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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #1781
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    As my stay in Yelapa comes to an end, last evening we hosted a Fiesta de Navidad to thank Annie's workers and their children. Muy divertido, with BBQ pineapple chicken, tortillas, rice and beans, cole slaw, Tres Leche cake and limon meringue pie.

    Flippy was maestro de ceremonias, at least until abducted by 3 year old Hugo and Batman.

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    Flippy escaped Batman, and joined a bevy of 9 year old ninas for hammock time.

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    Last edited by sleddog; 12-17-2016 at 03:34 PM.

  2. #1782
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    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    The 1,354 miles (nm) and 3 hours from Puerto Vallarta to SFO was short and sweet. At 450 knots at 38,000 feet, we ascended the Sea of Cortez. My port side window seat had a good view of the east coast of Baja Peninsula.

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    As the sun began to set on the shortest day of the year, Venus was bright in the western sky. Our flight crossed over northern Baja and began to follow the west coast. Below were many years of hard fought miles sailing north bound along this rugged coast. I could easily identify Bahia San Quintin, volcanic San Martin Island, steep-to Cabo Colnett, Punta Banda and the lights of Ensenada, and the U.S. border at Tijuana and its high intensity lighting.

    We flew over Pt. Loma, and I could see San Clemente Island off in the gloaming. Next up below was Avalon and Catalina, with Santa Barbara Island and San Nicholas visible in the distance. It was almost dark as we passed over Anacapa and Santa Barbara, with Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel Islands to port.

    Highway 101 appeared below headed inland from Gaviota Pass as headlights snaked past Santa Maria, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cambria and Hearst Castle. Pretty soon we were over Monterey Harbor, and I began to fasten my sandals for landing.

    We descended over Capitola, and I could identify Santa Cruz Wharf, the Harbor, Soquel Ave, and Highway 17.

    Alaska Flight 223 landed at SFO 25 minutes early. A painless Baja Bash compared to some. Remember the Ericson 37 when the portside chainplates began to pull out approaching Cedros? The older Alden Cutter that couldn't make upwind progress in the vicinity of Ano Nuevo? The One Tonner on delivery from LA that had its fuel tank return venting diesel into the hanging locker? Maybe the SC-52 whose bow anchor locker filled off Pt. Conception and drained gallons of sea water into the forward cabin?

    That's all been noted in past Logs, as well as numerous happier anchorages and voyages.

    Wishing all Feliz Navidad. The below photo was taken at Yelapa. I've never looked down on a rainbow before.

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    Last edited by sleddog; 12-21-2016 at 08:10 PM.

  3. #1783
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    Back in more idealistic days, my 27' Wylie design WILDFLOWER was without engine for the usual reasons: weight, smell, drag, cost, space, need for mechanical ability, environmental purity, blah, blah.

    Reality took a starboard turn one windless night drifting in the fog off Pt. Conception with great ships' horns sounding in the vicinity. My upgrade was a war surplus 14 foot lifeboat oar. ....However, rowing a 6,000 pound sloop with one oar, while standing and facing forward, was nothing to write home about.

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    WILDFLOWER's oar, from the first US flagged container ship (1960) MAYAGUEZ, was retired and currently hangs above the garage. MAYAGUEZ later achieved notoriety in 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War, by being captured by the Cambodians in disputed territorial waters. The resulting international incident cost over 40 lives as President Gerald Ford attempted to have the ship and its crew liberated by force. Evidence later apparently showed MAYAGUEZ was steaming only 2 miles off the Cambodian coast, and not flying a flag of registry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguez_incident

    My next attempt at motor sailing WILDFLOWER was with a WWII vintage, 3 horsepower, Seagull engine hanging off the transom. These legendary engines had achieved cult status for their ruggedness and simplicity: one cylinder, two stroke, and three moving parts.

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    WILDFLOWER's Seagull outboard achieved minor utilitarian status, but for a different reason. The noisy, smokey, oil hungry, little beast became, with 25 feet of chain, a second anchor.

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    Though WILDFLOWER sailed the first SHTP "green" with no engine, I became a believer that to do well in the SHTP necessarily requires two independent means of electrical charging. The challenge being that with just one means of charging the battery, and no backup, things can break, or not function as planned. The number of Singlehanded Tranpackers who have underestimated their charging needs is legion. It's just a fact, that despite high hopes, autopilots, coms, electronics, and electrical inefficiencies drain batteries quicker than can be replenished using modern green methods.

    When crossing the Pacific, solar has always been my favorite means of charging. But solar comes with a cost. Breaking waves the first night of the SHTP can wash a solar panel right off the back of the boat. In addition, solar panels, when racing to Hawaii, are not very efficient. This is primarily because the first 50% of the race is most often under overcast skies. Then the second half of the SHTP is under 50% cloud due to passing tradewind clouds and squalls.

    When sailing SW to Hawaii, the sun rises astern, passes nearly overhead, and sets off the bow. This creates an additional problem for solar: panels can be shaded by sails easily half the day, from LAN on into the late afternoon.

    Back to the marine engine. Fortunate are those SHTP racers with an inboard engine. Despite all the drawbacks of a heavy chunk of hot metal in the bilge producing carbon monoxide wafting into the cockpit, a marine engine provides a semi-reliable source of energy generation. In the SHTP, an Iron Genoa not only eliminates obsessive worry about power usage, but instills confidence in taking full advantage of the electrical powered equipment being carried aboard.

    And that can be a Race winner.
    Last edited by sleddog; 12-27-2016 at 03:36 PM.

  4. #1784
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Santa Cruz
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    108

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    " In the SHTP, an Iron Genoa not only eliminates obsessive worry about power usage, but instills confidence in taking full advantage of the electrical powered equipment being carried aboard. And that can be a Race winner."

    That statement invites the question.
    In order to be a race winner you must go Faster than the competition, so, is using a internal combustion engine to run the electronics that will allow a race win, violating the spirit of the rules?
    Just asking.

  5. #1785
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    Sep 2007
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    3,688

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    How about relying on an internal combustion engine to keep from capsizing? CQS rinsed her cockpit in Sydney Harbor because her engine stalled. Seems a starboard tacker forced her to tack unexpectedly. Canting her keel requires engine-driven hydraulics and the engine stalled. Oops.

    Attachment 2001

  6. #1786
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Santa Cruz
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    108

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    I guess I have become an old fart curmudgeon, because running the engine to be competitive is in fact what bugs me. It seems to me that if you must run the engine to race you have become a motor boat, and therefore you should not be in a sailboat race.

  7. #1787
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    Sep 2007
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    Howard, I think many agree with you. Long live the SH TransPac - it may be the only ocean race left which doesn't require an engine.

    Regarding CQS's little oopsie in Sydney Harbor, new evidence suggests it may have been human error:
    .
    Attachment 2002

  8. #1788
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by H Spruit View Post
    I guess I have become an old fart curmudgeon, because running the engine to be competitive is in fact what bugs me. It seems to me that if you must run the engine to race you have become a motor boat, and therefore you should not be in a sailboat race.
    Howard's point is a valid one by degree: Running an engine to charge stored electrical or hydraulic power to create forward progress while under sail is certainly debatable. There are many boats racing today that employ full time crew whose watch standing job is nothing more than pushing buttons to direct power to foil and rig canting, power winches,etc., while the engine runs 24/7 to provide power for the hydraulics. There is little debate that canting a keel to windward in each puff of wind increases forward speed as assuredly as turning a propeller.

    Without the engine and their drive components, including a canting keel, sailing aboard these "motorboats" ceases, as witnessed by the recent withdrawal of the 100' WILDOATS XI from the Sydney-Hobart Race.

    It would be interesting to get Stan Honey's thoughts on the subject, as Stan navigates the 100' COMANCHE which requires full time engine use. COMANCHE's engine can be shut down, the keel locked in position, and the hydraulic assist to the winches converted to human power for brief periods while attempting the 24 hour mileage record. Whether COMANCHE will run this human power configuration for the 2017 TransPac is unknown. If not, they are not eligible for the coveted Barn Door Trophy.

    For those who have not met Howard Spruit, Howard walks the walk of reducing reliance on fossil fuel, drives an electric car, and uses a Torqeedo electric outboard on his MOKU.

    Both Howard and I applaud the advances in human power aboard watercraft currently exhibited in the Race2Alaska. The Race2Alaska does not allow any fossil fuel engine to be carried aboard, even if sealed or disabled. Interesting times.
    Last edited by sleddog; 12-28-2016 at 10:33 AM.

  9. #1789
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    3,485

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    Quote Originally Posted by BobJ View Post
    That configuration is very similar to Dura Mater's control unit. I'm not surprised it confused. My crew has difficulty, too.

  10. #1790
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    380

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    Sled,
    Bob J's post in another thread about a SSS friend's boat on Craig's list prompted me to go there for a look-see. To my surprise, I found another very special boat is also listed there: HARRIET, Shields #161 is for sale in Monterey. Can you resist?

    Happy New Year from Tom & Sue

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