New Boat 4 Sled

[sleddog]

Thanks, Alan H for posting the evocative photos of the Gareloch Goddess and Loch Long One Designs!

Sometimes I just have to shake my head in wonder. I had dutifully prepped and painted WILDFLOWER's two bottoms with blue ablative bottom paint. The previous Petit Vivid white turned to brown slime so fast the only way to keep looking good was swimming under once/week. No bueno.

I can report the new blue ablative, which theoretically sheds marine growth when sailing, is no better. And after 3 weeks in Santa Cruz Harbor, WF's bottom was again brown slime. I took my little ship out for a short speed run under power, 7 knots, wishing to see if the new ablative paint shed it's slime as per promo ...... nada. Apparently I'm not going fast enough. 30 knots might be better, Chuck? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfTgd6NZkRU

On the way back in Santa Cruz Harbor I passed a mother otter with a baby on her belly. They were mid-Channel abeam "Q" dock. I slowed and watched. The mother was rolling 180 every 10 seconds or so, exposing her baby first to the outside world, and then submerging her little kit. Not quite swimming lessons, but you could tell learning and fun were going on simultaneously.



The Harbor Main Channel was empty on this weekday. Except here comes a mid-sized Island Packet up Channel motoring a good 5 knots+. The wife was at the mast as lookout, and the gentleman was steering inside and under a full dodger. I motored ahead, and gave them a head's up as to the presence of the otters up ahead....The wife acknowledged, but her partner under the dodger couldn't hear a thing until she made her way aft to shout at her skipper.

"Otters ahead!" says she.
"Otters? Where?" says he, blindly charging forward at no slack in pace.
"Right there," says she, pointing at the bow.
"Where?" repeats the skipper.

And with that they motor right over the otters at full speed.

Fortunately the mother otter and kit submerged at the last minute and popped up safely astern of the clueless Island Packet. Like I said, sometimes I can only shake my head in wonder. A quarter million dollar yacht, and you can't see or hear what's ahead? Might as well be this:

[BobJ]

Makes me cringe.

I just helped a guy hoist the main on his enormous cruising boat. I was expecting an upper body workout but an electric winch did the heavy lifting. The thing was, the huge dodger prevented me from watching him feed the luff into the groove. I figured if I heard screaming I'd let go of the button.

It took a few years but I finally found a bottom paint: Micron 66. Great stuff.

[pogen]

Power winches and huge vision-obstructing dodgers seem to always go together.

[AlanH]

Grrrrrr..... makes me angry, actually.

[Wylieguy]

You can ask Gordie about power winches and over-hoisted main sails. That combo can be a money-maker if you're in the boat biz. About the sliced speedster photo. Anyone remember the boater who died on his way home from his yacht club to his house in Paradise Cay when he ran into one of the separation buoys along the east side of the Tiburon Peninsula? And yes, it's always a good idea to give plenty of room to a tricked out wanna-be cruzer all dodgered up, especially if he's towing a dink at 7 or 8 knots. Remember, he probably also has a powerful sound systems blaring away as well. Gotta keep entertained, just like at home!

[sleddog]

Good to hear our SSS "Enforcer" Ruben is grinding his guts out aboard the new Pac 52 INVISIBLE HAND and they have responded by taking over the overall lead in the Los Angeles to Honolulu Transpac from PYEWACKET by averaging 16 knots for the last 24 hours. The new Pac 52's are 3 knots faster than the Santa Cruz 70's downwind.... Ruben calls it being "lit up and on step.." which translates to the boat being half out of water, then underwater, as they never get off a plane, catching and passing the wave in front.

Boats are now encountering debris in the Garbage Patch and two contenders have lost rudders: the Mod 70 trimaran MASERATI lost her starboard ama rudder, and the Barn Door contender RIO 100 has lost her port rudder. Both have made seamanlike repairs and are continuing under compromised steering. Elsewhere in the fleet, several boats have reported multiple backdowns with swimmers in the water to clear nets and plastic from the blades.

The first boat to finish will likely cross the Diamond Head line early this evening in Hawaii, either the ORMA-60 tri MIGHTY MERLOE or the Mod 70 tri PHAEDO. They will have taken about 4 days for the 2125 mile crossing.
https://2017.transpacyc.com/

[sleddog]

Yesterday's Jack O'Neill Memorial Paddleout off Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz could only be described as "Epic." WILDFLOWER joined about 100 other boats, and several thousand wetsuit clad surfers on boards, SUP's, and kayaks in a circle about 1/2 mile in diameter. Orchids were carried by many, as well as many wearing the traditional Jack O'Neill eyepatch. On shore stood more thousands along the cliffs and roof tops to pay tribute to the legendary waterman, developer, and promoter of the surfing wet suit who recently passed at 94.



An unexpected tribute came from a pod of porpoise which came through the kelp and entered the paddleout circle as surfers splashed water, yelled, hooted, horns blared, and a color guard fired off a salute.

Here's Jack's pretty schooner MARIE CELINE with his extended family aboard on their way home after being anchored at the center of the Paddleout.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHTZNMSuts8

[sleddog]

Less than 48 hours after several thousand surfers were dangling wetsuit clad legs in the ocean at the local Jack O'Neill Memorial Paddleout, a Great White Shark decided to take a nibble of a Kevlar kayak. Fortunately the nervous paddler survived, but the kayak did not.

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Fire Chief Jim Frawley July 11, 2017
CONFIRMED SHARK ATTACK ON KAYAK NEAR WEST CLIFF, KAYAKER UNINJURED, SANTA CRUZ, CA
—The Santa Cruz Fire Department received a call at 11:01 a.m. about a potential shark attack near West Cliff and Pelton Avenue. Fire Department Marine Safety personnel have confirmed that a seasoned kayaker had his kayak attacked by a large shark about a quarter mile out from Steamer Lane. . The kayaker was uninjured in the attack, but the kayak sustained extensive damage. Per the Santa Cruz County Shark Incident Action Plan , the City will post Main Beach, Cowell Beach and other beach access points within a 1 - mile radius of the attack for four days. All water activities at the beach will be prohibited until sunrise Saturday
(July 15th) morning. Marine Safety staff and lifeguards will monitor the area in the meantime. All partner agencies in the area have been notified and Santa Cruz Junior Guard activities will be modified for the week.

Not the first time, nor the last, that floating objects like kayaks and fishing skiffs have been attacked locally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_HxeL2nSsQ

Everybody's gotta eat, right?

[sleddog]

Congrats to Bill Lee and the crew of MERLIN in the currently running Transpac (LA-Hono). MERLIN is the 1st of 14 Bill Lee designs to finish. Interesting that 29% of this year's 49 Transpac monohulls entries were designed and built in Santa Cruz at the "Chicken Coop" up on the hilltop.

MERLIN will likely correct out to third in Division 2 (ULDB-70's) after PYEWACKET and CATAPULT, and ninth overall, an excellent result for the old girl.

Interesting also that in a fleet where the top finishers are all or part professional crews, Bill Lee chose to sail with an all-"Corinthian" crew of Carol Buchan, Mackenzie Cook, Jack Halterman, Keahi Ho, Mike Holt, Morgan Larson, Chris Watts and Rob Woelfel ...meaning everyone aboard are paying their own way including airfare, unusual in this day and age where a $100K crew payroll barely covers a week's race across the Pacific.

MERLIN, launched 40 years ago, set the Transpac course record that stood for 20 years. Though her exterior may look different these days with a blue and rainbow paint job, black sails, sprit, and streamlined cabin, she's still MERLIN, Queen of Santa Cruz.

[jamottep]

she's still MERLIN, Queen of Santa Cruz.

Beautiful boat!