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Thread: Drakes Bay 2021

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    3,485

    Default Drakes Bay 2021

    Brendan Huffman is coming up for the Drakes Bay race. Very good. We got to know Brendan a bit while we were in Hanalei Bay. Here's a story:

    Brendan on s/v Siren finished in a squall, in the middle of the night. Very rude of him but that's the way it goes. Maybe someone could change the rules, ask that people come in during banking hours only.

    Synthia, Greg and I were on Sea Squirrell II, along with Margie Woods and Brendan's crew (sorry, forgot his name, very nice fella). Once we had off-loaded Margie and crew at Siren we went to collect John Wilkerson s/v Perplexity, who finished just behind Siren. By this time it's 2:30 in the morning and we were all tired. Not as tired as Brendan, obviously, but tired enough.

    John wanted to stay aboard Perplexity and we received a radio call asking whether we could collect Margie, Brendan and crew, take them to shore. Margie's car was parked in the parking lot at the beach side of the Hanalei River. Okay. Sure, why not?

    Collected them. Brendan's crew had a small cooler full of beer. We made room in the Sea Squirrel, headed to shore, remembered that the road up to Princeville had closed at 11 pm, did they want to change their minds, stay on Siren? No. Brendan wanted off the boat. Alrighty then. Off we go.

    Synthia steers the Sea Squirrel brilliantly, right up to the boulders on the un-beach side of the Hanalei River. Still night time, mind you. Dark. Really dark. Synthia has to be careful to raise the 300 hp outboard as we approach the boulders, coasts in, we bump up, then Greg jumps into the water and holds the boat in place.

    We remind the sleep deprived Brendan to put on and turn on his headlamp, and we all do the same. Brendan's crew gets into the chest-high water first, carrying the chest above his head. He's a strong guy. Young.

    Then Margie slides into the water then Brendan. Then I do. Last. Reluctantly because it’s dark and there might be pythons in the water but what the hell.

    We slip and slide up the slimy, moss covered boulders to the path through the jungle. We stumble through the jungle. Brendan and Margie are barefoot but they have their headlamps on. They are really good sports. They have impeccable manners.

    Do they say, “What the hell? Why would you have a race to Hanalei Bay when you could go to Kaneohe instead?”? No, they do not.

    Do they ask, “Where is the intrastructure for this race? We shouldn’t have to walk through the jungle in the middle of the night barefoot!”? No, they do not.

    Instead Brendan says, “I can’t believe you guys have gone to all this trouble for us. This is really a trek. Thank you.”

    Then we get to the 194 steps up along the construction site of the hotel. He falters for just a very small moment as he looks up. Then he laughs and starts up. Just off the boat, as the saying goes, and he heads up the steps to the top where we only have three more blocks to walk to the condo.

    At the top of the stairs I look back and watch his crew set down the cooler and open it. He wants to celebrate Brendan’s achievement. I hear him ask, “Would you like a beer?”

    “No, I’m good,” says Brendan.

    Now, that’s what I’m talking about. I look forward to seeing him.
    Last edited by Philpott; 08-16-2021 at 05:35 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Arnold, CA
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    586

    Default

    Great story !!

    Yes, it was very dark.

    Got to give Brendan extra credit for making that trek right after finishing the SHTP ! Whew!!

    And Christian for lugging that cooler up the hill!

    Drakes bay is going to be fun. More good stories!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Venice, CA
    Posts
    30

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    What an adventure that was! I will never forget any of it! Thanks to the intrepid and skilled Sea Squirrel crew for all the hard work and mad skills in the rain! See you all Next weekend for the race! Looking forward to it! -Margie
    -Margie Woods
    "Cassiopeia", Hanse 371
    www.sailinghaunani.com
    mwbfoto@gmail.com

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    75

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    Nice to hear Siren is making Drakes Bay. I did a windy and pretty dark Pac Cup with Brendan in '12 and was damn happy he was on board. Great driver and a funny dude. He will be tough to beat in '23.
    The PCExpress made her smokey trek to Pier 39 today for DB prep. It's nice to get back out on a boat alone following a 10 day Tpac with 9 on board. Looking forward!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2021
    Posts
    2

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    Sorry to divert this thread, but I am wondering if anyone has heard when the NOR or sailing instructions will be posted for Drakes Bay?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    3,688

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    Drake's Bay was Surprise!'s first racing since a Valentine's Day midwinter in Berkeley.

    As for most boats, Saturday included a bunch of motoring. A photo from Margie Woods (or Brendan Huffman) is attached. Brendan and Margie doublehanded Brendan's '21 SHTP vet Siren to Drake's Bay.

    Name:  Drake's Motoring 1.jpg
Views: 448
Size:  272.6 KB


    Sunday was better since we were able to get the kite up and finish the race. It was great sailing with Dave Morris again. We enjoyed a raft-up with Fugu and Dura Mater until the south wind came up in the middle of the night and we had to part company. There's a rumor that Surprise!'s galley was able to produce dinner on Saturday evening. That's new...

    .
    Last edited by BobJ; 09-18-2021 at 08:51 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    Name:  Bob and street tacos.jpg
Views: 842
Size:  307.1 KB
    Last edited by Philpott; 09-06-2021 at 01:23 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    907

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    CaB hugged the shore but never got past Muir Beach. Short on fuel we sailed back to Sausalito (which included a stint under the bridge, kite up in 25 knots of wind, and a broach in hurricane gulch) and the next day to HMB.
    Signed up for HMB race :-)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    609

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    A boat shall have a mechanical propulsion system that is quickly available and capable of driving the boat at a minimum speed in knots equivalent to the square root of LWL in feet (1.8 times the square root of the waterline in meters) for 4 hours.
    Just a reminder that you need to have enough fuel to motor for 4 hours...... after getting to the starting line.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    907

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    Quote Originally Posted by solosailor View Post
    Just a reminder that you need to have enough fuel to motor for 4 hours...... after getting to the starting line.
    Thanks for the reminder. We tried but ran aground when trying to make our way to the fuel dock.

    sqrt(40) = 6.32 kts
    I can't even get to that kind of boat speed on flat water ... So there's a good basis for protest anytime right there ...

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