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2017 LatePac anyone headed out?
- Thread starter DaseinsDen
- Start date
When Jackie commented on no ping in several hours, his last ping had been at 6:50 PM yesterday. Since then he pinged again: just before midnight last night. It was a "Check" message, as was the last one, rather than a "Track" message -- as all the 10 minute interval pings had been. My guess is he turned off the automatic 10 minute pinging, and is periodically hitting the manual check in.
Best of all, he's still making progress in the right direction!
Best of all, he's still making progress in the right direction!
Last edited:
brianb
Olson 34 Driver
Winds looking very slow from LS to Bonita. His course has a bit of south in it, wonder if it isn't just drift to the south ?
I will try calling him on the long range VHF.
BB
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
But he's at the gate: last ping =
Geolocation: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA, USA
Latitude: 37.81778
Longitude: -122.47343000000001
isn't he?
Qualifier is done!!! Seemed like I'd never get the boat ready, but once I did, I realized, shoot, now I have to go!! The decision that allowed me to make the weather, and admittedly my work windows, to leave the outboard motor in the shop, was also the thing that caused me the most stress and frustration. First a thanks to this supportive group of sailors that helped me in many ways, from the loan of a sea stove, to the gift of G10 plate, to hanging me at the top of my own mast (5 hours) till the VHF cable was properly installed.
I left the RYC at 6 AM Sat hoping to sail with the ebb out the gate, 10knts from the north was predicted, but didn't materialize. Instead I found myself with a light easterly trying to push me out the gate against the flood. Over my shoulder I could see the V12 fleet gathering. Didn't escape the grip of the flood and variable winds till nearly 2 PM about half way between Mile Rock and the eastern end of the bar channel. 8 hours of sailing to get to a point where an engine could have placed me in about 2-3 hours. Part of this trip is about endurance and conserving strength, and I had already expended a lot more energy than I expected early in the trip.
Two of the biggest unknowns to me were would I get sick being below, fixing food, etc? And second, can I sleep on a moving boat enough to stay functional? Experimented with a test nap attempt in the late afternoon, with the AIS operational and Channel 12's traffic summary ever half hour. I found seasickness was not an issue. Sleep was. A Wilderness 30, like most light displacement boats, has no sound dampening qualities. To this first timer everything sounds much more dramatic below, something to get used to. I think I managed 3 hours of sleep that night, not for lack of trying, I laid in my bunk most of the night, despite that I felt ok. Another test was the charging system, would my 200 watts of panel be able to keep up with demand? After the first night at sea with the AP, radio, masthead instruments running the charge was 12.6V, by 10 AM the solar panels had the system back to fully charged.
After the first night at sea I was feeling ok. In the early afternoon, Sunday, I set a waypoint on the Longitude W126.4 line, starting at 96 miles, I counted down. Started the evening with full main and #3. Ended with two reefs in the main and 23 knts over the deck, swells 8 Ft, passing under my keel every 8 seconds.
At 04:25 AM I awoke out of my biggest sleep that night (4 hours total), to find I had just enough time to get my foulies on, take a picture of myGPS screen, whoop and holler for a moment before I went topside, and tacked for home.
More later.
I left the RYC at 6 AM Sat hoping to sail with the ebb out the gate, 10knts from the north was predicted, but didn't materialize. Instead I found myself with a light easterly trying to push me out the gate against the flood. Over my shoulder I could see the V12 fleet gathering. Didn't escape the grip of the flood and variable winds till nearly 2 PM about half way between Mile Rock and the eastern end of the bar channel. 8 hours of sailing to get to a point where an engine could have placed me in about 2-3 hours. Part of this trip is about endurance and conserving strength, and I had already expended a lot more energy than I expected early in the trip.
Two of the biggest unknowns to me were would I get sick being below, fixing food, etc? And second, can I sleep on a moving boat enough to stay functional? Experimented with a test nap attempt in the late afternoon, with the AIS operational and Channel 12's traffic summary ever half hour. I found seasickness was not an issue. Sleep was. A Wilderness 30, like most light displacement boats, has no sound dampening qualities. To this first timer everything sounds much more dramatic below, something to get used to. I think I managed 3 hours of sleep that night, not for lack of trying, I laid in my bunk most of the night, despite that I felt ok. Another test was the charging system, would my 200 watts of panel be able to keep up with demand? After the first night at sea with the AP, radio, masthead instruments running the charge was 12.6V, by 10 AM the solar panels had the system back to fully charged.
After the first night at sea I was feeling ok. In the early afternoon, Sunday, I set a waypoint on the Longitude W126.4 line, starting at 96 miles, I counted down. Started the evening with full main and #3. Ended with two reefs in the main and 23 knts over the deck, swells 8 Ft, passing under my keel every 8 seconds.
At 04:25 AM I awoke out of my biggest sleep that night (4 hours total), to find I had just enough time to get my foulies on, take a picture of myGPS screen, whoop and holler for a moment before I went topside, and tacked for home.
More later.
The Smokester
New member
Fugu, Congratulations! You did the hardest part of the SHTP. Getting in and out of the Gate and past the Farallon's, is just exhausting with land, ships, rocks and whales to watch out for. You will get accustomed to the noises...At first I hear voices but after a while you get very attuned to the boat and how she goes. You did great. See you in Hawaii.
Daydreamer
SAILOR
Awesome job Chris!! Congratulations.
Looking forward to the rest of the report.
Looking forward to the rest of the report.
captleasure
New member
Well done!
Thanks for all the support! Now the rest of the story.
After the turn I thought I’d have more of a reaching romp, instead once I did the math, 60 degrees apparent wind was as low as I would go until I got to the Lightbucket. With the seas on the beam, Fugu got slapped by waves a few times, winds 18 to 23 knots true, the second reef stayed in after the turn. Dawn and dolphins, my first ever visit by these delightful creatures. I set a way point 3 miles south of the SW Farallon Island, and start a count down. Winds stay fresh all day, seas crest start breaking, then the wind backs off a few knots, and the seas look less dangerous. At dusk still 90 miles to go to the way point. First part of the night just as difficult sleeping as the first two night, but the wind backs off some more, and I slumber in roughly 2 hour chunks, for a total of 6 that night. Wake feeling good, Farallon Island is revealed about 20 miles ahead. Winds drops so much I am changing to my #1, then a great whoosh of air on my leeward quarter, scrambling to disconnect the AP, I turn away to windward, I look around, another whale surfaces there to windward, I turn down. They are close enough to play bean bag toss at their blow holes!! I hope they are not clumsy, as one wayward flick of any one of their appendages is the end of Fugu, and me. They lose interest in Fugu and move away, Fugu is neither edible or eligible, good!!
The wind clocks around N, NE, then E, tacking to Montara Mt, or Drakes Bay, I slowly move east. Suddenly after a long hitch north, I tack east again then suddenly a 40-degree lift, and I am laying the GG Bridge from a point a little outside the Light Ship. Pt Bonita to the GG Bridge takes more than an hour, pass under at 7 PM, try to head for RYC, dodging traffic. Wind goes even lighter, ebb seems endless, gybe to the San Francisco shore, wind dies total ebb weakens, I scull to just off the “torpedo” docks ¼ mile east of the south tower anchor at 11 PM. Sleep fitfully, no wind at any time during the night, dawn still no wind. I pick up the mike and call for a tow $350/Hour, 2.5 hours. At RYC at 8:30 AM at work, showered and mostly shaved by 1:00 PM.
After the turn I thought I’d have more of a reaching romp, instead once I did the math, 60 degrees apparent wind was as low as I would go until I got to the Lightbucket. With the seas on the beam, Fugu got slapped by waves a few times, winds 18 to 23 knots true, the second reef stayed in after the turn. Dawn and dolphins, my first ever visit by these delightful creatures. I set a way point 3 miles south of the SW Farallon Island, and start a count down. Winds stay fresh all day, seas crest start breaking, then the wind backs off a few knots, and the seas look less dangerous. At dusk still 90 miles to go to the way point. First part of the night just as difficult sleeping as the first two night, but the wind backs off some more, and I slumber in roughly 2 hour chunks, for a total of 6 that night. Wake feeling good, Farallon Island is revealed about 20 miles ahead. Winds drops so much I am changing to my #1, then a great whoosh of air on my leeward quarter, scrambling to disconnect the AP, I turn away to windward, I look around, another whale surfaces there to windward, I turn down. They are close enough to play bean bag toss at their blow holes!! I hope they are not clumsy, as one wayward flick of any one of their appendages is the end of Fugu, and me. They lose interest in Fugu and move away, Fugu is neither edible or eligible, good!!
The wind clocks around N, NE, then E, tacking to Montara Mt, or Drakes Bay, I slowly move east. Suddenly after a long hitch north, I tack east again then suddenly a 40-degree lift, and I am laying the GG Bridge from a point a little outside the Light Ship. Pt Bonita to the GG Bridge takes more than an hour, pass under at 7 PM, try to head for RYC, dodging traffic. Wind goes even lighter, ebb seems endless, gybe to the San Francisco shore, wind dies total ebb weakens, I scull to just off the “torpedo” docks ¼ mile east of the south tower anchor at 11 PM. Sleep fitfully, no wind at any time during the night, dawn still no wind. I pick up the mike and call for a tow $350/Hour, 2.5 hours. At RYC at 8:30 AM at work, showered and mostly shaved by 1:00 PM.
Daydreamer
SAILOR
$350 an hour?!!!
I'm in the wrong business!
I'm in the wrong business!