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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #2741
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    They're back. Last evening's cliff walk revealed an amazing sight just offshore: Dozens of pelicans, hundreds of terns, thousands of shearwaters in a feeding frenzy on baitfish, most likely anchovies.

    Humpback whales enjoy anchovies too. Last Sunday, Howard and Yvonne, out for a day sail on their cat MOKU, had two humpbacks unexpectedly surface nearby, their maws filled with small, silvery fish. This is called "lunge feeding," and is one of the humpbacks' feeding techniques

    MOKU was only 100 yards offshore the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Howard said as one of the whales dove, it was close enough to reach out and touch.... I'm not sure you'll see a humpie riding the Boardwalk Merry-Go-Round any time soon. But they were close in to shore, like really close.

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    FYI, if you visit Santa Cruz, the National Historic Merry-Go-Round is a fun deal and the Boardwalk's oldest ride, with 73 horses and two chariots, each unique and beautifully carved of wood in 1911 by Charles Loof.

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    3 antique organs play and toss a brass ring through the clown's mouth, the bells ring, the lights flash, and you win a free ride.

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    Never too old to ride the Merry-Go-Round! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em3kUBNWiPU

    Winner, winner, Merry-Go-Round spinner? What Santa Cruz sailor and craftsman specialized in maintaining, repairing, and restoring the Merry-Go-Round's historic carved Loof horses while also servicing the venerable Moore 24 fleet by adding foredeck hatches, and being the first to take a Sawzall to open their transoms?

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    Last edited by sleddog; 08-01-2018 at 10:09 AM.

  2. #2742
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    Dec 2008
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    Gary, aka Garski, is the craftsman.
    Last edited by skatzman; 08-02-2018 at 08:45 AM.

  3. #2743
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    Sep 2008
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    Since I’d searched to find the answer, I thought that might be cheating. What I found was a good story worth sharing from the Pressure-Drop website addressing the whole issue of “modernizing” older boats, particularly the Moore 24.

    http://www.pressure-drop.us/forums/c...-Open-Transoms

    Tom

  4. #2744
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    Quote Originally Posted by skatzman View Post
    Gary, aka Garski, is the craftsman.
    Gary Tracy, fondly known as "Garski," was a friend to all, good sailor, and fine shipmate aboard OAXACA when we won the Pacific Cup in 1990. Besides sailing, Gary enjoyed and was an expert and high speed waterskier, snowboarder, surfer, and skateboarder. Gary was the first to actively skateboard steep Monterey Ave. into Capitola Village as well as hold the downhill skateboard speed record.

    Gary was also a fine craftsman, and fiberglass boat builder. During the heyday of Santa Cruz ultra-light boat building, Gary worked for Bill Lee at Santa Cruz Yachts, George Olson at Pacific Yachts, and Moore Bros.

    At one point, ~1990, Gary bought an abandoned Moore 24 hull from Ron Moore, built a deck, cut out the transom, and created BRUZER, #127, the first Moore-24 with an open transom and Gary's patented flush beer can holders. BRUZER was later sold to Morgan Larson, and won the National Championships, a fine tribute to Gary, who passed away unexpectedly in 2005 at age 56.

    Here's Gary Tracy's masterpiece, BRUZER, at Hood River.

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    And here's some Moore BRUZER in the Double Damned under Morgan's command in a 40 knot puff.
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    WILDFLOWER still sails with one of BRUZER's spinnakers ....curiously, this spinnaker, in it's turtle, was once lost at sea, drifted 16 miles downwind, beached at the Salinas River mouth, recovered by a beachcomber who knew nothing about sailing, was taken to church and handed off to a lady sailor, and ultimately found it's way back to Santa Cruz several weeks later...but that's an "All Things Lost and Found" story for another day.

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    Last edited by sleddog; 08-02-2018 at 10:29 AM.

  5. #2745
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    Interesting weather activity in the tropical Eastern Pacific following four "tropicals" between Mexico and Hawaii.

    Tropical Storm Illeana is dissipating 150 miles south of Cabo San Lucas. Hurricane John is approaching Category 3 near 18N x 110W. Tropical Storm Kristy, near 14N x 127W is forecast to become a hurricane on Thursday. And Category 4 Hurricane Hector, at 16N x 149W, is approaching southern Hawaiian waters and anticipated to pass 160 miles south of the Big Island on Wednesday. http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/tcpages...ormid=ep102018

    Hurricanes maintain strength in warm waters, specifically between 80.5 degrees and 82 degrees, which currently lie along 20 degrees N latitude. Any warmer water encourages intensification. Cooler water promotes weakening. Hector is forecast to weaken slightly as he passes south of the Hawaiian chain, then re-intensify again. None of these tropicals is currently a threat to land, although their large ocean swells should reach California south facing beaches in the not-to-distant future.

    3,200 miles north, ex-SHTP first-to-finish 60' cutter DOGBARK has reached the northern point of Alaska at Barrow (Utqiagvik), as, after refueling, they now turn east across the Beaufort Sea in Graeme, Janna, Talia (12), and Savai (10) Esarey's family attempt at the NW Passage. http://forecast.predictwind.com/trac...isplay/Dogbark

    Current temp in Barrow is a balmy 34 degrees, with a wind chill feeling like 27 degrees in the middle of summer. The edge of pack ice lies ahead. But a clear channel of ice free water seems to lie near the coast. Good luck to them! https://saildogbark.com/

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    Last edited by sleddog; 08-07-2018 at 09:45 AM.

  6. #2746
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    That is the GREATEST selfie I've every seen!!!!!!!!

  7. #2747
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    May 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by Philpott View Post
    That is the GREATEST selfie I've every seen!!!!!!!!
    +1

  8. #2748
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    Sep 2007
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    I have friends who live in north-central Alberta..north of Calgary. It's been in the high 90's for a week and a half. It's supposed to cool off over the weekend and then climb into the 90's again.

    ....in ALBERTA.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  9. #2749
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    Two things you don't what to cross when they come knockin'
    The first is a polar bear at Cross Island, the polar bear capitol of the Beaufort Sea, where our fearless DOGBARKers anchored yesterday afternoon after a 24 hour run from Barrow, AK.

    If you can find Cross Island, you have better cartography than I. It's apparently a small, low island 14 miles northeast of Prudhoe Bay and shaped like a comma, with good protection from most quadrants.

    Cross Island is favored by the local natives as headquarters for subsistence whaling. While hunting migrating Bowhead whales, the Inupiat are themselves being hunted by the big, furry, white critters, called "nanuq.". Recently, a nanuq came knocking at one the island cabins. The residents inside refused to answer, but the bear came in anyway.

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    There wasn't time for posing for a photo. Apparently, the interloping polar bear looked something like this:

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    Even in the middle of the short, Arctic night, they're watching:

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    http://wasillaalaskaby300.squarespac...-your-doo.html

    The other thing you don't want to cross is Jackie Philpott when she is springing you from Alta Bates Hospital and getting you admitted and re-settled into a skilled nursing facility that will get you rehabbed pronto from recent hip replacement.

    Jan B, Honorary SSS Race Committee Chair and no shrinking violet, just had to watch in awe yesterday as Jackie worked her magic in negotiating Jan's release and getting her moved from the 20th floor in Berkeley, to the 2nd floor in Piedmont. Though only four days post surgery, Jan is motivated. It seems Fenton's Ice Creamery is just down the street.

    Heal fast, Jan!
    Last edited by sleddog; 08-10-2018 at 10:11 AM.

  10. #2750
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    With the conclusion of the 2018 Singlehanded Transpac, those of us not at Tree Time in Hanalei are left with more questions than answers. What worked? What didn't? How would you do it differently?

    Happy to say one singlehander, not a SHTP participant, has again invited us along on a recent solo voyage from California to Hawaii, and return.

    Christian Williams' first book, Alone Together, was a wonderful read, and took us along on his 2014 solo passage around the eastern North Pacific aboard THELONIUS, his Ericson 32.

    Christian, a professional writer and story teller, is back again with recently released Philosophy of Sailing, Offshore in Search of the Universe, an account of his 2017 singlehanded passage to Hawaii on a bigger THELONIUS, an Ericson 38. Again, Williams invites us aboard, and in a most readable, and wryly humorous style, details his exhausting prep, and ensuing events on both legs of his TransPacific voyage, as well as what happens in Hawaii when he first steps ashore.

    It's not what you may expect from a solo sailor. With a forepeak of philosophy books, Christian Williams happily entertains us with brief interpretations on universal and timeless questions.

    While Christian reads, writes and shares his enjoyment with the reader, things are happening below and above deck that causes sometimes dramatic attention. I will call them "mysteries," and we tag along with Christian as he applies his keen powers of observation, deduction, and well stocked tool box and attempts to put his mechanical and lifelong sailing skills to good use in figuring out "what's going on?"

    How to repair a cracking gooseneck casting? What's the loud squeaking noise coming from the starboard side of the cabin? Why is THELONIUS slowly but surely losing it's windvane self steering capabilities? Why did the expensive new carbon fiber whisker pole collapse inward with no means of repair? What is that abandoned yacht close abeam with its barnacled bow sticking vertically out of the water? Why won't the engine start? What is that dramatic explosion on deck that sounds like either a collision with a ship, or the mast has fallen down?

    Good stuff. I doubt when Christian set out on his well planned passage, he had any intention of writing a maritime mystery, partly unsolved to this day. I enjoyed the book. You may too.

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