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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #3971
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    Quote Originally Posted by AZ Sailor View Post
    This has been great fun so far. Nice weather, pleasant anchoring and mooring around Catalina Island, and plenty of time well spent on punch list stuff from the refit and other little projects. And a little relaxation before the passage to Hilo. Thanks to Dolfin Bill, I was able to connect-up with Skip and Annie who were here in Howland’s Landing for a couple of days. Many thanks to Bill for that and to Skip for all the great intel and stories on sailing Hawai’i.
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    Much fun to finally meet Lee and MORNING STAR at Howlands as he thoughtfully preps for a longish passage to the Hawaiian Islands and beyond. The boat in the foreground was our family Cal-40 #24, now RADIANT, launched in 1965, and beautifully restored by childhood friend and current owner, Fin Beven. Thanks to Fin for loaning RADIANT for a week at Catalina in her old stomping grounds.

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    Though we didn't see any bison on the beach, there was an osprey observed close astern of RADIANT happily bathing in the shorebreak, then chasing a bald eagle, and flying overhead with a fish in its talons.

    And we were happy to find "Willard". the great blue heron, still resident from our visit two years previously.

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    Last edited by sleddog; 10-22-2020 at 12:34 PM.

  2. #3972
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    Notable weather tonight in the Sierra with a hard freeze and temps nearing single digits near Lake Tahoe. These temps more typical for Dec-Jan rather than October. Also notable are the northeast wind gusts along the ridges, with multiple reports of readings over 100 mph. Top gust for the moment is 119 at Kirkwood with peak gusts not expected for another few hours. Bolt your socks on, skatzman.

  3. #3973
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    Gone. This historical lighthouse, with its powerful 24 mile light, survived a lot of abuse, but was known for having some of the cleanest air in the U.S.. It was also the windward mark of a famous Pacific ocean race. Unfortunately, without notice, the light has been recently turned off (2020) by the Coast Guard.

    For a quart of Marianne's Macapuno Ice Cream, where is this now darkened light? And for a tin of triple ginger snaps, what was the name of the ocean race whose challenging course was once completed by a Ranger 23?

    Hint: It is not Pt. Loma, Anacapa, Point Conception, Pt. Sur, nor Pt. Reyes, Cape Disappointment, Makapu'u, or Diamond Head.
    Last edited by sleddog; 10-25-2020 at 11:12 PM.

  4. #3974
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    Are you referring to the West End Light on Catalina?

    Ants

    PS If this guess is correct, the race historians can try for ginger snaps.

  5. #3975
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    Quote Originally Posted by sleddog View Post
    Gone. This historical lighthouse, with its powerful 24 mile light, survived a lot of abuse, but was known for having some of the cleanest air in the U.S.. It was also the windward mark of a famous Pacific ocean race. Unfortunately, without notice, the light has been recently turned off (2020) by the Coast Guard.

    For a quart of Marianne's Macapuno Ice Cream, where is this now darkened light? And for a tin of triple ginger snaps, what was the name of the ocean race whose challenging course was once completed by a Ranger 23?

    Hint: It is not Pt. Loma, Anacapa, Point Conception, Pt. Sur, nor Pt. Reyes, Cape Disappointment, Makapu'u, or Diamond Head.
    Cape Kumukahi Light is a lighthouse in Kapoho, Hawaii at the easternmost point of Hawaii. It is best known for its survival of an eruption of Kilauea in 1960.
    Located on the Big Island, twenty-five miles southeast of Hilo, is Cape Kumukahi, the easternmost point of the Hawaiian Islands. According to Hawaiian mythology, the cape is named after Chief Kumukahi who refused to allow the fire goddess Pele to participate in the playing of royal games. Offended, Pele sent forth a fountain of fire and lava that chased Kumukahi to the beach and continued eastward creating the cape.

    Cape Kumukahi lies at the end of the east rift zone of the slopes of Kilauea, and the light was threatened several times by eruptions. The most serious threat came from the 1960 eruption which destroyed the town of Kapoho; lava flows continued downslope toward the light, and destroyed the keepers' houses and an orchard which Joe Pestrella, who had been keeper there since 1938, had planted by the light station; but when the lava reached the tower, it split into two streams and flowed into the sea to either side, sparing the structure.

    The Round The State Race, Hawaii
    In 1972, members of the Waikiki Yacht Club created a 755-mile "fun race" to “race the winds of paradise”. It was to be an annual summer race around the major islands of the island state of Hawaii. Local sailors and visiting yachts competing in the biennial Transpac or Vic-Maui races were invited to attend. In 1978 with major sponsorship from Pan American World Airways the “Round the State Race” became Race 5 of the biennial Pan Am Clipper Cup (1978 – 1984). With the demise of Pan Am, new sponsorship was found and in 1986 the series was rebranded as the Kenwood Cup.
    Tom P.

  6. #3976
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    Socks glued on. 10 degrees F at 7am Monday morning, now moderate east wind at 6200'. SDK

  7. #3977
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    Quote Originally Posted by sleddog View Post
    Gone. This historical lighthouse, with its powerful 24 mile light, survived a lot of abuse, but was known for having some of the cleanest air in the U.S.. It was also the windward mark of a famous Pacific ocean race. Unfortunately, without notice, the light has been recently turned off (2020) by the Coast Guard.

    For a quart of Marianne's Macapuno Ice Cream, where is this now darkened light? And for a tin of triple ginger snaps, what was the name of the ocean race whose challenging course was once completed by a Ranger 23?

    Hint: It is not Pt. Loma, Anacapa, Point Conception, Pt. Sur, nor Pt. Reyes, Cape Disappointment, Makapu'u, or Diamond Head.
    In searching for this lighthouse, I first looked for lighthouses that were higher above the water to get the 24 mile visibility. It turns out elevation is not the sole criteria for visibility (based on the curvature of the earth). It seems some lights are brighter to give additional range.

    Does anyone have any background to explain the brightness? Some of the explanation may include the design of the lens that directs the light. Time for some learning.

    Ants

    PS. The local notice Mariners listed the West End light as 'LT EXT', which I thought meant light extinguished, but the light only had an 8-mile visibility.

  8. #3978
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    Quote Originally Posted by AntsUiga View Post
    Does anyone have any background to explain the brightness?
    As an entertainment lighting designer I have some overlaping background. I don't know much about lighthouses though.
    A French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel invented the lens for light houses.
    Theater took the Fresnel lenses from the lighthouses and adapted them to stage lights. Most stage and studio Fresnel lights have a rack that moves the source and reflector towards or away from the lens thereby affecting beam spread angle. We begin to focus a light by pulling the rack back for a narrow beam, and then aim that to the center of the subject. Then we move the rack towards the lens to widen the beam and fill in the surrounding space as needed.
    With lighthouses, the lens and reflector revolve around the source, or the reflector and source revolve inside the lens; the distance between source and lens doesn't change.
    All elements will effect brightness, where and how the glass is made, the quality of the reflector, the source of the light, cleanliness of lens and reflector, and height above sea level.
    The Sea is my Church; the Boat is my Pew.

  9. #3979
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    Congrats to DAZZLER for taking the quiz and running with the correct answers. Here's what I think he did: Tom took the clue for "some of the cleanest air in the US," and reckoned it was likely Hawaii. He then knew to check the USCG Light List for the 14th district (Hawaii and Pacific Islands) and there in bold print is Cape Kumukahi light as "removed." Then, partly because Tom's father flew for PAN AM for 35 years and flew their luxurious flying boats across the Pacific in the early 40's, it was not a stretch to know that Pan Am was first sponsor of the Pan Am Clipper Cup in Hawaii. The final race of the Clipper Cup series was the Around-the-State Race, 755 miles of challenging conditions circumnavigating all Hawaiian Islands to port.

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    Ultimately PAN AM closed shop and Kenwood took over sponsorship of this fine ocean racing series until lack of interest and support ended the series in 2013. Around-the-State tales are epic and I've been through a few. One distinct memory was onboard the 50 foot, Doug Peterson design, CHECKMATE in 1980. I stood, holding onto the windward runner, surveying the knarley conditions ahead as we rounded South Point on the Big Island (halfway into the Round-the-State) and stuck our nose into the fresh NE trades.

    At that moment the mast broke and fell to leeward. I was launched forward towards the jagged mast break, fortunately unhurt.

    Over the starboard side, the mast and boom soon filled with water and we pulled the pins and let the rig sink rather than risk a spreader punching a hole in the beautiful varnished wood hull. With only 2 spinnaker poles for jury rig, we rigged as a schooner with two stumpy, raked masts, motored 60 miles up the Ka'u Coast, rounded Cape Kumukahi and made a pit stop in Hilo for fuel and drink.

    After an hour in Hilo we set off for Honolulu, motorsailing downwind at 8-10 knots. No longer racing, we cut inside (south) of Maui and Molokai, emerging from behind Molokai at Ilio Point to find we were a mile ahead of our Class B competitors, flying colorful spinnakers as they surfed down Molokai Channel in the dawn's early light.

    Leader RAGAMUFFIN was gaining, probably wondering "who are those guys in that varnished schooner that looks like CHECKMATE and where did they come from?"

    As we approached Diamond Head R"2" buoy finish, we had CHECKMATE's 14 person crew hiking legs over, the jury rig sails trimmed to schooner perfection, and the engine running full revs as RAGAMUFFIN closed within 50 yards astern. It was quite the finish, both boats doing 10-12 knots.

    We cut inside the DH buoy, making sure CHECKMATE did not cross the finish line. But the waiting spectator fleet could not figure out what the heck was going on. Schooner CHECKMATE getting home ahead of the Aussie favorite RAGAMUFFIN? It made the 5 o'clock news that evening, and they showed it again at 11. That was the Around-the-State Race, 1980..

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    PS, I give full credit to Lee Johnson onboard MORNING STAR for noticing Cape Kumukahi Light was missing from one of his up-to-date charts as he begins passage to Hilo. Lee ultimately contacted NOAA's Office of Coast Survey to confirm, which they promptly did.
    Last edited by sleddog; 10-27-2020 at 07:04 PM.

  10. #3980
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    After getting chased out of Avalon on Catalina Island a few days ago by a strong Santana, Lee Johnson on MORNING STAR took refuge at Cat Harbor on Catalina's lee (south) side, during the NE wind event. He has since returned to Avalon for last minute details and takes leave tomorrow for his passage to Hilo.

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    Sailing late in the season to Hawaii, Lee will likely take the southern route to avoid incipient storms from the Gulf of Alaska. MORNING STAR in my book would be classified as "bomb proof", well shaken down, and with a fresh, smooth bottom. And Lee likes to be at sea. We wish him a good passage. For those wishing to follow, Lee's tracker is https://share.garmin.com/MorningStar You won't be able to send messages, as that feature is turned off.
    ~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~/)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Back on terra firma, Howard, Rainer, myself, and assorted friends gather most mornings at sunrise on the Santa Cruz east breakwater for "coffee club." It's been a bit chilly, low 40's, but the pigeons give off heat.

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    We've had a front row seat to the annual seasonal assembly of the harbor dredge TWIN LAKES, all freshly painted and ready to suck. Thousands of feet of large diameter flexible pipe sections must be connected and located from the dredge, under the Harbor entrance, over the breakwater, under the beach sand, and out to sea to a yellow buoy marking the outlet.

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    It takes a full time dredge crew of 7 to operate, including the captain at the controls, the DAUNTLESS (workboat) skipper, the leverman, the dozer and crane driver, the pollution sniffer, and two deckhands. It's heavy and dangerous work, especially assembling the pipe.

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    Just beyond the Harbor entrance were splashes of dozens of dive bombing pelicans interspersed with the misty spouts and heads and tails of feeding humpback whales

    For more detail on Santa Cruz dredging check out https://www.santacruzharbor.org/dredging/

    Thanks Rainer for the photos.
    Last edited by sleddog; 10-29-2020 at 06:55 AM.

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