New Boat 4 Sled

[AlanH]

I well remember racing a red Scampi 30 "Red Dragon" back in the early 2000's. I've always thought the deck and cabintop were a bit odd looking, but the boats sail well. They're popular in the Baltic in fact, all over Europe. The one time I've been aboard one, I thought they were pretty comfortable to sail and nicely laid out, down below.

The 3BF was a fun day! We started just great, were the only dorks to fly a spinnaker at our start, heading for Blackaller. We held on to it for about 15 minutes and then had to dpouse. At Blackaller we were a little bit behind our rating band folks, but not much. Heading to Pt Blunt it was all tight within the rating band class, with Synthia ooching out ahead and us playing chicken with a bunch of Moore 24s, one of which took us up to try to get by so he could play with the other Moore's. After we rounded Blunt we split from the fleet and went up Angel Island for current relief. That was great for about the length of the island, but we should have consolidated at Raccoon strait but.... didn’t. We never ran out of wind until we headed for Red Rock, but we had to tack multiple times up the island and across Raccoon Strait, and seems like everybody out in the main part of the channel had a straight shot at RR. Anyway, it was bad, we were the last boats in our "cluster" to round R.R. the wind went light near Red Rock, it was really ugly...I was sad and grumpy.

However, we set the spinnaker after Red Rock and after about 20 minutes of light and flukey silliness settled into a nice run down to Treasure Island. We brought the wind with us and didn’t park in the lee of TI. We got around without stopping and spotted a huge parking lot over behind the City. We also watched a J-105 carry their chute up to that parking lot until it collapsed and decided --- "Let's not go there"...so we didn't. Instead we reached up as high as we could, stayed away from the City and in mid-channel until we squeaked by Pier 39. Incredibly, we carried the spinnaker all the way to the finish./...from Red Rock all the way to the finish, hot damn! Between TI and the finish we picked off about 40 boats so that was gratifying after the disaster working our way up to RR. I think we managed to climb from DFL (of the boats that finished) in our class to mid-fleet on the strength of that last leg.

That tight spinnaker reach was a great test for my new rudder (see earlier thread). George was driving for this part and we never lost control. SWEET.

 

[Ian Rogers]

PS...is a Moore 24 with a sprit and asso faster DDW in big breeze than a similar Moore with a symmetric and pole? I say NO, because all the sail area is to leeward on the sprit boat and it would be too unstable and out of balance. Don't ask how I know this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLYDq4PEJRM I rest my case.

Skip - The video of the Moore 24 SNAFU from the 2017 Coastal Cup, is an Asso Kite on a pole. Karl a good friend of mine, copied the A2.5 that we used on Mas! for the 2016 Pac Cup.

Mark and I had two asso kites built within the NorCal PHRF rules, an A5 and an A2.5. We built the A5 to fill a reaching gap and had great success with it, we then had the A2.5 runner built. The A2.5 was .5 SQFT smaller than a class kite and was flown on a the class pole about 24 in off the deck, keeping the kite smaller and on the same length pole did not impact our rating. We tested both the A5 and A2.5 in 0 to 32 knots TWS and found it was always faster than the class kite. Over 32 knots TWS we had issues of out of balance, and in the Pac Cup on day 7 we switched to a S3 and rode out the night skipping from wave to wave.

Reflecting back on that at the KYC bar, we think we should have kept the A2.5 up and Reefed the main, this would have been a faster set up. The reason we went to the S3 we wanted to use something as we had tested. In the 2015 Coastal Cup we had the S3 up in 38 knots TWS. Before we shifted down in the Pac Cup on night 7 we had rounded down, put the mast in the water and were pinned down until we dropped the kite, to say we did not want to do that again was an understatement.

 

[sleddog]

Thanks, Ian, for the enlightenment. My thinking was, and remains, that you can't run DDW in breeze with either an asso or class symmetric on a boat like a Moore 24 without having the spinny attached to a pole that can be partially squared back to balance the boat...Maybe not true on a J-125 and bigger. But I've done more than a few Transpacs with Assos on a penalty pole in breeze, and you can sail lower and faster with the pole a few feet off the headstay. So I agree with you that if you are choosing spinnys for a Transpac, asymmetricals are the best (and only choice.) as their shape gives better windflow across the sail, leading to more stability than rocking and rolling with a symmetrical. But sailing downwind in breeze with just a sprit like the light blue Moore 24 I saw in Moss Landing, and no pole aboard is precarious IMHO. Would you think a Moore 24, SC-27, J-88, O-30 or O-29 with a sprit and no pole for a Race to Hawaii would be an OK choice?

On another subject, in the video onboard SNAFU, do you think holding the tiller more vertical than horizontal loses leverage? It didn't seem to bother Karl. But a Moore's rudder is not that big. I would encourage those who have rudders that are "heavy to steer" first look at their tiller angle from the rudder shaft. Perpendicular is the optimum for best leverage. To achieve that may require a different tiller profile to clear the cockpit edge.

Lastly, I used to sail Moore 24's and several times reached that tenuous moment when you may/may not be headed for that dreaded round-down where crew can and do go overboard. I've rescued 3 myself on WILDFLOWER that came off a Pac Coast Championships competitor.

You have to be quick and proactive, but there are two possible solutions to preventing a Moore 24 or other ultralight from rounding down. As the boat starts to take the leeward broach, either slip the afterguy forward 4-6 feet so the pole goes almost to the headstay. Alternatively, blow the halyard. The spinny will blow out in front of the boat, never touching the water, and can be rehoisted at will. Doggies. Not easy DH, where the partner is "off watch" and unavailable until awoken and realizes he's sleeping on the side of the hull.

 

[solosailor]

Moore 24 = the best small offshore boat EVER.

 

[solosailor]

My thinking was, and remains, that you can't run DDW in breeze with either an asso or class symmetric on a boat like a Moore 24 without having the spinny attached to a pole that can be partially squared back to balance the boat

On the Wylie 44 Ocelot we had 10 percent turbo poles w/reaching struts and in planning mode we were deep running with the pole almost on the forestay. Always Asym spins. We went to a fixed pole and could run as deep with a lot less gear/weight and foredeck clutter. It always felt great to square back those poles a bit but it end it seemed we were faster without them and did changes much more safely.

 

[sleddog]

Though we hit a whale one night off Baja in a 67 foot ultralight (tonnage won, the whale prevailed..), the idea a J-105 in Saturday's 3BF was de-ruddered by accidental contact with a whale inside San Francisco Bay is pretty amazing. I wonder what the Inland Rules and insurance adjuster say about that? A whale underway is neither a vessel nor under power. Possibly constrained by depth?.

While working out the new knee this morning, I asked my PT what she did this weekend. "Oh, rode my bike at Fort Ord."

"See anything interesting?" I asked?

"Just a mountain lion," she replied. "It didn't seem too interested."


Thanks to Ginny K for her pic.

 

[sleddog]

My sister and bro-in-law are currently exploring the coast of Chile in a small, stick, rental Nissan Marche. Apparently, mostly dirt roads.They took a ferry to Isla Chiloe and drove to Ancud, where the took they below photo, people loaded in a large market shopping cart. What are these people doing?? A hint is the word "Magellan."



Closer to home, I've had two close friends in the last week fall and break their pelvis. One, our local rigger Steve, came off his roof and landed on his back on an aluminum ladder. My sister-in-law tripped on a vacuum cleaner cord and did a face plant. Both are in rehab facilities for 6 weeks, non-weight bearing. And both are lucky that paralyzation did not result.

Just up the coast 3 miles, the Santa Cruz Harbor Dredge TWIN LAKES, is sucking furiously to create a channel through the entrance shoal. Tonight's storm may undo a week's work.

 

[BobJ]

Just up the coast 3 miles, the Santa Cruz Harbor Dredge TWIN LAKES, is sucking furiously to create a channel through the entrance shoal.

Somewhere, a certain yawl is smiling.

 

[AlanH]

Isla Chiloe is on my very short list of places to visit soon.

 

[Tom P.]

What are these people doing?? A hint is the word "Magellan."

View attachment 4012

Going out to view the Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins at Islotes Puñihuil.

Having been in that part of the world not to long ago, I didn’t have to think too long about your hint. But without the hint...it would have been hard to guess.

They use the cart to traverse the shallow water to get the folks out to a panga. No wet landings.

Tom

 

[sleddog]

Going out to view the Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins at Islotes Puñihuil.

Having been in that part of the world not to long ago, I didn’t have to think too long about your hint. But without the hint...it would have been hard to guess.

They use the cart to traverse the shallow water to get the folks out to a panga. No wet landings.Tom

Bingo! Spot on answer, DAZZLER Tom. Here's what my brother-in-law said about the loading procedure to take the panga out to see the penguins on the nearby islands:

"So way down in Chiloe Island on the beach we drove on, we started to check out the penguin trip. It was rainy and cold so we decided not to do that but we watched the boat getting loaded here's a picture they essentially load you in a grocery cart especially with the specially high clearance to keep you above the water and then of course bigger wheels and throw you out and put you on board towards the front and push the boat out a little farther than that take another 10 to 12 people and put them on The boat. It's a hoot! As you can see everybody got their bright yellow rain slicker on...!





That's a jumbo sized panga! Thanks to Tom and Marilee for the photos.

 

[AlanH]

Hey Skip, you ever sail aboard DORADE?

 

[sleddog]

Hey Skip, you ever sail aboard DORADE?

Negatory on DORADE. Did Transpac in '61 on a near sister, KIALOA. Not particularly a fun boat to sail downwind. The mizzen spinnaker, with the keel hung rudder, would pull the stern this way and that as the boat rolled downwind. Occasionally the mizzen spinnaker would collapse around the helmsman's head, and refill, lifting him off the cockpit floor in an unholy tangle.

Traditional S&S resisted spade rudders for many years after they had become common in other parts of the country..Young Ron Holland saw the light when he visited Santa Cruz in 1971 and sailed on Bill Lee's MAGIC. But S&S (Sparkman and Stephens) wouldn't hire the kid...

 

[sleddog]

Frontal passage at CBC at ~ 0400 this morning with a brief period of intense rain and wind. Soquel Creek rose to only a foot from flood stage. For a period, the pre-frontal wind 22 miles offshore was SE 40-50 knots at Monterey Bay Buoy 46042. Sig. swells in the 20 foot range.

NWS Monterey, which narrowly missed being damaged by a falling tree, was describing the event as "cyclogenesis." A textbook example of an occluding mid-latitude cyclone centered a few hundred miles west of San Francisco this afternoon. Earlier in the morning, a cold front extending from this low pushed through the Bay Area and Central California Coast, bringing a round of rain and wind to the area. While rain totals observed with the earlier front were generally beneficial, the winds proved to be rather damaging in parts of Monterey County; there were a handful of reports from the California Highway Patrol as well as National Weather Service employees who observed downed branches, trees, and powerlines across the Monterey area. In fact, a medium-sized tree was blown over right next to our office. Winds gusts at the Monterey Airport peaked at 45 mph this morning.


The dredge TWIN LAKES, in the Santa Cruz Harbor entrance fairway drug a massive anchor, and ended up askew in the "channel." Fortunate to not drag onto the breakwater rocks.

At 0730 Coffee Club we saw 3 Darwin Award Candidates walk out on the West Santa Cruz Breakwater, and hide behind the lighthouse. The waves at the time were breaking over the breakwater..After realizing their predicament, they ran for safety, with one slower person being covered by the spume from a breaking wave, and narrowly missing being washed off.

Buoy 46042 TIME/ Wind Dir./ 1 minute average wind in knots / Gust Speed / Sig. Swell height in feet

3:50 am S 15.5 21.4 19.4
2:50 am S 36.9 50.5 21.0
1:50 am SSE 40.8 50.5 21.7
12:50 am SSE 38.9 46.6 18.4
11:50 pm SSE 36.9 44.7 17.7
10:50 pm SSE 35.0 46.6 14.4
9:50 pm SSE 33.0 42.7 16.4
8:50 pm SSE 33.0 38.9 15.1
7:50 pm SSE 33.0 40.8 13.50
6:50 pm SSE 35.0 40.8 13.5
5:50 pm SSE 29.1 36.9 11.2
4:50 pm SSE 29.1 35.0 10.5
3:50 pm SSE 29.1 35.0 9.8

 

[BobJ]

I just got back from RYC. Despite the big wind and downpours, a 29er and a Laser were out in Potrero Reach with a coach boat. I could hear hootin' and hollerin' from the 29er, which had its kite up.

 

[sleddog]

Capitola got quite a weather wallop in the last 24 hours: 3.75 inches of rain, enough wind to blow over part of CBC's perimeter fence. And some how WILDFLOWER's horizontal mast got blown off two saw horses in the backyard. It weighs 50 pounds. I can only guess the breeze got the mast in some sort of resonance vibration, something the physicists call ""wind-driven amplification of the torsional oscillation." the same thing that brought down Galloping Gertie, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, in 1940. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsKKDLKYsVU

Down at the Capitola Esplanade, usually a pastoral scene on the beach and good surf nearby, the ocean is muddy from Soquel Creek runoff, which has also brought logs, tree trunks and roots, and other miscellaneous flotsam from inland. Somewhere, about 4 vertical feet of beach also went missing in the last 24 hours. The surf is now knocking at Gayle's deck and restaurant windows.





Driving home last evening at 9 pm I experienced a brief but intense squall. Visibility went to almost nothing in sheets of rain. It was difficult to see the road for all the water running downhill. At the usual busy corner of Monterey and Bay, the runoff was almost a foot deep at Noble Gulch, where the 8 foot diameter drainage pipe under the road was obviously not handling the runoff from the 6 foot wide, 4 foot deep creek.

Local frogs and snow lovers in the Sierra are happy. Homeless, likely less so.

 

[Philpott]

Wow! That's a mess! Might cause a puddle of water where we had lunch, eh? Up here in Oakland it keeps dribbling, enough to deter me from sailing. I am, however, driving over to RYC to see how yachties watch the Superbowl. Do they wear Pats shirts and hats or are they all still wearing their Fiasco shirts from 2012?

 

[Lightspeed]

Wow! I am, however, driving over to RYC to see how yachties watch the Superbowl. Do they wear Pats shirts and hats or are they all still wearing their Fiasco shirts from 2012?

They should be wearing #10 Jimmy G Jerseys..After the great Joe M & B Walch run, the new era will be..Gar...op...polo...with Shanahan & Lynch...

 

[Philpott]

It was not an impressive turnout at 5:07pm. I think Superbowl fans are somewhere else this evening because when I left there were only six (count ‘em, 6) people watching that big screen tv, and one was RYC’s chef.

 

[sleddog]

1/14/19
Good news from Capt. Bob on his bike on the N. Shore of Oahu near Kahuku Point. There are now at least 6 visible albatross nests in the area, with the females and males trading off on egg sitting duty. There is also a human guard, living in a tent, to protect the families. Thanks to Capt. Bob, you will be the first to know if there are hatchlings.

2/04/19 More good news from Kahuku Pt: On his bike ride this morning, Capt. Bob briefly saw a fluffy, one day old albatross hatchling in the below nest. Bob's sighting, as Mom arose to clack a warning, was too brief to snap a photo. The attendant/spotter confirmed the young bird was hatched yesterday. And there might be more in the vicinity.