Late Pacs

[Philpott]

Do you late Pac buglighters intend to stay in touch with the Transpac Race Committee while you are out there? Or will you communicate via your delormes? If you choose to do that, we could post your whereabouts and other bits on this forum. That would be good practice for those of us who plan to greet you in Hanalei Bay. It would also offer the General the opportunity to maintain some discipline remotely. If you plan to just be stoical and act like people with bad hygiene, that's certainly your decision.

 

[BobJ]

"What happens in the ocean..."

And just to clarify, you don't actually have to visit 126 40. You could go out 100 nm, sail in circles for a couple hundred more, then sail back in. Whatever floats your boat - because floating your boat is better than the alternative.

 

[The Smokester]

I too am considering April 6, 7... next week although the winds are predicted to be light.

How is the LatePac documented to the RC? GPS track, log or both?

 

[bizirka]

I am hoping to leave the 6th and will post a link to my Delorme.

Smokester, what forecast are you looking at? Both the CMC and GFS (via PredictWind) are forecasting 20-30 starting mid-day Tuesday.

 

[The Smokester]

...Smokester, what forecast are you looking at? Both the CMC and GFS (via PredictWind) are forecasting 20-30 starting mid-day Tuesday.

I am using PredictWind Pro with Departure Planning and Weather Routing. Tue April 5 starts off with 20-30 kn through the morning of the 6th and tapers off to 5 to 15kn late in the afternoon/evening (of the 6th) and for the rest of a round trip to Longitude 126 40. This is a little far out in time but is reasonably consistent across all four models.

Models in image are: PWG = Blue; PWC = Red; GFS = Green; CMC = Yellow

 

[bizirka]

Thanks! I am also using the pro version. Looks like the weather routing forecasts out further than the wind map. Just curious what are you using for your Latitude - have you played with it much?

 

[The Smokester]

Thanks! I am also using the pro version. Looks like the weather routing forecasts out further than the wind map. Just curious what are you using for your Latitude - have you played with it much?

Start and finish are 37 47.184n 122 33.174w which is roughly at the GG end of the SF Channel...A few miles west of the Pt Bonita/Mile Rocks demarcation line. Turn around point for this calculation is 37 19.998n 126 40.002w which is slightly south in latitude from the start/finish. When it is closer I will probably do runs varying the turnaround. Also, since there is no reason to go to 126 40w, one can easily go where the wind blows once 100 nm offshore to get 400 nm total as quickly as possible. There is a 0.3 to 1 kt current predicted to flow in varying directions (not just north to south).

 

[solosailor]

That's a good way not to spend money at the boat show !

 

[Critter]

There is a very effective sea-sickness medicine called Stugeron (15mg).

I followed an intensive daily regimen of Stoogeron between the ages of 8 and 14, with occasional boosters since, and it's been perfectly effective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb6tWYjyMR8

 

[BobJ]

That's awesome.

 

[pbryant]

Thanks for asking Jackie.

What I really needed was General Roper to send a msg to tell me to toughen up.

Todd

Actually, toughening up won't help you beyond forcing you to barf long enough that you acclimate. You can't psyche yourself out of seasickness. But there is one treatment that - though extreme and potentially expensive does work. NASA uses the same plan for rookie astronauts. Space sickness (zero G spatial disorientation) is an extreme form of seasickness.

They fly the rookies in trainer jets and subject them to every unusual attitude imaginable. Once they stop barfing, they're at least partially acclimated. (They still wear a patch when doing EVAs - barfing in a spacesuit can be fatal.) I flew competition aerobatics for years, and I've never been seasick. Unless the boat flips upside down and spins, I believe I'll be OK. I've been in some really ruff stuff, sealed up in the cabin with a sea anchor out, taking green water over the deck from all directions, while rolling 60 degrees and being intermittently weightless in the cabin: and all I've felt is a loss of appetite (and shear terror). I'm not made of nails - I used to get very green when I started aerobatics training.

Call around to find someone who practices aerobatics in a two-seater plane. Explain your goal, and I'll bet they'll take you up for free provided you supply your own airsick bags. I think you'll find you'll build up a tolerance very quickly. A few hours of loops, rolls and spins should be enough. It doesn't take long for most people to override the: "I'm dizzy - I must be poisoned - void my stomach" reflex -- unless you're unlucky enough to be another Jake Garn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_adaptation_syndrome).

 

[pogen]

Actually, there is a significant psychological effect with motion sickness. That is why many people swear by those wrist bands that supposedly apply pressure to an acupuncture point. Really it is the placebo effect, which is incredibly strong, across a wide range of maladies and treatments.

I don't get motion sick. I am certain that a part of my resistance is my conviction that I don't. In contrast, my younger daughter starts feeling dizzy and nauseous in the marina parking lot, before we even set foot on the dock.

I always wanted to try Bill's Cure for Seasickness: http://neversealand.downtothesea.org/2007/06/06/a-cure-for-sea-sickness/

 

[pbryant]

Well, I dunno about that. There's a lot of science to back up nearly everyone being vulnerable to some extent. The astronaut corps are some of the psychologically toughest people around. And nearly all of them experience some space sickness on their first flight for the first day or so. As long as they're strapped down, they're fine. But once they move freely about, the queasiness sets in right away. Still, I admit that before going out on a rough day, I look in the mirror and say: "I never get seasick" and "I'm a klutz." So far, I've never gotten sick and never fallen overboard.

There does seem to be a psychological aspect to motion sickness. When piloting light aircraft with non-pilot passengers, I've used a technique to very good effect: When my passengers get queasy and whiny in turbulence, I pull a bottle of whiskey out of my flight bag that's filled with tea, take a long pull, and remark: "without whiskey I couldn't fly through this stuff!" The ensuing terror overrides their sickness. Once the turbulence has past, I let them in on the secret non-alcoholic content of the bottle. My personal proof that the technique works comes from the one time I confessed too soon that the bottle contained only tea - and everyone go sick immediately afterwards. On my boat, telling stories about ship-destroying whales (the story of the Whaleship Essex is my favorite) and Great White sharks patrolling the area that can jump the gunnels to snatch passengers who are chumming the waters ("just like in the movie Jaws") seems to work too. "Did you know that sharks can smell vomit from miles away?..."

 

[Philpott]

Well? Have our intrepid sailors decided to delay their LatePacs until the wind goes down ten knots or so? Or are they raising their sails off Crissy Field as I type?

 

[dhusselman]

Well? Have our intrepid sailors decided to delay their LatePacs until the wind goes down ten knots or so? Or are they raising their sails off Crissy Field as I type?

I'm leaving tomorrow morning around 10am. Anyone else going?
It might get a little light out there but hopefully not for too long...

Dirk "TIJD" - First 30JK

 

[bizirka]

I'm leaving tomorrow morning around 10am. Anyone else going?
It might get a little light out there but hopefully not for too long...

Dirk "TIJD" - First 30JK

I am leaving Sausalito around 9AM tomorrow. Hopefully the wind is there - should be a nice reach most of the time.

Dirk, have you decided on a route yet? With the last update the Predict Wind route switched from reaching north the first day to dropping below the Farallons.

 

[Philpott]

Well well, good on you, fellas. Here's a reminder of what you are aiming for: Gary Burton on Elizabeth Ann. Sleep deprived, skinny and happy in Hanalei Bay.

 

[dhusselman]

I am leaving Sausalito around 9AM tomorrow. Hopefully the wind is there - should be a nice reach most of the time.

Dirk, have you decided on a route yet? With the last update the Predict Wind route switched from reaching north the first day to dropping below the Farallons.

Looks like there is more wind south, I will check in the morning and plan accordingly. Goal is to go fast as possible, clocking off miles and making it at least 100nm offshore. It would be cool to actually sail to 126.40 but only if the weather cooperates...

Do you want to check in offshore during the morning with VHF?

What is your boat name?

Dirk "TIJD" First 30JK

 

[bizirka]

Looks like there is more wind south, I will check in the morning and plan accordingly. Goal is to go fast as possible, clocking off miles and making it at least 100nm offshore. It would be cool to actually sail to 126.40 but only if the weather cooperates...

Do you want to check in offshore during the morning with VHF?

What is your boat name?

Dirk "TIJD" First 30JK

Boat name is Kato.

Would be great to checkin via VHF - besides 16 I monitor 68.

See you out there!

 

[The Smokester]

PredictWind for First 317 sailed at 75% starting April 6 at 10a from Pt Bonita: