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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #2521
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    With Wind Advisories for blowing dust and high fire danger, I doubt many RV's and high profile vehicles will be underway tomorrow in Southern Utah/Northern Arizona. Given the weather forecast, we have changed plans, and rather than heading for Lake Powell, we'll bivy here at Mike J's (MOUTON NOIR) pad in Moab, Utah.

    Yesterday, Mike and Susan took us on an off-road adventure in Canyonlands National Park, something they enjoy, have the proper 4WD equipment for, and are highly skilled at. We wound our way from near Dead Horse Point on Island In the Sky, down narrow switchbacks with steep drop offs inches from the wheels to keep you honest. On our way downward to the Colorado River we passed nonchalant mountain goats at "Thelma and Louise" Point, where rumor has it the denouement of that classic movie was filmed.

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    Thelma and Louise Point, Colorado River below

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    Castleton Tower, a 400' sandstone tower, was first climbed Sept.16, 1961, by Layton Kor and Huntley Ingalls. Their route, rated 5.9, remains one of the 50 classic climbs of North America. photo by Ann Contos.

    Thanks, Mike and Susan!
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-11-2018 at 09:52 AM.

  2. #2522
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    Only in Santa Cruz: A deer swimming 1/4 mile offshore, with an inquisitive, adolescent (9') Great White shark circling. Apparently the deer had been spooked near New Brighton beach, and entered the water to escape. (Deer are good swimmers.)

    A local shark researcher doing census counts was able to herd the deer back to shore, and no harm came to either animal...A day earlier, another shark enthusiast fell out of his kayak near the Cement Ship while studying a Great White, one of about 15 in the area. Again, no one was hurt. Why did he fall out of his kayak with a Great White underneath? Attempting to retrieve his sunglasses!

    I sense a Darwin Award candidate in training. http://abc7news.com/great-white-shar...aptos/3450724/
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-13-2018 at 11:14 PM.

  3. #2523
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    Jan 2013
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    Montara, CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by sleddog View Post
    I sense a Darwin Award candidate in training. http://abc7news.com/great-white-shar...aptos/3450724/
    My brother once reeled in a 6-foot bull shark in the northern Gulf of Mexico off St. Marks. Took him a few hours and the shark was not happy throughout so it was a question to the end about who might "win out." The biologist in me feels badly that the shark died, but the sister in me is happier my brother quit trying to fish for sharks after that. Yet my family thinks people like us are nuts for sailing solo....sheeze

  4. #2524
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    What does Maine have to do with a race to Hawaii?

    If you were looking at recent Eastern Pacific (EPAC) surface weather maps (seen below) for the last few days, you would likely note the ocean between the West Coast and Hawaii has been dominated by a giant high pressure = no wind.

    As a Down Easter might say, "Ya all can't get theah from heah."

    The Yankee would be correct: Had a race to Hawaii started this past week-10 days, things would be mighty slow. Like drifting....With no way around.

    There's a reason Pacific races usually start in July. Experienced weather men have told us that statistically the EPAC High Pressure does not become firmly established in it's summer position along 40 degrees N latitude until the first, even second week in July.

    When the route to Hawaii is blocked by High Pressure, what can be done other than sailing into the calms and waiting for the wind to fill?

    In a litany of more than 70 TransPacs since 1947, the drastic measure of sailing deep south has only worked half a dozen times. In 1947, in the biggest upset of then Honolulu Race history, the undercanvased schooner DOLPHIN II made the drastic measure of purposely reaching deep south work by sailing to a position of 24-30 x 136-06, and carrying wind all the way to win first overall.

    In 1979, Stan Honey navigated the 70 foot sled DRIFTER south around the "Great Pacific Parking Lot" that trapped most of the record 80 boat fleet that year, including DRIFTER's arch rival MERLIN, who drifted for 3 days, ultimately running low on everything but popcorn. DRIFTER was first to finish in the record slow time of 11 days, 18 hours, beating MERLIN by 31 hours. Another competitor ran low on water and was disqualified for accepting 15 gallons in jugs from another racing yacht.

    In the first Pacific Cup Race in 1980 (then the San Francisco to Kauai Race), the heavy yawl KOTICK II made the southern course work by turning left outside the Golden Gate and sailing south for 2 days towards Southern California before resuming a south west direction.

    And in the 2000 Pacific Cup, good friend Fred Huffman, double-handing his Contessa 35 LA DIANA, dove deep south the first 48 hours while the rest of the fleet wallowed for nearly 5 days. At one point, LA DIANA had a nearly 400 mile lead on the next boat.

    What's it all mean? Despite usual consistent summer wind conditions in the EPAC, 1 in 5 TransPacs can experience delays. Enough food and water for such an eventuality, not just popcorn like on MERLIN, is a good look.
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    Last edited by sleddog; 05-20-2018 at 05:48 PM.

  5. #2525
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    As a kid we used to sail the family L-36 out Newport Harbor. Near the Harbor Entrance was moored a particularly lovely, light yellow/tan, double-ended sloop. Her name was SERENADE, and my father, a marine insurance broker at the time, would tell us SERENADE was designed and built for violinist Jascha Heifetz in 1938 and that Heifetz's fingers were each insured for a million $. That number, and the sweet stern, made a big impression on the young sleddog.

    SERENADE was ultimately connected to the first Singlehanded Farallones Race in 1977, but not as a racer. I will tell you how in the future in a trivia quiz. For now, feast your eyes on SERENADE's loveliness. http://www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.u...-ft-Sloop-1938

    For Transpac racers in the audience, I will say SERENADE had the first dedicated two pole spinnaker jibeing system, a self tacking jib, and twin headstays for fast headsail changes/twin jibs.
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-20-2018 at 07:38 PM.

  6. #2526
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    "Made in Santa Cruz" week is having another go around, with the tribe of boats and builders gathering by the Yacht Club hoist Thursday afternoon at 4 pm. First off will be Jester dinghy races, that 7 foot dinghy ubiquitous to Santa Cruz.

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    And Woodward Reservoir over Mother's Day Weekend.

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    For those who remember, the first Moore Bros. Jester was # 30, built circa 1969 for Mike Winterburn, who used to build surfboards. Paul Tara won the 1971 “Jester Worlds” in #30 in the Upper Harbor when there were no pilings docks, boats, or obstructions. 40 boats, no problem. You'll see #30 racing Thursday under Paul's tillership.

    Come on by, and meet the legends of Santa Cruz boat building and see their boats.
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-21-2018 at 09:24 AM.

  7. #2527
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    I sailed Jester #8 in the 71 regatta, but the first Jester event was "Jester Nationals" in 1967 on Swan Lake and Hosted by the Simkins at their Lakeside home.
    We had competitors that traveled all the way from San Jose. I don't remember who won, even though it was the most important thing in my world at the time.

  8. #2528
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    The first Singlehanded Farallones Race, April 9th, 1977, was sailed in a hat full of breeze: Bill Lee's ULDB sled MERLIN, in her maiden race, started and finished with a double-reef and storm jib. Not counting the El Toro, that never made it to the GG, there were two other "ultra-lights" in the fleet of 53 starters: a big blue 50' cutter and Cliff Stagg on the Santa Cruz 27 ANKLE BITER.

    It was breeze and current "on" for the start, similar to this year, with a 4.3 knot ebb at 0803. WILDFLOWER started with her #4 and double-reef. Outside the Gate I shifted down to the cutter rig: a working staysail in place of the #4, which seemed sufficient for the long slog to the Rockpile.

    Abeam Point Bonita, on port tack, I watched the big blue cutter sail close aboard through our lee. Her orange foul-weather clad skipper was on the foredeck, wrestling to get the jib top down and the staysail up. Suddenly, when the cutter was about 10-15 lengths ahead, she "auto-tacked" and her jib aback blew her bow off to a downwind course, her skipper trapped forward by billowing sailcloth.

    I could see the big blue cutter skipper's alarm as his vessel and WILDFLOWER were approaching bow to bow. I quickly bore off and it was a near miss.

    The big blue cutter's veteran skipper reported the next day, "I got cramps in my legs when I got close to the Islands and had to crawl around the deck on my hands and knees. Winds were gusting 40 knots."

    "It took 40 minutes to haul down the jib in the gale, and another hour to reef. I was soaked and discouraged and turned back. Next time I'll be better prepared for this trip," he said.

    The Coasties had a busy afternoon. The 28 foot tri CORA LEE capsized, the 41 foot SUNSHINE was taking on water, and a member of the RC dislocated his kneecap in a freak accident and had to be evacuated to Letterman Hospital.

    WILDFLOWER rounded the Farallones 4th boat for boat, close astern the Cal 33 VICARIOUS (David Jesberg) at 4:15 p.m. My log notes "Wind NW 35." On the reach home, good friend Dave Wahle on the beautiful Wylie cold-moulded Gemini twin passed to leeward on a big surf, and we waved with big grins. Both Dave and I had helped build each other's boats.

    The finish was down the Oakland Estuary, in front of Survival and Safety Designs (George Sigler.) After a long day of hand steering, WILDFLOWER finished at 10:53 pm, 3 hours, 48 minutes after MERLIN. There were 15 finishers of the original 53, the last being Paul Kamen on the Santana 22 MAMBA at 6:20 a.m.

    WILDFLOWER won the race on corrected time and received the winner's prize, a Navy sextant mounted on a mahogany base with an engraved plate. This sextant trophy was to disappear when SSD's closed, and I don't believe has ever been replaced. A possible suggestion for suitable replacement for the SSS Farallone's Race Trophy might be a bronze firehose nozzle mounted on a bed of granite in the approximate shape of the SE Farallone.

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    As promised, there's a trivia prize here for a bottle of CBC red wine to the person who can name the big blue cutter and/or her veteran skipper and early SSS member that nearly accidentally cleaved WILDFLOWER that windy morning in 1977. Here's some hints: The skipper's previous boat was SERENADE, Jascha Heifetz's boat as noted above, which he sold to the inventor of Jelly Belly candy. His new boat, the big blue cutter, was designed by John Illingworth of MYTH of MALHAM fame, was cold-molded by Camper Nicholson, and could carry a cutter or sloop rig.

    Here's Illingworth's revolutionary two time Fastnet Race winner MYTH of MALHAM with cutter rig circa 1949 Name:  MYTH2.jpg
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    And here's the mystery boat 25 years after the first SHF. Name:  Myth 4.jpg
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    Your marks, set, GO!
    Last edited by sleddog; 05-23-2018 at 09:24 AM.

  9. #2529
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    First Farallones Race, 1977

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    Thank you to Paul Boehmke, s/v Painted Wind
    Last edited by Philpott; 05-23-2018 at 09:45 AM.

  10. #2530
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    Hi Skip -

    I think the mystery boat is Axel Heyst III. That spinnaker is rather distinctive, as is the cabin.

    I actually don't know who has her now, but if Jackie's post above is accurate then Harold Nelson was sailing the boat then.

    Ah! - the shoe just dropped, that was Hal Nelson that had the Axel Heyst down in the estuary at Nelson's Boat Yard. That's where I would see the boat. It was a big boat! I did have to go look up if Hal had Axel Heyst (I didn't know that off the top of my head).

    - rob/beetle
    Last edited by tiger beetle; 05-23-2018 at 10:06 AM.

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