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New Boat 4 Sled

Trip Report
I used to think Hwy 120, east of Tioga Pass, was pretty steep, with 3 miles of 8% grade to challenge horse power uphill, and brakes on the descent.

Annie and I decided to try an alternative to get RUBY the camp trailer over the Sierra to view Color Change .....Sonora Pass.

Yikes! Kinda like going around the Farallones on a Spring Saturday. Sonora Pass: steep, narrow, and windy to the 9,624' summit, with 26% grade on both sides. Did I mention the platoon of camouflaged marines practicing in the boulders on both sides of the road?

Sonora Pass1.jpg

Amidst the Fall colors, we joined Friends of the Inyo at their annual rendezvous at Obsidian Flats, between Mammoth and June Lake. Saturday morning, in conjunction with the Forest Service, we raked off-road ATV tracks out of a beautiful sandy meadow on the East Side of Hwy 395, and built Lincoln Log barriers to encourage adherence of "no off road driving." signage. Not sure that will do much good.

Eside12.jpg

After a fun weekend with the group of Friends of Inyo, we headed further south and up Rock Creek Canyon, where the colors were really going off. It had snowed a week earlier, and the dark peaks looked like powdered sugar on chocolate mountains.

Sonora3.jpg

From Rock Creek we continued south and camped near a small but fast flowing stream 7 miles south of Big Pine. Not being a fisherman, I inadvertently hooked a trout, which managed to release itself. That night the wind blew, gusting probably 30 and higher. Instead of reefs to increase stability, we deployed the four, wind down, stabilizer jacks, one at each trailer corner. Steady as she goes.

The next day we drove to Lone Pine and turned west on Whitney Portal Road, passing through the the phantasmagorical Alabama Hills, site of many cowboy westerns. Our campsite in the sage was only a few miles east of Mt. Whitney, which caught the first light of sunrise. That night an owl landed on the trailer for a hoot fest. Nice.

ESide17.JPG

Eside13.jpg

Whitney Portal Road, nearby to our campsite, was featured in the mountain scene of the 1953 Lucy and Desi classic, "The Long, Long Trailer." https://vimeo.com/77392290

On our way home to Santa Cruz, we encountered a dust storm on Highway 46 near I-5. Out of the brown sky came
sailing airborne tumbleweeds. At Paso we took a break and pulled into my friend's new wine resort "Allegretto" to have lunch. Annie said that was Will Ferrell a few tables over, but I wasn't supposed to stare.
 
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Welcome to my neighborhood Sled.
I’m on Ebbetts Pass, the next route to the north. Both Sonora and Ebbetts are great roads, not for the faint of heart.
A couple years ago we camped at Duck lake, good fall colors, hiking trails, and beaver dams.
Alabama Hills is on our to do list. So much to see of the eastern Sierra and autumn is a beautiful time to go.
Good for you!
 
Recuperating in Sausalito is not such bad duty. Staying at friends' house, we are just inland and at eye level with the top of the tallest wooden mast on SF Bay (the 83 foot M class sloop PURSUIT, visible just left of center).

ablation3.jpg

Last evening there was a major weather change on the coast. From warm and clear, the high rise skyline of San Francisco disappeared, as did the backlit black lump of Alcatraz. The fog horns of the GG Bridge began their bassoon notes, as did the throaty horns of invisible passing ships.

Dawn revealed a tongue of fog hiding everything from Angel Island to Berkeley, the Bay Bridge, and West. Where did the City go? Gone.

ablation2.jpg

The Bay was asleep so early (0700). The only sailing vessel underway was the 80 foot schooner SEAWARD, outbound from Sausalito under power.

My watchmate is 2.4 year old Olina. She's already learned schooners. "There goes FREDA B!"

Olina.jpg

This afternoon the low autumn sun burned off the fog east of Alcatraz. Boats spun in windless circles in Richardson Bay while just west of Alcatraz was a rail down breeze of 20 knots. The fog returned at sunset, and the only thing that could be seen was the Skyline ridgeline of the Berkeley Hills and a necklace of windows reflecting the fiery sunset above the Golden Gate.

Carving pumpkins with a two year old: Special times.

ablation4.jpg
 
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Singlehanders usually have two things in common: We don't often do "Legs Over" hiking with our torso pressed against the lifelines. And we have a penchant for cheaper, better, stronger equipment.

597.JPG

WILDFLOWER's crew of a few weeks' back, a former SHTP winner, rightly pointed out that leaning with your back against 1x19 wire-rope lifelines while steering from the weather side with the tiller extension gets uncomfortable.

He's right.

I moseyed over to Big 5 Sporting Goods and bought two foam swimming pool noodles 4'8" in length. Inserted some old garden hose scraps to add wear strength to the inside of the noodles.. Then covered the noodles with left-over white poly awning lengths glued to the noodle.

I unrigged the lifelines, which are lashed to the push-pits, inserted the lifelines into the noodles, and Bob's your uncle.

Noodles.jpg
 
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sleddog said:
I moseyed over to Big 5 Sporting Goods and bought two foam swimming pool noodles 4'8" in length. Inserted some old garden hose scraps to add wear strength to the inside of the noodles.. Then covered the noodles with left-over white poly awning lengths glued to the noodle. I unrigged the lifelines, which are lashed to the push-pits, inserted the lifelines into the noodles, and Bob's your uncle.
Click to expand...

Aaaahhh. The luxurious lives of yachtsmen.
 
sleddog said:
Trip Report
I used to think Hwy 120, east of Tioga Pass, was pretty steep, with 3 miles of 8% grade to challenge horse power uphill, and brakes on the descent.

Annie and I decided to try an alternative to get RUBY the camp trailer over the Sierra to view Color Change .....Sonora Pass.

Yikes! Kinda like going around the Farallones on a Spring Saturday. Sonora Pass: steep, narrow, and windy to the 9,624' summit, with 26% grade on both sides. Did I mention the platoon of camouflaged marines practicing in the boulders on both sides of the road?

View attachment 2759

Amidst the Fall colors, we joined Friends of the Inyo at their annual rendezvous at Obsidian Flats, between Mammoth and June Lake. Saturday morning, in conjunction with the Forest Service, we raked off-road ATV tracks out of a beautiful sandy meadow on the East Side of Hwy 395, and built Lincoln Log barriers to encourage adherence of "no off road driving." signage. Not sure that will do much good.

View attachment 2760

After a fun weekend with the group of Friends of Inyo, we headed further south and up Rock Creek Canyon, where the colors were really going off. It had snowed a week earlier, and the dark peaks looked like powdered sugar on chocolate mountains.

View attachment 2761

From Rock Creek we continued south and camped near a small but fast flowing stream 7 miles south of Big Pine. Not being a fisherman, I inadvertently hooked a trout, which managed to release itself. That night the wind blew, gusting probably 30 and higher. Instead of reefs to increase stability, we deployed the four, wind down, stabilizer jacks, one at each trailer corner. Steady as she goes.

The next day we drove to Lone Pine and turned west on Whitney Portal Road, passing through the the phantasmagorical Alabama Hills, site of many cowboy westerns. Our campsite in the sage was only a few miles east of Mt. Whitney, which caught the first light of sunrise. That night an owl landed on the trailer for a hoot fest. Nice.

View attachment 2762

View attachment 2763

Whitney Portal Road, nearby to our campsite, was featured in the mountain scene of the 1953 Lucy and Desi classic, "The Long, Long Trailer." https://vimeo.com/77392290

On our way home to Santa Cruz, we encountered a dust storm on Highway 46 near I-5. Out of the brown sky came
sailing airborne tumbleweeds. At Paso we took a break and pulled into my friend's new wine resort "Allegretto" to have lunch. Annie said that was Will Ferrell a few tables over, but I wasn't supposed to stare.
Click to expand...

Ah, Sonora Pass and the eastern Sierra. Rock Creek, Whitney Portal.

Just about my favorite places in the whole state.
 
Those look great Skip!
Half inch PVC makes good innards too.
I love pool noodles...
At the dollar store, they are available year round.
I've stuck them on lifelines, I've jammed them into the ends of my kayaks.
I've sliced off 6" hunks for crab floats, they pad roof racks nicely, and they add flotation to my PVC hull brush.
I keep a couple aboard for I don't what yet.
 
Not sure what to make of Clipper Race leader GREENINGS going aground near Cape Town shortly after yesterday's start of third leg.

Greenings 2.jpg

Bright moon, onshore wind of 14 knots, 18 crew safely evacuated. On the other hand, low coastline and no lights on the shore. Another VESTAS? Time will tell. Doesn't look like the boat is going anywhere soon.

Greenings 3.jpg

Fog could be a factor where cold water currents collide. Check out SS MAUI outbound towards the Golden Gate last Friday noon. (photo courtesy Capt Bob Buell)

Outbound.jpg
 
No word yet as to causality, but apparently they did enough damage for the yacht to not re-float with the tide.

Greenling.png

EVACUATED CLIPPER RACE YACHT (CV24) PARTIALLY UNDER WATER AFTER RUNNING AGROUND NEAR CAPE TOWN


Following careful analysis of the situation and state of the Clipper Race Yacht CV24 the Clipper Race office has confirmed that the vessel is partially underwater after running aground on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, and will take no further part in the Clipper 2017-18 Race.

The crew of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race team, Greenings (CV24), had previously been safely evacuated after running aground at approximately 2140 UTC (2340 local time) on Tuesday 31 October after departing Cape town earlier in the day for Leg 3 of the eight-leg global sailing race.

The decision has been communicated to the Interim Skipper, Andy Woodruff, and discussions have taken place with Greenings Skipper, David Hartshorn (recovering from an earlier injury) and his crew regarding their future participation in this edition of the race.

The safety of the Skipper and crew have been paramount throughout this incident and all are doing well and no injuries have been reported.

Underwriters have appointed a surveyor who will attend the boat tomorrow and, on receipt of his report, a decision will be made as to whether the boat will be salvaged or not.
 
Harmon checkin' Garmin on Garmin.

Sorry the alliteration was to good to resist.
 
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DaveH said:
Harmon checkin' Garmin on Garmin.
Sorry the alliteration was to good to resist.
Click to expand...

greenings 2.png

GREENINGS, half full of water looks totaled by insurance standards., RKJ is going to need some Xanax.

So what is the lattice sail in the fore-triangle? Spinnaker net? Jibing, or sail changes, on one of these big boats, in the dark, on the first night of Leg 3 with 18 crew, in close proximity to land, is no walk-in-the-park, and might have taken many minutes during which time nav station attention was compromised

PJ was crew on SANYA SERENITY COAST on Clipper Race Leg 2, and might have a 1st hand report when he returns.
 
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Bob, I think you are mistaken
Harmon's Garmin looks headed back,
but NASDAQ is right on track,
while Quingdao leads the pack,
and PSP looks forsaken

now I 'm really done.
 
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