Sailing Tomorrow

[BobJ]

I seem to have buggered up my back - having spasms at the moment (this is new). I'll go over tomorrow to prep the boat and then report back tomorrow (Friday) night.

[Philpott]

I seem to have buggered up my back - having spasms at the moment (this is new). I'll go over tomorrow to prep the boat and then report back tomorrow (Friday) night.

If you don't want to be the rabbit, just say so.

[BobJ]

I was going to put targets on both quarters - I'll let you know tomorrow. I hope I can make it.

[Daydreamer]

Well that's a fine how de do.
Hope you feel better Bob.

So this guy has been asking to go sailing for a while, so Monday I invite him along, this afternoon he bails. Family or some such. Yeah, I know, they can sure cut into sailing time.
Just kidding, I appreciate my family, without them I probably wouldn't be doing this at all.

So I am up for anything Saturday, race around the rock, ....

[BobJ]

Never got out of the house. I got a spinnaker packed but paid for it. Have fun tomorrow.

[Daydreamer]

Got a good chiropractor?

I am still sailing tomorrow.

Anyone else?

[Philpott]

Got a good chiropractor? I am still sailing tomorrow. Anyone else?

I'll be out there, Greg. I think Tom/Rock On will be there, too. I'll be sailing @ the BYC buoy @ 11am. The Berkeley kite festival will be going on all weekend, so there will be some nice stuff to look at on your way back in. I'll monitor channel 9.

[255grizzly]

I'll be out there, Greg. I think Tom/Rock On will be there, too. I'll be sailing @ the BYC buoy @ 11am. The Berkeley kite festival will be going on all weekend, so there will be some nice stuff to look at on your way back in. I'll monitor channel 9.

Aargh, I had a last minute schedule change and couldn't make it out today. Bummer! Can you Post your times so we have a baseline ?

[Philpott]

072515 This just in: Dura Mater currently holds the record for fastest time in the Inaugural Singlehanded Alcatraz Challenge.

I arrived at O Dock, Berkeley Marina at 10am. Walked over to M dock to check in with Tom Cavers. What is this?! Rock On! Is rocking gently in her slip, but Tom is not getting her ready! Hmmm. I walk back to O dock and prepare Dura Mater for her big day. I turn on the radio and hail Nightmare on channel 9. “Nightmare, Nightmare, Nightmare, this is Dura Mater, do you read me?” No response from Greg Ashby. Huh. I briefly consider whether I should feel stood up. I mutter to myself (“stupidheads!”). Then I relent. I have my own boat. I’m sailing the bay and there’s wind. I have plenty of chocolate. What’s the problem?

I raise Dura Mater’s mainsail and back her out of her upwind slip by pushing her boom toward the wind. She lumbers south and we head into the fairway. No red hull in sight. I exit the marina. No Wilderness in sight. I sail toward the yellow Berkeley Yacht Club buoy and hook around it to port @ 11 am. It’s an overcast day, with a bunch of sails over near Olympic Circle E. What are they doing over there? I head west and a bit north to avoid them because, let’s face it, they’re in my way. The wind is generous, I’m on the water in my big boat and the day is excellent. I sail and sail and then I eat my lunch. I sail and sail some more. I tack a couple of times. As I round Alcatraz the sun comes out in a blaze of heat.

At one point, near Point Blunt, I stop to put in a second reef point. There is a lot of weather helm in about 25 knots of wind. Looking around, I notice that a group of about 30 sailboats has scooched over to the lee of Angel Island for some surcease. On a different day I might have scooched over there myself, but today I’m on a mission. The record is at stake.

I circle Alcatraz @ approximately 1:15pm and surf east toward the Campanile tower on the Cal campus. After a couple of gybes I approach Cesar Chavez Park with its massive kites in the sky just north of the Berkeley Marina. I pass the BYC buoy to starboard @ 2:22:37 pm. Dura Mater has sailed a total of 18.5 nm in 3 hours 22 minutes, 37 seconds. Her max speed was 8.2 knots. Today she is the proud holder of record for this most recent nautical challenge. What is that phrase? Gentlemen, start your engines. Girls, you too.

video to follow

[Gamayun]

You go, girl! I love that you still go out when everyone else bows out. Wish I had been out there, too. I took 7 newbie women sailors out Thursday evening when it was gusting to 35 knots. Probably not my smartest move, but I kept Kynntana flat and everyone had a blast (literally and figuratively). They all had to drive the boat because I had to handle the sails, and they are used to tillers on a Cal 20. The whole time I was thinking about you... They were astounded that they only saw 2 other boats on the bay, one with just its jib flying.

Then Beccie and I went racing Friday night at South Beach Yacht Club. I had almost cancelled because I was up every 2 hours Thursday night from food poisoning. When we get to the boat, Beccie has worked the whole day and is sick too with a cold (hacking and feeling miserable), her husband stayed home. Our crew was another woman newbie who wasn't able to grind the winches. Well, we led the whole race until those goofy wind shifts near the finish line inside McCovey Cove, but we're still holding onto a solid second place in our division

Grrls just rock on