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Thread: Corinthian Race 2020

  1. #11
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    907

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    Sad story, I feel for Dave. Happy to help as well. I hope things get sorted ok.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    2,095

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    Dave, if you need help sanding, painting...whatever to get the Hog ready for the SHTP, let me know. I can find some saturdays to help out
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    371

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    First, my heart goes out to Dave & Hedgehog. If an accomplished SHTP vet and past SSS Commodore can be pressed into this no win situation we need to rethink our purpose.

    As a racer and former race chair, I do think we need to rethink some of our races as SSS evolves into the Doublehanded Sailing Society (Shorthanded Sailing Society).

    I have an idea of how we can hang onto to our singlehanded past as we see more Doublehanded racers demographics. I would like to propose an idea for SSS to encouraging DH to “learn” and “grow” into SH.

    First, we need to except the reality and welcome DH. Second, we need to encourage and challenge the Doublehanders by creating two (or more) separate “Singlehanded Only” races each season (Max, Bob & Rob, I know you have great ideas). I am not sure how to score but we have a great start with Vallejo 1-2.

    Bottom line, create incentives to move more DH to SH.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    121

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    Looks like someone put up some video on FB. Painful to watch.

    https://www.facebook.com/834939745/p...989746?sfns=mo

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    609

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    Maybe it's as simple as separating the starting times of the fleets by a large margin (at least an hour) for the in the bay races? Spreading out the fleet should help.
    Last edited by solosailor; 03-01-2020 at 11:54 PM.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    4

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    Wow, what a sad turn of events from what should have been a nice day sailing. Hard to watch those videos. Dave, I'm also happy to help out if you need some manual labor. It's the least we can to to repay the time you've donated to the SSS.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    255

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    Dave, that was tough to look at on the video, glad you got pulled out and hope you can get back on the water soon and back in track for SHTP.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Alameda CA
    Posts
    497

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    Clearing my throat...
    I'll keep this post to mostly my version of what happened; at this point I really don't have the heart to debate the rest.

    But first - Thank you everyone here and in my wider sailing world for all to the messages of support, hugs, and offers of support and assistance.
    It makes me proud to be part of this community, and to be able to call you all my friends.

    What Happened-
    Bob's OP is pretty accurate; as I approached the city front, I noted that I was out of phase with a cluster of 2 E27's and a Moore 24 who were at that point heading out around the point of the seawall that forms the harbor entrance (they had clearly gone all the way into the harbor entrance area seeking current relief).
    I passed clear ahead of them on starboard and approached the seawall maybe about 75yards east of the GGYC.
    I called for sea room & tacked approx. 3 boat lengths before the wall, and had just completed my tack to port when I checked under the jib to see a starboard tack jib and white hull about a boat length ahead.
    That's about all I had time to visually process.
    The angle and speed had me T-boning them somewhere forward of the shrouds.
    Tried smoking the mainsheet and turning to starboard to duck them, but with little boat speed that wasn't working, so I crash tacked back to port.
    that went about as well as could be expected in 22 knots and a 2.5 knot flood - eg I blew it, badly, and before you could say Holy Sh*t i was in irons with no attached flow on the foils moving backwards rapidly.
    reversing my helm had zero effect, probably because the current was pretty close to my backward boat speed.
    From there, the rest was largely out of my control; the bow blew down to the port side and I basically ended up t-boning the sea wall; you can watch the rest on the video; at some point I will have the courage to, but not right now.
    EDIT 03/7 - Adding a bit of detail as to what happened after and how I got off the rocks:
    Once I was no longer sailing and firmly wedged/pinned bow in and portside to the rocks, I issued my first (and hopefully last) ever mayday call on 16.
    I’m afraid I was a bit short with the watch stander, but I already knew the info they were asking for so I simply spat out my Identity & description, Position, nature of distress, one person on board, no injuries, and that I was requesting immediate assistance towing my vessel off the rocks. I then proceeded to get the sails at least started down… another Image I can’t un-see; looking down from the headstay and clearly seeing a patch of sand between the rocks with the seaweed waving about.
    Tow Boat US, with captain Phil Delano and crew were fortunately in the SF Yacht basin, heard my hail, and responded within 5 minutes. We established radio communication on channel 22, they passed me a line which I secured to what I hoped to be the most secure position, the bridging structure that holds the top bearing of my rudder post. Towboat US then pulled my vessel backwards off the rocks. In the process, damage was sustained to the point where the tow had been attached; mostly minor, some cracked cracked fiber glass and broken tabbing.
    Once free of the rocks, and I ascertained that there was no immediate water ingress, we hooked up a side tow and Towboat US pulled me inside the breakwater and deposited me at the pump out station. Phil informed me that they were treating this a Salvage, and I would be charged $150/foot. In no position to debate this, I gratefully surrendered my credit card(s) and concluded the transaction.
    After decompressing for a few hours, and still seeing no water ingress, I concluded that the best thing to do was to sail back to Richmond where my trailer was conveniently at Brickyard Cove, although I had recently taken a wet slip and RYC (having concluded it was time to sail, and stop mucking about with the hoist, running up to SHTP).
    On Sunday I returned, hauled the boat, and got my first real look at the damage... more on that in another thread / post.

    Who's to blame?
    First, I blame myself.
    Poor judgement and risk management but me in the position for the event to occur, and I 100% own that.
    To Skip's & Solo's points, yes, the Starboard tack boat was the burdened boat under the RRS and did not give me room or opportunity to maneuver.
    That said, I don't know if they even saw me under their lee, or if anyone could hear any hails.
    Cold comfort, and I'm not letting myself off the hook for putting myself there in the first place.

    Ok, I said at the top I'd stick to the facts, so that's about it for this post, for me.
    I'll save my opinions about what the SSS should do about remaining the SINGLEHANDED sailing society for a more rational and less emotional time, but it's heartening to see the start of a discussion and some solid ideas bubbling up.

    OK - putting Chumbawamba on repeat.
    And heartfelt thanks for everyone singing with me.
    I'll post progress and updates elsewhere.

    DH
    Last edited by DaveH; 03-07-2020 at 12:28 PM. Reason: added post-incident Detail

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    2,095

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    BTW, the guy who posted that video is Tom Ehman, who is more than just "someone" in the local sailing world.

    Tom was Head of External Affairs for ORACLE Racing, served as GGYC Vice Commodore and Managing Director of the GGYC America’s Cup Committee back when the GGYC was the Club that Ellison "used" to mount his first A-cup challenge. ....among a mess of other things he's done around the San Francisco waterfront.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3,485

    Default Response to Carol Klammer's first Singlehanded Corinthian Race

    Well, Carol, I saw you tack around Blossom Rock, and you did it with aplomb. After DM and I tacked it took me until I was in the lee of Alcatraz before I could get a reef in. I lost track of you after that.

    Shortly after the start I saw the future by looking at the earlier starts, and so I tossed the spinnaker bag down into the cabin. I failed, however, to relocate the spinnaker pole, leaving it on the mast. Just as I approached Blackaller and tacked to port my jib sheet caught in the spinnaker pole jaw. I didn't see it happen, but I could hear a BANGBANGBANG, which is, as you know, Carol, never a good sound. A kitesurfer foiled by, the stinker, and he called out "Spin Pole!" That's how I learned that my spinnaker pole was hanging by its downhaul line off the starboard side of the bow. In that nice strong wind. Yeah.

    Round Blackaller or lose the pole? Lose the pole or Round Blackaller? Hmmm. I crawled up to the bow and leaned WAY over, while the waves washed over me. But I saved my pole!

    By this time, of course, the flood had started and somehow my jib sheets had come loose and were in a tangle around the bottom of my furler. By the time I was able to run new jib sheets and detangle that mess we had been washed back almost to Anita Rock. Fight or flight? Flight or fight?

    Finally around Blackaller I headed toward Raccoon Strait, still deeply reefed and with only a tiny bit of jib up front. And what did I face upon reaching Little Harding? Mirthmaker and almost the entire fleet of fast boats headed my way. On starboard.

    There were so MANY good reasons to quit and go home that day!

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