Freedom 30 "Jacqueline"
Aarghh, don't remind me (he said with a smile). I read everyone's great reports and I kick myself hard for not pressing on.Originally Posted by Daydreamer
Thanks for the pic and congrats on a great race. Really enjoyed your report. I have great respect for the grit and determination needed to participate in this race.
100 - 199 posts
Nightmare
I just want to highlight Nightmare's rather casual observation:
"Saturday 02:00 I set to getting to the finish, hand steering in that cross sea the last 100 miles."
I now have some appreciation of what that means. 15 hours at the helm: cold, tired and sleep deprived.
Here's to the determined rookies!
SAILOR
Respect. That is what I have for you. You have done it all already. If your gut says not good, and you go with it, that's a good call.
Kynntana (Freedom 38)
Why is it that I haven't seen this thread before?! What great reports from all, even those who turned around or had gear trouble. I am learning so much from all of you and learned a TON about Kynntana and my capabilities. I've posted my report somewhere else in this forum, but I had removed a lot of details about my feelings during the race. Reading these reports made me realize that I wasnt the only one who struggled with the violent rhythms of the boat, the confused sea state, sea sickness, etc. I came back pretty convinced that perhaps I'm not really cut out for this. Those doubts did start to diminish over the next day after returning (amazing what a dry bunk, hot shower and food will do to one's mental state), and they have completely disappeared since. Both Michael and Cliff told me to give it time for the experience to settle in before truly deciding on the future. They were right. Joe, your comments from the SHTP really touched me. I came to sailing/racing late in life (actually only a few years ago), but it has taken ahold like nothing else. And that's probably the answer if there are any lingering doubts about doing this again...
Thanks to everyone who put on this race and followed us with words of encouragement! A HUGE thank you to all who loaned me their gear and bloodied some knuckles helping get my boat ready. I especially appreciate Michael Jefferson for his constant words of support and tremendous efforts with Kynntana's upgrades. Then there's my solo badass sailing sista, Margie, who sent me this beautiful card and necklace to commemorate my trip.
Last edited by Gamayun; 07-12-2017 at 02:07 AM.
20 - 49 posts
I can relate to all of the feelings you have shared....it's such a journey to feel them all adn experience each trip fro what it is. I'm so happy for you that you finished. you will know what the next step is when the time is right!!! I always have to remind myself I don't have to do any of this. I can just go anchor somewhere and have a picnic ;-)
50 - 99 posts
A few more words from another small boat
I was at least 30 seconds late to the line for my start. Probably not a huge deal in a long race. But it's always good for moral to have a nice start. I worked my way up the shoreline before heading across to take the North side out the gate. I had the #3 up so I would not have to do a head sail change to early in the day as that is a recipe for mal de mer for me. I could gauge how much this was hurting by watching Archimedes slowly pull away.
Once out on the ocean I was able to keep up with Archimedes and Joe and I would spend the rest of day one in close proximity. Green Buffalo was another story as that gorgeous boat disappeared so fast. Impressive.
Things went well in nearly ideal conditions for the rest of the day. And it was nice to hear the wishes for safe voyage from the folks on the Farallones as we passed by. I finally got ahead of Joe on Archimedes as night fell. But this would not last.
At some point after falling asleep around midnight, the CPA alarm went off and in my fatigue induced stupor, after failing to make contact with the approaching ship (CPA estimate was .18 miles, too close for me) I elected to sail due South for 30 minutes to get clear. In retrospect I should have hit the call button to try a DSC call to the ship. In any case, that was an expensive excursion from desired course.
At dawn on day two I could no longer see any of the fleet and I would remain visually alone until the finish. the second day was only a bit windier than the first and I made good progress towards the magic line. Still not feeling much like eating, although cookies and Gatorade are tolerable and have calories.
By nightfall on day two I am watching the miles toward the touch line evaporate. I'm over powered with the #4 and double reefed main and in the dark elect to just secure the jib on deck and continue under main alone. I swear the closer I get the slower those miles disappear, even though I am still making 6.5 knots. I finally turn around at 10.41 pm.
Friday was noticeably windier and rougher, with the boat getting bounced around pretty good. I tried to sail hard for a few hours but fatigue set in and sometime around mid-day I let the AP take over again and napped down below. Still under double reefed main alone. Later on I try the storm jib and triple reef in the main. I've never used that "long pac reef" before. The boat moves pretty well like this but I have a feeling I should be more powered up. I know Joe is, somewhere out there.
By the time it starts to get dark on Friday, things are getting seriously lumpy and irregular and I opt to take the storm jib down and sail under triple reefed main alone. I should have at least taken one reef out of the main but just wasn't feeling it.
Things continued to deteriorate through the night and after a couple of hours I realize that beam reaching straight for the finish is not the most prudent course of action. Heading up about 20 degrees helps the situation noticeably. But Crazy Rhythm and I are still taking a pounding with frequent waves crashing over the boat causing water to gush in through the closed companionway like a fire hose. We had a couple of really hard hits by breaking waves that pushed the boat sideways, a strange sensation. Took one hit that must have knocked us down the face of the wave, with one hard hit on the port side of the boat, then a sensation of falling followed by an even harder hit on starboard as we landed back in the water.
My sleeping spot on board is the cabin sole and at 6ft 4 I have two positions that work: on my back with my lower legs on to of the cooler/step, or on my right side with my lower legs wrapped around the cooler. In the side position my feet and lower legs are resting on the hull and the amount of movement and flexing I felt was quite surprising. I spent some time wondering just how much abuse 40 year old polyester could take. (Apparently it can take a lot.)
When I went back topside at dawn on Saturday I was greeted with much better conditions and a gorgeous moon set (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EcWc8-do4A). After a quick bite to eat I set to increasing sail and heading for a finish. The Farallones were impossible to see until just four miles away due to the back-lit hazy conditions. From there I had some fun double digit surfing until things began to go light a few miles West of Pt. Bonita. At some point in the Gulf of the Farallones I heard Joe on Archimedes calling the RC announcing his approach to the finish line several hours ahead of my eta. Well done, Joe.
Crossed under the bridge on starboard and headed down the city front past the feeding whales just inside the South tower. They were eating there when I left. Those are some hungry whales. I do not have my prescription glasses (lost down below somewhere) so hard to make out the line. Plus there are a lot of boats in here. Kind of scary sailing so close to other boats! I manage to find the finish line and hear a horn from the RC. Thanks, guys.
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Joe, that first day sailing in proximity to Archimedes was great fun. And I want to say thanks to the other folks I chatted with, or just listened to, on the VHF. It was nice to hear another voice and note your positions. I do think Jim on Green Buffalo should be required to slow down a bit so the rest of us can enjoy the view of his beautiful boat a little longer. (And yes, I would love to hear more about your exit strategies and Expedition etc. sometime. We should set up a class.)
Among the things I learned that I should have already known: you should never leave your feet in wet sea boots for 3 days, even if you change to dry socks at the turn around. It's really bad for your feet! And it takes almost as long to put the boat away and clean up the stuff at home as it does to sail the race.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible.
John
Crazy Rhythm
Kynntana (Freedom 38)
OMG, you ain't kidding!
Whitefloat
Jim, thank you! Especially about the lifting exit flood. It's been ruminating in my head since your finish and I though I had figured it out, but your description added the missing apparent wind lift/header component. Things that happen below the waterline have always fascinated me since I first read about ancient mariners using underwater sails.
JB
10 - 19 posts
The Longpac race started in a flood. I thought I would look for some of the perpetual ebb by the North Tower. Crinan II tacked at "X" and headed into the flood. Most of the fleet ended up on the North shore with the exception of Jim Quanci and Green Buffalo who played the South Tower and went South of Mile Rock. Crinan II found some relief along the North Shore and headed out from Pt. Bonita on a starboard reach. By the time I was even with the Farallones, Green Buffalo had all but disappeared.
The wind built during the evening hours and after getting some sleep, I came on deck to find the boat rockin and rollin. When sailing in the Bay or just offshore, you often don't get a chance to see how well these boats handle big seas. I was impressed. Nevertheless, I decided it was time to reef.
Thursday was a clear day. I shook out the reef mid-morning and made the turning point about 20:30. During VHF checkins, I talked with Archimedes and Crazy Rhythm.
On Friday the winds and gusts were expected to increase in the afternoon. At mid-morning, I could see that the increase had come early. I headed off 5-10 degrees to get a better angle on the waves. I made the decision before the race that as this was a trial run, I would not invest or make a dodger. Now that the trial run is over, I have resolved not to head into the ocean without one again. It was too uncomfortable to stay on deck. Thankfully, my tiller pilot was doing a great job. I kept trimming the sail and adjusting the course to keep the tiller pilot in the center zone.
At one point in the afternoon when the wind was blowing around 30K, I took wave with a huge bang and crash. I went on deck to check and found that the wave had broken my aft reefing line. Later I discovered that the wave had also blown out one of the windows in the sail. The sail looked ugly. The front was reefed and the end of the wishbone was fully extended. My speed had not changed significantly and the tiller pilot was working well. The VHF weather reported lighter winds closer to shore. I decided to continue with my course with a batten draped over the wishbone and the top of the sail twisted way off.
At 132W, I decided to try a full hoist. I was able to come up enough so I could forget my contingency play to pull in to HMB. I was hoping to make the Gate by 2AM before the tide changed to a strong ebb. Didn't have any trouble with the shipping lanes. When near, I watched my AIS carefully and listened to ch. 12.
At 3AM I was off Pacifica. At 4:30 my GPS said 0.0 while my knotmeter showed 1-2 knots. I could feel my frustration building as I felt that I was a victim of the elements. I noticed the sky turning purple over SF and as the moon set behind me I started to enjoy the sunrise. It has always been my favorite watch on crewed ocean races. I saw some other sails between Mile Rock and the channel markers. Soon the wind picked up and I caught the early flood. As I passed Mile Rock there were three or four wales diving and feeding. At one point I thought I might have to change course to avoid them.
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