New Boat 4 Sled

[BobJ]

Sled encouraged me to better equip my boat for cruising, so I bought a windlass.

I'm having a little trouble with it.

[AlanH]

I almost bought a Haida 26 about 4 years ago. It was in Monterey, at the Breakwater Cove marina. The guy bought the boat...didn't know what he had...and just wanted the slip for his fishing boat. The inside was almost completely removed and there was a very odd steel box built into the companionway, in the cockpit. The rigging was beyond shot, but the mast was still up. This was the flush-deck version....no little cabin. They're slow but this boat had good bones. I was tempted.

[AlanH]

Always keep a fire extinguisher.......

[Gamayun]

Sled encouraged me to better equip my boat for cruising, so I bought a windlass.

I'm having a little trouble with it.

Huh. Certainly wasn't expecting that!

[mike cunningham]

Huh. Certainly wasn't expecting that!

speaking of nimrods with windlasses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3WveEZykJ8

[mike cunningham]

It is official, Singlehanded sailors are geniuses

http://www.the-open-mind.com/science...-are-geniuses/

[Gamayun]

speaking of nimrods with windlasses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3WveEZykJ8

That's one seriously tough little tug!

[sleddog]

In the majority of TransPacific races to Hawaii, the second half of the course is predominately downwind in NorthEast tradewinds. Though the handicap rules are based on an average wind speed of 14 knots, the truth is the tradewinds blow consistently at 18-22 knots, higher on the front edge of passing squalls. These winds build up following seas of 6-12 feet in height, traveling southwest (towards Hawaii) at an average 15 knots.

In these windspeeds, lighter weight race boats like J-125's and Moore-24's will plane across the ocean swell, catching the wave ahead and occasionally digging in the bow so blue water flows aft across the deck. Though planing to Hawaii is fast and great fun in the right conditions, there's another way to get downwind available to heavier, more underpowered, "cruisy" boats sailing dead downwind. It's called "surfing" and is what Cal-40's and other medium displacement designs love to do.

When you surf down a wave, you wait for a nice steep overtaking swell to pick up the stern. Then give the rudder a few wiggles to break things loose, and aim directly down the face of the wave towards the deepest part of the valley ahead.

Due to their weight, lack of sail area, and blunt keels, Cal-40's won't plane. But they love to surf, often for 50-100 yards at a time. As the boat takes off down the face of the wave, pulling the apparent wind forward, an experienced helmsperson can steer a shallow angle to leeward (by the lee) across the face of the wave for 50-100 yards, doubling the distance towards Hawaii on a boat that has not caught the same wave. Surfing is an easily developed skill that can be learned by practice time at the tiller.

Here's Stan and Sally Honey, Jon Andron, and myself surfing the Cal-40 ILLUSION in the 2003 TransPac:

(That's an "outgrabber" rigged on the spinnaker sheet. The outgrabber does triple duty, spreading and stabilizing the spinnaker, reducing chafe on the boom, and acting as a boom preventer.

The real trick with surfing is not to be left behind by the passing wave. This involves anticipating the moment when the bow begins to rise, and leaving the wave (steering back to windward) before the wave leaves you. This is not something windvanes or autopilots can anticipate. Only a human driver can weave the "S" course needed to surf to Hawaii.

Interestingly, bigger, faster boats like Santa Cruz 70's don't surf very well. They don't fit in the tradewind swells, and get stuck in the wave trough with their stern in the approaching wave, and their bow in the departing wave. We call it "wallowing."

Surfing is most enjoyed by tiller steered boats where the driver is seated athwartships in a bean bag, well braced, with good visibility both fore and aft, and instantaneous fingertip control. Steering with a wheel means standing, not as well braced, and in a more tiring position with your back to the approaching wave.

Surfing downwind. It's becoming out of fashion. But remains great fun for those of us with older, heavier, smaller designs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLgWbH-qhVo

[sleddog]

It appears Bond, James Bond, has landed in Monterey Bay. At least his ship, the deep dive and submarine research vessel ALUCIA is here, arguably the best equipped research vessel in the world.


At 183 'in length, ALUCIA is anchored just off Santa Cruz's Lighthouse Point, and appears to be making daily visits to nearby Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon, supporting technical dive and photography teams using two, 2-seater submersibles, both rated for a 3,000 foot max depth.

ALUCIA also has a helicopter, decompression chamber, and sumptous interior rivaling any mega-yacht. ALUCIA was used by Hollywood director Jim Cameron to discover the remains of TITANIC and was also the mother ship to the Woods Hole scientific expedition that found the Air France wreckage off the coast of Brazil.

ALUCIA is available for charter as support ship for the '16 SHTP. Or can just be bought for somewhere north of $50 million. Not sure if James Bond comes along with the deal. But ALUCIA should be a great halfway "Welcome Wagon" for all Singlehanded Transpackers, and a 3 hour complimentary tie-up has been negotiated, with showers, ice-cream, laundry, counseling, and use of jet skis included, at position 29 degrees N x 140 degrees West, between the dates July 7-11.

http://fraseryachts.com/Sale/sale_ga...htID=Y14_MR_SD

[Philpott]

ALUCIA is available for charter as support ship for the '16 SHTP.

Oh, rats! Brian just confirmed a rental on the beach in Hanalei for the race committee. He considered renting a large sailboat for the RC World Headquarters, but the Alucia would have been so much more comfortable!