The Effigy of Saltshaker...
...set ablaze...
...and free to sail to the next world. Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Saltshaker's Soul is Set Free
The Effigy of Saltshaker......set ablaze......and free to sail to the next world. 
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Photo-proof of Furthur in the Water
I just realized I haven't posted a photo of Furthur in the water, so here is a shot after one of our doublehanded night practices.
Avoiding Bad Juju
Sailors have a lot of superstitions about naming boats, and some consider it very bad luck to rename a boat. However, when a boat changes owners, her name may be changed if the proper precautions are taken. I have been referring to the SC27 as Furthur, but until recently she still had Saltshaker on the side. Cody removed the old name, and now we are really flirting with disaster.
To remedy the issue and get rid of bad Juju from the name change, you have two choices. First, you can create an effigy of the boat with the old name on it, then set the spirit of the old name free in a viking funeral. Or have a virgin pee in the bilge. Because virgins are hard to find at Eckerd College, and because I don't feel like sponging their piss out of the bilge, I am opting for the first option. Hopefully, once this is done our bad luck will gone for good.
To remedy the issue and get rid of bad Juju from the name change, you have two choices. First, you can create an effigy of the boat with the old name on it, then set the spirit of the old name free in a viking funeral. Or have a virgin pee in the bilge. Because virgins are hard to find at Eckerd College, and because I don't feel like sponging their piss out of the bilge, I am opting for the first option. Hopefully, once this is done our bad luck will gone for good.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Getting the boat out
Recently Furthur has been sailed singlehanded, doublehanded and fully crewed. After Thanksgiving I sailed in the DIYC "New Shoe" singlehanded race against Kuli on a Melges 24, Brian Malone on his J/24 and Tom Barry on a Wavelength 24.
My start and self steering system left a lot to be desired, but the first leg was a hot reach and I was quickly closing the gap on the fleet with the spinnaker up. Unfortunately, I don't know the DIYC marks yet and lost a lot of the ground during a hurried spinnaker douse. A close reach was next and there were no gains or loses.
Upwind, Kuli was very overpowered in the Melges, but was able to depower enough to keep his lead. Tom was suffering with a 150-155% genoa and Brian chugging along with a blade jib. I was using a #3 jib and once I got the jib cars in the right place Furthur was fast and balanced upwind. I was able to play some shifts to catch the Wavelength, though the SC27 should also be faster upwind. Brian missed rounding A mark to starboard before the finish and had to double back to the mark. He rounded in front of Tom and I and lead us to the finish. Tom and I finished overlapped with a two second difference; too bad I owed him time.
After the race, Cody and I doublehanded Furthur from DIYC to Eckerd at night for practice. The breeze was light, but the SC27 moves well in light wind thanks to overlapping jibs, masthead spinnakers and an efficient hull form. The kite was up for most of the practice sail, but we eventually had to douse and jib-reach to stay in deep water. We kept Furhtur at Eckerd for a few days, then I sailed her back to DIYC with Sheehan and our friends Ashley and Martha. It was another night sail, which can be nerve-racking due to shallow water and tons of unlit marks. We made it unscathed, with Ashley keeping a vigilant watch, but we had a few close calls with unmarked buoys.
During the sail back we tried the Larsen 125% #2 jib that was given to us by Sumo after Nationals. Even though it was made of mylar in 1988, the jib is almost unused, probably because the 125% has a narrow wind range. This is good news for our Pacific Cup campaign, as I plan on dropping the 150% as our largest headsail for the 125% to get a better rating. Furthermore, we would be easily overpowered with the 150% sailing doublehanded, but the smaller 125% will allow us to hold it in more wind. Hopefully, we will get to ease the sheets soon after leaving the Golden Gate and get the kite up.
Last Thursday, Cody, Arthur, Tweek and I sailed Furthur in the 2nd of 4 DIYC Full Moon series night race. We had a great start, pacing a J35 all the way down wind and round 5th behind some bigger boats. A clean weather douse allowed us to set the kite at the next mark without having to re-run and spinnaker gear.
Upwind we played a few shifts badly and had the genoa cars too far forward, causing us to lose a few boats. The next downwind was very deep and we had a hard time finding the leeward mark. This made for a hurried douse and we got a spinnaker sheet under the boat. Luckily that was our last downwind and we were able to untie the sheet from the kite and pull it out from under the boat. On the last upwind we played some good shifts and came back to finish mid fleet on corrected time.
Through all this sailing I am learning a lot about how to make a Santa Cruz 27 go. The main seems to like a lot of leech tension in the main and headstay tension/mast bend (controlled by the backstay) has a huge influence on power and point. With everything trimmed right, the boat feels great and hauls. Adding the spinnaker makes everything better and I can't wait for 2000+ miles of surfing to Hawaii.
My start and self steering system left a lot to be desired, but the first leg was a hot reach and I was quickly closing the gap on the fleet with the spinnaker up. Unfortunately, I don't know the DIYC marks yet and lost a lot of the ground during a hurried spinnaker douse. A close reach was next and there were no gains or loses.
Upwind, Kuli was very overpowered in the Melges, but was able to depower enough to keep his lead. Tom was suffering with a 150-155% genoa and Brian chugging along with a blade jib. I was using a #3 jib and once I got the jib cars in the right place Furthur was fast and balanced upwind. I was able to play some shifts to catch the Wavelength, though the SC27 should also be faster upwind. Brian missed rounding A mark to starboard before the finish and had to double back to the mark. He rounded in front of Tom and I and lead us to the finish. Tom and I finished overlapped with a two second difference; too bad I owed him time.
After the race, Cody and I doublehanded Furthur from DIYC to Eckerd at night for practice. The breeze was light, but the SC27 moves well in light wind thanks to overlapping jibs, masthead spinnakers and an efficient hull form. The kite was up for most of the practice sail, but we eventually had to douse and jib-reach to stay in deep water. We kept Furhtur at Eckerd for a few days, then I sailed her back to DIYC with Sheehan and our friends Ashley and Martha. It was another night sail, which can be nerve-racking due to shallow water and tons of unlit marks. We made it unscathed, with Ashley keeping a vigilant watch, but we had a few close calls with unmarked buoys.
During the sail back we tried the Larsen 125% #2 jib that was given to us by Sumo after Nationals. Even though it was made of mylar in 1988, the jib is almost unused, probably because the 125% has a narrow wind range. This is good news for our Pacific Cup campaign, as I plan on dropping the 150% as our largest headsail for the 125% to get a better rating. Furthermore, we would be easily overpowered with the 150% sailing doublehanded, but the smaller 125% will allow us to hold it in more wind. Hopefully, we will get to ease the sheets soon after leaving the Golden Gate and get the kite up.
Last Thursday, Cody, Arthur, Tweek and I sailed Furthur in the 2nd of 4 DIYC Full Moon series night race. We had a great start, pacing a J35 all the way down wind and round 5th behind some bigger boats. A clean weather douse allowed us to set the kite at the next mark without having to re-run and spinnaker gear.
Upwind we played a few shifts badly and had the genoa cars too far forward, causing us to lose a few boats. The next downwind was very deep and we had a hard time finding the leeward mark. This made for a hurried douse and we got a spinnaker sheet under the boat. Luckily that was our last downwind and we were able to untie the sheet from the kite and pull it out from under the boat. On the last upwind we played some good shifts and came back to finish mid fleet on corrected time.
Through all this sailing I am learning a lot about how to make a Santa Cruz 27 go. The main seems to like a lot of leech tension in the main and headstay tension/mast bend (controlled by the backstay) has a huge influence on power and point. With everything trimmed right, the boat feels great and hauls. Adding the spinnaker makes everything better and I can't wait for 2000+ miles of surfing to Hawaii.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Progress
Sorry about the lack of updates in the last month. However, this has been due to too much going on, not too little.
The weekend after the DIYC Classic, Cody, Sheehan and I sailed in the Clearwater Challenge on the Santa Cruz 37 Southern Crescent. Cody and I ran the bow, while Sheehan trimmed jib, spinnaker, helped out in the pit and gave Brian input from around the course when she wasn't otherwise occupied. To quote Brian, "Sheehan, you are my hero." Needless to say, we had some crew issues, but finished 3rd in Spinnaker A Division.
I have also been doing a lot of work with Speed Merchant. A few projects include re-rigging and stepping a Sovrel 30 mast, splicing various things, redesigning the SC37 in-hauler system and a lot of running around. Unfortunately I haven't been spending much time working on Furthur, but I have earned enough to order some new deck hardware and Category 1 race stuff like a water bladder and nav lights.
The weekend after the DIYC Classic, Cody, Sheehan and I sailed in the Clearwater Challenge on the Santa Cruz 37 Southern Crescent. Cody and I ran the bow, while Sheehan trimmed jib, spinnaker, helped out in the pit and gave Brian input from around the course when she wasn't otherwise occupied. To quote Brian, "Sheehan, you are my hero." Needless to say, we had some crew issues, but finished 3rd in Spinnaker A Division.
I have also been doing a lot of work with Speed Merchant. A few projects include re-rigging and stepping a Sovrel 30 mast, splicing various things, redesigning the SC37 in-hauler system and a lot of running around. Unfortunately I haven't been spending much time working on Furthur, but I have earned enough to order some new deck hardware and Category 1 race stuff like a water bladder and nav lights.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Fun sailing on the Santa Cruz
With the boat at Eckerd for the Fall Break long weekend, we would have some time to go sailing for fun. The day after the race, Cody, Callie, Sheehan and I went on a couples sunset cruise. Using the old main and #4 jib, we were perfectly de-powered, yet still quick in the light evening breeze.
There was absolutely no breeze on Monday, but Tuesday brought 15-18 knots out of the south. This was perfect for a reach and run to DIYC in Tampa. Cody, Tweek and I started by motoring south down the channel and under the first bridge south of Eckerd, then hoisted the main and #4. We jib reached on starboard down the channel, then turned down into Tampa Bay and set the 1.5oz kite. With the #4 still up and trimmed loosely like a stay sail, the boat was very balanced on the 090 to 110 degree apparent wind reach and easily surfed the chop on the bay. It was nice to feel how fast the boat was downwind, as well as how dry she was too. We'll see if she stays dry sailing in the Pacific.
After about an hour of this, I saw there was a tear in the spinnaker and we dropped it before it could exploded. We set again, this time with the 1.5oz "chicken kite" with narrow shoulders, but by this point we had to turn down on a run to DIYC. Without the right spinnaker we were underpowered, but Furthur was still fast; Santa Cruz 27s love to go downwind. We pulled up to the hoist, Brian came to check out the boat, and Sheehan came to help us lift the boat and move the trailer with her Xterra.
On the drive back to Eckerd, a rain squall that had been hovering on the horizon during the whole sail hit and started pouring. We were all pretty happy that it didn't hit while we were out sailing.
There was absolutely no breeze on Monday, but Tuesday brought 15-18 knots out of the south. This was perfect for a reach and run to DIYC in Tampa. Cody, Tweek and I started by motoring south down the channel and under the first bridge south of Eckerd, then hoisted the main and #4. We jib reached on starboard down the channel, then turned down into Tampa Bay and set the 1.5oz kite. With the #4 still up and trimmed loosely like a stay sail, the boat was very balanced on the 090 to 110 degree apparent wind reach and easily surfed the chop on the bay. It was nice to feel how fast the boat was downwind, as well as how dry she was too. We'll see if she stays dry sailing in the Pacific.
After about an hour of this, I saw there was a tear in the spinnaker and we dropped it before it could exploded. We set again, this time with the 1.5oz "chicken kite" with narrow shoulders, but by this point we had to turn down on a run to DIYC. Without the right spinnaker we were underpowered, but Furthur was still fast; Santa Cruz 27s love to go downwind. We pulled up to the hoist, Brian came to check out the boat, and Sheehan came to help us lift the boat and move the trailer with her Xterra.
On the drive back to Eckerd, a rain squall that had been hovering on the horizon during the whole sail hit and started pouring. We were all pretty happy that it didn't hit while we were out sailing.
The Davis Island Yacht Club Classic
The DIYC Classic would be the first time Furthur ever touched water outside of the Pacific Ocean (as far as I know). It also be our first time sailing her since SC27 Nationals in July. We launched her at 10:30 a.m. on October 24 and motored to the line for the start warning signal at 11:00. Raising the new (to us) main and 150% genoa given to us by the owner of Sumo after Nationals, we did a few short practice beats to get the sails trimmed and adjusted properly before the start.
The breeze was 5-10 knots out of the south and the start was mellow with no barging or yelling. We stalled up near the boat end to let a bigger boat roll under us, then put the bow down and got moving for the gun. Off the start we didn't have good point, but pulling on more backstay to tension the forestay helped a lot. Our tactics were to play the left side closer to the channel where there appeared to be more breeze and an ebbing tide. This started out as a good plan, until the boats on the right got a huge lift and increased pressure. From this point we tried to consolidate with the rest of the fleet and cut our losses. As the smallest and slowest boat in the Spinnaker B fleet, we watched as the other boats pulled away from us. At this point we settled in to our positions with Cody on the bow, Eric at the mast, Tweek doing pit and grinding, Sheehan trimming and calling tactics, and myself driving, and began working the boat for more speed and point. Due to the distance of the race we would be switching around a lot to keep everyone fresh.
As forecasted, the wind built and began clocking from south to north, effectively lifting us as we turned the corner out of the bay. On a close reach, the larger cruising boats began ripping up to us due to their longer waterlines. The wind continued to build and as we rounded the mark to head to Clearwater, it was apparent that we would be beating 40 miles upwind in 15-20 knots to the finish. This was definitely not the course for a small ULDB: beating, close reaching, then beating again.
We changed down to the 95% #3 jib, which involved its own challenges. The luff blew out of the headfoil during the hoist, but I had found a spectra loop from racing on a new SC37 that had the same problem, and clipped it around the headfoil to the head of the jib with the halyard shackle. This held and kept going, with the steep waves occasionally breaking over the foredeck. As the sun set, the reality that we would be finishing at about 2:00 a.m. with no wind for the delivery home set in, and we made the call to drop out of the race and head for Eckerd. I called the Race Committee to let them know we would be DNFing and we got ready for a fun spinnaker ride back to the main channel.
Unfortunately, while getting ready to set the spinnaker, Cody fell on the tiller trying to clear a wrap in the spinnaker sheet and it cracked. Afraid that it might completely break if overloaded with the kite up, we decided to play it safe and jib reach up the Egmont Key Channel, then motored up to Eckerd.
It was disappointing to be DNF in our first race, but the course the opposite of what a Santa Cruz 27 is designed for and it would be impossible to do well on corrected time. We decided to save the fun of beating up wind for deliveries in the future. On the upside, we learned a lot about sailing a Santa Cruz 27 upwind, as well as what else on the boat needs work or attention.
The wild parts were too wet for a camera, but here are a few photos (not all by me) from the beat out of Tampa Bay.
Watching the tell-tales. I couldn't find the tiller extension so steering was a PITA. I later found out that my couch had eaten it.
Not bad for free sails!
Sheehan and I
Waiting for the spinnaker set that never happened
Sheehan at the helm
The breeze was 5-10 knots out of the south and the start was mellow with no barging or yelling. We stalled up near the boat end to let a bigger boat roll under us, then put the bow down and got moving for the gun. Off the start we didn't have good point, but pulling on more backstay to tension the forestay helped a lot. Our tactics were to play the left side closer to the channel where there appeared to be more breeze and an ebbing tide. This started out as a good plan, until the boats on the right got a huge lift and increased pressure. From this point we tried to consolidate with the rest of the fleet and cut our losses. As the smallest and slowest boat in the Spinnaker B fleet, we watched as the other boats pulled away from us. At this point we settled in to our positions with Cody on the bow, Eric at the mast, Tweek doing pit and grinding, Sheehan trimming and calling tactics, and myself driving, and began working the boat for more speed and point. Due to the distance of the race we would be switching around a lot to keep everyone fresh.
As forecasted, the wind built and began clocking from south to north, effectively lifting us as we turned the corner out of the bay. On a close reach, the larger cruising boats began ripping up to us due to their longer waterlines. The wind continued to build and as we rounded the mark to head to Clearwater, it was apparent that we would be beating 40 miles upwind in 15-20 knots to the finish. This was definitely not the course for a small ULDB: beating, close reaching, then beating again.
We changed down to the 95% #3 jib, which involved its own challenges. The luff blew out of the headfoil during the hoist, but I had found a spectra loop from racing on a new SC37 that had the same problem, and clipped it around the headfoil to the head of the jib with the halyard shackle. This held and kept going, with the steep waves occasionally breaking over the foredeck. As the sun set, the reality that we would be finishing at about 2:00 a.m. with no wind for the delivery home set in, and we made the call to drop out of the race and head for Eckerd. I called the Race Committee to let them know we would be DNFing and we got ready for a fun spinnaker ride back to the main channel.
Unfortunately, while getting ready to set the spinnaker, Cody fell on the tiller trying to clear a wrap in the spinnaker sheet and it cracked. Afraid that it might completely break if overloaded with the kite up, we decided to play it safe and jib reach up the Egmont Key Channel, then motored up to Eckerd.
It was disappointing to be DNF in our first race, but the course the opposite of what a Santa Cruz 27 is designed for and it would be impossible to do well on corrected time. We decided to save the fun of beating up wind for deliveries in the future. On the upside, we learned a lot about sailing a Santa Cruz 27 upwind, as well as what else on the boat needs work or attention.
The wild parts were too wet for a camera, but here are a few photos (not all by me) from the beat out of Tampa Bay.
Watching the tell-tales. I couldn't find the tiller extension so steering was a PITA. I later found out that my couch had eaten it.
Not bad for free sails!
Sheehan and I
Waiting for the spinnaker set that never happened
Sheehan at the helm
Crunch Time for the DIYC Classic
In the week before the race we had a huge list of things to do to the boat including:
-Fill the rudder blisters and tip.
-Install the rudder and tiller.
-Change the sail numbers to 116.
-Re-splice the headsail halyards with a kevlar anti-chafe cover.
-Straighten the mast step.
-Step the rig and tune it (for the first time in three months and 3000 miles later).
-Run the halyards.
-Drill out and fill the holes in the deck with epoxy/filler.
-Wash and Teflon wax the hull.
And we got it all done, with some help from our friends, by Saturday morning for the start of the DIYC Classic. Sheehan especially put in a lot of time, filling the blisters and mangled rudder tip, then fairing them smooth. She also helped removed the old sticky-back sail numbers and applied the new ones. Here are a few photos!
Wetsanding in the dorm courtyard
Sail loft in the dorm. My neighbors don't even think it's weird anymore.
-Fill the rudder blisters and tip.
-Install the rudder and tiller.
-Change the sail numbers to 116.
-Re-splice the headsail halyards with a kevlar anti-chafe cover.
-Straighten the mast step.
-Step the rig and tune it (for the first time in three months and 3000 miles later).
-Run the halyards.
-Drill out and fill the holes in the deck with epoxy/filler.
-Wash and Teflon wax the hull.
And we got it all done, with some help from our friends, by Saturday morning for the start of the DIYC Classic. Sheehan especially put in a lot of time, filling the blisters and mangled rudder tip, then fairing them smooth. She also helped removed the old sticky-back sail numbers and applied the new ones. Here are a few photos!
Wetsanding in the dorm courtyard
Sail loft in the dorm. My neighbors don't even think it's weird anymore.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Getting Furthur race-ready for the DIYC Classic
Furthur's new home at DIYC
Stripping the old pipe berths out. They are nasty 70's cloth that is heavy and absorbs water like a sponge. We will make new ones out of mesh to dry quickly for the Pacific Cup.
Cody throwing the old pipe berth cloth off the boat
Gypsy yard sale
We will soon be stripping the lettering off Saltshaker, she will be re-christened as Furthur.
Removing the mast step so we can reinstall it straight. The tape is to keep water out of the holes and balsa core while we work on it.
Bunks are gone, so is the sun.Over the weekend and today while Cody and I were at DIYC, Sheehan began filling the blisters in the rudder as well as fairing the tip. Here it is curing on my bed...
We still have plenty to do before the DIYC Classic this weekend, but it is very doable. More updates to follow as we keep working.
Working and sailing on a J/24
Cody and I wet-sanded and waxed a J/24, owned by our ex-Eckerd Sailing coach Robbie Brown, last Wednesday in preparation for the 2009 J/24 Southeast Regional Championship Regatta in Jacksonville, Florida. We started with 400 grit sand paper, then 600, finished with 800, then waxed and buffed the hull. We spent most of the day working on the boat, and Cody went back the next day to finish the buffing; in return I drove to DIYC towing the Santa Cruz to her new home in the dry storage boat yard. It was a great opportunity to use some the skills we learned this summer to earn some money to put toward the boat.
Furthermore, Robbie needed a 140 pound person to fill in the "mast" position for Regionals and I fit the bill. I had wanted to sail with Robbie, an awesome J/24 sailor and North Sails rep, for a long time and finally got the chance to. The conditions were puffy and shifty winds starting at 11-15 knots and building to 18-23, with a ripping current, by the end of Saturday's racing. I hadn't seen J/24's surf like this since the 2008 Midwinters and the racing was fast by J/24 standards. We finished the first day in second place and in contention for first place if we sailed well the next day
Sunday brought even more and colder wind, with huge puffs and shifts. We had a hard time finding a groove in these conditions, but kept second place. Team Tarheel won the regatta with five firsts and qualified for the 2010 J/24 World Championships. Robbie was disappointed with the 2nd, but I learned a lot and had a good time. Results can be found here.
Furthermore, Robbie needed a 140 pound person to fill in the "mast" position for Regionals and I fit the bill. I had wanted to sail with Robbie, an awesome J/24 sailor and North Sails rep, for a long time and finally got the chance to. The conditions were puffy and shifty winds starting at 11-15 knots and building to 18-23, with a ripping current, by the end of Saturday's racing. I hadn't seen J/24's surf like this since the 2008 Midwinters and the racing was fast by J/24 standards. We finished the first day in second place and in contention for first place if we sailed well the next day
Sunday brought even more and colder wind, with huge puffs and shifts. We had a hard time finding a groove in these conditions, but kept second place. Team Tarheel won the regatta with five firsts and qualified for the 2010 J/24 World Championships. Robbie was disappointed with the 2nd, but I learned a lot and had a good time. Results can be found here.
Major Contributions
Last week I posted a link to this blog here on the Sailing Anarchy forums, along with some details about the campaign. I got some suggestions for the blog, words of encouragement, the usual SA flak, and an offer from a total stranger to let me borrow his safety equipment for the race.
Sailing Anarchy member "Wash" posted (#9) in the thread and offered to let us borrow his safety equipment for the race. In 2007 he prepped his boat for the TransPac, but ultimately did not start the race. He has offered to loan us a life raft, EPIRB, parachute flares, storm sails, and various things like life jackets, harnesses, headlamps, etc. This took a huge weight off our shoulders, as safety equipment can be the most expensive part of boat prep for a DH Pacific Cup entry, and Cody and I are extremely grateful for he generous offer. Wash has also raced in 6 TransPacs and has offered his advice if we have any questions.
"stinky", a Santa Cruz Sails sailmaker, offered to make us a spinnaker if we could get him the materials. Brian is helping me source some Airx 700 for the kite and Santa Cruz Sails are fast and durable; I have no doubt that "stinky" will make us a great sail. We really appreciate this, as "stinky" is also sailing in the 2010 Pac Cup as a double-handed entry on the Express 27 Tule Fog and depending on the class splits, we may be racing against them.
"dog house" offered to lend us a satellite phone with all the accesories, as well as buy me shoes if I'll wear them. A Sat phone will be our primary communication tool; the Race Committee is experimenting with the double-handers next year, allowing us to call in our position report on the satellite phone. The positions will be typed in by the RC, then emailed to the communication boat, who will read them off before proceeding with roll call on the Single Side Band radio for the rest of the fleet. This is a huge benefit for the smaller boats, an SSB is heavy and uses a huge amount of power. Sat phones are very efficient, easy to use, reliable, and lightweight.
Marc, an experienced local J/24 sailor and offshore sport fisherman, has also offered to let us borrow his life raft, EPIRB, and satellite phone for the race. I am amazed by the volume of these generous offers and may even have to turn some down. Thank you all for your contributions, they will all help us get to the starting line and race to Hawaii with speed and confidence.
There are also a great deal of people helping us with advice and knowledge. "Mr. Clean" of Sailing Anarchy gave me a lot of advice on creating a website and how to find sponsorship. "War Dog" sailed in the 2004 Pacific Cup on a DH Santa Cruz 27 and is making a list of notes about the race and boat prep. While there have been some negative comments in the thread, the positive response has been overwhelming and it is helping us make great strides in our effort to be the youngest crew to sail the Pacific Cup double-handed.
Sailing Anarchy member "Wash" posted (#9) in the thread and offered to let us borrow his safety equipment for the race. In 2007 he prepped his boat for the TransPac, but ultimately did not start the race. He has offered to loan us a life raft, EPIRB, parachute flares, storm sails, and various things like life jackets, harnesses, headlamps, etc. This took a huge weight off our shoulders, as safety equipment can be the most expensive part of boat prep for a DH Pacific Cup entry, and Cody and I are extremely grateful for he generous offer. Wash has also raced in 6 TransPacs and has offered his advice if we have any questions.
"stinky", a Santa Cruz Sails sailmaker, offered to make us a spinnaker if we could get him the materials. Brian is helping me source some Airx 700 for the kite and Santa Cruz Sails are fast and durable; I have no doubt that "stinky" will make us a great sail. We really appreciate this, as "stinky" is also sailing in the 2010 Pac Cup as a double-handed entry on the Express 27 Tule Fog and depending on the class splits, we may be racing against them.
"dog house" offered to lend us a satellite phone with all the accesories, as well as buy me shoes if I'll wear them. A Sat phone will be our primary communication tool; the Race Committee is experimenting with the double-handers next year, allowing us to call in our position report on the satellite phone. The positions will be typed in by the RC, then emailed to the communication boat, who will read them off before proceeding with roll call on the Single Side Band radio for the rest of the fleet. This is a huge benefit for the smaller boats, an SSB is heavy and uses a huge amount of power. Sat phones are very efficient, easy to use, reliable, and lightweight.
Marc, an experienced local J/24 sailor and offshore sport fisherman, has also offered to let us borrow his life raft, EPIRB, and satellite phone for the race. I am amazed by the volume of these generous offers and may even have to turn some down. Thank you all for your contributions, they will all help us get to the starting line and race to Hawaii with speed and confidence.
There are also a great deal of people helping us with advice and knowledge. "Mr. Clean" of Sailing Anarchy gave me a lot of advice on creating a website and how to find sponsorship. "War Dog" sailed in the 2004 Pacific Cup on a DH Santa Cruz 27 and is making a list of notes about the race and boat prep. While there have been some negative comments in the thread, the positive response has been overwhelming and it is helping us make great strides in our effort to be the youngest crew to sail the Pacific Cup double-handed.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Where we're at now
Eckerd College is starting to get a little upset about Furthur's residence in the freshman parking lot and threatened in an email to tow the boat in one week. I thought about just taking the wheels off the trailer, but that's probably not the best approach. Luckily, my membership application to the Davis Island Yacht Club is almost through and then I'll be able to keep Furthur on the trailer in dry storage with access to a hoist and active racing. There is a little bit more work to do before we can go sailing, but we're almost ready for the Florida winter season. Hopefully we will get everything done in time for the DIYC Classic, a 60-something mile distance race from Tampa Bay to Clearwater.
We are also looking for sponsors and contributors. The Pacific Cup does not allow sponsor logos on any part of the boat during the race, but battle flags, team gear and pre-race advertising are all free game. We could also take sponsors out on the boat, both to enjoy a nice sail and get a taste of our life during the race.
Also, if you have any safety equipment we could borrow for the Pacific Cup (to be returned after the race in the same condition), we would be eternally grateful. Not doing the race, but have a liferaft? Please let us borrow it! Or parachute flares or an EPIRB or Satellite Phone! Any kind of contribution will be recognized here and I am working to get more viewers. If you are interested in helping our campaign to be the youngest crew to sail the Pacific Cup doublehanded, please email me at clappijh@eckerd.edu.
We are also looking for sponsors and contributors. The Pacific Cup does not allow sponsor logos on any part of the boat during the race, but battle flags, team gear and pre-race advertising are all free game. We could also take sponsors out on the boat, both to enjoy a nice sail and get a taste of our life during the race.
Also, if you have any safety equipment we could borrow for the Pacific Cup (to be returned after the race in the same condition), we would be eternally grateful. Not doing the race, but have a liferaft? Please let us borrow it! Or parachute flares or an EPIRB or Satellite Phone! Any kind of contribution will be recognized here and I am working to get more viewers. If you are interested in helping our campaign to be the youngest crew to sail the Pacific Cup doublehanded, please email me at clappijh@eckerd.edu.
Further Work on Furthur at Eckerd
Moving the Mast to Kappa (our dorm)
Work area: outdoors with power, not bad
Using a dremel to round and smooth the halyard exits. A rat tail file ended up being easier to use and faster.
The dremel was perfect for grinding out small blisters in the rudder to dry out, then fill and fair.
The Drive
Furthur will have about 6000 road miles under her keel before the start of Pacific Cup. After Pacific Cup she may have that many with her keel in the water since Cody and I will be sailing her back to California for the race. We joke about difficult situations as "training" for Pacific Cup, and this drive would prove to be quite a challenge.
Driving to San Diego in the midday sun over I-5 had the Jeep close to overheating, even with the windows down and no A/C. Going over the Grapevine, the Jeep's coolant temperature began to creep toward the red, so I cranked on the heat to help cool the engine. This helped, but not enough and I had to pull off the road to let the engine cool off. The Jeep had plenty of power, but the cooling system couldn't keep up.
With the sun setting and the Jeep cooler, I made it up the Grapevine and began my descent into Southern California. The trailer brakes made a huge difference and the 4000lbs trailer didn't push the 3500lbs Jeep around at all. Between the trailer brakes and manual transmission I was easily able to slow safely, even downhill. Unfortunately, Southern California drivers can't merge at freeway speeds, even though they're driving a BMW, which forces the Jeep with the big boat to take evasive maneuvers to avoid them. At night this was even harder and I almost took out a black Mini Cooper that decided to cut me off and then do a brake check. I got to San Diego without any major mechanical issues and it was great to see Sheehan after 5 weeks of being apart.
We spent a few nice days in San Diego; Sheehan showed me the sights, including the BMW Oracle trimaran "Dogzilla." But we had to leave with enough time to make it across the country with break downs and have Sheehan in Naples by August 24th for her wisdom teeth.
Our plans of leaving early on August 17 failed, though this was for the better as our first leg would be across the high deserts of California, Arizona and New Mexico. Even still, I had to drive with the heat on full blast in the 100 degree desert sun to keep the Jeep from overheating. All I can say is this sucked. I was also amazed that there were Border Patrol check points on the freeway. All traffic had to bottle neck through a checkpoint, with each vehicle stopping to answer the Border Patrol officer's questions. My boat in the desert really interested them, but the officers were always polite, even friendly, and I was never searched. We made it to Yuma by sunset for dinner at In-N-Out Burger and an air conditioning overdose at Best Buy.
To keep the Jeep from overheating constantly and me being miserably hot, we decided to keep driving through the night. This worked much better, the Jeep and I were both much cooler, though I still couldn't use the A/C. We made it to Las Cruces, NM, by sunrise, got a motel room and crashed for the day. That night we set off again, taking an alternate over some mountains to avoid the constant Border Patrol check points. As we drove up the mountains, a thunder storm rolled over them, illuminating part of the mountains with flashes of lightning. We cruised down the back of the mountain range, the peaks silhouetted by the passing lightning storm. Sunrise found us in Texas, and while getting gas I found a leak from the rear differential pinion seal. I got more gear oil at the gas station and added some; though not much was gone. Hoping it would remain a slow leak, I decided to check the gear oil level at every gas stop (of which there were many). With the sun coming up, we stopped in Ozona Texas to get a motel room. A friendly local woman gave us directions to a nice and cheap motel when she saw me checking the rear differential oil.
As the sun set, Sheehan and I got on the road. The long straight Texas freeway never seemed to end until we hit morning traffic at dawn in Houston. Not in the mood to fight traffic after driving all night, Sheehan and I tried to sleep in the boat until it got too hot. This had been our original plan to save on motel bills, but the boat became an oven during the day. After our nap we pressed on into Louisiana. The desert morphed into wetlands and we were soon driving in white-out conditions from a rain squall. The rain was a great change from the desert sun, so I cracked another Red Bull as we drove over the rivers and marshes of Louisiana.
Other than the overheating issues in the desert, the Jeep was running great and the trailer was holding together. Near the Mississippi-Alabama border, the trailer tongue jack vibrated its pin out and made a bid for freedom on the highway. It also landed so the left trailer tire would run it over. Sheehan immediately called me and we pulled off the highway. I ran back about half a mile to find the jack in the bushes next to the highway. Amazingly it was still intact and luckily no one else hit it. To be on the safe side I threw the jack in the back of the Jeep. An hour later the left trailer tire blew out in three places at 55 mph. The trailer swerved some and eased the Jeep onto the shoulder. A quick tire change and we were back on the road, but soon decided we'd had enough carnage and got a motel room for the night.
Being able to sleep at night and drive during the day was a welcome change. Since my spare tire was a Load Range D and primary tires Load Range E, I thought it be best that I get a new tire with the correct load range. I bought a lifetime tire warranty with the tires from Discount/America's Tire, too bad there aren't any in Alabama. I found a small shop that could get me a tire in afew hours for $50; with that ordered Sheehan and I got breakfast at IHOP and waited. When the tire arrived, they mounted it and let me back the trailer into the bay so they could install it; of course it was pouring rain outside. We chose to get back on the road despite the rain, with Eckerd and Naples our final goal. This was our last leg, everything just had to hold together.
About 150 miles out of Tampa I felt the Jeep vibrate badly for a second before the rear u-joint came apart and the rear drive shaft banging between the road and floorboards. I put in the clutch and the drive shaft luckily caught itself on the e-brake cable. Coasting to the shoulder, I found myself asking the Jeep why it had to break so close to home. To keep going I would remove the rear drive shaft from the transfer case and then drive in 4 wheel drive with only the front axle getting power. To keep from overloading and destroying the Jeep's transfer case, Sheehan would tow the boat the rest of the way with her Nissan Xterra. The Jeep was now a real handful in front wheel drive because of the locker, whenever it engaged or disengaged the Jeep would try to change lanes. The Xterra was also having a hard time, its rear suspension nearly bottomed out. But we finally made it to Eckerd, I stashed the boat and Jeep in the gravel north parking lot, put some of my stuff in Sheehan's car and we headed to her mom's house in Naples to get some sleep.
Driving to San Diego in the midday sun over I-5 had the Jeep close to overheating, even with the windows down and no A/C. Going over the Grapevine, the Jeep's coolant temperature began to creep toward the red, so I cranked on the heat to help cool the engine. This helped, but not enough and I had to pull off the road to let the engine cool off. The Jeep had plenty of power, but the cooling system couldn't keep up.
With the sun setting and the Jeep cooler, I made it up the Grapevine and began my descent into Southern California. The trailer brakes made a huge difference and the 4000lbs trailer didn't push the 3500lbs Jeep around at all. Between the trailer brakes and manual transmission I was easily able to slow safely, even downhill. Unfortunately, Southern California drivers can't merge at freeway speeds, even though they're driving a BMW, which forces the Jeep with the big boat to take evasive maneuvers to avoid them. At night this was even harder and I almost took out a black Mini Cooper that decided to cut me off and then do a brake check. I got to San Diego without any major mechanical issues and it was great to see Sheehan after 5 weeks of being apart.
We spent a few nice days in San Diego; Sheehan showed me the sights, including the BMW Oracle trimaran "Dogzilla." But we had to leave with enough time to make it across the country with break downs and have Sheehan in Naples by August 24th for her wisdom teeth.
Our plans of leaving early on August 17 failed, though this was for the better as our first leg would be across the high deserts of California, Arizona and New Mexico. Even still, I had to drive with the heat on full blast in the 100 degree desert sun to keep the Jeep from overheating. All I can say is this sucked. I was also amazed that there were Border Patrol check points on the freeway. All traffic had to bottle neck through a checkpoint, with each vehicle stopping to answer the Border Patrol officer's questions. My boat in the desert really interested them, but the officers were always polite, even friendly, and I was never searched. We made it to Yuma by sunset for dinner at In-N-Out Burger and an air conditioning overdose at Best Buy.
To keep the Jeep from overheating constantly and me being miserably hot, we decided to keep driving through the night. This worked much better, the Jeep and I were both much cooler, though I still couldn't use the A/C. We made it to Las Cruces, NM, by sunrise, got a motel room and crashed for the day. That night we set off again, taking an alternate over some mountains to avoid the constant Border Patrol check points. As we drove up the mountains, a thunder storm rolled over them, illuminating part of the mountains with flashes of lightning. We cruised down the back of the mountain range, the peaks silhouetted by the passing lightning storm. Sunrise found us in Texas, and while getting gas I found a leak from the rear differential pinion seal. I got more gear oil at the gas station and added some; though not much was gone. Hoping it would remain a slow leak, I decided to check the gear oil level at every gas stop (of which there were many). With the sun coming up, we stopped in Ozona Texas to get a motel room. A friendly local woman gave us directions to a nice and cheap motel when she saw me checking the rear differential oil.
As the sun set, Sheehan and I got on the road. The long straight Texas freeway never seemed to end until we hit morning traffic at dawn in Houston. Not in the mood to fight traffic after driving all night, Sheehan and I tried to sleep in the boat until it got too hot. This had been our original plan to save on motel bills, but the boat became an oven during the day. After our nap we pressed on into Louisiana. The desert morphed into wetlands and we were soon driving in white-out conditions from a rain squall. The rain was a great change from the desert sun, so I cracked another Red Bull as we drove over the rivers and marshes of Louisiana.
Other than the overheating issues in the desert, the Jeep was running great and the trailer was holding together. Near the Mississippi-Alabama border, the trailer tongue jack vibrated its pin out and made a bid for freedom on the highway. It also landed so the left trailer tire would run it over. Sheehan immediately called me and we pulled off the highway. I ran back about half a mile to find the jack in the bushes next to the highway. Amazingly it was still intact and luckily no one else hit it. To be on the safe side I threw the jack in the back of the Jeep. An hour later the left trailer tire blew out in three places at 55 mph. The trailer swerved some and eased the Jeep onto the shoulder. A quick tire change and we were back on the road, but soon decided we'd had enough carnage and got a motel room for the night.
Being able to sleep at night and drive during the day was a welcome change. Since my spare tire was a Load Range D and primary tires Load Range E, I thought it be best that I get a new tire with the correct load range. I bought a lifetime tire warranty with the tires from Discount/America's Tire, too bad there aren't any in Alabama. I found a small shop that could get me a tire in afew hours for $50; with that ordered Sheehan and I got breakfast at IHOP and waited. When the tire arrived, they mounted it and let me back the trailer into the bay so they could install it; of course it was pouring rain outside. We chose to get back on the road despite the rain, with Eckerd and Naples our final goal. This was our last leg, everything just had to hold together.
About 150 miles out of Tampa I felt the Jeep vibrate badly for a second before the rear u-joint came apart and the rear drive shaft banging between the road and floorboards. I put in the clutch and the drive shaft luckily caught itself on the e-brake cable. Coasting to the shoulder, I found myself asking the Jeep why it had to break so close to home. To keep going I would remove the rear drive shaft from the transfer case and then drive in 4 wheel drive with only the front axle getting power. To keep from overloading and destroying the Jeep's transfer case, Sheehan would tow the boat the rest of the way with her Nissan Xterra. The Jeep was now a real handful in front wheel drive because of the locker, whenever it engaged or disengaged the Jeep would try to change lanes. The Xterra was also having a hard time, its rear suspension nearly bottomed out. But we finally made it to Eckerd, I stashed the boat and Jeep in the gravel north parking lot, put some of my stuff in Sheehan's car and we headed to her mom's house in Naples to get some sleep.
Getting ready to go cross-country
After a great delivery from Hawaii to SF Bay on Criminal Mischief, I had about a week and a half to get the trailer and Jeep ready to drive from California to Eckerd College in Florida.
The trailer was made in 1979 and had some rust poking through the teal paint, but it was structurally sound. The surge brake system was shot with rust, a fender came off on the way to Nationals, and the bunks had been recarpeted by the previous owner before selling me the boat, but the wood was cracking and the bolts almost rusted through. Luckily, the bearings were good and never got how on any of the tows. I would need to get new wood for the bunks, new carpet, rebuild the entire brake system, solder the trailer wiring and get the tires replaced. And this was just the trailer!
My Jeep is also not the best tow vehicle. In high school I was really into off-roading and built my Cherokee into a great wheeling machine. Unfortunately, 32" mud tires,soft springs and locking differentials all make towing harder.
Furthermore, the Jeep likes to overheat and the rear driveshaft angle is slightly out of alignment, causing a vibration at freeway speeds. On the upside, I regeared the differentials with 4.10 gears to offset the larger tires. A lower gear ratio and manual transmission allow the Jeep to get as much torque to the wheels as possible. And I can fix almost anything that could go wrong with the Jeep.
The day after I got home I ordered a new brake master cylinder, brake shoes, wheel cylinders and tail lights for the trailer. They would arrive in a week, leaving me just enough time to rebuild the brakes and head down to meet Sheehan in San Diego before convoying to Florida. In the mean time I would have to search for a hoist I could use to launch Furthur so I could replace the trailer bunks. I decided to replace the 12'x2"x6" planks with pressure treated 14x2"x8" planks to give more support for the hull. Several local carpet stores gave me old rolls of carpet and I found one strip that was the right length.
Richmond Yacht Club was nice enough to let me use their hoist, so my Dad and I drove to Richmond to work on the boat. I let my Dad drive there so he could get a feel for the Jeep and give me his thoughts on its towing ability. Arriving at Richmond, my Dad was surprised how well the Jeep did. He taught me almost everything I know about driving, building things and working on cars, so an all clear from him was a good sign. We quickly launched Furthur and began ripping the old bunks out. The bolts holding them to the supports were undersized, rusty and almost worn through. The wood wasn't much better. Taking careful measurements, we cut and drilled the new bunks. We then bent them to the shape of the hull using a hand winch and bolted them on with galvanized hardware.
Next, we put on the new (to me) carpet, securing it with a roofing nail every foot. With the sun almost setting and Richmond about to get ridiculously cold, we hoisted out the boat, rinsed her with freshwater and put her back on the trailer for the drive home. The new bunks looked great, add more support for the hull and are definitely stronger.
My next objective was to get the Jeep in the best possible condition. I ran a heavy duty radiator cleaner through the cooling system and cleaned all the mud out of the radiator. This would hopefully help with the overheating issue as both the electrical and mechanical fans were working fine. I also changed the oil, spark plugs and did a few other service things to the Jeep.
Continuing with the trailer, I called several tire stores and got a great price on new tires. Then I checked my email and found out that the brake master cylinder I ordered was out of stock and wouldn't arrive until the day I wanted to leave. I frantically called local boat shops until I found one with the part in Stockton, so I canceled my order for that part. I installed the brake master cylinder I got in Stockton and began stripping off the old brake hardware. Two days later I got the new parts in the mail, including a brake master cylinder! The rest brake rebuild went fairly smoothly (except for adjusting the star wheels) and I learned how to double-flare hard brake line (its kind of a pain in the ass if you want to know). Bleeding the brakes was pretty hard since the fluid reservoir is tiny and kept sucking in air bubbles, but my Dad and I eventually got it. I reattached the broken fender and bolted on the wheels with new tires. Meanwhile, my Dad helped my last minute scramble by soldering the trailed light wiring. The next morning I finished packing up the Jeep and boat and headed for San Diego to meet up with Sheehan.
The trailer was made in 1979 and had some rust poking through the teal paint, but it was structurally sound. The surge brake system was shot with rust, a fender came off on the way to Nationals, and the bunks had been recarpeted by the previous owner before selling me the boat, but the wood was cracking and the bolts almost rusted through. Luckily, the bearings were good and never got how on any of the tows. I would need to get new wood for the bunks, new carpet, rebuild the entire brake system, solder the trailer wiring and get the tires replaced. And this was just the trailer!
My Jeep is also not the best tow vehicle. In high school I was really into off-roading and built my Cherokee into a great wheeling machine. Unfortunately, 32" mud tires,soft springs and locking differentials all make towing harder.
Furthermore, the Jeep likes to overheat and the rear driveshaft angle is slightly out of alignment, causing a vibration at freeway speeds. On the upside, I regeared the differentials with 4.10 gears to offset the larger tires. A lower gear ratio and manual transmission allow the Jeep to get as much torque to the wheels as possible. And I can fix almost anything that could go wrong with the Jeep.
The day after I got home I ordered a new brake master cylinder, brake shoes, wheel cylinders and tail lights for the trailer. They would arrive in a week, leaving me just enough time to rebuild the brakes and head down to meet Sheehan in San Diego before convoying to Florida. In the mean time I would have to search for a hoist I could use to launch Furthur so I could replace the trailer bunks. I decided to replace the 12'x2"x6" planks with pressure treated 14x2"x8" planks to give more support for the hull. Several local carpet stores gave me old rolls of carpet and I found one strip that was the right length.
Richmond Yacht Club was nice enough to let me use their hoist, so my Dad and I drove to Richmond to work on the boat. I let my Dad drive there so he could get a feel for the Jeep and give me his thoughts on its towing ability. Arriving at Richmond, my Dad was surprised how well the Jeep did. He taught me almost everything I know about driving, building things and working on cars, so an all clear from him was a good sign. We quickly launched Furthur and began ripping the old bunks out. The bolts holding them to the supports were undersized, rusty and almost worn through. The wood wasn't much better. Taking careful measurements, we cut and drilled the new bunks. We then bent them to the shape of the hull using a hand winch and bolted them on with galvanized hardware.
Next, we put on the new (to me) carpet, securing it with a roofing nail every foot. With the sun almost setting and Richmond about to get ridiculously cold, we hoisted out the boat, rinsed her with freshwater and put her back on the trailer for the drive home. The new bunks looked great, add more support for the hull and are definitely stronger.
My next objective was to get the Jeep in the best possible condition. I ran a heavy duty radiator cleaner through the cooling system and cleaned all the mud out of the radiator. This would hopefully help with the overheating issue as both the electrical and mechanical fans were working fine. I also changed the oil, spark plugs and did a few other service things to the Jeep.
Continuing with the trailer, I called several tire stores and got a great price on new tires. Then I checked my email and found out that the brake master cylinder I ordered was out of stock and wouldn't arrive until the day I wanted to leave. I frantically called local boat shops until I found one with the part in Stockton, so I canceled my order for that part. I installed the brake master cylinder I got in Stockton and began stripping off the old brake hardware. Two days later I got the new parts in the mail, including a brake master cylinder! The rest brake rebuild went fairly smoothly (except for adjusting the star wheels) and I learned how to double-flare hard brake line (its kind of a pain in the ass if you want to know). Bleeding the brakes was pretty hard since the fluid reservoir is tiny and kept sucking in air bubbles, but my Dad and I eventually got it. I reattached the broken fender and bolted on the wheels with new tires. Meanwhile, my Dad helped my last minute scramble by soldering the trailed light wiring. The next morning I finished packing up the Jeep and boat and headed for San Diego to meet up with Sheehan.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Santa Cruz 27 Nationals
While working on the boat, I found out that the Santa Cruz 27 Nationals were being held July 10-12 in Monterey. With serious progress being made on the boat, I began trying to figure out how to race in the Nationals. However, I had a delivery on Criminal Mischief from SF Bay to Long Beach for the start of TransPac just before Nationals, so it was going to be a major push to make it.
Speed Merchant Services hooked us up with new standing (3/16" wire) and running rigging (1/4" Warpspeed) at wholesale prices and expedited the shipping to get it to us on time. The rigging arrived on Thursday, with the first race of Nationals the next day. The Jeep was loaded up, the boat and mast strapped down, and with a quick check of the new rigging we headed down to Monterey.
We got down to Monterey in the early evening and began setting everything up to re-step the mast for the first time. Several other SC27 owners came by to introduce themselves and wish us luck, but they didn't seem very confident in our efforts to be ready to race the next day. Barry Whittall, the owner of Variety Show, was kind enough to loan us an old 3/4oz spinnaker, which was lacking in our downwind sail inventory. The rest of our crew began to trickle in from around the state and help with the rigging. The crew was comprised of high school and college sailing friends and it was the first time I had seen some of them in a long time. Our line-up was Cody Spruce on foredeck, David Kurtmen as mast/grinder, Michael "Tweek" Whelden in the pit, Cole Davis as a trimmer, Sheehan Commette (my girlfriend and Snipe sailor extraordinaire) as tactician and trimmer, and myself as the skipper. Working together, Saltshaker hit the water around 4 a.m. and we had the rig up shortly after. I had been stripping and splicing the halyards while the standing rigging was set up, but decided to wait until the morning to run them. With the boat in the water and mast up, the crew dispersed to sleep for a few hours.
Around 7 a.m. I woke up and within 10 minutes was finishing the splices on the new halyards while some of the SC27 class watched and expressed their surprise that the boat was in the water and rafted up with the rest of the fleet. Finished splicing, I put on my climbing harness and free climbed the rig to start dropping the halyards in; the feeder lines I ran while pulling the old halyards just went from the masthead to the exits. When I was done with that, Sheehan tuned the rig while everyone else began showing up and finishing random little things around the boat. We were the last SC27 to leave the harbor for the noon start.
Breezy conditions allowed us to use the #3 jib for the start of the first race and we were doing well, but as the wind got lighter everyone switched to #1 genoas. We did the same, except our #1, made in 1988, was so blown out that even strapped at the chainplates, it was a foot off the spreader tip with the jib cars all the way forward. This kept us from pointing well upwind and we lost a few positions on the last beat to finish 7th out of 12 boats. The breeze came on again for the second race, a "distance race" of several miles, and we were doing well before the wind lightened to #1 conditions. Sailing 15 degrees lower than everyone else, the boats behind us caught up and then the jib pulled out of the head foil. Now we really couldn't point and while going for a close duck of a starboard boat, they tacked and we collided, putting a hole in the port side of their boat near the transom and above the waterline. There were no injuries, but since we were the port-tack boat and in the wrong, I radioed the Race Committee to withdraw from the race and we motored in.
Luckily, the Santa Cruz 27 class is very close-knit and friendly and the owner of the boat I hit was very nice and understanding. I offered to help repair the damage so they could keep racing, but his crew was already on the job. It also turned out that the co-owner and skipper of the boat was Bob DeWitt, the SC27 Class President; what a great way to introduce myself...
Back on Saltshaker, the crew was trying to figure out our head foil issue. I'm pretty sure it was the original head foil from 1979 and the plastic was cracked and brittle from three decades in the sun. A crack was running vertically up the inside of jib luff groove, allowing it to spread open under load. Also, bottom of the head foil were pretty FUBAR, making it hard to reset the jib for hoists. Our solution was to cut the bottom 6" off to get past the worst parts and try to file it the end to fit in the metal feeder. Also, there wasn't enough throw in the backstay or rig tension, so I shortened the spectra cascades and Sheehan borrowed a Loos gauge to tighten and further tune the rig. Luckily for us, there was no damage to Saltshaker in the collision.
The second day of racing brought lighter winds for #1 conditions, but we chose to use the #3, an almost unused 1988 Kevlar/Mylar jib, and retain our point at the expense of speed. We nailed the first start and were holding our lane when the jib came out of the head foil. This, and the #1 conditions, plagued us for the rest of the day, taking a 10th, 12th and 12th. However, we figured out the jib was coming down top to bottom because the head was actually poking out of the top of the head foil. This spread the head foil at the top and the jib zipper down. None of our jury rigs on the water were able to keep the head foil up, but back at the dock we sourced two small hose clamps. These, wrapped in Gorilla Tape, seemed adequate in keeping the head foil up.
The last day of racing brought 15-20 knots of breeze and 2-3 foot seas: perfect conditions for the #3 and surfing downwind. Working our way through the fleet, my crew hiked hard, ignoring the pain of sitting on the thin metal toerail. Sheehan fed me excellent tactics and I worked the traveler aggressively as other boats rounded up in puffs. We rounded the windward mark in 3rd and worked the boat downwind for all her worth. Being an Ultra Light, the Santa Cruz 27 loves sailing downwind in breeze, especially if there is some swell to surf. Sailing the boat like a dinghy, we gave one good pump of the sails down every wave to maximize our surfing speed, passing the 2nd place boat and closing in on the leader, Hanalei. We rounded in 2nd, but the last upwind to the finish was closer to shore with lighter and shiftier breeze. Both Hanalei and the third place boat changed to #1's for this beat, and we slid back to finish 3rd due to lack of boat speed.
As the wind got lighter throughout the day, all we could do was try to sail our best with the #3 and make gains during tacks, tactics, mark roundings, and downwind boat speed. We finished the last race in 9th, taking last place in the regatta by 1 point. However, we did get the "Turtle Trophy" for the last place boat! And more importantly, nothing on the boat broke during the last day, including the head foil.
We also made plenty of new friends and connections in the Santa Cruz 27 class, which is very close-knit. Rob Schuyler, 6 time SC27 National Champion and winner of the 2009 Nationals, came to me at end of the day on Sunday and said "If I see you back here with new sails next year, I'll be worried." Furthermore, the owner of Sumo gave us about 7 sails which he said, "Aren't new, but are a hell of a lot better than what you have." These sails included 2 #1's (one of which is Carbon), 1 #2 (all made by Santa Cruz Sails, a small loft in Santa Cruz with a great reputation), as well as 2 mains, another Kevlar #3 and storm jib, all by Larsen Sails (who no longer exist). Here is a link to the full results of the 2009 Santa Cruz 27 Nationals
With nowhere to go really, I decided to haul the boat the next day so other people on a schedule could get theirs out of the water. Sheehan had to drive back to San Diego and Dave to Santa Barbara. The rest of us just hung around the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club and fiddled with the boat. Cole, Tweek, and I sailed in Monterey bay during high school, and it was nice to be back where I first learned to race sailboats.
The next day we de-stepped the mast, hauled out the boat and got everything ready to hit the road. On the way north we stopped at Ballenger spars to get the forestay shortened and again in Santa Cruz to pick up the free sails. I also took this as an opportunity to tow the boat over Highway 17, which is a steep and twisty grade, to practice for the long drive to Florida. Given our bad luck at Nationals, Cody and I decided to rename the boat Furthur. Many thanks to the owner of Sumo for the new (to us) sails, Bob DeWitt for being so nice and understanding, Boat US for doing a great job as an insurance company in fixing Duet, and Chuck Coyer of SMS for rushing to get me new rigging on a job where they made no profit.
With the Santa Cruz safely wedged next to the house and unloaded, Cody and I relaxed for a few days before flying to Hawaii to deliver two TransPac boats back to California. I would be on the R/P 45 Criminal Mischief and Cody on the TP52 Valkyrie.
Speed Merchant Services hooked us up with new standing (3/16" wire) and running rigging (1/4" Warpspeed) at wholesale prices and expedited the shipping to get it to us on time. The rigging arrived on Thursday, with the first race of Nationals the next day. The Jeep was loaded up, the boat and mast strapped down, and with a quick check of the new rigging we headed down to Monterey.
We got down to Monterey in the early evening and began setting everything up to re-step the mast for the first time. Several other SC27 owners came by to introduce themselves and wish us luck, but they didn't seem very confident in our efforts to be ready to race the next day. Barry Whittall, the owner of Variety Show, was kind enough to loan us an old 3/4oz spinnaker, which was lacking in our downwind sail inventory. The rest of our crew began to trickle in from around the state and help with the rigging. The crew was comprised of high school and college sailing friends and it was the first time I had seen some of them in a long time. Our line-up was Cody Spruce on foredeck, David Kurtmen as mast/grinder, Michael "Tweek" Whelden in the pit, Cole Davis as a trimmer, Sheehan Commette (my girlfriend and Snipe sailor extraordinaire) as tactician and trimmer, and myself as the skipper. Working together, Saltshaker hit the water around 4 a.m. and we had the rig up shortly after. I had been stripping and splicing the halyards while the standing rigging was set up, but decided to wait until the morning to run them. With the boat in the water and mast up, the crew dispersed to sleep for a few hours.
Around 7 a.m. I woke up and within 10 minutes was finishing the splices on the new halyards while some of the SC27 class watched and expressed their surprise that the boat was in the water and rafted up with the rest of the fleet. Finished splicing, I put on my climbing harness and free climbed the rig to start dropping the halyards in; the feeder lines I ran while pulling the old halyards just went from the masthead to the exits. When I was done with that, Sheehan tuned the rig while everyone else began showing up and finishing random little things around the boat. We were the last SC27 to leave the harbor for the noon start.
Breezy conditions allowed us to use the #3 jib for the start of the first race and we were doing well, but as the wind got lighter everyone switched to #1 genoas. We did the same, except our #1, made in 1988, was so blown out that even strapped at the chainplates, it was a foot off the spreader tip with the jib cars all the way forward. This kept us from pointing well upwind and we lost a few positions on the last beat to finish 7th out of 12 boats. The breeze came on again for the second race, a "distance race" of several miles, and we were doing well before the wind lightened to #1 conditions. Sailing 15 degrees lower than everyone else, the boats behind us caught up and then the jib pulled out of the head foil. Now we really couldn't point and while going for a close duck of a starboard boat, they tacked and we collided, putting a hole in the port side of their boat near the transom and above the waterline. There were no injuries, but since we were the port-tack boat and in the wrong, I radioed the Race Committee to withdraw from the race and we motored in.
Luckily, the Santa Cruz 27 class is very close-knit and friendly and the owner of the boat I hit was very nice and understanding. I offered to help repair the damage so they could keep racing, but his crew was already on the job. It also turned out that the co-owner and skipper of the boat was Bob DeWitt, the SC27 Class President; what a great way to introduce myself...
Back on Saltshaker, the crew was trying to figure out our head foil issue. I'm pretty sure it was the original head foil from 1979 and the plastic was cracked and brittle from three decades in the sun. A crack was running vertically up the inside of jib luff groove, allowing it to spread open under load. Also, bottom of the head foil were pretty FUBAR, making it hard to reset the jib for hoists. Our solution was to cut the bottom 6" off to get past the worst parts and try to file it the end to fit in the metal feeder. Also, there wasn't enough throw in the backstay or rig tension, so I shortened the spectra cascades and Sheehan borrowed a Loos gauge to tighten and further tune the rig. Luckily for us, there was no damage to Saltshaker in the collision.
The second day of racing brought lighter winds for #1 conditions, but we chose to use the #3, an almost unused 1988 Kevlar/Mylar jib, and retain our point at the expense of speed. We nailed the first start and were holding our lane when the jib came out of the head foil. This, and the #1 conditions, plagued us for the rest of the day, taking a 10th, 12th and 12th. However, we figured out the jib was coming down top to bottom because the head was actually poking out of the top of the head foil. This spread the head foil at the top and the jib zipper down. None of our jury rigs on the water were able to keep the head foil up, but back at the dock we sourced two small hose clamps. These, wrapped in Gorilla Tape, seemed adequate in keeping the head foil up.
The last day of racing brought 15-20 knots of breeze and 2-3 foot seas: perfect conditions for the #3 and surfing downwind. Working our way through the fleet, my crew hiked hard, ignoring the pain of sitting on the thin metal toerail. Sheehan fed me excellent tactics and I worked the traveler aggressively as other boats rounded up in puffs. We rounded the windward mark in 3rd and worked the boat downwind for all her worth. Being an Ultra Light, the Santa Cruz 27 loves sailing downwind in breeze, especially if there is some swell to surf. Sailing the boat like a dinghy, we gave one good pump of the sails down every wave to maximize our surfing speed, passing the 2nd place boat and closing in on the leader, Hanalei. We rounded in 2nd, but the last upwind to the finish was closer to shore with lighter and shiftier breeze. Both Hanalei and the third place boat changed to #1's for this beat, and we slid back to finish 3rd due to lack of boat speed.
As the wind got lighter throughout the day, all we could do was try to sail our best with the #3 and make gains during tacks, tactics, mark roundings, and downwind boat speed. We finished the last race in 9th, taking last place in the regatta by 1 point. However, we did get the "Turtle Trophy" for the last place boat! And more importantly, nothing on the boat broke during the last day, including the head foil.
We also made plenty of new friends and connections in the Santa Cruz 27 class, which is very close-knit. Rob Schuyler, 6 time SC27 National Champion and winner of the 2009 Nationals, came to me at end of the day on Sunday and said "If I see you back here with new sails next year, I'll be worried." Furthermore, the owner of Sumo gave us about 7 sails which he said, "Aren't new, but are a hell of a lot better than what you have." These sails included 2 #1's (one of which is Carbon), 1 #2 (all made by Santa Cruz Sails, a small loft in Santa Cruz with a great reputation), as well as 2 mains, another Kevlar #3 and storm jib, all by Larsen Sails (who no longer exist). Here is a link to the full results of the 2009 Santa Cruz 27 Nationals
With nowhere to go really, I decided to haul the boat the next day so other people on a schedule could get theirs out of the water. Sheehan had to drive back to San Diego and Dave to Santa Barbara. The rest of us just hung around the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club and fiddled with the boat. Cole, Tweek, and I sailed in Monterey bay during high school, and it was nice to be back where I first learned to race sailboats.
The next day we de-stepped the mast, hauled out the boat and got everything ready to hit the road. On the way north we stopped at Ballenger spars to get the forestay shortened and again in Santa Cruz to pick up the free sails. I also took this as an opportunity to tow the boat over Highway 17, which is a steep and twisty grade, to practice for the long drive to Florida. Given our bad luck at Nationals, Cody and I decided to rename the boat Furthur. Many thanks to the owner of Sumo for the new (to us) sails, Bob DeWitt for being so nice and understanding, Boat US for doing a great job as an insurance company in fixing Duet, and Chuck Coyer of SMS for rushing to get me new rigging on a job where they made no profit.
With the Santa Cruz safely wedged next to the house and unloaded, Cody and I relaxed for a few days before flying to Hawaii to deliver two TransPac boats back to California. I would be on the R/P 45 Criminal Mischief and Cody on the TP52 Valkyrie.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Working on the Boat
After a four hour drive using my Jeep Cherokee as a tow rig we made it to Discovery Bay and squeezed the boat next to my parent's house.
Cody wet sanding the bottom next to the house
Our first job was to get the mast off and all the crap out of the boat to sort through it. Among it was a lot of good stuff like hardware and a MOB pole and a lot was just the random clutter that boats collect.
We started making a list of new parts the boat would need and what work would need to be done. I had been talking to the J/24 owner and rigger Brian Malone who I sail with in Florida about my project for a long time and he agreed to help me out. He is also the owner of Speed Merchant Services, a mobile rigging shop and racing yacht service provider, and giving us wholesale pricing on anything we need. I was able to get the boat new standing rigging, halyards, sheets and some new hardware at a great price.
Sanding the bottom was obviously the most daunting task and with day time temperatures of 100 degrees in Discovery Bay we would be working at night. First, Cody and I had to remove all the "crunchies" (little tube worm things) with a putty knife before starting to wet sand the ancient growth off the epoxy with 150 grit paper. We weren't using long boards, just large hand sanders, as the bottom was already pretty fair and they were the best we could find locally. Every night for three weeks we would sand the bottom for several hours.
After weeks of sanding we finally get a smooth bottom
Cody wet sanding the bottom next to the houseWe started making a list of new parts the boat would need and what work would need to be done. I had been talking to the J/24 owner and rigger Brian Malone who I sail with in Florida about my project for a long time and he agreed to help me out. He is also the owner of Speed Merchant Services, a mobile rigging shop and racing yacht service provider, and giving us wholesale pricing on anything we need. I was able to get the boat new standing rigging, halyards, sheets and some new hardware at a great price.
Sanding the bottom was obviously the most daunting task and with day time temperatures of 100 degrees in Discovery Bay we would be working at night. First, Cody and I had to remove all the "crunchies" (little tube worm things) with a putty knife before starting to wet sand the ancient growth off the epoxy with 150 grit paper. We weren't using long boards, just large hand sanders, as the bottom was already pretty fair and they were the best we could find locally. Every night for three weeks we would sand the bottom for several hours.
After weeks of sanding we finally get a smooth bottomFinding a Santa Cruz 27
The Santa Cruz 27 is a fairly rare boat with about 145 built (who was keeping track?) between 1973 and 1979. Due to their low build number and small one design fleet, few people outside of the West Coast have heard of one. That being said, I found several for sale around the country between summer 2008 and now. However, none of these boats matched my criteria as they were usually too nice and therefore too expensive. I was looking for a boat that needed some work, didn't have any major issues and that I could afford.
Unfortunately, during the spring of 2008 my grandmother "Meme" died after fighting cancer for several years. She had always been adventurous and fully supported me in all of my endeavors growing up. She was particularly proud of my sailing. When I found out she left me a small inheritance, I knew what I was going to do with it.
After finishing my sophomore year at Eckerd, I returned to home to California to search for a Santa Cruz 27 in its natural environment. While visiting friends in Monterey, I saw an SC27 sitting in a slip less than 100 yards from where I sailed in high school. After calling around to try and find the owner, my high school sailing coach Mr. McAleer put me in contact with him. With extreme apprehension, I called this total stranger. His wife answered the phone and while introducing myself I mentioned that I was interested in buying their boat. She quickly told me she was on the other line but he would call me back shortly. Fifteen minutes later he called back and after talking for a little bit we agreed to meet in Monterey and he would show me the boat with his co-owner.
The boat looked like it had sat for a long time and their was a marine sanctuary growing on the bottom. The rigging was old and needed replacing, as did most of the lines, blocks and some hardware. Below decks she had a clean, dry bilge, no major signs of water intrusions (all boats leak, it just depends how much), the wood needed varnish but there was no rot and all the tabbing was solid. I thanked the owners and told him I would give it some thought.
A few days later I called the owner and gave him a low offer. I was not surprised he refused and we agreed on a price pending a clean survey. It turns out the boat came with a 1979 trailer and 2001 Honda 2hp 4-stroke outboard that had barely been used. The owners were nice enough to get the bottom cleaned, put the boat on the trailer and take the mast down for the survey. I chose Joesph Rodgers of Rodgers & Associates to survey the boat as he once built them in Bill Lee's Chicken Coop across the bay in Santa Cruz. Out of the water I was amazed how good the bottom looked, a lot of the bottom paint was gone, revealing a relatively fair, spray-on epoxy barrier coat that would only need to be wet sanded for hours. A testament to the glass work on the Santa Cruz 27 and protection from the barrier coat, there were no blisters on the hull and only a few small ones on the rudder. The core proved to be dry and the boat solid. The only issues were the ones I already knew about and we prepared to fix. Following the survey, I gave the owners a check and when it cleared a few days later the boat was mine. Cody and I drove down and after working on the trailer lights for several hours we were on our way north.
Saltshaker is hull 116 and was made in February of 1979. After being raced extensively during the 1980's in Southern California, Saltshaker moved to Monterey, California where she was raced for another decade. Robin Jeffers actually raced on Saltshaker a little bit and said the boat was one of the fastest when the one design fleet was big.
Unfortunately, during the spring of 2008 my grandmother "Meme" died after fighting cancer for several years. She had always been adventurous and fully supported me in all of my endeavors growing up. She was particularly proud of my sailing. When I found out she left me a small inheritance, I knew what I was going to do with it.
After finishing my sophomore year at Eckerd, I returned to home to California to search for a Santa Cruz 27 in its natural environment. While visiting friends in Monterey, I saw an SC27 sitting in a slip less than 100 yards from where I sailed in high school. After calling around to try and find the owner, my high school sailing coach Mr. McAleer put me in contact with him. With extreme apprehension, I called this total stranger. His wife answered the phone and while introducing myself I mentioned that I was interested in buying their boat. She quickly told me she was on the other line but he would call me back shortly. Fifteen minutes later he called back and after talking for a little bit we agreed to meet in Monterey and he would show me the boat with his co-owner.
The boat looked like it had sat for a long time and their was a marine sanctuary growing on the bottom. The rigging was old and needed replacing, as did most of the lines, blocks and some hardware. Below decks she had a clean, dry bilge, no major signs of water intrusions (all boats leak, it just depends how much), the wood needed varnish but there was no rot and all the tabbing was solid. I thanked the owners and told him I would give it some thought.
A few days later I called the owner and gave him a low offer. I was not surprised he refused and we agreed on a price pending a clean survey. It turns out the boat came with a 1979 trailer and 2001 Honda 2hp 4-stroke outboard that had barely been used. The owners were nice enough to get the bottom cleaned, put the boat on the trailer and take the mast down for the survey. I chose Joesph Rodgers of Rodgers & Associates to survey the boat as he once built them in Bill Lee's Chicken Coop across the bay in Santa Cruz. Out of the water I was amazed how good the bottom looked, a lot of the bottom paint was gone, revealing a relatively fair, spray-on epoxy barrier coat that would only need to be wet sanded for hours. A testament to the glass work on the Santa Cruz 27 and protection from the barrier coat, there were no blisters on the hull and only a few small ones on the rudder. The core proved to be dry and the boat solid. The only issues were the ones I already knew about and we prepared to fix. Following the survey, I gave the owners a check and when it cleared a few days later the boat was mine. Cody and I drove down and after working on the trailer lights for several hours we were on our way north.
Saltshaker is hull 116 and was made in February of 1979. After being raced extensively during the 1980's in Southern California, Saltshaker moved to Monterey, California where she was raced for another decade. Robin Jeffers actually raced on Saltshaker a little bit and said the boat was one of the fastest when the one design fleet was big.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Backstory
In high school, my sailing coach Mr. Jack McAleer, would tell us stories of his experiences sailing in offshore distance races and deliveries while we drove to regattas. At this point in my life and sailing career I had never even heard of a TransPac, Pacific Cup, Sydney to Hobart or Fastnet, yet he had sailed in all of them. All I knew was I loved surfing the team’s CFJ’s on the ocean swells when Monterey got breezy and these races to Hawaii sounded like doing just that, but for weeks. As I expressed my interest, Mr. McAleer told me that the best way to gain the offshore experience necessary for racing was to deliver boats before or after offshore races. During the summer of 2005, my friend Dave Kurtmen was delivery crew on the TransPac 52 Rosebud from Hawaii to California and I instantly knew what I wanted to do the next summer.
My first offshore delivery was in 2006 aboard the ILC40, Mureadritta’s XL, which had just raced in the Pacific Cup and was going from Oahu, Hawaii, back to San Francisco, California. Among the crew was the boat’s owner, Nick Barran, his friend David Smith, Nathalie Criou and myself. However, 425 nautical miles north of Hawaii, a Sperm whale rammed and sank the boat. We attempted to stem the flow before taking turns manning the bilge pumps and sending out mayday attempts over the radio. Nick activated the EPIRB and even resorted to calling friends on Oahu with the satellite phone when there was no response to our Mayday calls on the Single Sideband Radio. With every effort of saving the boat exhausted, Nick gave the order to abandon ship and we stepped up into the liferaft with XL’s cabin top awash and just the stern above water.
Several hours later we heard the drone of engines and saw a Coast Guard C-130 flying low and right at us. Unfortunately we couldn’t reach them on the handheld VHF in the emergency grab bag and watched as it waggling its wings, then circled XL’s listing mast. (Note: The designer of Mureadritta’s XL later confirmed that due to the boat’s construction of carbon fiber over a foam core it would remain slightly buoyant before sinking.) The C-130 then flew back over us, dropping a smoke flare to judge the wind before coming on a final pass to drop an orange barrel on a parachute. The barrel landed 50 yards from the life raft and I swam to retrieve it. Wrapped in foam inside it was another handheld VHF, on and tuned to the channel 16, the Coast Guard emergency channel.
The Coast Guard informed us that we were well out of helicopter range, but a container ship and two fishing boat had been vectored to our position. The container ship would reach us first and take us aboard, then transfer us to one of the fishing boats heading back to Hawaii. At dusk the Maersk Darwin appeared over the horizon and launched a lifeboat to retrieve us. We climbed aboard and were taken back to the ship where we had to climb the forty-foot tall rope and wood Pilot ladder to deck level. After being taken to the bridge to meet the captain we were served dinner in the Officer’s Mess. By then we had converged with the Long-line fishing boat Kami M and prepared to make the transfer. The seas had risen and we were unable to directly board the Kami M, so we were lowered down in the lifeboat, which motored us to the side of fishing boat. By carefully timing with the waves we were able to jump to the rail and the crew dragged us aboard. Four days later we were back in Hawaii.
While in Hawaii, I found another boat that had raced in the Pacific Cup and was leaving soon for California. I wanted to finish the delivery, even if it was on another boat, but my parents quickly shut that idea down and I flew home a few days later. Even though everyone wanted to hear the story of the whale (and this particular version is drastically shorter), I still felt like I had started something and not finished it.
In 2007 I was supposed to be delivery crew on the Turbo’d Santa Cruz 52 Kokopelli 2 following the TransPac, but Eckerd College’s freshman orientation and autumn term coincided. I sent a two-page letter to the school explaining my situation and asking to be excused for the first four days, but Eckerd refused. If I wanted to go to Eckerd I would have to be there for all of autumn term. I read Sailing Anarchy as the Morning Light crew became international superstars of the sailing world and the crew of On the Edge of Destiny set the record as the youngest crew to do the TransPac with an average age of 19.8 years old. At this point I knew that I wanted to be part of the youngest crew to sail an ocean race.
By 2008 I had greatly expanded my sailing knowledge and abilities, but I was still lacking a true blue-water passage. After putting my name on the Pacific Cup website crew list I was approached by a skipper from Hawaii looking for crew for the race. This was my dream-come-true! The boat, called Buzz Off was a Henderson 30, a high performance sport boat and far from an offshore design. However, the idea of screaming downwind for 2070nm enticed me and I signed on as crew. Not only was I going to be racing to Hawaii, but I was also delivery crew on the R/P 45 Criminal Mischief back to California. After finishing my freshman year of college and flying home I spent 6 weeks working on the Buzz Off before the Pacific Cup. Due to some commitment issues, one of the crew was dropped, leaving a spot open. I called my friend Cody Spruce, another freshman sailor I met at Eckerd, and he quit his job to do this race.
While the boat was well prepared and passed all the Pacific Cup safety inspections, it had some weak points and we quickly found them. 12 hours after our start, the main shredded as we were beam reaching in 25-35 knots of wind with a single reef. The main had been made in Ventura, California and was designed for the light winds of Southern California. This, combined with the reefing lines getting tangled so we were unable to reef the main further, caused the sail’s untimely demise. We would sail the remainder of the race with a storm trysail instead of a main. And this was just the beginning of many things that would go wrong.
During the race we had numerous spinnaker halyard failures requiring me to go up the mast at least eight times. The boat was so wet that the battery charger failed from moisture condensing below decks and we were pumping the bilge between every watch shift. Then the “Vara System” rudder bearings began to fail, causing the helm to lock up while surfing, forcing the driver to wrench it free to the sound of crunching Delrin bearings. Furthermore, of the four crew, only Cody and I were able to steer the boat with the spinnaker up without broaching. In the middle of the Pacific Cup, Cody and I began talking about doing the race double-handed. We were already doing all the steering, following a 3-hour on, 3-hour off watch schedule. However, we would need a more controllable boat that could be sailed well double-handed, something the Henderson 30 was not.
After making it safely to the finish in Kaneohe Bay, we began planning how we would be able to race the 2010 Pacific Cup double-handed. While talking to a group of sailors from Velos, an Ullman Sailmaker named Chuck Skewes introduced himself and offered his support in our efforts. And we are currently working with him to get the best price on sails possible. Cody also found a spot as delivery crew on Velos going back to San Diego.
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