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From the fat fingers of the racers
- Thread starter Philpott
- Start date
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
1724 on 06.22.21 Green Buffalo sent this
Another busy last 24 hours.
After reaching all night under the big (155%) jib top... come morning the wind went aft... "aha now the wind swings toward Hawaii" - but I was wrong.
Flew the kite 8 hours only to be steadily headed. Strange... looked at gribs a second time... aha, the wind turning east around the bottom of the low.
Time to drop the kite and back to the jib top. I am getting too old for this... back and forth several times between cockpit, mast and bow... dragging sails, dragging lines, getting everything ready for the kite hoist and jib top douse. Oh and don't forget untangling and hoisting the spinnaker net... and then reversing all this late in the day.
Good thing I went back to the jib top... over night the wind varied from 14k to 24k from 80 to 110 degrees apparent. Perfect for jib top... ugly for a kite.
So reaching along under jib top for 20 hours making great time straight to my "waypoint".
Am I going to far south or not south enough? Time will tell. Getting a grib as I sent this email that will tell me more...
Food... grapes, raisins, about to cook another 2 cups of rice plus a ramen cup of soup. "Real food" will need to wait till we get off tis "bumpy" reach. Tomorrow? Maybe Tortellini? Cheese and crackers?
Still overcast.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
Another busy last 24 hours.
After reaching all night under the big (155%) jib top... come morning the wind went aft... "aha now the wind swings toward Hawaii" - but I was wrong.
Flew the kite 8 hours only to be steadily headed. Strange... looked at gribs a second time... aha, the wind turning east around the bottom of the low.
Time to drop the kite and back to the jib top. I am getting too old for this... back and forth several times between cockpit, mast and bow... dragging sails, dragging lines, getting everything ready for the kite hoist and jib top douse. Oh and don't forget untangling and hoisting the spinnaker net... and then reversing all this late in the day.
Good thing I went back to the jib top... over night the wind varied from 14k to 24k from 80 to 110 degrees apparent. Perfect for jib top... ugly for a kite.
So reaching along under jib top for 20 hours making great time straight to my "waypoint".
Am I going to far south or not south enough? Time will tell. Getting a grib as I sent this email that will tell me more...
Food... grapes, raisins, about to cook another 2 cups of rice plus a ramen cup of soup. "Real food" will need to wait till we get off tis "bumpy" reach. Tomorrow? Maybe Tortellini? Cheese and crackers?
Still overcast.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
So there I am in the Safeway parking lot when I get a text from Will Lee. Yeah, that Will Lee. The sailor out there on that pretty red boat. The one who replaced his bilge pump at the Farallones in significant wind.
His expensive equipment has flaked out, so he's texting the race committee? Which is fine. This is so SSS: resourcefulness and problem solving required: McGyvering it. These stories. They’re something.
From Will Lee s/v Sea Wisdom @ 1654 on 06.22.21
Hi Jackie, good afternoon. This is Will from Sea Wisdom. My email system is acting up and takes me hours to send and receive email msgs. So I’m switch to texting as my primary way of communicating with other people. I informed Brian about this already. Just in case if you don’t know it yet. Thanks for your email. Because you don’t have Facebook, I can text you my daily blog entry.
Day 3, June 21, "It’s getting hot here in the doldrum."
Day 3 began with light wind, and the sun came out for the first time since last Saturday. The wind was so light, there were actually more work on the boat. I had to make every slight adjustments to the sails in order to take advantage the occasionally rare but short lived breeze. For example, spending 30 minutes to set up the whisker pole to only use it for a few hours before taking it down.
I made some fresh water today using the water maker, and was able to make sparkling water from the ocean with my Sodastream! I don’t need to carry any plastic water bottles. I even added some EmergenC to the homemade sparkling water, then I get to drink soda that is healthy.
I started the morning with a nori ginger soup to warm up my body. The ginger helps me getting my sea legs. To celebrate the change to warmer weather today, I modified the Beef Stroganoff to have Cajun spices. At noon, the color of the ocean is deep and dense blue, amazing to watch each of the 10 foot swell goes underneath the boat ever so quietly. I went from wearing 5 layers of fleece and foul weather gear to just wearing a think base layer.
Around noon time was when I receive the position report from the race committee on where all the racers are. Oh boy, was I wrong about picking the southern route. Here I was getting stuck and trying to figure out a way out of the doldrum. I am in one of the last places in the race.
The NW wind finally came in the late afternoon. I could not be happier. There are still 1900 miles to go, so anything could happen. My number 1 priority is to get to Kauai safely.
I have more gear issues to deal with. The Iridium Go system is not able to send and receive email reliably. I spent hours trying and I got lucky a few times. But texting works. Also, the Gsrmin inReach is my spare satellite communicator and tracker. It decided not to work anymore. At least I still have 2 independent satellite devices that work, Iridium text and a handheld Inmarsat.
The block holding the starboard jib sheet is showing some metal fatigue because when there was no wind, things get banged around. If that block fails, I have a few other blocks that can do the work. Having redundancy and spare parts are so important when I need to be self sufficient.
His expensive equipment has flaked out, so he's texting the race committee? Which is fine. This is so SSS: resourcefulness and problem solving required: McGyvering it. These stories. They’re something.
From Will Lee s/v Sea Wisdom @ 1654 on 06.22.21
Hi Jackie, good afternoon. This is Will from Sea Wisdom. My email system is acting up and takes me hours to send and receive email msgs. So I’m switch to texting as my primary way of communicating with other people. I informed Brian about this already. Just in case if you don’t know it yet. Thanks for your email. Because you don’t have Facebook, I can text you my daily blog entry.
Day 3, June 21, "It’s getting hot here in the doldrum."
Day 3 began with light wind, and the sun came out for the first time since last Saturday. The wind was so light, there were actually more work on the boat. I had to make every slight adjustments to the sails in order to take advantage the occasionally rare but short lived breeze. For example, spending 30 minutes to set up the whisker pole to only use it for a few hours before taking it down.
I made some fresh water today using the water maker, and was able to make sparkling water from the ocean with my Sodastream! I don’t need to carry any plastic water bottles. I even added some EmergenC to the homemade sparkling water, then I get to drink soda that is healthy.
I started the morning with a nori ginger soup to warm up my body. The ginger helps me getting my sea legs. To celebrate the change to warmer weather today, I modified the Beef Stroganoff to have Cajun spices. At noon, the color of the ocean is deep and dense blue, amazing to watch each of the 10 foot swell goes underneath the boat ever so quietly. I went from wearing 5 layers of fleece and foul weather gear to just wearing a think base layer.
Around noon time was when I receive the position report from the race committee on where all the racers are. Oh boy, was I wrong about picking the southern route. Here I was getting stuck and trying to figure out a way out of the doldrum. I am in one of the last places in the race.
The NW wind finally came in the late afternoon. I could not be happier. There are still 1900 miles to go, so anything could happen. My number 1 priority is to get to Kauai safely.
I have more gear issues to deal with. The Iridium Go system is not able to send and receive email reliably. I spent hours trying and I got lucky a few times. But texting works. Also, the Gsrmin inReach is my spare satellite communicator and tracker. It decided not to work anymore. At least I still have 2 independent satellite devices that work, Iridium text and a handheld Inmarsat.
The block holding the starboard jib sheet is showing some metal fatigue because when there was no wind, things get banged around. If that block fails, I have a few other blocks that can do the work. Having redundancy and spare parts are so important when I need to be self sufficient.
Last edited:
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
062221 @ 2207
Reed Bernhard s/v Mountain sends this:
Greetings from Mountain, where the ship smells of feet and the Captain wishes he smelled half that good.
All is well here - Mountain and I are working hard. According to the latest fleet position reports though, so is everyone else! Really fun race so far- just hitting my stride. Taking naps, tweaking the sails, making repairs, enjoying the view.
Many thanks to all who helped with our prep the last few days leading up to the start.
Hi Grady!
Reed Bernhard s/v Mountain sends this:
Greetings from Mountain, where the ship smells of feet and the Captain wishes he smelled half that good.
All is well here - Mountain and I are working hard. According to the latest fleet position reports though, so is everyone else! Really fun race so far- just hitting my stride. Taking naps, tweaking the sails, making repairs, enjoying the view.
Many thanks to all who helped with our prep the last few days leading up to the start.
Hi Grady!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
1050 on 062321 from John Wilkerson s/v Perplexity:
All well on board the good ship perplexity.
and later in the day
Hi Brian
I was having some email issues but was also sending the go track message everyday. Anyway, things are going well out here. I haven't received competitor updates in a few days but I've never looked at them and don't think I will. I am just going to sail my race. I have a mast sail track issue at the moment, but checking with the company. I'm hoping it's not a problem and I'll be able to shake the reef out soon.
Still cloudy and cld at night but its warming up!
All well on board the good ship perplexity.
and later in the day
Hi Brian
I was having some email issues but was also sending the go track message everyday. Anyway, things are going well out here. I haven't received competitor updates in a few days but I've never looked at them and don't think I will. I am just going to sail my race. I have a mast sail track issue at the moment, but checking with the company. I'm hoping it's not a problem and I'll be able to shake the reef out soon.
Still cloudy and cld at night but its warming up!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
1352 from the Buffalo Man
First... took me over an hour to send email via Iridium GO! yesterday. Something was "amiss" with the Iridium satellite network. After a lot of patience and retries it all went through. Maybe less satellite coverage over the ocean... or maybe older slower satellites over the ocean? Just guessing.
Things that go bang in the night.
Wind was in the 20k's - peak 29k - most of the night reaching along under jibtop. "Bang!" That didn't sound good but nothing obvious. An hour later "bang" again. hmmm
When the sun rose... the boom vang bracket to the mast had broen two of its four "wings/tabs". Unreliable butt welds... sign.
A few spanish windlasses with spectra and looks "good enough" - but time will tell. Broke these same welds in the 2018 PacCup. Time to talk to the fabricator (Robb of Nozomi told me so back in 2018).
Four days and still nor running under chute... unusual. Due to the High being so far south have not yet made it to its southeast quarter where the wind swings (and I swing west). Tonight or tomorrow for sure "kite up".
The sun peaked out today and then went away... 4 days overcast... getting old.
It is getting warmer... after 4 days in the same long johns, today was a "wipey" shower below deck - and a fresh pair of long johns... boy does that feel good! Boy did I stink! Maybe tomorrow or more likely the day after a real fresh water shower in the cockpit?
Sardine sandwich for lunch. Thinking tortellini with red sauce for dinner.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
First... took me over an hour to send email via Iridium GO! yesterday. Something was "amiss" with the Iridium satellite network. After a lot of patience and retries it all went through. Maybe less satellite coverage over the ocean... or maybe older slower satellites over the ocean? Just guessing.
Things that go bang in the night.
Wind was in the 20k's - peak 29k - most of the night reaching along under jibtop. "Bang!" That didn't sound good but nothing obvious. An hour later "bang" again. hmmm
When the sun rose... the boom vang bracket to the mast had broen two of its four "wings/tabs". Unreliable butt welds... sign.
A few spanish windlasses with spectra and looks "good enough" - but time will tell. Broke these same welds in the 2018 PacCup. Time to talk to the fabricator (Robb of Nozomi told me so back in 2018).
Four days and still nor running under chute... unusual. Due to the High being so far south have not yet made it to its southeast quarter where the wind swings (and I swing west). Tonight or tomorrow for sure "kite up".
The sun peaked out today and then went away... 4 days overcast... getting old.
It is getting warmer... after 4 days in the same long johns, today was a "wipey" shower below deck - and a fresh pair of long johns... boy does that feel good! Boy did I stink! Maybe tomorrow or more likely the day after a real fresh water shower in the cockpit?
Sardine sandwich for lunch. Thinking tortellini with red sauce for dinner.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
from Will on Sea Wisdom @ 1205 today, June 24, 2021
Greetings SHTP RC, It seems like my email system likes to function in light wind area! But I need wind, please send me some
This is for June 24 POL.
Wish everyone the best,
Will
Response from SHTP RC: Dear Sir, We have escalated your complaint to those with higher pay grades.
Greetings SHTP RC, It seems like my email system likes to function in light wind area! But I need wind, please send me some
This is for June 24 POL.
Wish everyone the best,
Will
Response from SHTP RC: Dear Sir, We have escalated your complaint to those with higher pay grades.
Daydreamer
SAILOR
Looks like there is going to be a re-start mid course.
Animation shows a couple more light days.
Frustrating!!!
Animation shows a couple more light days.
Frustrating!!!