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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #4861
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    Sep 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Intermission View Post
    Which type of anchor would you recommend?
    For Monterey Bay, outside Santa Cruz Harbor, the bottom is primarily hard pack sand with kelp. A Danforth type anchor has a hard time resetting when the wind changes 180 degrees from afternoon sea breeze to offshore night drainage. Of the anchors I've owned, I would recommend the Delta, basically a modern plow type with no moving parts
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    Of course => 50 feet of chain makes up for a lot of faults on any anchor. At Hanalei on 6,500 pound, 27' WILDFLOWER I used a 22 pound CQR with 50 feet of 1/4" chain and slept better for it. That was my primary anchor throughout the S.Pacific, but would be considered out-of-date by modern cruisers. This gear was about max I could pull up hand over hand on the bow roller in a hurry. It lived in the forward cabin, just forward of the mast.
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-10-2022 at 07:07 AM.

  2. #4862
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    Thanks to Ants for two photos taken recently at 7,000' elevation above the Kern River Valley. What looks like snow is not. Instead it is pogonip, also known as ice fog or freezing fog. Not something one wants to encounter when underway as it makes a very thin, unseen coating of ice on roads, mainly in mountain valleys.

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    Last edited by sleddog; 05-10-2022 at 07:17 AM.

  3. #4863
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    Mar 2018
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    Santa Cruz CA
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    Mini Skeeter build report 05/17/22 @ 1730 hrs.
    Wheels on, Mast up, sail goes up tomorrow for photo opp around 1400 hrs.
    Next up is assemble trailer, install trailer hitch on van, and off to the desert

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  4. #4864
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    Jan 2010
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    That looks very fast, Howard! I hope you don't get any road rash. Have fun!

  5. #4865
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    Mar 2018
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    Santa Cruz CA
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    the small sail is up, the full size sail arrives Friday.
    I'm off to assemble the trailer

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  6. #4866
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    Sep 2007
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    [QUOTE=Howard Spruit;31091]the small sail is up, the full size sail arrives Friday.
    I'm off to assemble the trailer/QUOTE]

    While Howard is prepping to solo sail his just completed dirt boat on an unknown dry lake bed, I am sailing in a different medium. In the Spring, Tomales Bay, running NW to the SE, is a wind-tunnel where consistent afternoon seabreezes border on fresh to strong blowing directly down the Bay, making for exciting windward/leeward racing, where at least one gybe is necessary. At 24 feet in length, with 4 feet of beam, 3 feet of draft on a 300 pound keel and zero form stability, racing a 110 is definitely sporting and dinghy like.

    Here is my ride, the International 110 SMART SHOES in front of the 110 year old Inverness Yacht Club. The white splotches in the club's blue paint are a current repainting of the historical club that sits very near the San Andreas fault that runs down Tomales Bay towards San Francisco.

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    When the tide ebbs on Tomales Bay, the water gets pretty thin. Here is the RC shack and main dock looking NW on a recent minus tide.

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    And here is the main dock looking SE towards the West Marin hills. The straight track near the dock is where we pull the 110 keels through the mud (while heeled 45 degrees) to reach the hoist...

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    At high tide the IYC main dock floats in ~6-7 feet of of 80 degree salt water (in the summer) and Tomales Bay looks to be a beautiful lake surrounded by forest and green hills (winter and spring).

    See ya soon Howard. I'll be home to CBC from Inverness Sunday after pet sitting 3 Labs and 3 cats for 10 days. Yiiii doggies. You Singlehanded Farallon racers tomorrow stay safe. Looks like plenty of breeze.
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-20-2022 at 09:57 AM.

  7. #4867
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    Jan 2010
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    I can imagine how much fun you must be having up there in that wind. As for the Farallones race tomorrow? This is the site I use. NOAA forecasts and Windy.com are scarier.

    https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_pa...?station=46026

  8. #4868
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    Sep 2007
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    As visitors to this Forum and CBC likely know, weather depending, I enjoy regularly paddling my Kiwi kayak both inside and outside Santa Cruz Harbor. Being small, quiet, and low freeboard(sit inside) allows proximity to what's in, on, and above local waters, especially feathered friends and pinnipeds.

    This morning's paddle started innocently enough, first fishing out and securing a well clothed, large yacht fender floating down the harbor. Once outside the Entrance breakwater I turned 90 degrees to starboard to paddle a half mile to my usual turning mark, a rusty, bird poop covered Coast Guard mooring buoy just east of the Santa Cruz Wharf.

    As I paddled west, I noticed a large, green motor yacht (50 feet?) anchored near the beach. I'd seen it a few days earlier when it was anchored further offshore. After rounding the CG buoy, I altered north to investigate. As I approached for a closer look, the MV seemed abandoned and in poor condition, with mooring lines hanging overboard, and growth on the waterline.

    But what really caught my attention was a 50 yard diameter oil sheen trailing astern of the MV. As many birds, including migrant sooty shearwaters, and pinnipeds were feeding on a seasonal run of anchovies, I thought "who should I report this oil spillage to?" It is going to be as major headache, whether the spill, or the boat, or both, came ashore, as it was directly off Santa Cruz Main Beach and Boardwalk which was already a gathering site for many kids on their last day of school field trip. And with the Memorial Day holiday weekend almost here and thousands of beach goers soon to be on hand, this soon to be "accident" would certainly make headlines.

    With my VHF in hand, I thought for a minute to choose my words carefully. Stuttering on the VHF is not for the faint of heart as sometimes listeners at the receiving end think I'm the one in trouble! As well, I wanted to make sure this developing "incident" got accurate and immediate attention.

    Fortunately, Nicky at Santa Cruz Harbor office, a no nonsense ex-cop who knows me , answered in her usual business like manner "Kayak WILDFLOWER, go ahead."

    "Kayak WILDFLOWER wishes to report a green, 50 foot, motor yacht outside the surfline near Rivermouth with an oil spill in the area. Vessel name on stern is FREELANCE, with Sausalito listed as homeport. Over." Long silence, then Nicky gave her brief acknowledgement. "Roger, kayak WILDFLOWER, it will be reported."

    10 minutes later out came the Harbor Patrol's big RIB, passing me at high speed going in the direction of the FREELANCE. As I turned to paddle into the Harbor I had a last glimpse of the Harbor Patrol RIB approaching the derelict boat from astern. I hauled out my kayak at the dinghy ramp, and there in the empty small Coast Guard station nearby were three young adults with weed whackers. Also their dog, "Bud."

    I walked over and through the gate slats hailed, "are you the Coast Guard?" They said they were, "getting the station ready." I was invited inside the gate and explained they probably hadn't heard my call to the Harbor office about the abandoned boat adrift with an oil spill. "Oil spill" got their attention, and the young lady officer in charge immediately went upstairs and called her headquarters in Monterey.

    What I then learned from the young woman in T-shirt and jeans is CG Station Monterey had heard my VHF call on Channel 9. Wow. Much relieved, on my way home, I swung into the Santa Cruz Harbor headquarters to alert Officer Nicky to a dangerous slippery situation on the dinghy and kayak launch ramp and boarding ladder. She took my report, thanked me, and proceeded with her busy day at the office.

    Before leaving, I walked down "L" dock to the Harbor Patrol's big RIB and met three armed officers about to board their 24 footer, including the Harbor Master. They recognized me, said they'd just confirmed FREELANCE was known to Sausalito's Richardson Bay Regional Agency (RBRA) officials and that they were headed back out to make a boarding of FREELANCE. More importantly, the Harbor Master thanked me and confirmed "you did the right thing."

    My take on this abandoned boat leaking oil just outside the Santa Cruz Boardwalk Beach is either 1) it was stolen; 2) the "owner" was told to get it out of Richardson Bay; or 3) it was an insurance job.

    All in a morning on the water. TBC when and if I learn more.

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Size:  576.6 KB Standard Horizon HX 40 VHF in the front pocket of my PFD. This transceiver radio is waterproof, has all VHF channels, including weather, and FM radio also for listening to local stations while at CBC. $99 but it won't float. Most cell phones won't either.
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-26-2022 at 04:53 PM.

  9. #4869
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    Apr 2014
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    Oddly enough, I have some information on Freelance. On May 16th, I discovered an absolutely perfectly restored 1980s Shannon 28 cutter named Summer berthed in Pelican Harbor in Sausalito. While I was snapping pictures of the unusually fine craftmanship, Freelance was getting ready to depart her slip on the other side of the fairway. Freelance has been berthed at Pelican Harbor for over a decade. The owner was a member of a local yacht club and a friend of his I knew well advised him not to buy the boat - full of some obvious and many yet to be discovered defects. However, he did buy the boat and put many hours and dollars into making her right, but to no avail, she was too far gone even then.

    As I taking photos of the Shannon 28, there were three individuals on the dock helping throw off the docklines preparing Freelance for departure. Freelance's slip was right against the large tar covered pilings of the seawall at the north end the marina. It appeared that there were two individuals on board - one driving in a cabin with no rear visibility and a crew member standing on the port side deck looking aft and advising the pilot. As Freelance eased her way backwards into the fairway, it was immediately clear that whoever was driving that day had no idea of how to control the boat in what is a generously wide fairway. Backing up and almost striking a Valiant 42, the crew yelled at the driver to go forward to avoid the collision. Smoke bellowed from the stack on top of the pilot house as the engine gunned. More back and fills followed with no progress pointing Freelance's bow toward the harbor exit. One final attempt gunning the engine in apparent frustration had Freelance's bow just clear the seawall pilings accelerating toward the open water of Richardson Bay, but alas, the pilot forgot about the motion of the aft quarter on the port side which while turning struck the seawall with such force that the supports for the roof over the aft deck exploded and flew into the water.

    I made my way over to the individuals who released Freelance's lines. They said that the boat was just recently sold; the new owners were on board and the plan was to motor out the Gate to Moss Landing. The forecast for that day was poor for this journey. When I got home, I told my wife the story over dinner and ended by saying we may be hearing about Freelance in the near future...

  10. #4870
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Capitola,CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grace View Post
    Skip

    Oddly enough, I have some information on Freelance. On May 16th, I discovered an absolutely perfectly restored 1980s Shannon 28 cutter named Summer berthed in Pelican Harbor in Sausalito. While I was snapping pictures of the unusually fine craftmanship, Freelance was getting ready to depart her slip on the other side of the fairway. Freelance has been berthed at Pelican Harbor for over a decade. The owner was a member of a local yacht club and a friend of his I knew well advised him not to buy the boat - full of some obvious and many yet to be discovered defects. However, he did buy the boat and put many hours and dollars into making her right, but to no avail, she was too far gone even then.

    As I taking photos of the Shannon 28, there were three individuals on the dock helping throw off the docklines preparing Freelance for departure. Freelance's slip was right against the large tar covered pilings of the seawall at the north end the marina. It appeared that there were two individuals on board - one driving in a cabin with no rear visibility and a crew member standing on the port side deck looking aft and advising the pilot. As Freelance eased her way backwards into the fairway, it was immediately clear that whoever was driving that day had no idea of how to control the boat in what is a generously wide fairway. Backing up and almost striking a Valiant 42, the crew yelled at the driver to go forward to avoid the collision. Smoke bellowed from the stack on top of the pilot house as the engine gunned. More back and fills followed with no progress pointing Freelance's bow toward the harbor exit. One final attempt gunning the engine in apparent frustration had Freelance's bow just clear the seawall pilings accelerating toward the open water of Richardson Bay, but alas, the pilot forgot about the motion of the aft quarter on the port side which while turning struck the seawall with such force that the supports for the roof over the aft deck exploded and flew into the water.

    I made my way over to the individuals who released Freelance's lines. They said that the boat was just recently sold; the new owners were on board and the plan was to motor out the Gate to Moss Landing. The forecast for that day was poor for this journey. When I got home, I told my wife the story over dinner and ended by saying we may be hearing about Freelance in the near future...
    Thank you for this backstory! The plot thickens. Or should I write, the "pot thickens." Over the recent holiday, while I was out of town, someone moved the leaky FREELANCE from it's position just offshore the Santa Cruz Boardwalk to.....less than 1/4 mile seaward of CBC. I doubt it was the CG, or Harbor Patrol. Maybe Vessel Assist. Maybe the "new owners." Whoever, the lonely yacht is almost within view out the main window here at Capitola Boat Club. Lovely. It is now just offshore the 3rd ranked, most polluted beach in California. https://hoodline.com/2021/07/endless...uted-in-state/

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