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Cheers - Bryan
From the fat fingers of the racers
- Thread starter Philpott
- Start date
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
9:18 am 070221 from Green Buffalo
After a bit of an uncomfortable night with wind direction and velocity shifts, was run over by a day time squall this morning. Nothing dramatic but it was drizzly (flet good) saw 30k of wind - at the very upper limit of the autopilot when the big kite is up. Its a warning... time for me to shift down to the shy kite before sunset tonight (forewarned is forearmed). Now Siren is right on my tail... so gearing down may "hurt" but c'est la vie as I try to avoid any "night time dramas".
Two days and change to go... about the length of the LongPac. Will likely finish an hour or two after sunset Sunday - but I can hope its at sunset - or at least I see the island before sunset!
Sunday is going to be a busy one for the race committee... 3 or 4 of us finishing.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
After a bit of an uncomfortable night with wind direction and velocity shifts, was run over by a day time squall this morning. Nothing dramatic but it was drizzly (flet good) saw 30k of wind - at the very upper limit of the autopilot when the big kite is up. Its a warning... time for me to shift down to the shy kite before sunset tonight (forewarned is forearmed). Now Siren is right on my tail... so gearing down may "hurt" but c'est la vie as I try to avoid any "night time dramas".
Two days and change to go... about the length of the LongPac. Will likely finish an hour or two after sunset Sunday - but I can hope its at sunset - or at least I see the island before sunset!
Sunday is going to be a busy one for the race committee... 3 or 4 of us finishing.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
from Kyle Vanderspek
Day 14 Update
Today has been a very rough and tiring day aboard Aloha, and though we will make it out the other side alive, today has proven that at times we have done so by nothing more than endless will power and at times a heavy dose of sheer luck. This will be a brief update as the weather is not exactly conducive to typing out extended articles, but i will gladly fill in the details tomorrow from what i hope to be the shores of a calm harbor or pool.
After an early chicken and dumpling dinner (think home made chicken pot pie), it was an early night in fairly moderate winds. i proceeded to fall asleep a little too soundly and woke short of midnight to the unsettling sound of silence coming from the spinnaker., once again it had gotten wrapped around the forestay and the staysail, this time i was lucky and was able to get it freed without too much effort, however about 45 minutes later it decided to happen again. The second time was a bad one which required lots of effort and the lowering and eventual re rigging of both sails before they could be re set about a half an hour later. In that time after about midnight west coast time, the wind had begun to pick up and the autopilot could no longer keep up with the building wind and wave. This meant it would be me who would be driving for the remainder of the night and morning.
A large number of squalls brought building winds into the mid 20 knot range and some light rain which was just enough to make it a bit chilly on deck as i was very much underprepared to be on deck driving all night. Not too long after day break, i was steering along and noted that i was at 217 miles to go when much to my surprise the forestay came tumbling down from the top the mast, this left the only think keeping the mast from falling back into my lap being the continued wind pressure on the main and spinnaker. To help with this situation, i threw it on auto for a sec and ran forward to attach a spare jib halyard t the deck and act as a stand in for the now gone forestay. At the time the staysail was on that halyard and it was hastily dropped on deck to be dealt with later as and prolonged absence from the helm would lead to catastrophe as the boat would surely round up and the sails would no longer be keeping the mast held forward. Then 17 miles later at exactly 200 from home the spinnaker that i had up exploded leaving me no choice but to once again surrender the boat to the auto pilot and collect the bits of spinnaker and shove them down the companionway.
Not had much sleep in the last few days and being up solidly attentive to the needs of the boat since before midning (it was around 8 or 9 by now) i needed a rest. So i turned the boat straight downwind under the auto, rigged up the second standby jib halyard to again act in place of the forestay along with the other one and i went inside to collect my thoughts and clean up the mess of spinnaker and staysail that was littered throughout the cabin. After getting myself sorted and pointing straight at the finish line, i laid down for a few minutes and weighed my options.
First and foremost is of course to get there in one piece, preferably with the mast still pointed in the vertical direction. With that in mind and having taken some time to recupperate, i decided that setting the smallest A5 spinnaker would both help speed up the process of getting home as well as stabilize that ride and perhaps keep me in contention while not adding any stresses or strains to the jury rigged forestay situation. So i set the A5 which is hoisted in a handy sock to fascilitate setting and dousing in al conditions and have been following it towards the finish line for the past few hours.
An added bonus of this spinnaker and these conditions at present is that the autopilot seems up to the task of keeping a straight course in the heavy sea state and decent winds. With everything back to running well for the time being, i took the time to handle my first pre arrival task which was to shave my face, and without a proper mirror onboard, it will be interesting to find out how i did tomorrow when i get in. Not too long ago I ticked past 150 miles to go and expect to be safely into Hanalei bay sometime during the daylight hours of tomorrow barring another serious catastrophe.
So with that, i ask everyone please hold their breath and cross all their fingers in hopes of a uneventful night and morning aboard Aloha. And for those wondering, i have pre decided dinner tonight will be beef stroganoff and breakfast tomorrow will be biscuits and gravy, two of my personal favorites for last meals onboard. I love you all and let’s hope for a safe last few hours onboard this rocket ship. ALOHHHAAAA!
Day 14 Update
Today has been a very rough and tiring day aboard Aloha, and though we will make it out the other side alive, today has proven that at times we have done so by nothing more than endless will power and at times a heavy dose of sheer luck. This will be a brief update as the weather is not exactly conducive to typing out extended articles, but i will gladly fill in the details tomorrow from what i hope to be the shores of a calm harbor or pool.
After an early chicken and dumpling dinner (think home made chicken pot pie), it was an early night in fairly moderate winds. i proceeded to fall asleep a little too soundly and woke short of midnight to the unsettling sound of silence coming from the spinnaker., once again it had gotten wrapped around the forestay and the staysail, this time i was lucky and was able to get it freed without too much effort, however about 45 minutes later it decided to happen again. The second time was a bad one which required lots of effort and the lowering and eventual re rigging of both sails before they could be re set about a half an hour later. In that time after about midnight west coast time, the wind had begun to pick up and the autopilot could no longer keep up with the building wind and wave. This meant it would be me who would be driving for the remainder of the night and morning.
A large number of squalls brought building winds into the mid 20 knot range and some light rain which was just enough to make it a bit chilly on deck as i was very much underprepared to be on deck driving all night. Not too long after day break, i was steering along and noted that i was at 217 miles to go when much to my surprise the forestay came tumbling down from the top the mast, this left the only think keeping the mast from falling back into my lap being the continued wind pressure on the main and spinnaker. To help with this situation, i threw it on auto for a sec and ran forward to attach a spare jib halyard t the deck and act as a stand in for the now gone forestay. At the time the staysail was on that halyard and it was hastily dropped on deck to be dealt with later as and prolonged absence from the helm would lead to catastrophe as the boat would surely round up and the sails would no longer be keeping the mast held forward. Then 17 miles later at exactly 200 from home the spinnaker that i had up exploded leaving me no choice but to once again surrender the boat to the auto pilot and collect the bits of spinnaker and shove them down the companionway.
Not had much sleep in the last few days and being up solidly attentive to the needs of the boat since before midning (it was around 8 or 9 by now) i needed a rest. So i turned the boat straight downwind under the auto, rigged up the second standby jib halyard to again act in place of the forestay along with the other one and i went inside to collect my thoughts and clean up the mess of spinnaker and staysail that was littered throughout the cabin. After getting myself sorted and pointing straight at the finish line, i laid down for a few minutes and weighed my options.
First and foremost is of course to get there in one piece, preferably with the mast still pointed in the vertical direction. With that in mind and having taken some time to recupperate, i decided that setting the smallest A5 spinnaker would both help speed up the process of getting home as well as stabilize that ride and perhaps keep me in contention while not adding any stresses or strains to the jury rigged forestay situation. So i set the A5 which is hoisted in a handy sock to fascilitate setting and dousing in al conditions and have been following it towards the finish line for the past few hours.
An added bonus of this spinnaker and these conditions at present is that the autopilot seems up to the task of keeping a straight course in the heavy sea state and decent winds. With everything back to running well for the time being, i took the time to handle my first pre arrival task which was to shave my face, and without a proper mirror onboard, it will be interesting to find out how i did tomorrow when i get in. Not too long ago I ticked past 150 miles to go and expect to be safely into Hanalei bay sometime during the daylight hours of tomorrow barring another serious catastrophe.
So with that, i ask everyone please hold their breath and cross all their fingers in hopes of a uneventful night and morning aboard Aloha. And for those wondering, i have pre decided dinner tonight will be beef stroganoff and breakfast tomorrow will be biscuits and gravy, two of my personal favorites for last meals onboard. I love you all and let’s hope for a safe last few hours onboard this rocket ship. ALOHHHAAAA!
Last edited:
Kyle, congratulations to you and Aloha on your charge to the virgin Finish. I am impressed that despite a jury rigged forestay under a sleep deprived state, you were still making decisions (A5 sail choice) that would keep the throttle rolled on.
The warmth of Hanalei, a safe anchorage, your family and sleep will be both a Balm to your recovery and a High to your spirits. You will Glow for a long while. Enjoy it, bottle it and remember it for a long time!
Commodore Joe
The warmth of Hanalei, a safe anchorage, your family and sleep will be both a Balm to your recovery and a High to your spirits. You will Glow for a long while. Enjoy it, bottle it and remember it for a long time!
Commodore Joe
+1 Impressive racer determination! Rational decision making in a very rough spot. That's what I'm striving for. "Well done" doesn't even cut it ...
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
from John Wilkerson s/v Perplexity
Hey everyone.
I expect to arrive by midnight tonight, weather and gear cooperating.
I have a request - would it be too much trouble to ask the people of Kauai to celebrate my accomplishment with fireworks? I think it would make for a spectacular arrival. I do understand the effort and cost involved. Thank you for considering my request!
Hey everyone.
I expect to arrive by midnight tonight, weather and gear cooperating.
I have a request - would it be too much trouble to ask the people of Kauai to celebrate my accomplishment with fireworks? I think it would make for a spectacular arrival. I do understand the effort and cost involved. Thank you for considering my request!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
From Northern Star @ 9:30 Monday July 5
Northern Star Daily Report. All well aboard Northern Star. Jamie is alive and healthy. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening, hopefully before sundown. And for the record, looking forward to your meeting me and coming aboard to celebrate and help with anchoring!
Northern Star Daily Report. All well aboard Northern Star. Jamie is alive and healthy. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening, hopefully before sundown. And for the record, looking forward to your meeting me and coming aboard to celebrate and help with anchoring!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
9:24 am on July 6
Jamie is the next boat in. His jib is apparently wrapped around the forestay of Northern Star and has been for days. He's due in this afternoon @ 4:47 pm, just in time for Tree Time.
[BNorthern Star Daily Check in. All good on Northern Star. Looking forward to closing the door on 2020/1 Singlehanded TransPac this evening and seeing everyone. Will send updated eta later.
Jamie
][/B]
Jamie is the next boat in. His jib is apparently wrapped around the forestay of Northern Star and has been for days. He's due in this afternoon @ 4:47 pm, just in time for Tree Time.
[BNorthern Star Daily Check in. All good on Northern Star. Looking forward to closing the door on 2020/1 Singlehanded TransPac this evening and seeing everyone. Will send updated eta later.
Jamie
][/B]
Will, congratulations to you and Sea Wisdom on finishing the Singlehanded Transpac! Your perseverance and capable management of your boat’s systems was on display and we see that nothing short of a sinking was going keep you from sailing across that Hanalei finish line. Damn Fine Job! Your Buckle is well earned! - Commodore Joe
Last edited:
Rainbow
Ocean Cruiser
This from Rainbow, not really a reply to Submarino's post, but I couldn't figure out how to start a new thread:
After several days of slow, cold sailing under a gloomy overcast, well West of L.A now, the sun comes out to warm and lighten life and illuminates the heart wrenchingly deep indigo blue color of the sea.
Running deep off wind, full main and Kermit, the big green spinnaker, pulling steadily. 20-25 knot winds and long smooth 8-12’ seas quartering from starboard. Rainbow pauses in the troughs as the sea draws in a breath, then begins to lift her stern and dip her bows in a curtsy as the next wave slides under. On the crest the adrenaline rises as the wind gets a grip on the sails, Rainbow lifts her bows and her skirts and surfs up to 10, 12, 15, 18 knots throwing spray from both sides of both bows as the ocean exhales in a whoosh. Then pause, take a breath, lift and run again. And again. It’s perpetual motion.
There ahead, a powerful red steel hulled ketch, running free and unfettered. It’s Joshua, and there on the stern Bernard waves me on; “Why stop? Take The Long Way. Save your soul. Sail on.”
Breathe in, breathe out; Let the sea cleanse the mind, the heart, and the soul. Let it never end.
After several days of slow, cold sailing under a gloomy overcast, well West of L.A now, the sun comes out to warm and lighten life and illuminates the heart wrenchingly deep indigo blue color of the sea.
Running deep off wind, full main and Kermit, the big green spinnaker, pulling steadily. 20-25 knot winds and long smooth 8-12’ seas quartering from starboard. Rainbow pauses in the troughs as the sea draws in a breath, then begins to lift her stern and dip her bows in a curtsy as the next wave slides under. On the crest the adrenaline rises as the wind gets a grip on the sails, Rainbow lifts her bows and her skirts and surfs up to 10, 12, 15, 18 knots throwing spray from both sides of both bows as the ocean exhales in a whoosh. Then pause, take a breath, lift and run again. And again. It’s perpetual motion.
There ahead, a powerful red steel hulled ketch, running free and unfettered. It’s Joshua, and there on the stern Bernard waves me on; “Why stop? Take The Long Way. Save your soul. Sail on.”
Breathe in, breathe out; Let the sea cleanse the mind, the heart, and the soul. Let it never end.
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Shark on Bluegrass notes from the first quarter
Date: 2021-06-25 12:33
From: "Falk Meissner"
SHTP 2021 log Shark On Bluegrass
Transcription of my hand written notes.
Saturday 06/23
Nice send-off: Vanessa , Malina, Tom, Brian, Tibu thank you!
Windy sail to the start.
Light wind outside the gate, change to Genoa, moving at4-5kn.
Sleep in the evening to catch up on my sleep deficit from last week (a
lot of work-work finishing and starting a project and the packing
prep.)
Change down to #3, don’t want to get caught at night with the Genoa up.
Expecting shift to north -which never came as the coastal south Eddie
moved between me and the synoptic wind.
Saw a grey whale splashing his fin on the water. He must have been in
love with the Shark. Crossing to the north of the north farallones. As
predicted fleet split into north and south
Useful:
Solar cells seem to have plenty of power
Figured out some menu items on the chart plotter. -finally.
Seems I am using the chart plotter as primary navigation tool. INavX app
only as cross check. Also keep the chart plotter running most of the
time ( despite power consumption)
Dodger: just the way to the start was worth the hassle of getting it. (
overtime, really LOVE the dodger, it allows to keep the companionway
open and gives a holding point.) - Thanks Thomas, Brian, Aaron.
Better: dodger with handles on the side and stiffer front. Aaron was
right, the natural tendency is to grab the higher point and not the
handles on the deck.
Sunday 06/20
Somewhat cold during the night, lucky I brought the additional blanket.
Gloomy day, calm. Worried that solar cells do not charge enough, but
they do, even on overcast day.4.5-5 knin7-8 kn of wind.
Put the Genoa up. Fast but more stress. Autopilot can’t handle the
puffs. Worried to get caught in big wind. Genoa requires a trip to the
foredeck to get it down. Big heavy sail. Spin can be doused from the
cockpit. ( after a few more days I am now convinced that hanks are the
better option for this type of sailing. Jib / Genoa comes down by itself
while staying attached without the need to go forward. It’s a Safety
feature in heavy wind or seas... Can put up second sail without the need
to take the first one off as well)
Decide to keep direct route northerly seems plenty of wind. Find out
later that this was the wind circling the hole bringing me dead into the
middle of the anti clock wise Eddie. Well second most west boat for
tonight, did not last long so.
Still seasick, all the pasta with tomatoe sauce is coming out again.
Together with all the water.
Still cold at night , need blanket and sleeping bag.
Useful:
Additional light blanket (Delta ~ Westin business class blanket for the
connoisseurs ) additional layer when needed or as light blanket for
naps.
Sleep most of the time in the windward berth. Lee cloth work! Faster
into the cockpit. Fore peak is for quiet nights w.o. Foulies, even has a
proper sheet.
Monday 06/21
Sailed into the wind hole, the only way around is to gybe, go north and
put the spin up.
Light winds, so mostly slept through Sunday and Sunday nights,still
working off the sleep deficit. Turns out I don’t need the alarm to wake
me up to check. I wake up when the noises change:
Bow wave splashing = speed
Trim = flogging sails
Balance = autopilot only working short bursts not long side to side
moves
Overpowered = heel
Traffic - AIS beeping - this one works beautiful I am happy I installed
the transponder after Long Pac
Well and once in a while take a peek around of course.
First sunny day
Useful
Buckets without flimsy handles. Took the handles off on both buckets and
cut holes near the rim to pull string through.
Tue 6/22
Found the wind last night. Making 8kn on a beam reach with the spin up
under autopilot, while sleeping!!!.
It got too windy so needed to take the spin down. Manage to shrimp it
which tore one clew off the spin. That’s why you use old sails for this.
This was a 2011 spin. RIP. Change to #3 as we finally got into the
wind.
Slept 6 hrs straight, nice, woke up to a dead main battery. Switched to
backup. Let’s see; over discharged li Ion batteries go into sleep mode,
manual says solar charger will wake them up. Tried to “jump start’ with
the second battery before .... bad idea cable got warm quick. Let the
charger do it’s work. Measured the voltage as the battery , creeping up
from 11,80 to 12,40 over two hours or so. Battery comes back to life.
Nice to see theory in practice....
First sunny evening. Beam reaching, with cross waves. Not quite
comfortable.
Useful:
tool box with voltmeter.
Buying the autopilot one size up ( st 2000 tiller pilot) able to handle
a lot. Thanks Rufus for the recommendation.
Less useful: mast instrument, boat speed, and digital compass. I sail
mostly after COG and SOG. So take them off the MEMA network to save 0.4A
in the power budget .
Useful: camomile tea, no appetite for any of the sodas or power drinks I
brought. Drinking lots of water from then jar. The Lee cloth really
work (not a common equipment on an Olson 25) allows me to sleep near the
cockpit. Also noticed that I am very diligent to keep the cabin and
cockpit orderly and clean.
We 06/23
Made 70 or so miles over night on a beam reach at7-8 kn. Slept from 9 pm
to 7am with few interruptions.
One AIS alarm. Build into my dream. DCA 1.4 miles in 20 min. Hail the
freighter that I see him amd change course slightly to pass his tern
more clearly.
Main battery all well at 12.6V in the morning. Once the backup is
charged combine both solar panels to charge the main. Getting 6-8A out
of 150W solar. Compared to 2-3A use, depending on what is running. Very
happy with the solar set up.
Decide against going to Genoa in the morning wind is about 12-13kn. It’s
getting lighter rapidly.... I am about 50nm south of the rump line. So
the calm of the High is in the way. Keep.going South_West around 215-220
on a beam reach under spin ( my other older spin, likely 20 years old,
came with the boat - 1.5 oz cloth so this should hold.). Don’t want to
go even more south. The gamble is how much distance to add to go south.
I have a short light boat so Minimize additional distance while keeping
moving in lighter winds vs the bigger boat. Well see.... from the
standings I am in the middle of the field.
Washday, head to toe wet wiping and fresh cloth - very nice - spa
experience
Not useful: not bringing hand soap. The bottle I grabbed is shampoo plus
conditioner - too oily. Socks; I am basically barefoot all the time.
Except when I go forward I put the boots on.
Useful: the Spinlock harness, comfortable, and less bulky than the
inflatable. So much easier to keep on all the time.
Ahh, officially managed 1/4 of the to go distance. Let’s s celebrate -
freeze dried pasta in tomato sauce, check, apple check, bell pepper
check.
Thursday 06/24
Good spin run yesterday evening amd last night. Wind calmed down over
night. 5-6kn under autopilot in 7-9kn of wind - autopilot is able to
handle it. So go to bed.
Found the Pacific high! It’s where the weather models say it would
be.... contemplating or the last two days . Running SW at 210-215 for
three days now. Going more south? I am not going to make 200n, to get
into the strongest trades. From the position reports none of the
competitors went that far south staying north see,s risky as the high
sits there. Same conclusion, keep reaching amd keep the boat moving.
Making 5kn in little wind...
Have been keeping up with the family amd friends. Amazing that the
Sattelite modem works re;active;y seamless even for casual calls. I also
opened the first messages in the bottle. A jar full of wishes from
friends amd family. Thank you Vanessa f-r organizing. Thanks to all who
wrote so,etching. Today I found messages from Fran amd the cousins...
Useful:
Knee pads - finally started wearing them all the time, who would have
thought what a useful invention. Chafe control - probably a know. One
to he experience sailor. Manage to nearly cut through a spin sheet
rubbing on the life lines on Tuesday. Caught it early enough. Very
careful now to keep everything separated
Despite the annoyingly slow progress, this is the first fully enjoyable
and comfortable day. It’s warm. The boat does not roll and keeps a
steady pace. Finally go to do some house keeping amd to type up my notes
from the last days no promises I will keep that up....
Date: 2021-06-25 12:33
From: "Falk Meissner"
SHTP 2021 log Shark On Bluegrass
Transcription of my hand written notes.
Saturday 06/23
Nice send-off: Vanessa , Malina, Tom, Brian, Tibu thank you!
Windy sail to the start.
Light wind outside the gate, change to Genoa, moving at4-5kn.
Sleep in the evening to catch up on my sleep deficit from last week (a
lot of work-work finishing and starting a project and the packing
prep.)
Change down to #3, don’t want to get caught at night with the Genoa up.
Expecting shift to north -which never came as the coastal south Eddie
moved between me and the synoptic wind.
Saw a grey whale splashing his fin on the water. He must have been in
love with the Shark. Crossing to the north of the north farallones. As
predicted fleet split into north and south
Useful:
Solar cells seem to have plenty of power
Figured out some menu items on the chart plotter. -finally.
Seems I am using the chart plotter as primary navigation tool. INavX app
only as cross check. Also keep the chart plotter running most of the
time ( despite power consumption)
Dodger: just the way to the start was worth the hassle of getting it. (
overtime, really LOVE the dodger, it allows to keep the companionway
open and gives a holding point.) - Thanks Thomas, Brian, Aaron.
Better: dodger with handles on the side and stiffer front. Aaron was
right, the natural tendency is to grab the higher point and not the
handles on the deck.
Sunday 06/20
Somewhat cold during the night, lucky I brought the additional blanket.
Gloomy day, calm. Worried that solar cells do not charge enough, but
they do, even on overcast day.4.5-5 knin7-8 kn of wind.
Put the Genoa up. Fast but more stress. Autopilot can’t handle the
puffs. Worried to get caught in big wind. Genoa requires a trip to the
foredeck to get it down. Big heavy sail. Spin can be doused from the
cockpit. ( after a few more days I am now convinced that hanks are the
better option for this type of sailing. Jib / Genoa comes down by itself
while staying attached without the need to go forward. It’s a Safety
feature in heavy wind or seas... Can put up second sail without the need
to take the first one off as well)
Decide to keep direct route northerly seems plenty of wind. Find out
later that this was the wind circling the hole bringing me dead into the
middle of the anti clock wise Eddie. Well second most west boat for
tonight, did not last long so.
Still seasick, all the pasta with tomatoe sauce is coming out again.
Together with all the water.
Still cold at night , need blanket and sleeping bag.
Useful:
Additional light blanket (Delta ~ Westin business class blanket for the
connoisseurs ) additional layer when needed or as light blanket for
naps.
Sleep most of the time in the windward berth. Lee cloth work! Faster
into the cockpit. Fore peak is for quiet nights w.o. Foulies, even has a
proper sheet.
Monday 06/21
Sailed into the wind hole, the only way around is to gybe, go north and
put the spin up.
Light winds, so mostly slept through Sunday and Sunday nights,still
working off the sleep deficit. Turns out I don’t need the alarm to wake
me up to check. I wake up when the noises change:
Bow wave splashing = speed
Trim = flogging sails
Balance = autopilot only working short bursts not long side to side
moves
Overpowered = heel
Traffic - AIS beeping - this one works beautiful I am happy I installed
the transponder after Long Pac
Well and once in a while take a peek around of course.
First sunny day
Useful
Buckets without flimsy handles. Took the handles off on both buckets and
cut holes near the rim to pull string through.
Tue 6/22
Found the wind last night. Making 8kn on a beam reach with the spin up
under autopilot, while sleeping!!!.
It got too windy so needed to take the spin down. Manage to shrimp it
which tore one clew off the spin. That’s why you use old sails for this.
This was a 2011 spin. RIP. Change to #3 as we finally got into the
wind.
Slept 6 hrs straight, nice, woke up to a dead main battery. Switched to
backup. Let’s see; over discharged li Ion batteries go into sleep mode,
manual says solar charger will wake them up. Tried to “jump start’ with
the second battery before .... bad idea cable got warm quick. Let the
charger do it’s work. Measured the voltage as the battery , creeping up
from 11,80 to 12,40 over two hours or so. Battery comes back to life.
Nice to see theory in practice....
First sunny evening. Beam reaching, with cross waves. Not quite
comfortable.
Useful:
tool box with voltmeter.
Buying the autopilot one size up ( st 2000 tiller pilot) able to handle
a lot. Thanks Rufus for the recommendation.
Less useful: mast instrument, boat speed, and digital compass. I sail
mostly after COG and SOG. So take them off the MEMA network to save 0.4A
in the power budget .
Useful: camomile tea, no appetite for any of the sodas or power drinks I
brought. Drinking lots of water from then jar. The Lee cloth really
work (not a common equipment on an Olson 25) allows me to sleep near the
cockpit. Also noticed that I am very diligent to keep the cabin and
cockpit orderly and clean.
We 06/23
Made 70 or so miles over night on a beam reach at7-8 kn. Slept from 9 pm
to 7am with few interruptions.
One AIS alarm. Build into my dream. DCA 1.4 miles in 20 min. Hail the
freighter that I see him amd change course slightly to pass his tern
more clearly.
Main battery all well at 12.6V in the morning. Once the backup is
charged combine both solar panels to charge the main. Getting 6-8A out
of 150W solar. Compared to 2-3A use, depending on what is running. Very
happy with the solar set up.
Decide against going to Genoa in the morning wind is about 12-13kn. It’s
getting lighter rapidly.... I am about 50nm south of the rump line. So
the calm of the High is in the way. Keep.going South_West around 215-220
on a beam reach under spin ( my other older spin, likely 20 years old,
came with the boat - 1.5 oz cloth so this should hold.). Don’t want to
go even more south. The gamble is how much distance to add to go south.
I have a short light boat so Minimize additional distance while keeping
moving in lighter winds vs the bigger boat. Well see.... from the
standings I am in the middle of the field.
Washday, head to toe wet wiping and fresh cloth - very nice - spa
experience
Not useful: not bringing hand soap. The bottle I grabbed is shampoo plus
conditioner - too oily. Socks; I am basically barefoot all the time.
Except when I go forward I put the boots on.
Useful: the Spinlock harness, comfortable, and less bulky than the
inflatable. So much easier to keep on all the time.
Ahh, officially managed 1/4 of the to go distance. Let’s s celebrate -
freeze dried pasta in tomato sauce, check, apple check, bell pepper
check.
Thursday 06/24
Good spin run yesterday evening amd last night. Wind calmed down over
night. 5-6kn under autopilot in 7-9kn of wind - autopilot is able to
handle it. So go to bed.
Found the Pacific high! It’s where the weather models say it would
be.... contemplating or the last two days . Running SW at 210-215 for
three days now. Going more south? I am not going to make 200n, to get
into the strongest trades. From the position reports none of the
competitors went that far south staying north see,s risky as the high
sits there. Same conclusion, keep reaching amd keep the boat moving.
Making 5kn in little wind...
Have been keeping up with the family amd friends. Amazing that the
Sattelite modem works re;active;y seamless even for casual calls. I also
opened the first messages in the bottle. A jar full of wishes from
friends amd family. Thank you Vanessa f-r organizing. Thanks to all who
wrote so,etching. Today I found messages from Fran amd the cousins...
Useful:
Knee pads - finally started wearing them all the time, who would have
thought what a useful invention. Chafe control - probably a know. One
to he experience sailor. Manage to nearly cut through a spin sheet
rubbing on the life lines on Tuesday. Caught it early enough. Very
careful now to keep everything separated
Despite the annoyingly slow progress, this is the first fully enjoyable
and comfortable day. It’s warm. The boat does not roll and keeps a
steady pace. Finally go to do some house keeping amd to type up my notes
from the last days no promises I will keep that up....
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
July 13, 2021 Green Buffalo's notes during return to the Mainland
Just over two days into the trip home. The first two days were quite rough... 18k-22k of wind and big seas. Warm, wet and uncomfortable. One reef in the main and the working jib (85%). One could sit in the companionway but the whole cockpit and most of the space under the dodger was in the "splash zone".
Everyone working on their sea legs meant not much food. Just sleeping and going to the head is real work.
That said, making good progress... 160nm per day (2.5 degrees of latitude) including "some" easting.
Now today it mellowed a bit... wind down to 15k... so we had a chicken and cabbage salad dinner. And I took a quick shower in the cockpit (yes I was starting to get a bit "ripe"). Now maybe saying it mellowed is a bit premature as its back to 18k as I write this.
Weather forecast looks pretty good... wind should continue to mellow over the coming next two days - and allow us to get a bit more easting... and then comes the "big motor" across the southeast corner of the high.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
Just over two days into the trip home. The first two days were quite rough... 18k-22k of wind and big seas. Warm, wet and uncomfortable. One reef in the main and the working jib (85%). One could sit in the companionway but the whole cockpit and most of the space under the dodger was in the "splash zone".
Everyone working on their sea legs meant not much food. Just sleeping and going to the head is real work.
That said, making good progress... 160nm per day (2.5 degrees of latitude) including "some" easting.
Now today it mellowed a bit... wind down to 15k... so we had a chicken and cabbage salad dinner. And I took a quick shower in the cockpit (yes I was starting to get a bit "ripe"). Now maybe saying it mellowed is a bit premature as its back to 18k as I write this.
Weather forecast looks pretty good... wind should continue to mellow over the coming next two days - and allow us to get a bit more easting... and then comes the "big motor" across the southeast corner of the high.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
July 14
Just when we thought the wind might temper a bit, it didn't. Last 24 hours have been 18k-20k - with occasional 24k when clouds pass.
That said, "bow banging" has decreased quite a bit... as we fine tune our direction and sail trim to best "meet the waves". Did I mention the wave state is a bit of a mess?
After successful cabbage salad with chicken last night, tonight its mac and cheese with string beans and chicken.
Still looking forward to the wind and waves mellowing... maybe by late tomorrow (we are already at 31 degrees North Latitude and the center of the high is maybe 36-37 degrees).
Crew hanging under the dodger chatting... clear blue skies... just looking forward to less bump and less water on deck.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo
Just when we thought the wind might temper a bit, it didn't. Last 24 hours have been 18k-20k - with occasional 24k when clouds pass.
That said, "bow banging" has decreased quite a bit... as we fine tune our direction and sail trim to best "meet the waves". Did I mention the wave state is a bit of a mess?
After successful cabbage salad with chicken last night, tonight its mac and cheese with string beans and chicken.
Still looking forward to the wind and waves mellowing... maybe by late tomorrow (we are already at 31 degrees North Latitude and the center of the high is maybe 36-37 degrees).
Crew hanging under the dodger chatting... clear blue skies... just looking forward to less bump and less water on deck.
Cheers,
Jim
Green Buffalo