Thank you! #6 is not a type of mite. Much bigger and faster. Certainly the fastest thing going for its size in the Pacific High. #4 As SK may enlighten us, his DIANNE was not the original mold for the E-27.
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Thank you! #6 is not a type of mite. Much bigger and faster. Certainly the fastest thing going for its size in the Pacific High. #4 As SK may enlighten us, his DIANNE was not the original mold for the E-27.
Dan Newland wrote about the passing of dear friend Jocelyn Nash. He could not have said it better.
Hey guys
I was saddened to hear about the passing of Jocelyn Nash. She died April 7 in her sleep, she was really one of the people I really loved. I was lucky enough to phone her maybe a a couple of days before she died, just calling to say hi and see how she was doing. She didn't sound very well and she let it slip that she had just picked up some oxygen at Hospice. She was also living with Chris, having left her apartment in Point Richmond since she needed help, (I sailed with Chris in a Transpac many years ago). What a wonderful person!
She was such a hoot! I loved working with her at DeWitt Sails in Pt Richmond so many years ago, she had the gift of enjoying helping people and was a true resource for anyone that wanted to know how to do this or that on their boat. As a salesperson for DeWitt, you could always trust her to find ways to save you money by recutting an old sail or getting one sail to do double duty rather than selling you a lot of new sails. I always admired her for that.
She will be missed.
Here are some snippets, the first is a preview of a movie, the second
her obituary :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz1vc68iFrk&feature=emb_err_watch_on_yt
https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/05/07/eight-bells-jocelyn-nash/
Stay well!
Dan
Hey guys
I was saddened to hear about the passing of Jocelyn Nash. She died April 7 in her sleep, she was really one of the people I really loved. I was lucky enough to phone her maybe a a couple of days before she died, just calling to say hi and see how she was doing. She didn't sound very well and she let it slip that she had just picked up some oxygen at Hospice. She was also living with Chris, having left her apartment in Point Richmond since she needed help, (I sailed with Chris in a Transpac many years ago). What a wonderful person!
She was such a hoot! I loved working with her at DeWitt Sails in Pt Richmond so many years ago, she had the gift of enjoying helping people and was a true resource for anyone that wanted to know how to do this or that on their boat. As a salesperson for DeWitt, you could always trust her to find ways to save you money by recutting an old sail or getting one sail to do double duty rather than selling you a lot of new sails. I always admired her for that.
She will be missed.
Here are some snippets, the first is a preview of a movie, the second
her obituary :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz1vc68iFrk&feature=emb_err_watch_on_yt
https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/05/07/eight-bells-jocelyn-nash/
Stay well!
Dan
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Tom P.
m/v PACIFIC LOON
Rob,
"Dancing stars reflecting in smooth water." and "sailing in a bowl stars" is just about the nicest visual of crossing the Pacific High at night I can think of. Thanks for that.
However, question 6 remains unanswered. "What is alive, lives in the Pacific Gyre, does not live in the water. Nor flys in the air. And never touches land?" The answer is not bacteria, algae, dinoflagellates, plankton, velella, crabs, barnacles, flying fish, nor metaphoric.
Although 300 million years old, these amazing oceanic creatures were not discovered until the early 19th century, probably because of their ability to quickly become invisible. Curiously, they benefit from the increase in ocean discarded plastic refuse, but probably not for food or shelter.
How widespread are they? Let's just say that during 4 days of crossing the Pacific High on WILDFLOWER they were never not in view except when I tried to catch one.
Rob should get credit for “most correct answers” AND the best mental visual while most of us stay at home.
I’m pretty sure the answer to #6 is Blue Glaucus (either Glaucus atlanticus or Glaucus marginatus or maybe even Glaucus mcfarlanei), also known by several other common names including Blue Angel and Blue Dragon. These are pelagic nudibranchs that live floating upside down on the surface by using the surface tension of the water to stay up. Their blue side, facing upwards, blends with the blue of the deep ocean, while their silver/grey side faces downwards, blending in with the reflected sunlight when viewed from underwater.
https://oceana.org/marine-life/corals-and-other-invertebrates/blue-glaucus
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Thanks, DAZZLER! But the Blue Glaucus pelagic nudibranch, although a fascinating pelagic critter I'm not sure I've seen, is not the answer to the quiz. The Blue Glaucus can live at depth, as well as on the surface.
It is also poisonous.
Our creature, and correct answer to which I am seeking, though an inhabitant of the Pacific High, does not live in the water, and would die if it did so. In addition, it is not poisonous. And unlike the Blue Glaucus, it is so fast that if you blink when approaching, it can be gone. There are no wings or fins involved.
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No worries, Alan. Although the answer to #6 of the quiz predominates in the Pacific High, they are found elsewhere in increasingly large aggregations, usually between 40N to 40S. You've likely encountered them. But maybe didn't realize it at the time.
"Is it a vertebrate or invertebrate?" you ask. The answer is "Yes, it has a skeleton." But don't be misled. So does a starfish and an Alerion 38.
Is your guess a "Japanese fishing boat?" If not, you can guess again and not wait 24 hours.
"Is it a vertebrate or invertebrate?" you ask. The answer is "Yes, it has a skeleton." But don't be misled. So does a starfish and an Alerion 38.
Is your guess a "Japanese fishing boat?" If not, you can guess again and not wait 24 hours.
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No, not "Japanese Fishing Boat!" LOL
The only thing that I've encountered in "large aggregations" is velella vellela , the By The Wind sailor jellyfish. That, and a couple of different kinds of birds, like scaups. But velella velella is hardly "fast".
Welcome aboard. We've already ruled out velella velella in post #3758. I'm sure someone knows the answer. I've handed out sighting reports to passage makers who may be frequenting here. Tom? Sylvia?
tiger beetle
N/M 45 Tiger Beetle
There is a Halobates water strider that is pelagic, I have spent a lot of time looking for them and never seen one.
Skip, is this what you're talking about? If you've seen them I'd love to learn about it!
- rob
"First to correctly answer all the below within one week in one post wins an autographed copy of Randall Reeves cool new book, The Figure 8 Voyage. Multiple submissions allowed, but please wait 24 hours between posts. Max guesses = 3"
Good thing this friendly competition is not being held under the RRS. Otherwise, it's beginning to resemble rounding Blossom Rock in the Corinthian Race..Somebody might have to go to the penalty box.
Rob's submissions, even though one was outside the allotted time frequency, have been so entertaining and enlightening that I am hoisting Code Flag Sierra and congratulating him on answering all 6 answers of a really tough quiz...Rob is the only one to tell us both dancing stars and halobates live in the Pacific High and spinnakers can be flown from the mainmast of schooners and therefore he wins F2F.
Halobates are water walkers, aka water skimmers, sea skaters that you've likely seen in quiet streams and ponds. Halobates Sericeus is one of very few oceanic insects and predominates in the Eastern Pacific and specifically the Pacific High (Gyre.) Halobates Sericeus can lay as many as 70,000 of her bright orange eggs on a piece of plastic debris. Hairy legs create small bubbles they use to walk on water. And they can move very, very fast when disturbed by the bow wave of an approaching boat.
My technique for observing Halobates at sea was to slow speed to just steerage in the glassy conditions of the Pacific High and hang my head over the bow. For days on end, in one sweeping glance port to starboard, I would see thousands. Did I mention they can hop 6" off the water? And their exo-skeleton is UV resistant?
Although they are there, wind waves and increased boat speed makes Halobates Sericeus difficult to see. They are nearly impossible to catch, except using a fine trawl net at night, thus the paucity of information on this fascinating bug. Yes, it doesn't live in the water, nor in the air. But on the interface between.
You may have fresh or salt water halobates in a backyard pond, nearby lake or stream, or dock slip. If anybody can provide us with a visual sighting and location of a halobates in the next 24 hours, your prize will be a Capitola Boat Club "Dark and Stormy." (ginger beer, Pellegrini, a shot of dark rum, lemon slice, ice, and a tad of Marianne's Macapuno.)
Rob: can you contact me your snailmail address so I can send Randall's new book? skipallanatsbcglobaldotnet
Thanks, all, for participating.
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tiger beetle
N/M 45 Tiger Beetle
Hi Skip -
I am an amateur entomologist and have looked for those water striders for hours on end while passing through the High - that's amazing that you found them! Can you tell us more about where, when you saw them and what they were up to? Capturing such an insect would be an incredible addition to my collection! A good reason to head back out to the High!
As regards Randall's book, please keep a copy until I can properly visit you for a fine seletion of ice cream or a proper jar of ale, whichever is your preference. Currently I am sailing towards Santa Cruz Island off Oxnard, California - sailing down south is wonderful, it's warm (though foggy - June Gloom), but it is warm and flat and so unlike San Franciso.
If anyone wants to protest, this is your opportunity.
And Skip - please do tell more about the Halobates. I need to get back on deck to adjust sail trim to work over the Catalina 42 to Leeward. We're not racing, but that's the only other boat I can see and we're climbing to weather.
- rob
I am an amateur entomologist and have looked for those water striders for hours on end while passing through the High - that's amazing that you found them! Can you tell us more about where, when you saw them and what they were up to? Capturing such an insect would be an incredible addition to my collection! A good reason to head back out to the High!
As regards Randall's book, please keep a copy until I can properly visit you for a fine seletion of ice cream or a proper jar of ale, whichever is your preference. Currently I am sailing towards Santa Cruz Island off Oxnard, California - sailing down south is wonderful, it's warm (though foggy - June Gloom), but it is warm and flat and so unlike San Franciso.
If anyone wants to protest, this is your opportunity.
And Skip - please do tell more about the Halobates. I need to get back on deck to adjust sail trim to work over the Catalina 42 to Leeward. We're not racing, but that's the only other boat I can see and we're climbing to weather.
- rob
Hey Rob,
Good luck on capturing a Halobates Sericeus for your collection. They are fast and elusive. You'd need a fine hoop net on about a 6 foot handle with a healthy quantity of patience. I never was able to bucket one aboard. Remember they can jump pretty high and fast. The vast aggregations of Halobates in 2008 seemed to be east and northeast of 33 N x 158 W in surface water temps of 85 degrees. Average densities seemed to be 2-10/sq foot. I could park the boat anytime it was calm and the Halobates would be all around the boat not swimming in any particular direction..Quite amusing, really.
If memory serves, immediately SE, around the corner from Frys, is a hidden cove/grotto of great beauty with a seasonal small waterfall. I remember climbing up the cliff with my kayak in tow, hoping to enter the watershed. That didn't work. But guessing if you get to the top and pools above the little cove, you'll likely find some halobates, the freshwater kind. Also there are nice freshwater bathing pools back of Frys Anchorage. Good hunting.
Good luck on capturing a Halobates Sericeus for your collection. They are fast and elusive. You'd need a fine hoop net on about a 6 foot handle with a healthy quantity of patience. I never was able to bucket one aboard. Remember they can jump pretty high and fast. The vast aggregations of Halobates in 2008 seemed to be east and northeast of 33 N x 158 W in surface water temps of 85 degrees. Average densities seemed to be 2-10/sq foot. I could park the boat anytime it was calm and the Halobates would be all around the boat not swimming in any particular direction..Quite amusing, really.
If memory serves, immediately SE, around the corner from Frys, is a hidden cove/grotto of great beauty with a seasonal small waterfall. I remember climbing up the cliff with my kayak in tow, hoping to enter the watershed. That didn't work. But guessing if you get to the top and pools above the little cove, you'll likely find some halobates, the freshwater kind. Also there are nice freshwater bathing pools back of Frys Anchorage. Good hunting.
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You may have fresh or salt water halobates in a backyard pond, nearby lake or stream, or dock slip. If anybody can provide us with a visual sighting and location of a halobates in the next 24 hours, your prize will be a Capitola Boat Club "Dark and Stormy." (ginger beer, Pellegrini, a shot of dark rum, lemon slice, ice, and a tad of Marianne's Macapuno.)
The Bodfish Garden Cottage has a year round creek through the middle of the property with a resident population of halobates and frogs (and more).
Photos are elusive, since they move and leave concentric ripples....
Ants
The Bodfish Garden Cottage has a year round creek through the middle of the property with a resident population of halobates and frogs (and more).
Photos are elusive, since they move and leave concentric ripples....
Ants
Daydreamer
SAILOR
Patience pays.
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Ian Ferguson looking for funding to bail out his boat in Hawaii
A post on the Cal Sailing Club email list alerted me to a Go-Fund Me page for Ian Ferguson. He came in first in his division in the 2019 transpac, but was unable to get his boat home that summer. The boat is his home.
I don't know him, but thought some of you might be willing to pitch in.
There is more to his story, but his bottom line now is this:
"I am asking for at least $15,000, which would allow me to pay off the slip fees and also sail her back home - finally ending this cycle. This would cover food and gas for the trip back, and also the very necessary addition of a life raft for the voyage.
The deadline I am facing is the 25th of May. Thank you for your time, for sharing my story, or for helping fund my reunion with Nådeløs - any help you are able to extend. I hope you all are staying well and connected with those you love during this difficult time.?
This is the link to his page:
https://tinyurl.com/yb74z48c
- Sue Estey
A post on the Cal Sailing Club email list alerted me to a Go-Fund Me page for Ian Ferguson. He came in first in his division in the 2019 transpac, but was unable to get his boat home that summer. The boat is his home.
I don't know him, but thought some of you might be willing to pitch in.
There is more to his story, but his bottom line now is this:
"I am asking for at least $15,000, which would allow me to pay off the slip fees and also sail her back home - finally ending this cycle. This would cover food and gas for the trip back, and also the very necessary addition of a life raft for the voyage.
The deadline I am facing is the 25th of May. Thank you for your time, for sharing my story, or for helping fund my reunion with Nådeløs - any help you are able to extend. I hope you all are staying well and connected with those you love during this difficult time.?
This is the link to his page:
https://tinyurl.com/yb74z48c
- Sue Estey
Thanks, Ants and Daydreamer for your photos of Halobates. I owe you both a CBC Dark and Stormy. As can be seen, this bug has a pretty sweet design that sailors can appreciate: light, strong, fast, stable, maneuverable, and ocean worthy. Developed over 45 million years.
And communicative. Ants, the concentric ripples you photographed are produced by male halobates to attract females. Think Match.Bug.
Halobates have their own PFD's, which is really a water repellent envelope of small hairs that trap air. Halobates do not like to be submerged, but can survive 16 hours underwater if need be. On the surface, oceanic Halobates have a UV reflective coating which protects them from sunburn.
Halobates can jump up to 6" high to avoid predators from below. They have antenna for instrumentation. Their short front legs are for catching prey. The long middle legs are hinged oars, and can propel them with great speed in 3 dimensions. And the rear legs are double rudders for steering.
Note to Rob. Halobates are strongly attracted to night light. To catch one, try with a spotlight on the surface. Just beware of flying fish. I once had a large one flying fish sail into WILDFLOWER's cabin. Results were not pretty.
And communicative. Ants, the concentric ripples you photographed are produced by male halobates to attract females. Think Match.Bug.
Halobates have their own PFD's, which is really a water repellent envelope of small hairs that trap air. Halobates do not like to be submerged, but can survive 16 hours underwater if need be. On the surface, oceanic Halobates have a UV reflective coating which protects them from sunburn.
Halobates can jump up to 6" high to avoid predators from below. They have antenna for instrumentation. Their short front legs are for catching prey. The long middle legs are hinged oars, and can propel them with great speed in 3 dimensions. And the rear legs are double rudders for steering.
Note to Rob. Halobates are strongly attracted to night light. To catch one, try with a spotlight on the surface. Just beware of flying fish. I once had a large one flying fish sail into WILDFLOWER's cabin. Results were not pretty.
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Apologies for the nostalgia, but Captain Tony, Captain Bob, and I are watching live Panama Canal web cams of SS KAUAI being towed through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks on her last voyage to the ship breakers in Brownsville. Both Tony and Bob served as Matson captains aboard the KAUAI.
Neither Bob nor Tony was captain aboard KAUAI when the then master executed some poor ship handling. The first was a late November crossing from Seattle to Hono loaded with 300,00 Christmas trees. In a hurry to deliver the trees to their destination, Captain ***** kept the ship at full speed into significant head seas. As we say aboard a small boat going too fast downwind, he "stuffed" the bow. "Planted the bow" is equally prosaic when you're talking about a 720' foot ship. Whatever, the heavy, bronze ship's bell was ripped from its mounts and washed aft, fortunately fetching up in a waterway before going overboard.
But that was nothing compared to a later voyage. Same Captain *****disregarded weather fax and NOAA forecasts and steamed south into an intensifying winter southerly storm. Off the mouth of the Columbia River, in 70 knots of wind, the KAUAI's nice, neat bridge, 80 feet above water in the photo above, was taken out by a giant wave that broke two bridge windows, flooded and disabled the instruments and steering, and caused the ship to turn around and return to Seattle under jury steering. Damage was so extensive KAUAI was drydocked for a month with repairs, causing Matson to breakout a replacement ship.
Here's that story and pic. Same style jury repair as Randall. https://gcaptain.com/bridge-damage-on-the-matson-kauai/
KAUAI passing yesterday through Miraflores Locks
Kauai passing through Pedro Miguel Locks
This morning at 11:30 KAUAI will be passing through the Gatun Locks and entering the Caribbean under "dead ship" tow by the tug RACHEL. Aloha KAUAI!
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Parting shot of SS KAUAI in Gatun Locks. Somebody got the bell off her bow.
Meanwhile, da dum, Matson's just launched replacement ship for the KAUAI has a little problem...the mate saw daylight in the tunnel coming in from outside. The hull is cracked. Whoops. A little Bondo should fix that right up. Not.
Pelagic water striders. I had no idea....thanks for this!