fear. Several marmots. River otters. A big success story since my visit with WILDFLOWER in 2004 were the sea otters who, in the last 12 years, have now made Glacier Bay home. We saw dozens, if not hundreds, of sea otters, including many mothers with babies lying comfortably on their chests as they swam on their backs.

As the dark hulled Holland/America cruise ship VOLENDAM passed in the distance, we wondered how a thousand passengers, with only 6 hours in Glacier Bay and going 20 knots, could see any of this activity from 10 stories up. We did see people circling the funnel on waterslides before dropping into the swimming pool. But very few elsewhere aboard. We imagined sea otters must look like a raisins in the distance, and orcas might be passed without note.

Of course the stars of the show were the glaciers and their offspring, the icebergs, bergy bits, and brash ice. There are 15 glaciers in Glacier Bay, of which 5 are tidewater, meaning giant pieces of ice from the glacier's terminus calve into the bay below. We visited 4 tidewater glaciers: Reid, Lamplugh, McBride and Margerie. At Margerie Glacier, at the very head of Glacier Bay, giant explosions and cracks, about every 5 minutes, would signal massive pieces of ice breaking off into the water below.

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Margerie Glacier, 250 feet high.

Sometimes, a glacier breaks off under water, in which case a giant berg surfaces unexpectedly. One does not want to be in the vicinity when such a "Poseiden" appears. We spent a sunny, blue sky morning drifting about 300 yards offshore from the Margerie Glacier face. And didn't see any Poseidens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGDSODCqEB4

For me, and I think everyone aboard, the most special sighting of the trip were wolves. Wolves are rarely seen, and still hunted outside the Park. At our second anchorage, we had a wolf cruising the beach, not 25 yards astern for about 15 minutes. The next day we spotted a wolf pack on the shore, including one wolf silhouetted on a ridge, and heard another howling. Then, the final evening in Glacier Bay, as we finished dinner, a magnificent wolf appeared. Sarah, our naturalist, had never seen anything like it in 20 years. And neither had we. Not only was this wolf bigger than any of the wolves we'd seen previously, but it had a black mane, a cinnamon body, and silver rump.

I heard several shipmates comment "a trip of a lifetime." I would not disagree.
As Humphrey Bogart said to Ingrid Bergman in the last scene of Casablanca, "We'll always have Glacier Bay..."

Thanks to Ann C. who took the accompanying photos on her Android smart phone.

To answer several questions I've been asked:

No, there were no insects at this time of Spring. It was apparently still too early for winged critters.

M/V CATALYST makes about 7.9 knots with her original Washington 6 cylinder diesel clicking over at 400 RPM. The engine starts by compressed air, and has never been out of the boat in 84 years, since her launch in 1932. A really cool piece of machinery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVXA2-v_9yE

"Have the glaciers receded?" Since John Muir's time of 150 years ago, the glaciers have receded dramatically, almost 40 miles in places. My amateur observations tell me, since my visit in 2004, 12 years ago, aboard WILDFLOWER, Reid Glacier looked to have receded about 200 feet and thinned by 50-75 feet. Lamplugh Glacier looked to be stable, perhaps thinning. McBride Glacier had retreated significantly, about a mile. Margerie, a hanging glacier, had definitely thinned, but still magnificent about 250 feet high above waterline. A further discussion of Glacier Bay's glaciers can be found here: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/parks/glacier-bay-national-park-and-preserve/glacier-bay-national-parks-glaciers-primer

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Reid Glacier Terminus

Sleddog_sis
05-18-2016, 10:34 AM
This is just beautiful --in word and photo. Wow!! Thanks Skip!

skatzman
05-19-2016, 07:33 AM
Great writing there Skip. SDK

sleddog
05-19-2016, 01:42 PM
The first time I lost my boat, WILDFLOWER, the 27' custom cruiser I'd built at Wylie Design in 1975, was after the 1978 SHTP. WILDFLOWER, "Fleur" for short, was engineless in those days and I'd sailed her upwind from Hanalei Bay, across the Kauai Channel to Haleiwa, on the North Shore of Oahu. There I picked up good friend, Capt. Bob, a Matson captain and long time sailing friend from IMPROBABLE days. Bob and I sailed WF up the north and east shore of Oahu, crossed the Molokai Channel, then beat up the lee side of Molokai to arrive at Lahaina in time to crew on the 50' racing sloop CHECKMATE in the Sauza Cup.

From Lahaina I left to sail WF home to Santa Cruz. After 24 hours beating into the teeth of fresh trades, with my stomach in knots, I bailed and ran back to cruise the north shore of Molokai in consort with SHTP winner Norton Smith, onboard his SC-27 SOLITAIRE. Norton and I then sailed our boats back across the Molokai Channel to Kaneohe Yacht Club. At KYC, joined by another friend, Gary on his Trekka 21 TAREMA, the three of us, each singlehanded, cruised in company to Waimea Bay, and eventually to Pokai Bay, Barber's Point, and to the AlaWai at Honolulu.

Norton and I had a vague offer of the use of a flatbed trailer to ship our boats from Hono back to the Mainland. The trailer magically materialized, and we built cradles to fit our boats on the flatbed. We then hauled our boats at AlaWai Shipyard and positioned them on the trailer, bow to bow and overlapping. Our boats on the flatbed were then delivered to the Matson yard at Sand Island, paperwork was completed, and the boats were promised to be in Oakland a week later for pickup.

At the end of August, a day after SOLITAIRE and WILDFLOWER were scheduled in Oakland, I called Matson and inquired when I could pick up our boats. Their answer surprised me: "We have no record of your boats. We do not have them."

"Uh, oh," I thought. "What to do now?" Our boats are missing

I hopped in a borrowed truck and drove to the Matson Terminal in Oakland, then hiked up 5 floors to the shipping manager's office at the top of the building. While waiting outside the office for an interview, I peered around the Matson yard to see if I could see our boats anywhere. Surprise, they were very close, right outside the window of the Matson building. After 15 minutes of waiting, I was granted an audience with the shipping manager, who confirmed Matson had no record of our boats, and emphatically did not have them. I showed her my paperwork, but this had no effect, and she clearly wanted to leave her office for lunch. At this point, I sat down on her desk, pointed the boats on the flatbed trailer just outside her window, and said, "I'll be here when you get back."

On her return from lunch, the shipping manager was not pleased to find me still sitting on her desk 45 minutes later. I declined to move until she picked up her phone and called somewhere below. Shortly, a big black dude in overalls, driving a forklift and carrying a long measurement pole with one foot spaced black and white intervals, drove out from the shade and up to our boats on the flatbed. Apparently it was the forklift driver's job to measure the cube of the cargo.

I moved off the lady's desk and watched bemusedly. The measurement guy couldn't figure out what he was looking at, apparently two boats, one white, one blue, on the same trailer. But where did the boats begin and end? And how would he ever climb up on the flatbed to measure the width? I think the fellow did the best he could with his black and white pole, not realizing the boats had cabins and were higher than they looked. He scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper, and called the shipping manager lady. She performed some calculations on her adding machine, and said, "that will be $1,600." I quickly wrote a check to Matson, ran downstairs, hooked the truck to the flatbed with the boats, and got the whole package the hell out of there before someone changed their mind.

That night we worked until midnight scrubbing the coral off SOLITAIRE's bottom, then at 2 a.m. set off for Lake Tahoe. Being tired puppies, we raced the next day in the SC-27 National Championships at Lake Tahoe, but forgot our #1 jib in the car. But that's another story.

H Spruit
05-20-2016, 02:07 PM
We had a similar experience with Matson. In 1987 Yvonne and I loaded everything we owned into a container and shipped it and my Frog 21 to Oahu.
When we arrived 2 weeks later they wouldn't release our stuff and then said they could NOT find it. I had a friend that worked for Matson tell me how to locate it and where to look, which we did.
They still would not release it, so we went to the top of the tower, with our sleeping bags got into the managers reception area and told them we were not going to leave until we had our stuff.
A couple hours later they found our paper work, and we got our container and boat released to the trucker.

Philpott
05-20-2016, 02:33 PM
We had a similar experience with Matson. In 1987 Yvonne and I loaded everything we owned into a container and shipped it and my Frog 21 to Oahu.
When we arrived 2 weeks later they wouldn't release our stuff and then said they could NOT find it. I had a friend that worked for Matson tell me how to locate it and where to look, which we did.
They still would not release it, so we went to the top of the tower, with our sleeping bags got into the managers reception area and told them we were not going to leave until we had our stuff.
A couple hours later they found our paper work, and we got our container and boat released to the trucker.

I've heard stories about the assertive nature of the surfers in Santa Cruz, but now that I hear about you all, I'm thinking it is something in the water.

sleddog
05-20-2016, 05:47 PM
On our recent visit to Glacier Bay aboard M/V CATALYST, we stopped at the Tlingit ("Clink-It") community of Hoonah, on Chichagof Island, 30 miles across Icy Straits from Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay was the ancestral home of the Tlingit tribe, until advancing glacial ice drove these Native Americans to new hunting grounds.

The dugout canoe was, and is the primary mode of transportation for the Tlingit, giving access by water to everything from trading with other villages, to fishing, and hunting sea mammals such as whales. The Tlingit made different types of canoes depending on their function. Some were 40-60 feet long, and could hold as many as 60 people. Large ocean going canoes could hold even more, up to 100 people. Canoes were sometimes joined together with red cedar planks, creating a catamaran or even a trimaran to carry extra cargo or ceremonial dancers.

With water based transportation using dugout canoes, distances were measured by how far a canoe could travel in a day, usually about 40 miles There remains oral tradition that certain canoes traveled as far as Hawaii and Asia to trade.

The Tlingit canoes, as well as being paddled, were often propelled by square shaped sails. In rough waters, the Tlingit would tie inflated seal bladders to the outside of the hull to assist in stability. The first Europeans in this area were amazed at the carrying capacity and beautiful construction of the Tlingit canoes.

1502

At Hoonah we were fortunate to observe two 35 foot Tlingit canoes under construction. First, a large, straight-grained spruce log was procured, about 3 feet in diameter. At Hoonah, I counted more than 200 annular growth rings in one log, destined to become a future dugout canoe.

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The outside of the canoe log is then shaped, using only very sharp adzes made from truck springs. When the external shaping is complete, the village population assembles, and the canoe-to-be is rolled over. The log is then hollowed out using hand tools. The cavity of the hollowed out log is filled with water and hot stones and crosspieces would then spread the softening steamed walls of the canoe. These crosspieces would gradually be replaced by longer ones in order to obtain the correct shape and beam of the hollowed log, often as much as 6 feet.

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Each Tlingit canoe is seen as a living, breathing, spiritual entity. After the hollowing and shaping of the canoe, the long projecting bow and high, spur-shaped stern pieces are added. The bow and sterns of Tlinglit canoes are carefully carved to display clan and tribal crests, the figures outlined in black and then filled in with red, yellow, and green, similar to totem poles. Tlingit canoes were then named, usually after the Sun, Moon, Earth, Island, Shaman, Whale, Otter, Eagle, or Raven.

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It takes as much as 6 months to build a 30 foot Tlingit canoe. The ones we saw were beautiful, and looked seaworthy. They would have to be, to traverse the nearby and often rough Icy Straits

Over the past decade there has been a revitalization of traditional canoe building among the Tlingit and the Northwest Coast Nations, and it was fun to see children as young as 8 excited about paddling a canoe with their own personal paddle.

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sleddog
05-20-2016, 09:15 PM
Wild roses for WILDFLOWER.

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5 coats of varnish completed. 2 coats more before new rudder is finished.

Looking good.

red roo
05-22-2016, 10:03 AM
1507 1508

sleddog
05-22-2016, 11:51 AM
A brief word from our sponsor:

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Wrote Twain, "And when it came to cats and humans, cats were the standard that humanity needed to attain, because “If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” Even though no one could hope to reach this ideal, that doesn’t mean we’re all bad. Twain wrote: “When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction.”

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I once knew a cat, "Snowball," who raced two Pacific Cups and return deliveries onboard EL TIBURON. The boat was rigged most comfortably in all manner for Snowball, who napped in the top drawer, in amongst the socks, or on deck, inside the dodger.

El TIBURON's DH crew practiced cat overboards. This technique, perhaps questionable to some, and certainly not taught at SAS seminars, involved one of the crew jumping over after the cat.

sleddog
05-24-2016, 11:54 AM
Sustaining injury when sailing offshore, by all measure, is to be avoided. There are dozens of ways to get hurt, some highly unusual. Below is an incomplete list of potential harmful situations to be avoided.

1) Descending a companionway ladder, especially with damp footwear or wet step treads, can cause an injurious slip. Best avoidance technique is to face the ladder when descending, and hold on with both hands.

2) Burns offshore are common, especially when cooking in the galley. When working around hot food or drink, wear clothing protection and have pot holders handy. That unanticipated wave always seems to tip the boat when making morning coffee. Also, when doing sail handling on deck, turning off the stove beforehand may save burning a hole in a freshly doused spinnaker.

3) Rope burns take a long time to heal, and are particularly disabling. Anticipate how much strain is on a halyard or sheet winch, keep at least 2 wraps on the winch, and wear gloves.

4) Falling down a foredeck hatch, breaking ribs, is a common injury. When working on the foredeck, with sails in the area, it's always a good idea to close any hatches beforehand.

5) Cuts are always happening unexpectedly. Working with knives is hazardous duty. Untaped cotter pins, engine repairs, splinters, anything sharp can and will draw blood.

6) Personal hygiene, especially butt rash, is important to attend to when first noticed. A clean galley, sink, and head is paramount. Carrying disinfectant and a general purpose antibiotic to prevent potential spread of infection is recommended.

7) Fingers are always at risk. Two areas to be aware of are a sliding traveler car
when using the main sheet or traveler track as a handhold, and an electric winch. Electric winches can be accidentally engaged or rotate more quickly than expected when fingers are in harm's way.

8) Dehydration is debilitating. Stay in the shade of the sails, an umbrella, bimini, or small awning. Use a plant mist sprayer to create "air conditioning. An electric fan at the head of a bunk will keep things cool below while sleeping. Drinking plenty of water, a gallon a day causes the need to urinate, a good wakeup reminder when off watch. Using a hospital urinal obviates the need to use the head or go on deck. As Brian B points out, even available with glow in the dark tops, so you don't mistake it for the gatorade.

9) Despite best intentions, injuries happen. A well equipped first aid kit and manual can be worth their weight in gold when the time comes for body repair. Don't forget the super glue, good for cuts as well as sail repair.

sleddog
05-27-2016, 05:16 PM
3.5 hours northeast of Capitola, 17 miles east of Auburn, at 2,500' in the Sierra foothills, lies the rural village of Pleasant Hill, home of the Crawfords.

I first met Robert and Jeanne Crawford during the 2008 Singlehanded TransPac Race, in which Robert raced his Cal-20 BLACK FEATHERS. Good people, we became friends, and have stayed in touch over the years.

Robert is a fine craftsman, with multiple talents. One of which is building (and playing) Taiko drums. Taiko drums are not as simple as they may look. All sorts of details have to be dealt with, including initially finding a proper oak wine barrel.

Once the oak barrel is located, the ends are shortened, and the staves removed to be reinforced with Lamello "biscuits," exactly the same construction used in WILDFLOWER's new rudder. The oak barrel is then reassembled, the inside is carved for decoration and lightness, and 32 coats of varnish are added for both looks and protection against wayward drumstick beats.

A tanned cowhide (the "head") is then fitted to both ends of the drum, and precisely tensioned involving powerful jacks, and tacked in place. No nail guns allowed. The new drum owner then stands atop his drum and tests the head. This step may cause anguish, if the cowhide should split, as they can do. Once the drum is complete, which may take weeks, the drum is played so to impart the correct resonance and tone into the drum and head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0msetgl7TY

Robert building and tuning his Taiko drums is art and craftmanship in motion.1511

It was fun visiting with Robert and Jeanne, and hearing BLACK FEATHERS continues to sail out of South Beach Marina one weekend a month, most recently completing a lap of the Farallones on the same day as the SSS Singlehand Farallones Race.

sleddog
05-30-2016, 08:37 AM
The Master Mariners Regatta on San Francisco Bay is always a bang-up affair. This year was no exception, with half a dozen classes, comprising a fleet of 65 oldies, chasing each other from the pursuit start off St. Francis Yacht Club.

With 18 knots of breeze funneling in the Gate, it wasn't long before carnage began. The L-36 PAPOOSE tried to port attack the schooner SEAWARD, not a good idea being that SEAWARD is steel and 82 feet long. The resulting "incident" dismasted PAPOOSE and took the bowsprit off SEAWARD.

I'm not sure marine insurance companies favor the idea of racing older yachts in close quarters, in current, fresh breezes, with unpracticed crews and often skippers who are unfamiliar with racing rules or boat handling situations.

Aboard our 69 year old schooner MAYAN, all was going well. Navigator Stan Honey had us going the right directions at the right times, and our 20 person crew had the sails and centerboard going up and down with seemingly practiced precision. Never mind MAYAN only points within 110 degrees of the wind. Weighing nearly 35 tons, MAYAN rumbles along, and especially enjoys reaching legs, where the big Advance staysail, a giant quadrilateral sail that hoists to both the mainmast and foremast, helps deliver speeds upwards of 10 knots.

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After the start, we close reached MAYAN to Little Harding, 4 tacked up to Blackaller, ran to Blossom Rock, jibed the kit and kaboodle for Southhampton, then beat back up to R-4 east of Pt. Blunt. Things were looking good until they weren't. We were catching up to the early starters in our class, including ELIZABETH MUIR, RUBY, and the big ketch PEGASUS.

As MAYAN thundered on the starboard tack layline for R-4 buoy, here comes the 51 foot ketch, PEGASUS, on port. Her owner/skipper later claimed he did not see MAYAN. Which from my point of view would be nearly impossible, especially as our 20 crew were vocal about calling "starboard!" Whatever, port tack PEGASUS did nothing: didn't duck our stern, didn't tack. Nada.

Had MAYAN held her course, PEGASUS would have been likely sunk, ruining a perfectly fine day.

Our skipper crash tacked MAYAN, and collision was avoided. With MAYAN's jib aback, we lay hove to on port tack, DITW, unable to tack to round R-4 as the offending PEGASUS sped away for the finish. The only thing we could do on MAYAN was jibe. That didn't go well, as the main boom skied, and hung up on the permanent backstay.

What had been an orderly ship a minute before, about to make an orderly rounding of R-4, was now a chaotic scene on deck, with sails flapping and the main boom hung up amidships.

Somehow, we got things disentangled, rounded R-4, and sped off on a reach for the finish east of Clipper Cove on Treasure Island. It's only a 2.5 mile leg. But our crew was rightfully pissed. And MAYAN picked up her skirts, really getting her rumble on. Halfway to the finish, we passed the offending PEGASUS, and were closing fast on RUBY and ELIZABETH MUIR.

There was no denying MAYAN. Synthia, on the tip of our 9 foot bowsprit, did her best imitation of a figurehead, and MAYAN got the winner's gun by a nose, in a 3 way photo finish.

Good stuff.

http://www.pressure-drop.us/forums/content.php?6355-2016-Master-Mariners-Burning-Up-The-Bay

BobJ
05-30-2016, 10:04 AM
You mean like this?

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#1991 is ELIZABETH MUIR. This photo was taken by Will Campbell, I assume from aboard MAYAN.

It was "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" on the J/125 going to Monterey. I can tell you from personal observation that CTT's keel bulb is white.

sleddog
05-30-2016, 12:10 PM
It was "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" on the J/125 going to Monterey. I can tell you from personal observation that CTT's keel bulb is white.

Could we have a bit more detail? What were you doing looking at CTT's keel bulb?

BobJ
05-30-2016, 12:28 PM
Oh, just checking it for kelp. It was easier to do that with the boat on its side. Okay, okay...

We're pointed at the Ano Nuevo buoy and closing at 16-18 knots on port gybe. The windward checkstay is on and the spinny is cross-sheeted on the primary (a really bad idea in my view). We kinda need to gybe, like PRETTY SOON.

Boss calls for the gybe and during the bear-away the new sheet manages to wind up with the old one into this glorious over-ride on the big 3-speed primary. The main comes across as we pirouette but the check didn't get released . . . need I continue?

sleddog
05-30-2016, 12:36 PM
Oh, the new sheet manages to wind up with the old one into this glorious over-ride on the big 3-speed primary. The main comes across as we pirouette but the check didn't get released . . . need I continue?

So the boom hits the check-stay, and the mast stays vertical and the boom doesn't break...I'd say the boat and rig is pretty hardy. Hopefully the sheets in the over-ride didn't have to be cut. And the check-stay was eased, allowing the boat to become more vertical. Wheeeee!

BobJ
05-30-2016, 12:51 PM
Right, the mast was horizontal. It didn't get vertical until I stepped down into 2 feet of water to release the check. "Big Rick" took the tack line across to the low side primary and tensioned it so we could release it. Between those two the boat started coming back up. The kite had about three feet left at the top, many feet of newly exposed leech lines and the remains at the bottom. At that point it was much easier to unwind the override so no sheets were damaged. The kite, not so much.

Are we having fun yet?

sleddog
05-30-2016, 12:59 PM
Are we having fun yet?

I'm guessing, unless you were running a fractional spinny, the check-stays are doing zero, and the mast-head spinny is being countered by the permanent backstay. Possibly a good idea not to use the checkstays when running. But of course I wasn't there, hihi.

BobJ
05-30-2016, 01:06 PM
Possibly a good idea not to use the checkstays when running.

Bingo. The way they're set up you have to unreave them (no quick release). Do-able but harder after things got sporty, so we left them.

sleddog
05-30-2016, 03:10 PM
The only problem I see in this video is running hard with a reefed main on your J-125 will be, by the end of the ride, the spinnaker sheet having chafed a nice hole in your expensive mainsail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6kNSQz3l7k

BobJ
05-30-2016, 04:58 PM
By design? Look who is sponsoring the video :D

CTT has a big Kevlar patch under the boom for the sheet to chafe against. Good idea though to not let the folds of the main sit between the two!

The Smokester
05-30-2016, 07:00 PM
I saw Mayan beating back to Santa Cruz as I left Half Moon Bay around noon. Beautiful sight. Glad she survived unscathed.

sleddog
06-03-2016, 09:38 AM
A long, strange, and satisfying trip it's been since Sept., 2010, at Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. It was there I first contemplated a small catamaran for nearshore cruising when visiting aboard the 16 foot "Eco-Cat," towable behind compact car.

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At the time, little did I realize that local Santa Cruz boatbuilder Howard Spruit, having become allergic to fiberglass, had built himself a small plywood catamaran, the 20 foot MOKUALANI, over a three year period.

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Howard had the skills, the energy, and patience to adopt "MOKU"'s design and build techniques to a new WILDFLOWER, and over 18 months, 2010-2012, we built a new plywood cat, 22 feet LOA, here in the Capitola driveway.

After three summers with the new WILDFLOWER cat cruising British Columbia waters, Howard and I continue to make improvements. The new kick-up rudder Howard has just completed is a beauty: lighter, stronger, more hydrodynamic, and sensual than the old polyethelene one. Thanks, Howard!

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WILDFLOWER and FELIX make an interesting contrast. FELIX, 24 feet LOA, and built by the guys at Turn Point Design in Port Townsend, is directly aimed at winning the 2016 Race2Alaska.

FELIX is all carbon fiber, no wood, and with state-of-the-art improvements of pedal power for light winds, hydrofoils on the daggers and rudders, water ballast, hiking racks, canting mast, and other ingenious thinking. Does FELIX have a bunk? Nope, the three man crew will be "camping out" in the small cuddy for the R2AK.

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Different strokes for different folks.

Philpott
06-03-2016, 10:54 AM
[QUOTE=sleddog;14706]
At the time, little did I realize that local Santa Cruz boatbuilder Howard Spruit, having become allergic to fiberglass, had built himself a small plywood catamaran, the 20 foot MOKUALANI, over a three year period.

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Howard had the skills, the energy, and patience to adopt "MOKU"'s design and build techniques to a new WILDFLOWER, and over 18 months, 2010-2012, we built a new plywood cat, 22 feet LOA, here in the Capitola driveway.

After three summers with the new WILDFLOWER cat cruising British Columbia waters, Howard and I continue to make improvements. The new kick-up rudder Howard has just completed is a beauty: lighter, stronger, more hydrodynamic, and sensual than the old polyethelene one. Thanks, Howard!

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A "sensual" rudder. Now that's a description! I've seen Howard's boat in the yard, but it looks much more sensual on the water. I invited him down to Monterey to take me sailing but he declined. I tried to bribe him with solid redwood, which he also declined. Sigh. Guess I'll have to take Dura Mater down, with her ordinary rudder.

sleddog
06-03-2016, 02:56 PM
Howard's little blue electric car goes 25 mph max. for a distance the length of an extension cord and plug. Howard prefers staying "local," and sailing once a week out of Santa Cruz Harbor.

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solosailor
06-03-2016, 07:27 PM
directly aimed at winning the 2016 Race2Alaska.Only if many other break. There are many faster multihulls entered.

red roo
06-04-2016, 09:10 AM
Only if many other break. There are many faster multihulls entered.

Yes, but do they have sensual rudders??!!

sleddog
06-04-2016, 10:01 AM
Only in Santa Cruz would MERLIN, legendary downwind ultralight, share the boatyard tarmac with a Tom Sawyer-type houseboat that is rumored to be leaving soon to float down the Mississippi with the good ol' boys playing music on the front porch.

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sleddog
06-04-2016, 11:01 AM
Only if many other break. There are many faster multihulls entered.

The 2016 Race2Alaska starts at 0600, Thursday, June 23, off the Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA. If you haven't reviewed the biographies of the 41 entries, be sure to be sitting down if you do. It is assuredly the most amazing, innovative, and diverse collection of watercraft ever assembled, prepared to race 800 miles for a prize of $10,000 nailed to a tree. https://r2ak.com/full-race-participants2016/

SOLOSAILOR is correct that there are many faster multihulls entered than the all carbon FELIX, of Team Turn Point design. However, the R2AK is not all about straight line speed. There's sailing/racing ability for sure. But also endurance, night time and heavy weather skills, navigation through narrow rocky channels and tidal bore currents so strong that whirlpools can be a factor for boat safety.

A new R2AK race asset will be asserting itself this year. That is pedal power: pedaling your boat like a bicycle whenever the wind goes light. Some are using Hobie Mirage Drives. Others have custom propellers.

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No one knows for sure what will be the best. But being able to pedal indefinitely at 4 knots, like Team Turn Point Design and Team Mad Dog report, is sure to be a factor, especially competing against boats using oars. The thinking is that pedaling a multihull when the wind goes light increases the apparent wind, theoretically capable of increasing sailing speed to 3x the windspeed.

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There are at least 14 multihulls entered in this year's R2AK, most with a chance at front row seats. Of course the heavy favorite is the 73 foot tri TRITIUM Racing with an all pro crew. But can they get to the start line from LA, then survive the risk of hitting floating debris while going 30 knots at night? Never mind there is no practical way to row or pedal TRITIUM if the wind poops. How will they get to the waypoint inside Victoria Harbor where sailing and anchoring is not allowed?

Then there are the cats BAD KITTY and MAD DOG...both capable of taking over the lead should TRITIUM break. Did I mention neither BAD KITTY nor MAD DOG have any cabin protection or bunks for the crews whatsoever?

Ready to pounce should the big multi's meet misfortune are a dozen smaller or slower cats and tris, at least 7 Farriers including two F-31's, a Crowther 38, and several foilers.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier, take note of the Aussie Open 18 foot dinghy (Team Wabi Sabi), and the Stand Up Paddle Board (Team Heart of Gold.)

sleddog
06-04-2016, 05:19 PM
The L-36 PAPOOSE tried to port attack the schooner SEAWARD, not a good idea being that SEAWARD is steel and 82 feet long. The resulting "incident" dismasted PAPOOSE and took the bowsprit off SEAWARD.

My apologies to the skipper and crew of the L/36 PAPOOSE. In the above post I indicated that PAPOOSE was dismasted in the Master Mariners by SEAWARD while PAPOOSE attempted to cross on port tack. This is in error. As seen in a series of dramatic and heart-wrenching photos taken by Jonathan and Christine, PAPOOSE was on starboard and was overtaken from windward and astern by SEAWARD, who failed to stay clear. Ouch.

http://www.norcalsailing.com/galleries/201605-mm/201605-mm-Pages/Image44.html

Philpott
06-05-2016, 03:22 AM
Only in Santa Cruz would MERLIN, legendary downwind ultralight, share the boatyard tarmac with a Tom Sawyer-type houseboat that is rumored to be leaving soon to float down the Mississippi with the good ol' boys playing music on the front porch.

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My understanding is that Santa Cruz, in a effort to fend off too many AirBNB units, has recently reconsidered its rental rules. Perhaps this will be considered an in-law unit in some driveway? How much per night for Wildflower?

hodgmo
06-05-2016, 10:00 AM
"Perhaps this will be considered an in-law unit in some driveway? How much per night for Wildflower?"

Perhaps suitable for certain in-laws, before renting this quaint unit, i'd ask for elaboration on the implication of the '1.5 Blasting Agent' placard. The renter may get more bang for their buck than they reckoned for...

"Division 1.5 Blasting Agents: Consists of very insensitive explosives. This division is comprised of substances which have a mass explosion hazard but are so insensitive that there is very little probability of initiation or of transition from burning to detonation under normal conditions of transport."

Or maybe the placard is simply a deterrent to rogues with HAZMAT wariness...

sleddog
06-05-2016, 01:58 PM
The first time I lost my boat, WILDFLOWER, the 27' custom cruiser I'd built at Wylie Design in 1975, was after the 1978 SHTP......
At the end of August, a day after SOLITAIRE and WILDFLOWER were scheduled in Oakland, I called Matson and inquired when I could pick up our boats. Their answer surprised me: "We have no record of your boats. We do not have them."


If the first time I lost WILDFLOWER was compliments of Matson shipping in 1978, the second time she went missing was the end of May, 1986. I'd contracted with a local boat mover, "Drivin' Ivan," to truck WILDFLOWER north to Anacortes, WA, on his big rig.

Drivin' Ivan, of Alviso Boat Movers, moved all the big Santa Cruz built boats, including the SC-50's and SC-70's. IVAN was known for his cheap rates, fast turn-arounds, and getting boats delivered without hassle or much worry about permits.

We waved goodbye to WILDFLOWER as she began her journey from Santa Cruz over Highway 17 loaded on Drivin' Ivan's big maroon truck. The plan was to meet in three days at the boatyard in Anacortes.

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The next morning after Ivan's departure I get a call from a friend. "Hey Skip, do you know where your boat is?" I assured him she was on the I-5 freeway, headed north to Washington State.

"Better read the headlines in the SF Chronicle" was my friend's reply before hanging up.

I walked to the corner newspaper rack, put in a dime, and pulled out the morning Chron. Holy guacamole, there on the front page were headlines "Big Pot Ring Reportedly Smashed."

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It seems that Ivan had parked WILDFLOWER in his Milpitas Industrial Yard, hooked up another tractor trailer van, driven to Pier 3 in San Francisco, met a smuggling ship, and loaded 17 tons of marijuana worth $40 million inside his rig before driving back to Milpitas. Unfortunately for Ivan, and 16 other suspects, the whole operation was watched by the DEA and Customs officers, who jumped out of the bushes and surrounded Ivan's smuggling trailer, now parked next to WILDFLOWER.

Having read this news I wasn't sure what to do. Theoretically, all Ivan's property was impounded, including the trailer WILDFLOWER was on. And Ivan was now in jail for conspiracy to import and distribute marijuana.

I drove to Milpitas and parked on a hill overlooking lonely WILDFLOWER behind the chain link fence, scene of the previous night's bust. With binoculars, I could see the hatches were still secured and locked, a good sign.

I drove back home and called Ivan's phone number. His son Shawn answered, and I asked him about "the problem." "Oh, there's no problem," Shawn assured me. I asked how my boat was going to get to Anacortes, with Ivan in lock-up.

"Oh, I'll be driving your boat north, I'm a licensed and professional trucker and work for my dad."

There wasn't anything I could do but hope for the best. Shawn, with WILDFLOWER in tow, did arrive in Anacortes, only 2 days behind schedule. Drivin' Ivan spent a year in the pokey.

I was lucky. And learned a big lesson not to trust word-of-mouth recommendations, low bid contracts, or "we don't need no stinkin' permits."

H Spruit
06-08-2016, 06:44 PM
"If the first time I lost WILDFLOWER was compliments of Matson shipping in 1978, the second time she went missing was the end of May, 1986."

Well Dog~
THIRD TIMES THE CHARM! :)

sleddog
06-10-2016, 07:29 AM
Not likely to ever be seen in the Round the Rocks, the magnificent J Class of the 20's and 30's is undergoing a resurgence of late, eight of which are actively racing.

Seven "J's" were built before 1929, of which three survive: ASTRA, CAMBRIA, and CANDIDA. 10 modern "J's" were built to the Universal Rule between 1929 and 1937, and used in America's Cup racing. These J's were between 120 and 135 feet LOA, and culminated with the Starling Burgess designed "Super-J" RANGER.

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Though the original RANGER was scrapped in 1941, a replica has been built. So too is there a new RAINBOW, LIONHEART, HANUMAN, and TOPAZ. From the 30's era, VELSHEDA, ENDEAVOR, and SHAMROCK V have been restored.

If you like to see really big sloops racing in close quarters, watching the J's can't help but stir a certain thrill. Have any readers had the opportunity to sail on a J?
(Stan Honey will be navigating HANUMAN this coming season.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8w6AL_VlAs

Philpott
06-10-2016, 07:45 AM
Not likely to ever be seen in the Round the Rocks, the magnificent J Class of the 20's and 30's is undergoing a resurgence of late, eight of which are actively racing.

Seven "J's" were built before 1929, of which three survive: ASTRA, CAMBRIA, and CANDIDA. 10 modern "J's" were built to the Universal Rule between 1929 and 1937, and used in America's Cup racing. These J's were between 120 and 135 feet LOA, and culminated with the Starling Burgess designed "Super-J" RANGER.

1535

Though the original RANGER was scrapped in 1941, a replica has been built. So too is there a new RAINBOW, LIONHEART, HANUMAN, and TOPAZ. From the 30's era, VELSHEDA, ENDEAVOR, and SHAMROCK V have been restored.

If you like to see really big sloops racing in close quarters, watching the J's can't help but stir a certain thrill. Have any readers had the opportunity to sail on a J?
(Stan Honey will be navigating HANUMAN this coming season.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8w6AL_VlAs

The St Regis Mardavall in Mallorca seems to be booked for the race dates. Too bad. Maybe next time.

BobJ
06-10-2016, 09:30 AM
The matching outfits are cute but man, it would take a whole loaf of Wonder Bread to make sammies for that crew!

I'll stick to a "J" I can singlehand.

Black Jack
06-10-2016, 09:40 AM
You mean like this?

1513

#1991 is ELIZABETH MUIR. This photo was taken by Will Campbell, I assume from aboard MAYAN.

It was "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" on the J/125 going to Monterey. I can tell you from personal observation that CTT's keel bulb is white.

We had a great regatta. A photo finish for sure. One second difference as we counted in the time on SYC Mercury.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7201/27098814430_38c4011787_h.jpg

sleddog
06-16-2016, 07:49 AM
With the start of the Race2Alaska less than a week away (0600 hours, June 23, off Port Townsend), the biggest, baddest, odds-on favorite to win the $10,000 first prize seems to have bit the dust.

TRITIUM, a 73 foot trimaran, with all pro crew, had recently fitted new daggerboards that would theoretically allow the boat to foil, lifting up out of the water. The only difficulty is, with no time to test the new boards, they had to sail the boat 1,200 miles, from LA, up the California, Oregon, and Washington Coast, in one week. What could possibly go wrong?

1544

TRITIUM's first attempt to round Pt. Conception on Tuesday ended with broken steering and a jammed daggerboard. TRITIUM returned to Santa Barbara to lick their wounds, before setting off northbound again. They got abeam of Pt. Conception last night before turning back, and AIS now shows them drifting downwind in the Santa Barbara Channel, likely under bare poles, making 6 knots under wingmast alone.

TRITIUM's inability to round Pt. Conception has already been noted by the R2AK fleet assembling in Port Townsend. As Russell Brown points out,
"I would not like to see a monster budget boat like Tritium win the race. If they don't show up, it means that there is still a race for people without connections to the mega-bucks world."

I agree. We all like to root for an underdog, echoing the SSS mantra of "bring what ya' got." There are plenty of underdogs to choose from in this year's 44 boat R2AK fleet, where straight line speed can be its own handicap, as well as debris, navigational challenges, cold water, too much and too little wind.

As Jake Beattie, lead conspirator of the R2AK initially said, the "R2AK is like the Iditarod sleddog race, with a chance of drowning."

I hope to be reporting from the Port Townsend waterfront.

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BobJ
06-16-2016, 01:16 PM
Hey Sled, what do you think of this? Which way would YOU go? (SHTP not R2AK)

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/orthographic=-131.78,36.18,814/loc=-152.657,21.455

sleddog
06-16-2016, 01:55 PM
Hey RAGTIME,
In answer to your question, if the SHTP fleet had started yesterday or the day before, it would be quite a dilemma what direction to sail. "You can't get there from here" would have been the lament, given the southerly headwinds provided by two systems of low pressure off Central and Northern CA.

If that had been the situation, I think I would have sailed northwest on port tack, keeping a fast angle as the wind lifted. Sailing south doesn't seem to get you anywhere but into light winds.

But that was yesterday. Good thing the SHTP start isn't for 16 days yet, and things will change, as they are already beginning to do. As has been rightly pointed out by the weather gurus, the Eastern Pacific High does not consistently set up shop centered near position 40 N x 140 W until July. When it does, most of the lows and trofs transiting the North Pacific are shunted further north, away from the SHTP track.

At least that's how it's supposed to be in theory. In practice, the theory seems to be right about 50% of the time, less than it used to be. Effects of climate change? El Nino?

All I know is when "you can't get there from here," try heading the desired course and see what side of the boat the sails lay. Then sail that tack, the closest tack to course. Gambling on future weather prognostications can be an iffy proposition. A 3 Day forecast is most often spot on. But 5 days and beyond, you place your bets and take your chances. Those butterflies flapping in Malaysia can mess with normalcy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect

BobJ
06-16-2016, 02:10 PM
That's a longer and more diplomatic explanation than I expected :D

It's a real-time graphic so we can watch how it changes over the next couple weeks.
.

Gamayun
06-16-2016, 07:19 PM
All I see in that image is a big, lopsided grinning face (hurry or you'll miss it). Wish I were going!!

hodgmo
06-17-2016, 07:43 PM
"What is this?" A box partially filled with books by Jackie Philpott. I want one of the books, especially one with an inscription by the author. It's not offered by Amazon yet. Where are they available?

BobJ
06-17-2016, 08:23 PM
Uh oh.

Any quotes attributed to me are misunderstandings and were taken wholly out of context. Per Sgt. Schultz: "I know nuthing!"

sleddog
06-18-2016, 10:09 AM
Santa Cruz Harbor East Side and Launch Ramp are closed and encircled with fencing, while port officials await the arrival of the new dredge from Louisiana.
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The wait may be delayed. Rumor is filtering in that at least two of the 18 wheeler, tractor-trailer rigs carrying the new dredge "flew a hull" somewhere in Texas, capsized, and scattered dredge parts along the side of the road. "Oh, Dear!" would be polite.

3 miles down the coast from Santa Cruz Harbor, hundreds of paddlers set off this morning from Capitola Beach in long and short distance races to honor the late Jay Moriarty. Moriarty, famed Santa Cruz waterman and big wave surfer, died in a free diving accident in the Maldives in 2001, at age 22.

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Jay's legendary perseverance, big wave talent, and innate friendliness and compassion grew to where his life became subject of the Hollywood film "Chasing Mavericks." These days, the mantra “Live Like Jay” has become to Santa Cruz what “Eddie Would Go” is to Oahu.

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pogen
06-20-2016, 12:40 PM
With the start of the Race2Alaska less than a week away (0600 hours, June 23, off Port Townsend),

I see there are a lot of trimarans entered, and all kinds of whacky small boat entries, and one Olson 30 and one Express 27... not many boats like the kind one sees doing the SHTP. A lot of the smaller sailboats have some human powered option, like an Etchells rigged with two sliding seats so it can be rowed like a 2 man shell.

Would your little cat be a good choice? Do the currents and wind holes make a conventional racer-cruiser not a good choice? How about that Seascape 18, it looks very sweet.

sleddog
06-21-2016, 10:54 PM
Spent much of the day checking out the 44 entries in the Race2Alaska. No engines allowed. But rowing, paddling, and pedaling is OK. Many of the entries had impressive human power capabilities.

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2 Hobie Mirage Drives and umbrella on Team UnCruise


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40 inch retractable prop powered by bicycle technology on 32 foot cat BAD KITTY.


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3 man paraplegic crew on F-27 trimaran ALULA will be rowing, not pedaling.

sleddog
06-22-2016, 07:54 AM
To my eye, the two favorites to win the R2AK and the $10,000 nailed to a tree are the F-32SR trimaran and the M-32 cat MAD DOG, both orange/red.

The F-32SR is a last minute sub for the 73 foot TRITIUM tri that broke off Pt. Conception, and was trailered from S. Cal. to Port Townsend. The F-32SR has a towering rig, about eight feet taller than its distant sister, MA's ROVER.

Things are a bit last minute on theF-32SR and the all pro crew first stepped the mast yesterday, less than 36 hours to the start, and have yet to sail their all carbon rocketship. The skipper of the F-32SR, RB, seemed unsure of the boat's name, as it is heavily sponsored: not sure if they are entered as "SPERRY," "PIEOLOGY," "JAIL BREAK," or what. Also unknown is if the 4 man pro crew is advising the check writing owner, JS, to sit out the R2AK on the beach.
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Team MAD DOG is a wholly different program.
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Led by skipper Randy, MAD DOG, a Marstrom 32, is well shaken down. and sports no visible advertising. MAD DOG, designed and built in Sweden, is racing with an all-up crew of 3. This crew will be living in dry suits. MAD DOG has zero shelter for sleeping, cooking, bodily functions. 800 miles, 24/7, living on a bouncing trampoline at double digit speeds? http://www.yachtingworld.com/yachts-and-gear/m32-catamaran-a-high-speed-cat-for-the-world-match-racing-tour-69883

Note to self: There are no Motel 6's on the R2AK course and beaching your boat is problematical: last year a Harken block was reportedly found in a clump of grizzly bear poop.

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sleddog
06-22-2016, 08:51 AM
Although the big multi-hulls are attention grabbing here at Port Townsend, the real story are the singlehanders and their smaller vessels. Some are well thought out, some look downright dangerous. Although there is a $1,000 prize for the first to finish under 20 feet LOA, most of these little boats are racing for the dream of just finishing the R2AK. It could take some of them a month, and they will be unlikely to be able to sail/row/paddle all night.
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A cool little boat is the flying wedge SeaScape 18. https://r2ak.com/full-race-participants2016/#toggle-id-25

I spent about half an hour yesterday visiting with the skipper of the SeaScape, and he was both highly enthusiastic, and quietly realistic. Everything onboard the SeaScape 18 serves at least dual purpose: the collapsible bike mounts on the stern, and he fits a prop drive for his pedal power. The tiller extension has a ball of 10 pound velcro at its end, and serves as an in-expensive adjustable self steering. Not only that, the velcro on the tiller extension will reach and collect any sheet or halyard tail without the skipper moving from his hiking position on the weather rail. Brilliant.1573

How much innovation can you fit on a 15 foot, 35 year old, Boston Whaler Harpoon dinghy? A lot. I'll bet this is the only Boston Whaler with a carbon fiber bow sprit, and a tree branch boom crutch 1576

Hey, DURA MATER, be the first one on your block:I have carbon fiber sprit ready to go for your Lido 14.

sleddog
06-22-2016, 10:04 PM
Close inspection today of some strange entries in the R2AK: the skipper of this vessel from Idaho pedals at 10-20 mph, goes downhill at 60, and apparently it sails. But I seriously doubt its weatherly ability. Good thing the weather bureau is calling for light E-SE tail winds tomorrow for the initial 40 mile qualifier leg from Port Townsend to Victoria.

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The fine print in the R2AK racing rules allows "portage". I'm not sure the definition of "portage," but theoretically he could pedal his boat up the Vancouver Island east side highway to Seymour Narrows, launch, transit Seymour Narrows, then haul and pedal to Port Hardy.

Then there is this robot boat, Team NAVOCEAN, preprogrammed to sail to waypoints enroute to Victoria. The masthead wind instrument directs the internal electric motor to appropriately trim the main, and steer course. But sail shape is non-existent. I'll bet the tidal current is stronger than the robot boat's speed, and it will end up somewhere other than its intended destination.
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Not sure what to make Team KRAKEN UP, 8 women rowing a heavy wooden whaleboat with no protection or facilities . It seems on their first and only practice,
they discovered the fulcrum point of the oars was wrong and nobody could pull row. The questionable solution: mount 6 pound zinc collars on the inboard end of the oars as a counterweight. :confused: I hope nobody catches a crab and gets hit in the mouth.

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Who would have imagined an Etchells 22, an Express 27, Olson 30, and Santa Cruz 27 would look palatial? This singlehander sleeps with his feet sticking out the portholes, a firm grip on reality.

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sleddog
06-25-2016, 10:40 AM
Thursday's 0600 start of the R2AK dawned overcast and windy. With 15-18 knots, the SE wind direction made exiting the 30 foot wide entrance to Point Hudson under manual power difficult. Hundreds of spectators lined the breakwaters, cheering their favorite teams, and groaning as the inevitable collisions did little to dampen the spirit of the morning

The big orange M-32 catamaran , TEAM MAD DOG, was one of the few boats to cross the start line on time, and was "launched," hitting 20 knots and faster before TEAM TRITIUM even got their sails hoisted. In 20 minutes, MAD DOG was just a speck up near Partridge Point before TRITIUM started, 30 minutes late, soon passing boats left and right.
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Adding to the confusion was a helicopter hovering below mast height in the middle of the start line, making vicious downdrafts onto the smaller boats. Apparently there were calls to 911, and the pilot is being investigated for "reckless endangerment" and could lose his license. http://komonews.com/news/local/helicopter-pilot-under-investigation-for-flying-too-close-to-boaters
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30 minutes after the start, the wind had dropped to 10-15, and the ragtag fleet was reaching/running up Admiralty Inlet, some peddling, some paddling, some rowing, some sailing, some reefed with storm jibs, some flying their light sails, all trying to get to Victoria before the strong ebb changed to flood, and before the fair SE wind died, and shifted to the usual afternoon nor'west, half gale, sea breeze.

POGEN asked: "How about that Seascape 18, it looks very sweet." Here's the Seascape 18 crossing the start line, looking sweet indeed:

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I'll let Jake Beatty, founder of the R2AK, tell what transpired on this second running of the Race2Alaska: (Spoiler alert, MA's ROVER (7th) beat TRITIUM (10th) on the first 40 mile leg to Victoria. Go ROVER!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starting on the awkward almost midpoint between Juneteenth and Canada Day, the R2AK growled forth its second declaration of independence into the open arms of a stiff southerly breeze. Not enough wind to merit an official first name, but plenty strong to disrupt the last good sleep they might get for weeks, clanging loose halyard and forcing keyed up sailors to headlamp check their alarm clocks hours before the ungodly time they had planned—a nervous tick that betrayed the inevitable. That uncontrolled clarity that can only come from the months of planning and anticipation slamming itself into the first iteration of unbridled real. This was it. This was the day. It all starts now.

In the daylight hours that came a day before, the teeming throngs of a couple thousand plus spent the day swarming Port Townsend to give action to their own months of anticipation. This was their race too, even if they never left the shore. They came from near and far to ogle the boats and connect with the teams they’ve been obsessing over for months. How will you sleep? How fast can it go? How can you possibly do this on a paddle board?

One band, eight cases of rum, and 6 R2AK tattoos later , race day began with a marina full of high vis orange and micro fleece doing one last pack of the dry bag, one last adjustment of the dry suit, and casting off lines to claw their way against the wind and out the narrow entrance rowing, pedaling, drifting, colliding, drifting again all on propulsion systems that had been imagined for times of calm, not 15 knots on the nose. In its best moments it was pellmell, and for a solid hour pit “goat rodeo” against “shit show” for most popular term of the day. The linguistic competition deepened and added new four letter players as teams emerged from the fray to position themselves on the simplest of starting lines (boat, beach) that had devolved into its own chaos. Boats anchored overnight on its midpoint, 50 boats in the race and another 50 flitting about around the course spectating Tour de France style, a thousand shore bound cameras taking pictures, national media coverage, paddle board Samaritans serving up hot oatmeal, and a low flying helicopter whose propwash inspired conspiracy theories believing it to be the killjoy retribution of Larry Ellison himself. Noise, joy, confusion, helicopters, elation, adrenaline—go.

The smoke from the starting gun had barely crawled out the barrel and Team MAD Dog Racing’s twin hulled rocket greased a perfect start then accelerated into a near earth orbit with a speed rarely seen in these waters, deftly dodging slower boats (all of them), working the wind shift seemingly caused by the collective gasp from everyone onshore. The last thing the fleet saw of their red hulled bullet was their drysuited crew ripping off the rear view mirror as they rounded Point Wilson—for all of it’s power the M32 is weight sensitive—ounces mattered and they weren’t planning on looking back. Three hours and 50 minutes later they rang the bell and set the new record for stage one a full fifteen minutes and change faster than the best of 2015. The reward for such a feat? Awed looks, a hearty handshake, and the right to start in Victoria at noon on Sunday, just like everyone else who finished one to fifteen hours later.

Even the five teams that never started (breakdown in Denver, too much boat, not enough crew, not quite ready, not quite ready) and the three teams that exited the race midway (concepts needing another look, abilities needing another year, abilities needing another year) wrenched out success from the Proving Grounds of the Strait of Juan de Fuca—not a single rescue, everyone left on their own terms. The R2AK was made to inspire people to greatness, and our hats are off to the intrepid teams who found their own edge of possible and finding themselves on the other side walked away from the year of preparation thanks to the better part of valor.

The seas of stage one raged, calmed completely, then raged again. After Neptune culled the herd into those who should and those who shouldn’t, teams began to set their sights on the competition, the fleet already dividing itself into teams who are in it for the win, and those who are in it for the glory of finishing—regardless of what the category they imagined for themselves when they threw their hat in the ring. A clot of tris were shocked and awed by the speed of some cats, solo teams set their sights on each other whenever they had time to look around, rowboats stuck to their pact and hung with each other until the sprint at the end. Team Madrona and Team Skiff Foundation Jungle Kitty touched gloves and duked it out monohull on monohull. The judges gave this round to the kittens who throttled up on their twin screw tandem drive that churned up the Inner Harbor on the final approach. This ain’t a bike race, and the inner harbor ain’t Alaska, but we bet if felt pretty good.

For those who made it, ringing the bell at the finish gave way to stories and elation, nervous shrugs and oh my gods before they trundled off for whatever sized celebration seemed significant enough. And as glasses emptied their contents and the racers filled theirs, their stories of R2AK’s first leg poured forth in a black and tan of humility of teams working out the kinks floating on top of a base layer of bare knuckled competition. Teams laid bare their learning curves (“It’s incredible, if stay forward of here I picked up three knots downwind, three knots!”), owned their folly (“I was almost to the harbor entrance and dog tired. I took a bearing on a white light, which seemed to keep moving. It was. The cruise ship was backing out.) and celebrated each other’s self-declared victories in the spirit of the R2AK (Guy number one: “We beat Tritium!” Guy number two: “Big deal so did like 8 other teams…” Audacious laughter ensues).

Whether the arrival of Team Hot Mess wearing nothing but underwear (“We were hot!”), or the exasperated flippancy of racers too exhausted to filter out a level of decorum, the very stately harbor where the Queen once stayed was given a different kind of royal treatment as the teams arrived. Our favorite:

Customs: “What state was the boat built in?”
Tim from Team Can’t Anchor Us: “What, I’m Canadian?”
Customs: “What state was the boat built in?”
Tim: “Sober?”
We Laughed as hard as the agent didn’t, And Tim was eventually allowed entry into his native province, raring to continue on to Alaska in the little boat he pulled from the blackberry bushes. In case it mattered, we learned that the bushes were built in British Columbia too.

Sunburned and bruised, elated, defeated, bored and enthralled. Less than a day after it began all were in and accounted for, setting to the tweaks and repairs. Sunday’s high noon start will come too soon and not soon enough. Will you be ready?

Final Stage One Standings:

1. Team MAD Dog Racing
2. Team Bad Kitty
3. Team Big Broderna
4. Team Pure & Wild
5. Team Mail Order Bride
6. Team Un-Cruise Adventures
7. Team Ain’t Brain Surgery
8. Team Turn Point Design
9. Team Jungle Kitty
10. Team Tritium Racing
11. Team Madrona
12. Team Traffic
13. Team Fly
14. Team Ghost Rider
15. Team Hot Mess
16. Team Shadowfax (First boat under 20’!)
17. Team Angus Rowboats
18. Team LOST Boys
19. Team Ketchikan
20. Team Salish Express
21. Team Green Kulshan
22. Team A Pirate Looks at 30
23. Team Sistership
24. Team Sea Runners
25. Team Sparrowhawk
26. Team Jomon
27. Team Whitehall Border Patrol
28. Team Alula
29. Team Supernauts
30. Team Onism
31. Team Vantucky
32. Team Whitehall Yukon River
33. Team Mike’s Kayak
34. Team KELP
35. Team Why Not?
36. Team Coastal Express
37. Team Squamish
38. Team Bunny Whaler
39. Team Excellent Adventure
40. Team LITEBOAT
41. Team Heart of Gold
42. Team The Windsurfer
43. Team Nordica
44. Team Foggy Sailing
45. Team Noddy’s Noggin
46. Team Roving Renton Ranger
47. Team One Wooden Boat, Five Sore Butts
48. Team Bus Bailey
49. Team Whitehalls & Whiskey
50. Team Gold Rush
51. Team Super Friends
52. Team Can’t Anchor Us
53. Team Hodge
54. Team Kraken Up
55. Team Wabi Sabi

DNS: Team Mad Agnes, Team Archimedes, Team Later Dudes, Team Discovery, Team Focsle Refugees

DNF: Team Take me to the Volcano, Team TBD, Team Navocean

sleddog
06-25-2016, 06:19 PM
If you enjoy rooting for the underdog, and would like to see some serious R2AK boat porn, check out Jan Andersen of Jan's Marine Photography. Hers is the best photography of the 2016 R2AK start for sure. (I like the rear view mirror on Team Lite Craft:D)
https://janpix.smugmug.com/Events/R2AK-2016/i-SzpPRbs/A

The racers all have bow numbers and here is the list and description of entries:
https://r2ak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/R2AK_2016_RaceTeamList.pdf

Philpott
06-26-2016, 07:55 AM
I love your photos, Skip. They have that genuine polaroid look at details a professional photographer might miss, also the appreciation of do-it-yourselfers that is shared by a lot of singlehanders. Were you on a boat at the start? Are you staying w friends or in a motel 6? Is Norton Smith up there?

sleddog
06-26-2016, 03:33 PM
Sunday, 6/26/16

A lovely day for a race to Alaska. Clear skies, north,northeast winds at 5, gusting 8 knots, and 72 degrees. You can view the LeMans start in front of the Empress Hotel in downtown Victoria as 35 teams sprint down the gangway, untie their vessels, and row, pedal, and paddle out of town in a giddy-up hurry.

https://www.facebook.com/racetoalaska/videos/vb.596216290506046/886980801429592/?type=2&theater (the start bell rings at 5 minutes into the video, so skip ahead.)

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No surprise, Team MADDOG has jumped out to an early lead and is already well up Haro Channel against an ebb tide.

Two surprises: the multihulls, like Broderna, Bad Kitty, and TurnPoint Design, are consistently able to pedal at speeds above 4 knots with their efficient systems.

The other surprise is Team HEART of GOLD, the lone Stand Up Paddler (SUP) on his 19 foot board, Karl Kruger, a friend from Orcas Island, is doing remarkably well, averaging over 3 knots, playing the back eddies, and is well placed in the top 10 of 36 starters. Karl's other boat is the old, 50 foot, IOR warhorse TOMAHAWK (ex-Margaret Rintoul), on which he runs day trips out of Deer Harbor.

As has been said, "if you like standing on long bus rides, you'll love paddling a SUP to Alaska." Karl has managed to singlehandedly maximize difficulty while leaving TOMAHAWK on her mooring at Orcas. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. https://r2ak.com/full-race-participants2016/#toggle-id-24

sleddog
06-27-2016, 07:20 AM
I love your photos, Skip. They have that genuine polaroid look at details a professional photographer might miss, also the appreciation of do-it-yourselfers that is shared by a lot of singlehanders. Were you on a boat at the start? Are you staying w friends or in a motel 6? Is Norton Smith up there?

Thanks DM. Yes, I was able to watch the start of the R2AK from aboard Dan and Linda Newland's PEGASUS XIV. Both Dan and Linda, residents of Port Hadlock, WA, are SHTP vets. As well, Linda has raced solo to Japan, and Dan is the only three time winner of the SHTP.

Norton Smith, who was my first choice for crewing in the R2AK, chose instead to paddle into the wilds somewhere north of the Arctic Circle, solo-portaging his canoe and 60 days of supplies on waterways seldom, if ever, visited. When and where Norton will reappear is unknown, and that's how he likes it.

This morning, Monday, after just 20 hours on the course, the R2AK has turned into a one boat race. MAD DOG, the M-32 cat, is so fast in light winds that she is "hunting" 25 miles ahead of the second place boat, OCELOT (Team Jungle Kitty), a Tom Wylie 44. The rest of the R2AK is scattered all the way back to Victoria, trying to make headway against light winds and strong currents. Good manual propulsion (oars, paddle, pedal) is mandatory for this stage of the course.

TRITIUM apparently lacked in this department, the last minute additions of two Hobie Mirage drives requiring a position of lying on one's back in the intense sun. For whatever reason, yet undisclosed, TRITIUM, the only boat that could challenge MAD DOG, retired from the R2AK less than 10 miles from the start and is being towed to Anacortes. ???? (I suspect TRITIUM's weather router had something to do with the decision: "You'll be pedaling for up to 80 hours.")

sleddog
06-28-2016, 09:31 AM
Why my logbooks have destination entered "TOWARDS," rather than "TO."

When sailing in small boats, or traveling by other means, reaching an intended destination is rarely 100% assured. And that is a part of the adventure.

Returning from the start of the Race2Alaska, and somewhere south of Olympia, WA, at 11 pm, my mini-van transmission went limp with a whirring sound. Then it re-engaged with an audible "clunk" and I found I couldn't accelerate past 50 mph without the engine seriously over-revving.

Fortunately there was a Motel 6 at the nearby I-5 exit and I coasted in for a break, preferring to wait until morning to figure out options.

My 1995 Plymouth Voyager mini-van has been comfortable and reliable transportation, good for car camping and hauling boat gear. So much so, the odometer has 295,000 miles.

No matter much of the white paint has blown off like snowflakes, revealing grey primer and rust. The appearance, and other funkiness like the dented door and Spanish windlass on the hood, adds to the car's panache and usually deters aggressive drivers or tail gaters from getting too close. If not, an additional wiggle of the steering wheel does the trick....

At 0500, with 800 odd miles to go to Santa Cruz, I was again underway from the Motel 6, not sure if the car would run. I got to the top of the on-ramp to find I had no 4th gear.

The options were not attractive. Abandon the car and hitch home? Get to Portland Airport and fly to San Jose? I couldn't easily just leave my van and contents.

I'd just watched the Race2Alaska fleet set out on their 800 mile ascent of the British Columbia Coast, some on nothing more than a paddleboard, rowboat, kayak, and beachcat. Though my situation on the road was different, I reckoned if they could do it, I might have a chance too.

After all, except for a few 3,500 foot hills, California is all downhill and downwind from Washington State.:cool:

With one eye on the rear view mirror, I kept going, thinking the engine would blow at any moment. I noted the mile markers, in case I had to pull over and call for a tow.

It kept going. And going... And....

Happily, after 17 hours of driving in 3rd gear at 50 mph, I safely coasted into the driveway.

I think the mini-van is about to be retired from distance driving. Good American car.
.


.

Philpott
06-28-2016, 10:57 AM
Photo, please? What will replace it? You can borrow Miss Lucy while I'm in Kauai - July 11-17. You might even find trinkets for Wildflower in her cushions and trunk.

sleddog
06-28-2016, 11:50 AM
The other surprise is Team HEART of GOLD, the lone Stand Up Paddler (SUP) on his 19 foot board, Karl Kruger, a friend from Orcas Island, is doing remarkably well, averaging over 3 knots, playing the back eddies, and is well placed in the top 10 of 36 starters.

As has been said, "if you like standing on long bus rides, you'll love paddling a SUP to Alaska." Karl has managed to singlehandedly maximize difficulty. https://r2ak.com/full-race-participants2016/#toggle-id-24

Sad news that 72 miles from the start, and after nearly 100 miles of paddling, Karl had to retire from the R2Alaska. He'd averaged almost 4 knots when underway, and was ahead of many bigger, faster boats.

Respect.

Hello Wonderful Friends and Supporters, The high of Karl SUPing with the whales is sadly followed by a low. I just got off the phone with Karl, and he has been struggling very hard with the tracking of his board. The extra weight has changed board handling enough that, after over 100 miles paddling, he is experiencing extreme pain in one knee and hip. He thinks he could make the trip supported with the board light (food drops etc), but to continue now would mean knee breakdown and possibly permanent damage. This is a very difficult post to write, as I know everyone wanted to watch that tracker and cheer him on to Ketchikan... he has pushed through a lot of pain already, and wants to be able to SUP again. We want to thank everyone for the incredible support and well wishes (including the woman who bought him fresh scones & chutney in Pirates Cove). Thank you all so much. There aren't quite words for how much the intense support and goodwill has meant to us. R2AK may be over for Team Heart of Gold, but there is a lot more SUPing to come. The support for this race has been overwhelming, and the decision to stop is a heart heavy one... We thank each one of you so much.

sleddog
06-29-2016, 06:24 PM
The old Santa Cruz Harbor dredge SEABRIGHT has seen heavy use during its 30 year lifespan. Increasingly, breakdowns have sucked time and money more than sand that shoals the entrance. This winter the Harbor entrance was closed for 4 months, until ultimately, two weeks ago, SEABRIGHT's engine well and truly died for the last time.

New dredges aren't cheap, nor can they be bought off the shelf. Different states have different environmental concerns and regulations. California is especially strict on emissions, and an all electric dredge was considered.

After considerable wrangling among port officials, in 2015, Santa Cruz ordered a new diesel dredge from Louisiana, home of dredge building expertise ever since the Army Corp of Engineers began straightening and deepening the Mississippi and its tributaries.

Two weeks ago, the new dredge, to be named TWIN LAKES after a naming contest, arrived in a caravan of 18 wheeler trucks that shut down town traffic around the Harbor for hours as the final turns were painstakingly negotiated.

"Some assembly required" would be an understatement. Fortunately, the builders sent their best crew, and heavy equipment hummed from 7 a.m. until the foreman called it quits about dark.

Today was launch day. The 280 ton, 5 million dollar TWIN LAKES had been assembled on 18 inch diameter rollers at the head of the launch ramp. To get the dredge over the hump and down the ramp, normally used by outboards and small craft, required even bigger stuff. A festive crowd began gathering at 7 a.m., and continued to increase during the morning as 8 giant airbags, each 6 feet in diameter and 35 feet long, were inflated under the new dredge using a spaghetti of large hoses leading to a giant compressor and switchboard of valves and equalizing gauges.

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By 9 a.m. the launch crew got the dredge to tilt downwards at the head of the launch ramp and the air bags, dredge on top, began rolling. The whole shebang was held in check by a 4:1 tackle of 1.5 inch flexible steel wire anchored to an 18 wheel tractor trailer and a giant diesel winch that slowly eased slack.

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Things didn't quite go as planned. An air bag squirted out from underneath like a slippery sausage, and the dredge began to list on the ramp. The runaway airbag was caught as it began to float in the Harbor, and repositioned and reinflated to 2 psi. By 10:30 a.m, things began moving again.

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Though it played out in slow motion, and took about 4 hours for the dredge to travel a precarious 75 feet down the ramp and into the waters of its new home, the crowd was appreciative, cheered, and applauded as the dredge took the waters. All that was needed was a brass band and swing dancers, as the three remaining air bladders from under the dredge surfaced with a mighty whoosh like some rubber missiles from the deep.

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We're back in the dredging business. Now to replace the Harbor Bridge, terminally damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and held together by epoxy glue.

Never a dull moment in this town.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msvOqvBJLBw

Intermission
06-29-2016, 07:28 PM
Twin Lakes looks four times bigger than Seabright. Can she suck sand four times faster?

sleddog
06-29-2016, 09:06 PM
Twin Lakes looks four times bigger than Seabright. Can she suck sand four times faster?

According to those in the know, the old SEABRIGHT and new TWIN LAKES dredges are the same overall length:120 feet. TWIN LAKES has more freeboard by several feet, and looks much larger in comparison.

Both dredges pump through a 16" pipe, but I'm sure TWIN LAKES newer engines and pump are more powerful with less noxious emissions meeting all regulatory standards.

Inside TWIN LAKE's bridge, a touch-screen computer has replaced the control levers of old, and everything is automated, so the crew should have to enter the engine room much less frequently.

TWIN LAKES was custom built by DSC, and is classified as a "medium" size dredge. DSC also built the old dredge SEABRIGHT, which arrived by rail in 1986, and is now for sale on Craig's list for $10,000. They'd probably take much less, as scrap steel is only going for .03 cents/pound, and SEABRIGHT will have to be disassembled no matter.

For more dredgeucation, see http://www.dscdredge.com/
Or come to Santa Cruz tomorrow and watch them haul SEABRIGHT on the same inflatable airbags ....SEABRIGHT hasn't been hauled in 30 years and apparently has quite a marine garden growing on its bottom.

sleddog
06-30-2016, 09:06 AM
Team MADDOG (M32 cat) won the Race2Alaska early this morning in the phenomenal time of 3 days, 20 hours,13 minutes for 750 straight line miles. They did not stop, barely slept using one bivvy bag, and lived in their drysuits with no shelter to hide behind... there's some happy but tired puppies in Ketchikan this morning. Congrats and well done, Randy, Colin, and Ian.

There's a close race for the second place steak knives between SKIFF KITTY and MADRONA (both mono-hulls) and two tris, MAIL ORDER BRIDE and BRODERNA.

R2AK tracker is here: http://leg2.r2ak.com/

BobJ
06-30-2016, 09:35 AM
Once again there are SSS connections - last year SHTP vet Al Hughes skippered the winning ELSIE PIDDOCK. Sled mentions other connections in his previous posts.

For this year's race, Greg Nelsen built the human propulsion drive for the winning Marstrom 32. Skiff Foundation's JUNGLE KITTY, currently in 2nd place, is the Fox 44 (former WylieCat) OCELOT on which Greg, Dan, Ruben, Stephen and other SSS'ers have raced many times. They had to take its engine out to qualify for the R2AK. Are any other SSS'ers involved this year?

This event has the SSS spirit all through it.
.

Philpott
06-30-2016, 10:38 AM
Team MADDOG (M32 cat) won the Race2Alaska early this morning in the phenomenal time of 3 days, 20 hours,13 minutes for 750 straight line miles. They did not stop, barely slept using one bivvy bag, and lived in their drysuits with no shelter to hide behind...there's some happy but tired puppies in Ketchikan this morning. Congrats and well done, Randy, Colin, and Ian.

Wow! That's CRAZY!!! hahahahaha! Uncomfortable! Cold! Miserable conditions! "Who ARE those guys?"

sleddog
06-30-2016, 02:04 PM
Wow! That's CRAZY!!! hahahahaha! Uncomfortable! Cold! Miserable conditions! "Who ARE those guys?"

Hi Jackie,
No doubt Team MADDOG was all of the above. However, close inspection revealed a practiced and prepared team for this adventure race. (No handicaps).

KISS was one of Team MADDOG's mantras. It couldn't break if it wasn't aboard. The M-32 carried only two sails: main with three reefs and roller furled gennaker. No electronics. All navigation and communication powered by AA batteries. They didn't plan on stopping and could travel light.

For those who can afford them, dry suits have changed sailing. With fleece underneath, you are warm, dry, and out of the environment in a drysuit , even going upwind in 40 knots of apparent wind.

MAD DOG sailed an almost level angle of heel, and the crew sat on fold up racks outside of the boat and steered with 12' tiller extensions (!) Their intention was to keep the bottom of the windward hull just at or above the water's surface, the most efficient way to sail a cat.

I think each of the three man crew got about 10 hours total of fitful sleep over four days. Not much, but apparently enough to function. They only had one bivvy bag between them, and stood watches of two crew "on," one sleeping, in 3 hour shifts. Each tack the sleeper would be awoken to change sides, so they minimized tacking.

MADDOG was cool to look at, and the crew friendly and forthcoming. The pre-race safety inspector had little idea what he was looking at. A rocketship for a flight to Mars.

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Gamayun
07-01-2016, 12:00 AM
<snip>

For those who can afford them, dry suits have changed sailing. With fleece underneath, you are warm, dry, and out of the environment in a drysuit , even going upwind in 40 knots of apparent wind.

Umm, as a former cave diver who used to provide support for a group that pushed the deep systems then spent 10+ hours in deco mode, I gotta ask -- did they use a dump valve and Depends? It's not easy getting in and out of these suits on a bouncy trampoline screaming across the water...inquiring minds really wanna know.

Irrespective of the potty breaks, they are indisputably crazy :)

Philpott
07-01-2016, 06:39 AM
I'd love to see a Ted Ex by those guys!

BobJ
07-01-2016, 06:43 AM
TMI. You ladies are offending my delicate sensibilities.

sleddog
07-01-2016, 07:06 AM
There's a party going on this morning at Thomas Basin in Ketchikan, AK. JUNGLE KITTY finished early this morning and won the steak knives for second place in the R2AK. KITTY was followed closely by BRODERNA, MAIL ORDER BRIDE, and MADRONA. Congrats to all!

Astern, several boats in Hecate Straits have made right turns for shelter behind islands of the Inside Passage as a SE gale sweeps ashore. SE winds, 30-40 knots, against tide, in the shallow waters, turns Hecate into a maelstrom that is not a safe place to be.

The rest of the R2AK fleet is strung out southward over 600 miles of British Columbia coastline, with the 8 lady rowers on Team KRAKEN UP still pulling northwards, south of Comox.

Notable in Johnstone Straits is solo sailor/rower Colin Angus on his self-built tri. Colin, Nat Geo 2007 Adventurer of the Year, is a solid choice to win the $1,000 side bet for first under 20 feet to finish the R2AK. ATTACH=CONFIG]1604[/ATTACH]

Jake Beattie at the R2AK website says it much better than I :

While the R2AK nation slept sound in the knowledge that they would rise in plenty of time to check the tracker and box out a spot in the online que for the coveted feed of the Ketchikan harbor cam, Team MAD Dog Racing was hurtling through the night on a downwind screamer. 23 knots downwind through the great wide open of Dixon Entrance. Full throttle in the darkest night that the crew had ever seen. No stars, no moon, no lights from an uninhabited shoreline, just black stallion racing into the spray filled darkness. “We couldn’t tell where the horizon started, it was too dark to know where the boat and the water were.” By the time we all woke up and checked the tracker, then checked it again, they were close. Oh my god close. All over Ketchikan you could hear forks hit plates in a mid bite mind blow that had people breaking into a dead sprint, breakfast left half eaten and steaming on the table so they could get to the finish line on time. You know that sweaty nervous panic you get when you oversleep for a job interview? Same thing happened all over town as folks threw on clothes and danced the dance of people trying to put on pants and move at the same time. One driver clocked the M32 along the waterfront road south of town, his car barely keeping pace in an impromptu race within a race that only he knew he was losing. How are they that fast? Team MAD Dog Racing was within sight of the finish line and they were still sending it, fast. Even the press was surprised, some slipping in to the back of the crowd in the hopes that their competitors wouldn’t notice.

Their two red hulls nosed over the finish line at 7:13, and unless our fading memory of public school math once again miffed the complex +1 of the time zone calc, Team MAD Dog finished the R2AKin 3 days, 20 hours, and 13 minutes, smashing last year’s top finish by…well, a lot…way more than a day…you do the math.They were greeted on the dock by a crowd still hustling down the gangway, Colin’s mom who exploded in the emotion of complete celebration and unfettered relief—hard to have a dry eye when an exhausted racer is embraced by the love and pride of his exhausted mom who had likely slept more than her dry-suited son, but not much. So proud. They nailed the landing, rang the bell, had the rare experience of clearing customs with smiling officers who seemed to want to shake their hands as much as they wanted to look at their passports. They posed for pictures, pressed the press, double fisted coffee and beer until adrenaline shrank to number two or three on the ranked list of their bodily fluids, before Randy received the R2AK’s version of a NASCAR shower and beer sprayed towards faces in a well-deserved celebration. They made it. More than that, they crushed it, and landed on the dock with deeply satisfied smiles that masked their exhaustion. Triumph would win over sleep for a few more hours, but only barely.

The cameras and microphones asked the questions we all wanted to: Did you sleep? 20 minutes at a time, maybe every 12 hours, in a bivvy sack, in their drysuits, arms crossed to wedge themselves into position on the rack that felt most secure. Yes, it was eerily like a body bag. In one hand they’d grasp a knife in case they had to cut themselves out in the event that their dreams turned into the least exciting/most terrifying kind of wet. Tacking upwind cut the sleeping shifts short, and no matter how short the interval they’d wake, emerge from, stow the bivvy, move to the high side, and then crawl back in to catch whatever sleep they could grab before it happened again. How often? There are a lot of narrow passages, and with a fast boat sometimes hours would go by without 10 minutes between maneuvers. How did you avoid driftwood? Mostly, these sailing Jedi used the force. “When it gets dark the driftwood seems to disappear.” Aren’t you tired? How are you still standing? The answer to that was met with laughter and an answer to the next question. They saw whales, no bears, were blown away by their luck in the tidal gates, amazed and satisfied that the work they had done to battle harden their spindly mess of high tension speed to the rigors of a non-stop charge through the wild coast had been successful. “We raced the boat hard beforehand to identify components that needed strengthened” You mean you broke a lot of stuff in some other races? “Yeah.”

Family and friends lingered after the crowd subsided and the sunburnt and weary trio sank into the first hot meal they’d had in four days that hadn’t been rehydrated. After so much time hanging onto a bouncing net in pitching seas, they struggled to walk up the ramp, or stand still enough to focus on the menu above the counter. Dry land had become foreign to them.

After all hands sailing the cell service void of the R2AK’s back nine, they’d been out of touch with the outside world for days, and like anyone in and around the R2AK, it wasn’t long before they shifted their eyes to the tracker checking on teams and getting excited, beginning the process of piecing together the fatigue filled memories into a cogent story and then started getting excited about the progress of teams that impressed them. They traded stories of their favorites. Their first? Team Hodge. Hodge was a garage built 8-footer that made the run in stage one. Hodge. There couldn’t have been a team in the race so opposite to the skittery rocket they’d just ridden to Ketchikan. They were accomplished sailors on a high twitch speed machine. Hodge built his own slab-sided plywood wonder out of a potentially appropriate three sheets, painted her blue, and then cut down some tarps for sails. They wore technical clothing, Hodge wore a sailor hat in a manner that was in the blurry no-mans land in the war between irony and sincerity. Still, after the race of a lifetime and a new world record, they didn’t pause between their bacon filled bites to gush full-mouthed enthusiastic about how impressed they were that he made it across stage one, or how infected they were by his spirit and enthusiasm. They have hearts as big as their skill.

They worked through the fleet: Team Jungle Kitty’s location brought excitement and memories. “That’s a tricky spot”, as did the four-way battle that was shaping up for the steak knives. “We’ve got a race!” With each bite they relaxed, their fatigue rising to the surface little by little and their excited chatter was replaced with longer and longer stares and sleepy satisfied smiles. Ian broke the silence with a question that revealed just how total had been their focus on the goal “Wait, is there an airport here?”

Team MAD Dog Racing’s charge north was impressive, and one that had many in the sailing world shaking their heads. “This will end badly.” was a word of warning from a skeptical expert in the know. The M32 was a high stakes gamble. A gust and a capsize and it would be game over. Short of a nearby tugboat there would be no way to get the big cat back on her feet. Their plan—ditch the rig, get her right side down and start pedaling. Each of them wore dry suits kitted out with life jackets, DSC marine band radio Personal Locator Beacons, and some inflatable noodles they could inflate to make it easier for rescue crews to see them. These weren’t maverick yahoos with a death wish, they took safety as seriously as they did their sailing. And while they never needed it, their ace in the hole was a mark of all pro.

As they trundled off to some much earned sleep, the rest of us shook our heads, checked our math, shook our heads again, checked the tracker, and got excited for the next wave of gritty excellence headed north like a freight train. Four teams in striking distance, two monohulls each being chased by their own Cerberus. They’ll pass soon across Dixon entrance, and all of us will be adjusting our expectations ever earlier. The race has just begun.

Gamayun
07-01-2016, 08:56 AM
Fantastic report, great writing. Thanks for all the pictures, and your updates from the field!

sleddog
07-01-2016, 12:26 PM
Yesterday afternoon, Santa Cruz Harbor narrowly escaped a horrific accident.

After Wednesday's successful launch of the Harbor's new dredge, the professional heavy lift crew turned to hauling out the 30 year old dredge SEABRIGHT, currently listed for sale on Craigs List.

Rusty and banged up, SEABRIGHT has been leaking for months, needing a full time pump to keep afloat.

Apparently the heavy lift crew had miscalculated the weight of water remaining in the pontoons and the amount of fuel aboard. SEABRIGHT weighed a lot more than anyone thought. But speed was of essence to clear the Harbor launch ramp for 4th of July holiday visitors.

Carefully, SEABRIGHT was pulled onto the giant inflatable air bags used to launch TWIN LAKES, and the big winch took up strain. Up came SEABRIGHT, up the angled launch ramp, until 3/4's clear of the water.

Then, about 4 pm yesterday, gravity took charge.

A heavy duty strap, holding half of the 4:1 wire-rope tackle, parted with a shot as the weight of SEABRIGHT exceeded the capabilities of the pulling gear. The heavy wire cable snaked across the parking lot. SEABRIGHT took off downhill, in uncontrolled descent , and relaunched itself with a mighty splash.

Amazingly, no one was injured or maimed.

The heavy lift crew is packing up, thanking their lucky stars. SEABRIGHT will be kept afloat with pumps while being dismantled in the water.

For the moment, Santa Cruz Harbor has two dredges.

sleddog
07-03-2016, 10:10 PM
Returning from an airport run yesterday I caught the bittersweet End of an Era: After 42 years on public radio, since 1974, Garrison Keillor hosted his final Prairie Home Companion radio variety show before 18,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl.

What a wonderful run of homespun, folksy stories, music, sound effects, quick wit, and humor. Even President Obama called in to say "thank you" to the self-effacing Keillor

We'll miss you Garrison. And we'll miss your stories of the folks and country around Lake Wobegon, stories that so filled our imagination. We'll miss Powdermilk Biscuits, Guy Noir, Dusty and Lefty. We'll miss Tim Russell, Sue Scott, pianist Richard Dworsky and the wondrous sound effects of Fred Newman.

And don't forget the fiddles.

Godspeed, Garrison Keillor, and thank you for the great listening. Story telling at its best that brought us together around the radio on Saturday afternoons.

"It was a Lutheran town. Even the atheists were Lutherans."

Happy 4th of July to all.

skatzman
07-04-2016, 08:59 AM
In the mid 70's I lived in Mammoth. Given the right conditions I could pick up radio signals DX from Fresno on FM frequencys. I heard Prairie Home Companion and thought the radio waves had gone through a time machine from the 20's. SDK

sleddog
07-05-2016, 08:09 AM
I'm not sure what 60 million SUV's falling off a mountain looks like. But that's the imaginative scientific description of a 4,000 foot mountain side recently breaking off and falling onto Lamplugh Glacier, in Glacier Bay National Park.

1605
Photo courtesy Paul Swanstrom / Mountain Flying Service

The estimated 130 million tons of rock was the biggest landslide in recent history. Fortunately, no human life was endangered, and there were no tsunamis, as the broken mountain was well up the glacier. I can't imagine local mountain goats were thrilled. That's a lot of SUVs.

The cause of the landslide is "under investigation," but likely partially a result of glacier melt, revealing more and more unsupported mountain.

http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2016/07/02/massive-landslide-crashes-onto-glacier-in-southeast-alaska/

sleddog
07-05-2016, 09:13 AM
The vanguard of the Singlehanded Transpac, spread north to south over 170 miles of latitude, has crossed 130 degrees longitude in good time. They are now entering "Pt.A", their "slotcar" lanes. Lighter NNE winds, 10-15 knots, of the Pacific High's southeastern ridge will predominate and spinnakers are coming out of the bag.

In the lighter winds, deviating course to the south is painful, thus Stan Honey's "slotcar" terminology for this section of the course.

Past the slotcar section and over the ridge the trades begin to fill west of 137W, and south of 30N.

On the horizon, rapidly intensifying hurricane Blas is many miles south and east. As Blas tracks northwest into cooler waters, up near 20 degrees latitude, it will decay, forecast to ultimately become a post-tropical remnant low with winds below 30 knots and passing behind the SHTP fleet.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_ep3.shtml?5-daynl#contents

The tracker's idiosynchrasies take some getting used to: the icons show miniature boats about 25 miles in length hopping forward like fleas depending when the tracker sends its signal. Speeds and course are often inaccurate, 247 being a popular number. I don't know if the speed reported is instantaneous, or averaged over a certain time.

The more northern Great Circle route, initially recommended by routing programs as being shorter, with more wind, is now looking iffy later this week as tradewinds fill below 30 degrees. At this point, it's a horse-race, with PAKALA, KATO, NINA, and VENTUS looking good for first-to-finish. KATO and NINA are near sisterships from the same mold, one an Olson-30 and one an Olson-29.

There remains a long way to go for the Buglighters.

Philpott
07-05-2016, 01:51 PM
"hopping forward like fleas" you do have a way with words. Is a flea a bug?