New Boat 4 Sled

[Philpott]

Good one, PJ! Macapuno for you. Drake's Cove in Drake's Estero is the correct answer for where Drake and crew set up camp and careened their ship, and yes, the map (painting really) is aligned so north is towards the bottom. And thanks to DAZZLER for revealing the facts to me. Tom and Sue have stood on the exact spot Hondius's map was painted, overlooking Drake's Cove.

Good sailing, All. ~sleddog

Will you be tap tap tapping on the hull of DM as you pass by while delivering Macapuna to Philippe? Is this the start of a new marine service a la Grub Hub in Drakes Bay? Via the Mark Twain or will you be paddlin Madeleine? And what about Bob J's Macapuno? He's answered an awful lot of quiz questions correctly. Dave Morris might not share his pound cake with Bob, so he might welcome anything ya got. Ah, expectations are high when Sleddog is on the water.

 

[sleddog]

Sorry Philpott, but sleddog will not be paddling MARK TWAIN in your waters. The NPS doesn't approve launching kayaks in the vicinity and it's a long carry to the beach from the Chimney Rock Parking lot above, near where the RC will be positioned for optimum radio reception with handhelds in the SE direction of SF Bay. PJ will just have to appear at CBC. Despite your high hopes, we rarely deliver ice cream.

 

[sleddog]

Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival cancelled. This just received:

Dear friends,

It’s with a heavy heart that despite our best efforts we are cancelling this year’s Wooden Boat Festival. It’s a big shift since last week’s announcement of our advanced safety protocols, but this is a rapidly shifting world, and we’ve decided cancelling is the only responsible way forward.

We stand by the “vaccinated/negative-test-only” protocols we established which received widespread support, and trust the guidance of public health officials who validated this approach. We are also incredibly proud of the staff and volunteers who performed absolute heroics to establish and operationalize these protocols in short order.

The decision to cancel was due to the increasing volatility of the public health environment, as well as increasing COVID anxiety in our participants, exhibitors, and community. Even with the measures we put in place, every day has brought new cancellations from vendors, presenters, and wooden boat owners who remained uncomfortable with the potential risk. We respect and support everyone’s decision to do what’s right for themselves.

We were confident that we could run a festival in accordance with these safety protocols, but in the end we weren’t certain that the festival experience would live up to the spirit of celebration and community that has been its hallmark for 45 years. Rather than conduct a festival with a reduced scale and less than full spirit, we have made the decision to cancel. The Blazer Party and Lifetime Achievement Awards will be rescheduled for some time in the future—stay tuned.

 

[sleddog]

Tuesday, 8/24/2 A report from Meyers, South Lake Tahoe: There is a clearing trend this morning with SW winds less then 10mph, and cooler temps, 6am 38 degrees. I anticipate that the smoke will again increase as the day warms and the wind comes up. Even at dawn, when it was the most clear, the air is smokey. By middle afternoon viability is less then 1/4 mile. Air quality is very bad.
I am packed and ready to leave here at Studio 1027. All that will go with me is boxed and ready to load in the car. If I must evacuate I'll head for Carson City.
The Fire Fighting agency's are doing their best and there are a number of miles and ridges between Meyers and the NE front of the fire. I am aware that even the best efforts could fail and the fire roar over Echo Summit and come into Meyers.

skatzman and his cat are evacuating the Caldor Fire to Reno as I type this afternoon, Monday, 8/30/21 as are other good sailing friends at Tahoe. Even on the Nevada side of South Lake Tahoe, all entry roads are shut down and there is only one road out. Once you leave, you are not returning until all clear, likely days, possibly weeks ahead. "Extreme fire behavior."

We wish our sailing friends safe passage.

 

[skatzman]

The Tabby and I are safe at a friends home in South Reno. It was a grueling hellish day of crawling traffic as the population of South Lake Tahoe evacuated for Nevada. SDK

 

[sleddog]

From WILDFLOWER's Ship's Log:

Sat.8/28/21
As I was at Pt. Reyes doing research on Drake's careening site, I was honored being asked to join the Drakes Bay RC, 4 highly experienced Tomales and SF Bay sailors, all senior citizens like myself. Apparently, after months of one way coms, neither YRA nor Drakes RC were able to receive any response from the National Park Service to RC applications finishing a race from their property: Pt. Reyes. Thus we were vying for parking in a small, public lot at Chimney Rock trailhead to meet and unload, then schlep our gear for potentially 10 plus hours on station to a point 1.5 miles distant.


Cinde (sous chef), Chris (judge advocate), Milly (PRO), Skip and Skip (boat ID)

After an advance party had scouted the best lookout position for both visual, VHF, and cell service, at 1:30 pm we began our trek from the parking lot carrying food including birthday supplies, water, beer, clothing, folding chairs, binos, 4 handheld VHF radios, 5 cellphones, clipboards, flashlites....It took 50 minutes to hike, then ascend to our predetermined lookout station overlooking both Drakes Bay, the course of the incoming fleet, and the Pacific. Other hikers on day walks were incredulous at what the hell were we doing? Many stopped to chat, and several wanted to join Inverness YC on the spot.



Weather was gorgeous at our "base camp" with gentle SW winds at 0-4 knots and 6 mile viz in a SE direction. Food and drink under sunny skies became the focus while we waited for the finishing fleet to arrive. Our primary job, other than welcoming arrivals to Drakes Bay, was to record finishing times and confirm safe arrivals of all entries who started. We didn't have to wait long as, by 3:30 pm, dropouts began to motor into view across the glassy ocean 200 feet below our eyrie on the bluff.

One of my duties was identifying finishers (and non-finishers), and there passing below came friends aboard GALAXSEA. DURA MATER, SURPRISE!, SIREN, and others who had packed it in early on and had enough fuel to motor 25 miles. Our AIS reception, and several phone calls to racers told us many in the fleet hadn't sailed very far in the first 4 hours and were returning to their berths in San Francisco. Over the phone PJ apologized he wouldn't be joining us in Drakes Bay as he didn't have sufficient fuel due to running aground entering Gas House Cove for fuel.

It was about 6 pm when the challenge of our RC job kicked in. Even with 200' elevation, our handheld radios on high power could only reach 5-7 miles. Apparently the RC at the start at GGYC had gone off station, and as our cell phone reception was intermittent, the PRO in our group was limited to texting with Laura at YRA headquarters in Benecia.

Thank Buddha it wasn't blowing 20-40 as it regularly can at Pt. Reyes. About sunset (and a green flash looking seaward) we had recorded about 20 boats in Drakes Bay, another 20 having returned to SF Bay, and 12 were still racing. Or were they? The Coast Guard had to know, or apparently they would start searching when the race ended at 10 p.m. if everybody wasn't accounted for.

As it got dark on our bluff lookout, we decided to descend from our hill as the first 300 feet down the Chimney Rock trail was steep and slippery with potholes. Safely, in the dark, we took up a new position on cement steps just inboard and east of the the old fishing wharf which was the inboard end of the finish. This position had several issues: one was, in the dark, we could not see either end of the line, which was obscured by trees, anchored boats, and the outer CG buoy being unlit.

More critical, arriving racers were entering from around the point and our VHF's only transmitted line of sight. Thank goodness for relays from EYRIE and others. We could hear boats still racing, but they couldn't hear us.
At 9:45 pm red, green, and white navigation lights were now circling the Drakes Bay anchorage looking for a place to park.

The race cutoff was 10 PM, and we didn't think anyone would finish. But, but, Holy Shit! Here comes ROUND MIDNIGHT, a big tri, doing 5 knots. RM finished just 13 minutes before the deadline and congrats to Rick!
Then were learned two more boats were approaching, one a mono and one a multi. Sure enough, MIRTHMAKER crossed just 7 minutes before the deadline and RAVEN 5 minutes before. Congrats also to them.

That was it for finishers. Our eminently responsible PRO, Milly B. then had to account for everyone and make sure they were safely anchored or had reported in to the YRA. OK, we heard from ENVOLEE and ARCADIA, WATER WINGS, and several others. But two were missing. Unfortunately, one of the missing boats had been recorded as having started when in fact, they'd never left their slip. The other glitch was a solo skipper had been unable to communicate outside the Bay to the off station RC inside the Bay on either 16 or 69, and after re-entering SF Bay had focused on tying up and resting before making a much delayed cell phone call to check in. Ultimately a text solved that. But this is food for thought for future races...The already challenged RC can't be everyone's minders and personal responsibility enters the picture.

Herding cats? You betcha. Our 45 minute drive back to Inverness at 11:30 pm in the dark featured some interesting sights. The Milky Way was bright and arching overhead. Owls, deer, and coyote were grazing by the roadside... It had been a long and wonderful day, and we still had to be up early to drive back out to Pt. Reyes to restart the fleet at 9:40 a.m. Sunday.



Photos compliments of Cinde Delmas.

~skip allan

 

[BobJ]

That was above and beyond normal R/C duty - many thanks to all of you!

 

[sleddog]

The Tabby and I are safe at a friends home in South Reno. It was a grueling hellish day of crawling traffic as the population of South Lake Tahoe evacuated for Nevada. SDK

9/05/21
Excellent news this evening from skatzman (Express 27 #0 DIANNE): The Caldor fire missed his home in Myers by the narrowest of margins, 100 yards or less. Steve hopes he and his tabby kitty will be able to return home in the next day or so. As well, Viola and Denis (Bike Habitat) on Kingsbury Grade in Nevada were able to return home. It ain't over 'til it's over, and high winds could yet spread the fire. But it's looking good and the forward advance of the Caldor fire eastward has been stopped.

 

[sleddog]

This cool map from the National Hurricane Center shows the paths all major cyclonic storms 1985 through 2005. Called cyclones in the southern hemisphere, these over ocean storms are termed hurricanes in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, and typhoons in the Western Pacific.

The map also shows that cyclones never cross, and rarely approach, the equator, where the Coriolis effect goes to zero. Cyclones need the Coriolis force to circulate. The Coriolis force also causes cyclone paths to arc away from the equator.

Why are there no cyclones in the southeast Pacific? Cyclones need a pool of warm water to form, at least 83 degrees, and the cold Humboldt current flowing north in the southeast Pacific puts paid to their existence in that area.

 

[BobJ]

That is indeed very cool. It puts a bit of a damper on the Singlehanded Tahiti Race I've long envisioned, but a May start could work. Thoughts?

 

[jamottep]

How about a SF-Yokohama 1-2?

 

[sleddog]

I'm a sucker for sweet lines. Here is a view of the 1975 Bruce Farr 38 TIMBER WOLF, a cousin of SWEET OKOLE. TIMBER WOLF, built in Santa Cruz by C&B, was recently hauled at SF Boatworks for her triannual bottom job.

And here is TIMBER WOLF having just completed a double-handed, dip pole gybe in 20 knots. Dave Hodges is one of the few skippers I know who can pull this off both single and double handed. Respect. (Note the spreader patches.)

 

[sleddog]

Frank, proprietor of Grady's Market, neighbor to CBC, has laid in a new supply of Marianne's Macapuno icecream. Enough said.

For a chance at a bowl of Macapuno with fresh peaches, who or what was first to land in New Zealand? (Although all are real, only one is correct)

1. Abel Tasman.

2. The cat Trim, who intrepidly swam ashore from Mathew Flinder's pinnace.



3. Capt. James Cook (British) and Capt. Jean-François-Marie de Surville (French), simultaneously (same day), amazingly neither aware of the other's presence.

4. A Hawaiian cat of vaka moana lineage.

5. Captain D'arcy Whiting, searching waters and beaches east of the North Island of New Zealand for his missing son and crew, lost at sea.

6. Te Reinga, at the collision of two oceans.

 

[AntsUiga]

Frank, proprietor of Grady's Market, neighbor to CBC, has laid in a new supply of Marianne's Macapuno icecream. Enough said.

For a chance at a bowl of Macapuno with fresh peaches, who or what was first to land in New Zealand? (Although all are real, only one is correct)

1. Abel Tasman.

2. The cat Trim, who intrepidly swam ashore from Mathew Flinder's pinnace.

View attachment 6865

3. Capt. James Cook (British) and Capt. Jean-François-Marie de Surville (French), simultaneously (same day), amazingly neither aware of the other's presence.

4. A Hawaiian cat of vaka moana lineage.

5. Captain D'arcy Whiting, searching waters and beaches east of the North Island of New Zealand for his missing son and crew, lost at sea.

6. Te Reinga, at the collision of two oceans.

My deduction is Abel Tasman.

Although cats may have been aboard ancestral canoes, the first documented cat was on Captain Cook ship.

Ants

 

[WBChristie]

Frank, proprietor of Grady's Market, neighbor to CBC, has laid in a new supply of Marianne's Macapuno icecream. Enough said.

For a chance at a bowl of Macapuno with fresh peaches, who or what was first to land in New Zealand? (Although all are real, only one is correct)

1. Abel Tasman.

2. The cat Trim, who intrepidly swam ashore from Mathew Flinder's pinnace.

View attachment 6865

3. Capt. James Cook (British) and Capt. Jean-François-Marie de Surville (French), simultaneously (same day), amazingly neither aware of the other's presence.

4. A Hawaiian cat of vaka moana lineage.

5. Captain D'arcy Whiting, searching waters and beaches east of the North Island of New Zealand for his missing son and crew, lost at sea.

6. Te Reinga, at the collision of two oceans.

Since replies are slow coming, i might have a stab. Do you mean the first European to land......?

 

[sleddog]

My deduction is Abel Tasman. Although cats may have been aboard ancestral canoes, the first documented cat was on Captain Cook ship.
Ants

Sorry, Ants. It was not Abel Tasman, although he was the first Euro to "discover" (sight) New Zealand in 1642. Tasman and crew did not land, but were repelled by locals in a tense encounter at Murderer's Bay.

A hint might be the original question reads "who or what was first to land in New Zealand"? Please feel free to guess again.

 

[AntsUiga]

I guess everyone must be busy sailing so the land bound folks like me can guess some more.

Next choice is 3, with James Cook. Cook was acknowledged as introducing cats to NZ - sorry to native bird populations. Cook would have considered cats to protect his food stores from rodents.

The polynesian travelers were way earlier than Cook, but references show them landing on the larger islands. It is hard to sort out if rodents and cats were part of the early island travelers life.

The next pair of wildfires are having a smoke impact on the kern river valley residents, without evacuations and imminent property loss. The Windy fire is the closest. It is burning through an area that had significant dead trees (30-50 percent by my visual guess) and nesr the Trail of 100 Giants. The smoke plumes are spectacular, but significant fire losses are ongoing.

Ants

 

[sleddog]

Next choice is 3, with James Cook. Cook was acknowledged as introducing cats to NZ - sorry to native bird populations. Cook would have considered cats to protect his food stores from rodents.
The polynesian travelers were way earlier than Cook, but references show them landing on the larger islands. It is hard to sort out if rodents and cats were part of the early island travelers life.

The next pair of wildfires are having a smoke impact on the kern river valley residents, without evacuations and imminent property loss. The Windy fire is the closest. It is burning through an area that had significant dead trees (30-50 percent by my visual guess) and nesr the Trail of 100 Giants. The smoke plumes are spectacular, but significant fire losses are ongoing. Ants

Hi Ants,
Sorry to hear of the smoke impact on the Kern River Valley from active fires. They had good rain yesterday at Inverness at Tomales Bay. But doubt it will reach your area. News is fire crews are wrapping bases of giant sequoia with aluminum, fireproof blankets to help protect those precious trees.

You are correct that Capt. Cook did land in New Zealand in 1769. Locals thought his ship, ENDEAVOUR, was an enormous bird sailing into their bay, near what is now Gisborne. And yes, ENDEAVOUR likely did carry cats. But no definitive evidence they made it ashore.

Sorry, but answer #3, Cook and de Surville, are not who landed first in New Zealand. Yes, likely many of our unusual suspects are off sailing. Although Jackie is in Colorado Springs. Your presence acknowledged and appreciated. I'm guessing you are indoors in the smoke. Feel free to guess again. We are gonna get this thing.

 

[Intermission]

Must be the cat Trim.

 

[WBChristie]

Hawaiian cat meaning catamaran! Of course
#4