New Boat 4 Sled

[sleddog]

Congrats to Todd on GWEDOLYN just finishing his 400 mile Qualifier for the 2023 SHTP after multiple attempts. That determination should stand him in good stead. GWEN's time was 3 days, 5 hours. The second half featured same light SW wind currently delaying the Pac Cuppers.

 

[Philpott]

Skip, I can't figure out that Yellow Brick. Seems like the positions of some boats are tracked two minutes ago while other boats are tracked twice a day, if that. I give up trying to figure out how everybody is doing. It looks like the Pacific High is going the wrong way. According to YB, the wind will be on the nose the whole way. Why is this so hard to read?

I am just going to give up, wait for you to anticipate strategies, which is what you know better than anybody. Please, Sir! Offer up conjectures! Give us something to think about! What might those people be thinking out there? For instance, why is Surprise! going so far south? Bob and Dave are smart sailors. Surprise! is beautifully maintained, well prepared. What the heck are they thinking? This armchair ocean sailor wants to know!

And Todd? Good job! I look forward to seeing you arrive in Hanalei Bay next summer.

 

[Intermission]

For instance, why is Surprise! going so far south? Bob and Dave are smart sailors. Surprise! is beautifully maintained, well prepared. What the heck are they thinking? This armchair ocean sailor wants to know

Bob and Dave know what they're doing; the group going more north has me wondering.

 

[Philpott]

Well, since they're probably not chasing Solis, maybe they're thinking the Erkelens know what they're doing? Maybe the Erkelens knew what Dave and Bob know now before they knew they knew it. Huh? Maybe. Skip will know all and he might tell us after his morning sojourn on the water.

 

[sleddog]

Skip, I can't figure out that Yellow Brick.

Hi Jackie, Yellow Brick polls the boat tracker once/hour and posts positions 20 minutes after the hour. Those positions are old as they are delayed 4 hours. YB is not in the weather forecast business, so whatever wind arrows you are looking at are suspect. YB is not in the race handicap business, and those crowns over the class leaders boat names are bogus also. As for where to go on the course, deep south looks better to me. If you can get there. Which many can't. Except for anxious delivery crews, it's likely to be a smaller group of sailors attending the scheduled pool parties beginning in two weeks at KYC. KYNNTANA made 12 miles towards Hawaii in last 24, and 12-WINDED SKY 1 mile.

 

[sleddog]

Well, since they're probably not chasing Solis, maybe they're thinking the Erkelens know what they're doing? Maybe the Erkelens knew what Dave and Bob know now before they knew they knew it. Huh? Maybe. Skip will know all and he might tell us after his morning sojourn on the water.

With CRUZSEABABY and AZURE heading to Alaska, PUFFIN going in the direction of Coalinga and 12 WIND SKY heading towards Las Vegas via Atascadero, I was able to contact the Erkelens on FOAMY who are leading the Pac Cup fleet due south, seemingly intent on going to Disneyland instead of Kaneohe. With Mexican waters ahead, I can't reveal Bill and Melinda's intentions. But it's all good.

 

[Ye-Ha]

Hal and Margaret Roth were prolific writers and photographers. I'm sure many have enjoyed their books, sometimes focused on misadventures, such as being shipwrecked near Cape Horn...

I'm guessing it was 1983 or 1984 when there was a knock at the door. I was greeted by a smallish individual with a Down East accent and grumpish manner..without even an introduction, he got straight to the point. "I want you to help me build a boat for the Around-the-World Race."

"OK," I replied. "What do you want and when?"

"One of those 50 footers you race downwind. I think you call them sleds. I want it as soon as possible"

"Coming right up," I sarcastically replied, matching his mannerism. "What did you say your name is?"

"Hal Roth."

I dialed the phone to Bill Lee. "Hey Bill, a gentleman here named Hal Roth wants to take us to lunch and order a custom Santa Cruz 50 for the Around-the-World Race. Can you meet us at the Crow's Nest in half an hour?."

I have to hand it to Hal Roth. Over lunch, he and Bill Lee negotiated the purchase of a custom SC-50 that Hal Roth would finish off himself. I choked over some of the details. For example, the cockpit was to be as deep as Mr. Roth was tall. "You're gonna need a stepladder to get out of there," I said dryly.
"Won't be," he growled. "I'm not getting on deck. Everything leads to the cockpit." *(see photo below for how that turned out.)

Hal also wanted water ballast. Lots of it.

Hal Roth's Santa Cruz 50, #28, was launched two years later, the next to last Santa Cruz 50 built. He named her AMERICAN FLAG. Shortly after, AMERICAN FLAG became a shoe, SEBAGO, after Hal Roth's favorite topsider moccasin.

For dinner and history walk at the Capitola Boat Club, here's four questions.

Hal Roth completed 3 circumnavigations T/F
Hal Roth capsized his Santa Cruz 50 in the Indian Ocean, re-righted, and kept on sailing. T/F
Hal Roth completed two non-stop circumnavigations. T/F
Hal Roth's Santa Cruz 50 was first-to-finish a Singlehanded Transpac. T/F

View attachment 3664

Hal Roth didn't win first-to-finish in the 2000 single-handed Transpac!

 

[sleddog]

Hal Roth didn't win first-to-finish in the 2000 single-handed Transpac!

Read the T/F question closely. Does not say Hal Roth was F2F in a SHTP. But his boat was F2F in 2000 under a different owner, Anna Stockel, and different name, SUNDOWNER. Answer would be True as posited.

 

[sleddog]

Water ballast trumps waterline (at least on a beam reach in TWS 15 knots): BLUE, a RIPTIDE 41 with waterballast is going a full knot faster than anyone in her Pacific Cup class including the SC-52 CITY LIGHTS and three J-125's.



Name your prize: What does BLUE have onboard in common with the recent winner of the R2AK, TEAM PURE and WILD? The answer is most definitely not an engine. And we are not talking water ballast either...something else important. Extra credit if you can name what regular member of this Forum is currently working in close proximity with No Feet Pete, and Leo's talented crew on TALLY HO in Port Townsend.

 

[Philpott]

Don't know the answer but I like the idea of extra credit. Makes me think "extra ice cream".

That must be Tom P up there in Port Townsend, getting ready to go north? What? No photos?

Re: water ballast. Will this do away w the need for hungry crew leaning over the lifelines? No crew needed,no matching jackets?

 

[sleddog]

Don't know the answer but I like the idea of extra credit. Makes me think "extra ice cream".
That must be Tom P up there in Port Townsend, getting ready to go north? What? No photos?
Re: water ballast. Will this do away w the need for hungry crew leaning over the lifelines? No crew needed,no matching jackets?

Good one! Yes, Tom P. (DAZZLER) is in PT, working on 65' MV DELPHINUS II, which is parked just feet away from TALLY HO...Tom was there for the recent launch of WESTERN FLYER and sent attached photo. And yes, water ballast does away with need of rail meat hiking except when short tacking up the City Front..Water ballast usually takes 5-10 minutes to shift sides.



Here's a pic I took of WF some years back. There were barnacles on the radome!

 

[Howard Spruit]

green is not my favorite color, and I have the traditional sailors dislike for stink pots, but Western Flyer, in her current condition is a GOOD LOOKING BOAT!
Congratulations to all those that participated in her recovery.

 

[solosailor]

What does BLUE have onboard in common with the recent winner of the R2AK, TEAM PURE and WILD?

Jonathan McKee

 

[Howard Spruit]

for those that asked for My dirt boat project report.
July 2022 Mini Skeeter report;

Trailer, boat and gear box complete and loaded.
Trailer hitch installed on Van and camping gear being assembled.
The maiden event will be at Mendocino Counties dry lake Mirage in early August.

 

[sleddog]

As voiced before, the folks playing with the algorithms at Yellow Brick Tracker are smoking some pretty strong weed these days...Their looking at average speed to date, YB have been predicting BobJ on SURPRISE! and FOAMY will finish in >21 days, IO in 17 days, KYNNTANA in >25 days, and 12-WINDED SKY in >26. If this joke was based on any reality, a majority of the fleet will be running out of food, water, patience, and the time limit. Don't go canceling your plane reservations just yet. The trades are filling in for the fleet and they will have good daily runs for the remainder of the race. SURPRISE! should finish in ~16 days total, and all the other Monday and Tuesday starters are about to get a good push also.

Yellow Brick, stop all your fancy and expensive foolishness. Unfamiliar PacCup followers may believe what you publish.

Can a Moore 24 make a daily 24 hour run in excess of 200 miles? We may get to find out.

 

[solosailor]

Can a Moore 24 make a daily 24 hour run in excess of 200 miles?

I'd say easily.

 

[Ian Rogers]

A Moore 24 can easily make a 200 mile day. In fact they can do about 20% more than that. In 2016 after a partially windy night Mark and I had the habit of guessing our 8 am to 8 am run. On the 8th day we were both well off, we had Chinese Gybe the night before with the a2.5 on the pole and spent some time under a winged out #3. We recovered well be we both knew it had impacted our 24 hour run. Mark guessed 206 miles, in typical price is right style I guessed 207. Well we were both well off the that morning, we had pushed Mas! to a 240 mile day. I was in disbelief and checked it twice. Sailing the Moore at a 10 knot average is possible you just need a windy year and a good swell.

 

[sleddog]

A Moore 24 can easily make a 200 mile day. In fact they can do about 20% more than that. In 2016 after a partially windy night Mark and I had the habit of guessing our 8 am to 8 am run. On the 6th day we were both well off, we had Chinese Gybe the night before with the a2.5 on the pole and spent some time under a winged out #3. We recovered well be we both knew it had impacted our 24 hour run. Mark guessed 206 miles, in typical price is right style I guessed 207. Well we were both well off the that morning, we had pushed Mas! to a 240 mile day. I was in disbelief and checked it twice. Sailing the Moore at a 10 knot average is possible you just need a windy year and a good swell.

Wow, Ian. Thanks for this highlight. 240 miles in 24 hours is good for even a SC-50. Not sure a Cal 40 could ever do that. Way back in the early days of the Pac Cup, 1984, when no one thought racing a small ULDB across an ocean was sane, Jonathan Livingston and Gary Clifford sailed LIGHTEN UP, their Express-27, to a supposed 260 mile day under storm jib and double reefed main. If you haven't read their account, or heard the tape, it is EPIC in only Birdman style: http://express27.org/articles/squallbusters 1,100 miles in the first 4 days? I still have my Squall Busters T-Shirt which were a hot item post race at KYC.

 

[Ian Rogers]

I have read that account, its a great story. I have great memories of Birdman during happyhour on the SSB in the 2000 race.

I pulled up my log from 2016 we had the following daily runs:
Day 1 157 miles (this is a short day, we started at 10 am, so its 22 hr)
Day 2 171 miles
Day 3 190 miles
Day 4 200 miles
Day 5 202 miles
Day 6 203 miles
Day 7 187 miles
Day 8 240 miles
Day 9 208 miles
Day 10 208 miles
last day 145 miles (finished in the dark and sailed to the bulkhead)

 

[sleddog]

I have read that account, its a great story. I have great memories of Birdman during happyhour on the SSB in the 2000 race.

I pulled up my log from 2016 we had the following daily runs:
Day 1 157 miles (this is a short day, we started at 10 am, so its 22 hr)
Day 2 171 miles
Day 3 190 miles
Day 4 200 miles
Day 5 202 miles
Day 6 203 miles
Day 7 187 miles
Day 8 240 miles
Day 9 208 miles
Day 10 208 miles
last day 145 miles (finished in the dark and sailed to the bulkhead)

Disregarding the first and last short days, your Moore-24 MAS! averaged 201 miles on her record passage of winning the Pac Cup overall. Speaking for the Forum, we stand in awe of this accomplishment.

An historical note: In 1949, my father was crew and weatherman aboard the 98 foot schooner MORNING STAR in the Honolulu Race. Using the "Reverse S" course which my father helped pioneer, MORNING STAR broke the elapsed time record, setting a new standard of 10 days 10 hours. The press and other crews called this an "unbreakable record." Ian and Mark's 2016 elapsed time on MAS! was 10 days, 14 hours, only 4 hours longer than MORNING STAR's unbreakable record 67 years earlier.