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Hedgehog
- Thread starter DaveH
- Start date
Station 46026 is reporting nice conditions. Dave should have a nice quiet ride to the Farallones!
Wind Speed (WSPD): 11.7 kts
5-day plot - Wind Gust Wind Gust (GST): 13.6 kts
5-day plot - Wave Height Wave Height (WVHT): 3.0 ft
5-day plot - Dominant Wave Period Dominant Wave Period (DPD): 12 sec
Wind Speed (WSPD): 11.7 kts
5-day plot - Wind Gust Wind Gust (GST): 13.6 kts
5-day plot - Wave Height Wave Height (WVHT): 3.0 ft
5-day plot - Dominant Wave Period Dominant Wave Period (DPD): 12 sec
Ticket Punched
So that was fun! – Apologies for a few extra days for the write up below…
I Got to spend some time on the ocean in a good range of conditions, and find out a bit more about Hedgehog, what works and what needs adjustments.
The weather pretty much was as predicted, 10-15 from the NW for Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s weather proved consistent with the GFS model – eg 19-25 knots, going more Northerly as the pressure built.
Given the wind pressure and angles, I ended up essentially beating / close reaching most of Thursday and much of Friday with the wind ~32 AWA & 60 TWA. The strategy was all about setting up for Saturday, keeping high enough on Thursday to get my required 100 miles of westing but still stay north enough to leave enough of the lighter pressure and waves on Friday to work north before heading back out for the required mileage. I hoped to have at least a broad reach home through the snotty stuff. That all worked according to plan.
Saturday (and into Sunday) was a hard, wet and fast 165 miles that included about 10 hours of 25+knots with 6-8’ swells and occasional breaking crests. Really good practice for the first day(s) of the race, just in the opposite direction, and without the option to ease off the 90 degree angle to waves and wind.
I turned for home about 0100 Saturday, with 235 miles on the track and 170 miles showing back to pt. Bonita. At that point the wind was building to the high teens and I had the #3 jib and one reef in the main. That sail combo worked well for a few hours. By dawn the wind had veered North, as predicted, and was up to 21 knots. I dropped in another reef and debated a headsail change. Ultimately, I decided against going forward and changing to the #4; partly not wanting to get even wetter, partly hoping that this was the upper limit of what I would see.
Instead, I twisted off the #3 as the wind passed 23 knots sustained and carried on.
I found it interesting to observe the progression of the sea state; from fairly confused as the wind shifted around and built to much larger seas with a longer period as the wind built.
The Pelagic AP worked well for the entire time, and did a fine job of anticipating the crests of the waves, and bearing off down their faces at mostly appropriate times; having the sail plan slightly unbalanced forward seemed to help, as the extra pressure in the jib at the top of the waves would help to pull the bow down the face of the wave.
As I came into the lee of Cape Mendocino, the wind dropped to a relatively sedate 20 knots.
I passed between the North Farallon group and Maintop Island about 2000 with the breeze still in the 18-20 range, seas dropping.
Wind continued to drop, and by the time I was nearing the bucket it was down to 10-12 knots and the seas were much reduced. Shook out the last reef, dropped the jib and finally set a kite.
Ironically all this ended in a complete glass-off with 4 miles to go. For about an hour, I let the remaining flood and sloppy swell push me forward. But when I started moving backward with the ebb ~0200 with 2 miles to go, something needed to be done! So, I dropped the sagging spinnaker, centered the main and rocked and sculled the boat forward until the mileage on the tracker said 401. At that point I declared victory, got the outboard on the stern and headed in.
So that’s the basics – here’s a brief synopsis of what worked and what needs improvement:
What Worked –
Solar and Batteries – with 3 days of full sun, it's probably not a worst case test, but the solar had no issues keeping up with the AP driving and other daytime loads and recharged the batteries to near 100% by nightfall from around 65%, even on Saturday, when the sails effectively shaded the panels until 1230 or so.
Clothing – I have a very nice Ocean Rodeo dry suit from 2016 and it was invaluable for Friday and Saturday; I only wish I had started with it, instead of soaking through my traditional foulies first. That said, layers of polypropylene & pile kept me warm even when soaked.
Basic But Necessary – Gold Bond, baby wipes & hand sanitizer plus water proof container for “paper products” and the items above. Don’t forget any of that!
Food – I tried out a new means of heating food. It’s basically a chafing dish powered by a quicklime packet. Same heating principle as a “heater” K ration meal, but you can choose better food. My go-to is pre-cooked Indian stews and rice, throwing in some canned chicken or tuna for extra protein. On balance this is an improvement on my old method of heating the packets in boiled water, and then dumping the contents into a bowl. There’s room for improvement on the meal prep, so I don’t end up juggling multiple messy bags, but I do like not having a pot of scalding hot water swinging around… particularly in a very small space that is in constant motion.
What needs improvement –
Leaks – lots of them. Having a constant amount of green water over the deck is a very effective way of identifying where the water gets into the cabin. Some of these are relatively minor, some need major attention, but eliminating all of them is now the goal.
Hatch board – the single piece G10 one that came with the boat is heavy and hard to fit from the inside of the boat… requires a better engineered solution.
More interior hand holds and tie downs – nothing seriously shifted, but I didn’t take any full knockdowns, and I did get thrown about enough to destroy 2 buckets by landing on them while they were on their sides.
What I broke –
Not much. I broke the cockpit connector the RAM mic, will have to find a better placement where I wont accidentally sit down on it.
I also broke the rear connection to Pelagic #2 in a similarly oafish way. Will work on that… there’s a solution somewhere.
Oh, and the buckets. That could have been much more serious with a longer time frame.
OK – that’s about it. All in all not to bad… boxes ticked, ticket punched. Onward!
DH
So that was fun! – Apologies for a few extra days for the write up below…
I Got to spend some time on the ocean in a good range of conditions, and find out a bit more about Hedgehog, what works and what needs adjustments.
The weather pretty much was as predicted, 10-15 from the NW for Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s weather proved consistent with the GFS model – eg 19-25 knots, going more Northerly as the pressure built.
Given the wind pressure and angles, I ended up essentially beating / close reaching most of Thursday and much of Friday with the wind ~32 AWA & 60 TWA. The strategy was all about setting up for Saturday, keeping high enough on Thursday to get my required 100 miles of westing but still stay north enough to leave enough of the lighter pressure and waves on Friday to work north before heading back out for the required mileage. I hoped to have at least a broad reach home through the snotty stuff. That all worked according to plan.
Saturday (and into Sunday) was a hard, wet and fast 165 miles that included about 10 hours of 25+knots with 6-8’ swells and occasional breaking crests. Really good practice for the first day(s) of the race, just in the opposite direction, and without the option to ease off the 90 degree angle to waves and wind.
I turned for home about 0100 Saturday, with 235 miles on the track and 170 miles showing back to pt. Bonita. At that point the wind was building to the high teens and I had the #3 jib and one reef in the main. That sail combo worked well for a few hours. By dawn the wind had veered North, as predicted, and was up to 21 knots. I dropped in another reef and debated a headsail change. Ultimately, I decided against going forward and changing to the #4; partly not wanting to get even wetter, partly hoping that this was the upper limit of what I would see.
Instead, I twisted off the #3 as the wind passed 23 knots sustained and carried on.
I found it interesting to observe the progression of the sea state; from fairly confused as the wind shifted around and built to much larger seas with a longer period as the wind built.
The Pelagic AP worked well for the entire time, and did a fine job of anticipating the crests of the waves, and bearing off down their faces at mostly appropriate times; having the sail plan slightly unbalanced forward seemed to help, as the extra pressure in the jib at the top of the waves would help to pull the bow down the face of the wave.
As I came into the lee of Cape Mendocino, the wind dropped to a relatively sedate 20 knots.
I passed between the North Farallon group and Maintop Island about 2000 with the breeze still in the 18-20 range, seas dropping.
Wind continued to drop, and by the time I was nearing the bucket it was down to 10-12 knots and the seas were much reduced. Shook out the last reef, dropped the jib and finally set a kite.
Ironically all this ended in a complete glass-off with 4 miles to go. For about an hour, I let the remaining flood and sloppy swell push me forward. But when I started moving backward with the ebb ~0200 with 2 miles to go, something needed to be done! So, I dropped the sagging spinnaker, centered the main and rocked and sculled the boat forward until the mileage on the tracker said 401. At that point I declared victory, got the outboard on the stern and headed in.
So that’s the basics – here’s a brief synopsis of what worked and what needs improvement:
What Worked –
Solar and Batteries – with 3 days of full sun, it's probably not a worst case test, but the solar had no issues keeping up with the AP driving and other daytime loads and recharged the batteries to near 100% by nightfall from around 65%, even on Saturday, when the sails effectively shaded the panels until 1230 or so.
Clothing – I have a very nice Ocean Rodeo dry suit from 2016 and it was invaluable for Friday and Saturday; I only wish I had started with it, instead of soaking through my traditional foulies first. That said, layers of polypropylene & pile kept me warm even when soaked.
Basic But Necessary – Gold Bond, baby wipes & hand sanitizer plus water proof container for “paper products” and the items above. Don’t forget any of that!
Food – I tried out a new means of heating food. It’s basically a chafing dish powered by a quicklime packet. Same heating principle as a “heater” K ration meal, but you can choose better food. My go-to is pre-cooked Indian stews and rice, throwing in some canned chicken or tuna for extra protein. On balance this is an improvement on my old method of heating the packets in boiled water, and then dumping the contents into a bowl. There’s room for improvement on the meal prep, so I don’t end up juggling multiple messy bags, but I do like not having a pot of scalding hot water swinging around… particularly in a very small space that is in constant motion.
What needs improvement –
Leaks – lots of them. Having a constant amount of green water over the deck is a very effective way of identifying where the water gets into the cabin. Some of these are relatively minor, some need major attention, but eliminating all of them is now the goal.
Hatch board – the single piece G10 one that came with the boat is heavy and hard to fit from the inside of the boat… requires a better engineered solution.
More interior hand holds and tie downs – nothing seriously shifted, but I didn’t take any full knockdowns, and I did get thrown about enough to destroy 2 buckets by landing on them while they were on their sides.
What I broke –
Not much. I broke the cockpit connector the RAM mic, will have to find a better placement where I wont accidentally sit down on it.
I also broke the rear connection to Pelagic #2 in a similarly oafish way. Will work on that… there’s a solution somewhere.
Oh, and the buckets. That could have been much more serious with a longer time frame.
OK – that’s about it. All in all not to bad… boxes ticked, ticket punched. Onward!
DH
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Short answer is no, but it's not that I haven't thought about it.
Nominally the spent packs are bio-degradable, consisting of paper the consistency of a toughened coffee filter and the calcium hydroxide (AKA Slaked Lime), which is the result of the chemical reaction.
That said, I'm not gonna be tossing them overboard... just no.
Re handling, while the Slaked Lime is very base, and you wouldn't want to open up the packet, putting it in the trash bag doesn't present a challenge.
If you're really worried about it still having some heat left to give in the trash bag, just add some more water to make sure its completely converted.
I sort my trash into recyclable, landfill and "compost ashore", and I THINK the packages fall into the last bin, but I honestly am not certain yet...more research is required.
Unfortunately the individual packages that keep them dry before use are not green at all, and will add to my plastic waste.
DH
Colder than in the bay & city last week(end), that's for sure.
Air temps in the high 50's at night, mid 60's during the day.
Felt colder in the wind, and of course when wet.
I actually have a soft bucket, though I didn't bring it this trip. It would have at least served as a backup for bailing.
however, it doesn't afford much for one to squat on, if you get my drift.
By comparison to DOMINO, HEDGEHOG is a wetter and faster ride.
Once I got my stack worked out, HEDGEHOG actually tracks a bit better; I know from experience DOMINO can't maintain the angle we sailed home at.
In terms of basic living, there is less overall interior volume, but in terms of how I use the interior when the going gets rough, there's not much practical difference.
In both cases I prefer to mostly move around on my knees and mostly live in the middle of the cabin sole, on the floor. In practice, my most comfortable sleeping position is on my bean bag, near the base of the companionway.
DOMINO had a sweet little nav desk to port, which I miss a little for a laptop surface, but since I am now running most things on a tablet, meh.
DH
however, it doesn't afford much for one to squat on, if you get my drift.
By comparison to DOMINO, HEDGEHOG is a wetter and faster ride.
Once I got my stack worked out, HEDGEHOG actually tracks a bit better; I know from experience DOMINO can't maintain the angle we sailed home at.
In terms of basic living, there is less overall interior volume, but in terms of how I use the interior when the going gets rough, there's not much practical difference.
In both cases I prefer to mostly move around on my knees and mostly live in the middle of the cabin sole, on the floor. In practice, my most comfortable sleeping position is on my bean bag, near the base of the companionway.
DOMINO had a sweet little nav desk to port, which I miss a little for a laptop surface, but since I am now running most things on a tablet, meh.
DH
I understand about the soft buckets, a bit short and too collapsible for the biological business.
Though, I sometimes envy standing headroom, the lively ride of an ULDB has great performance benefits when the wind and waves kick up.
There is something comforting about being "nested" in small space on hands and knees. Most things are within easy reach and there's not much distance to fall.
Glad you plan on hand holds. I thought my natural hand holds were sufficient for a long journey, but my shoulders disagreed by Hanalei. If done again, I would condition my shoulders more.
For a nav table, I used my backup hatchboard as a lap desk. Some plastic or metal binder clips helped affix the main paper chart.
JB
Though, I sometimes envy standing headroom, the lively ride of an ULDB has great performance benefits when the wind and waves kick up.
There is something comforting about being "nested" in small space on hands and knees. Most things are within easy reach and there's not much distance to fall.
Glad you plan on hand holds. I thought my natural hand holds were sufficient for a long journey, but my shoulders disagreed by Hanalei. If done again, I would condition my shoulders more.
For a nav table, I used my backup hatchboard as a lap desk. Some plastic or metal binder clips helped affix the main paper chart.
JB
Dazzler
m/v PACIFIC LOON
DH- Excellent report! As one who has observed your very thoughtful and thorough preparation, I’m not surprised it went so well.
Question: Will you tell us about your VHF/ AIS/ Nav system? You were “visible” on MarineTraffic.com from land-based stations well beyond the Farallones.
Question: Will you tell us about your VHF/ AIS/ Nav system? You were “visible” on MarineTraffic.com from land-based stations well beyond the Farallones.
Hi Tom,
Glad it works so well!
I am basically running the same system, with mostly the same components, that I had on DOMINO.
The VHF/AIS set up consists of the masthead 15" Shakespeare antenna, the coax cable, A SI-TEX AIS/VHF Splitter amplifier, a SI-TEX AIS Transceiver , and a Standard Horizon GX2150 VHF.
The Transceiver has a switch to mute my AIS transmission, but I can't recall ever using it.
In terms of seeing other vessels:
I use the NMEA 2000 tap from the splitter to feed AIS targets to a B&G Zuess3 7" chart plotter that lives down below.
This is a small upgrade from the model I had on DOMINO, notable mostly that it has wifi and Bluetooth, which allows me to see and "drive" the display on my phone or a tablet in the cockpit.
I also have the mic display from the radio in the cockpit, which is more convenient in practice.
At least when I haven't busted the connector by sitting on it!
DH
Glad it works so well!
I am basically running the same system, with mostly the same components, that I had on DOMINO.
The VHF/AIS set up consists of the masthead 15" Shakespeare antenna, the coax cable, A SI-TEX AIS/VHF Splitter amplifier, a SI-TEX AIS Transceiver , and a Standard Horizon GX2150 VHF.
The Transceiver has a switch to mute my AIS transmission, but I can't recall ever using it.
In terms of seeing other vessels:
I use the NMEA 2000 tap from the splitter to feed AIS targets to a B&G Zuess3 7" chart plotter that lives down below.
This is a small upgrade from the model I had on DOMINO, notable mostly that it has wifi and Bluetooth, which allows me to see and "drive" the display on my phone or a tablet in the cockpit.
I also have the mic display from the radio in the cockpit, which is more convenient in practice.
At least when I haven't busted the connector by sitting on it!
DH
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Thanks for these details - I'm planning some upgrades on my own boat soon and still trying to sort all these techie bits out.
I assume the GX2150's AIS receiver provides a backup receiver in the event your SI-TEX+Zeus setup fails, but are there other advantages? Just debating if I should go with a non-AIS VHF and put those bucks toward other gear. Also wondering if there's any noise from the SI-TEX to the GX2150, but presumably not since it sounds like the setup works well.
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