Just a quick update ... Changabang is still in Half Moon Bay. Todd and I have gone out a couple of times, which was good. I am starting a new job in a week or so. What comes next, I'm not sure ...
Just a quick update ... Changabang is still in Half Moon Bay. Todd and I have gone out a couple of times, which was good. I am starting a new job in a week or so. What comes next, I'm not sure ...
Congratulations, Philippe! Finally. You'll have to come up and visit us. At high tide this time.
I thought I'd ask again ... I've read a lot of books about solo sailors. Would you have recommendations?
I don't know if this has come up before, but I just read Journey of a Hope Merchant by Neal Petersen. Pretty amazing story of a South African who gets into the very white world of sail racing despite being mixed-race during apartheid, eventually builds his own boat and starts entering the big transatlantic and round-the-world races. Some massive accidents - dismasting, hull punctures and nearly sinking more than once, collision with a container ship ... His hustle and schmoozing and good luck with getting sponsorship and volunteer help are hard to imagine. As you might guess from the title, he also does a lot of motivational speaking particularly to disadvantaged kids like he was.
My favorites are Rich Wilson's "Race France to France, Leave Antarctica to Starboard," Dame Ellen's "Taking on the World," and of course Moitessier.
How was your sail today? Saw CaB on AIS making good speed. For a while there I thought you were sailing down to CBC.
It was a good day, double handing with Todd. We came out of the harbor and made a left, hoisted the A2, and had a good run. Then we came back to HMB and went down for another run with California Condor's A1.5. That's when the old sock (not an ATN) played a trick on us: the hoisting/dousing line bunched up as the sock went up and it was just too much pressure as the spinnaker opened up in 15 kts. We had lost the dousing line and it was wrapped at the first spreader. We couldn't get it with the boat hook. So I pulled out the mast climbing gear and up I went as we were sailing at 9-11 kts. It's a good thing the swell was light. Still, using the solo climbing gear requires two hands so I used my legs to limit the banging on the shrouds. The operation was successful. We also discovered the limit for the A1.5: at 20 kts 90 AWA it'll broach the boat: big ease on the sheet and we were back in business. Then sailing back to HMB. It was a great day!
Last edited by jamottep; 06-27-2021 at 02:34 PM.
One of my favorite solo sailing books and it is not on the usual lists, so hopefully a new one for you: "Moxie" by Philip Weld https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3650640-moxie