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New Boat 4 Sled

Cool that we get to hear a little history about Ant's grandfather Joosep! A little more history: iMP, along with MERLIN and WINDWARD PASSAGE, was one of the three iconic and legendary race boats of the second half of the 20th century. I was fortunate to race thousands of miles on all three. Just received this photo from Ireland where iMP lives and is racing in Cork Week 2022 in Ireland, 45 years after we won the 1977 SORC and Fastnet Race. One cool boat.

IMP2.jpg

And here are 2 pics of iMP in the Solent in 1977. Note the wire jibsheets.

iMP3.jpg

imp5.jpg

If you wish to read more about iMP, you can page up to 3/28/2019, page 312, post 3116 on this Forum, and/or find a copy of Bill Barton's wonderful story Legend of IMP

IMP Reunion.jpg
(2014 Reunion of iMP and IMPROBABLE crews. Most sailed on both boats.)
 
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Some have asked what was an IOR (International Offshore Rule) design. Here is 39' iMP going strong this summer in Cork, Ireland after being one of the best all around IOR designs ever...a bigger sister, the 49' PEGASUS ("PIGASUS") was one of the worst. Under spinnaker in 20 knots of breeze, with 10 crew hiking over the transom, "PEGGY SUE" would regularly dig a hole, bury the bow, and spin out of control...Some people thought racing an IOR design downwind to Hawaii would be a good idea. It didn't take long for them to see the light.

Imp6.JPG iMP, July 2022. too bad about the ads on the boom and mainsail. And the wheel. What happened to the tiller?
 
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Though I can't vouch for absolute accuracy, there are now or will be 15 Singlehanded Transpac vets in or around the Kaneohe Yacht Club pool. What a stinkin' mess. Except for Margie, and Cliff Shaw who is anchored nearby with RAINBOW and smelling like a plumeria lei.

Dave M and Bob J, Cliff, Syn, Ronnie, David Garman, Carliane, John Wilkerson, Randy L, Dan Alvarez, Jim Q, Brendan Huffman and Margie, Eric Thomas, Max Ebb.

Photo Op? Not a snowball's chance. Like herding cats.

I'm sure there are a thousand trivia stories oozing from this group, many of them true..But here is a standout. Who in this illustrious group listed above holds the land speed record for the world's fastest trailered sailboat at Bonneville Salt Flats? The boat (name please) went on to almost win the SHTP, thereby making the cover of Latitude 38, and becoming famous enough to be carved in butter at the skipper's State Fair (State please). Get both right and you win the Macapuno....
 
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todd22123 said:
Eric Thomas
SNOWBALL, Minnesota
Click to expand...

We have a winner! Good one, Todd.

In early July, 2008, Eric Thomas and a nameless co-driver, trailered Eric's O-30 SNOWBALL in a mad dash from Eric's home in Duluth, MN to Alameda to rig and participate in the 2008 SHTP. Enroute, with Eric asleep in the back of the pickup camper, he awoke to hear the truck engine going really fast. It seems the co-driver, just for yucks, had taken the exit for the Bonneville Salt Flats, paid a fee, and ran their rig of a pickup truck with an Olson-30 on a trailer behind at some rapid rate of speed through the speed traps. How fast? Eric couldn't say and didn't have the piece of paper with their record on it. Not likely triple digits. But close. Wheee!

On his return to MN, Eric found his singlehanded race had inspired the local press to report on his passage. It seems the SHTP was such a special thing for a sailor from Duluth, MN, that the MN State fair commissioned a 90 pound model of carved butter of SNOWBALL for display, alongside the real boat... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7NZd7una6Q

In this year's Pac Cup Eric is skippering the Synergy 1000 PEARL. Welcome back Good Buddy!

Screenshot 2022-07-19 at 21-54-02 Archive - Latitude38.png
 
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"Hmmm. Chris Bertish recently left Half Moon Bay to be the first to wing foil to Hawaii. On Yellow Brick tracker, looks like Chris is headed for CBC instead. We'll feed him some Macapuno and get him underway. No weirdo too weird for the CBC docks."

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I have a report that our current favorite "WEIRDO" has in fact sailed his wing foil from here to Honolulu in 48 days!!
AMAZING!! I will buy the Macahuno if he gets back to CBC!
 
sleddog said:
In this year's Pac Cup Eric is skippering the Synergy 1000 PEARL. Welcome back Good Buddy!
Click to expand...

I talked to John last night at the Goslings Rum party. John is one of Eric's crew on Pearl. It sounds like they might have rather been racing Polar Bear, which Eric still owns and is fully cherried-out. Since Pearl is completely powered up in just eight knots of breeze, John said the wipeouts were frequent and robust.

Lots of great conversations last night with many people we all know - too many to list here (and I need to go refill the tanks before the awards party later).

More to come...
 
Sleddog currently resident in Tomales for the 110 District 56 Championships, leading to the Nationals next month at IYC.

Congrats to SURPRISE, Rebecca, Synbad, Mark, and crew for their class win in the PAC CUP! Syn: can you show us your new trophy clock and beautiful Koa bowls? Unlike PEARL, SURPRISE only had one round up, in a 28 knot squall. Macapuno for who first tells us the driver...

Closer to home ask me which well respected 110 skipper had their anchor shift in the back of his SUV as he rounded a corner yesterday on SFD enroute to Tomales. The anchor fluke hit the propane torch ON button and trigger simultaneously, igniting the flame. The skipper noticed smoke then flame arising from inside the back of his car and pulled over, to discover his canvas tool ditty bag being torched. Lucky that, because above and nearby the flame was his much more flammable new suit of red and blue bag sails!

Trivia: what safety gear should one carry when transporting an anchor? The answer is 1) fire extinguisher 2) ?

And if you were wondering, no it was not sleddog. And yes I did see the burned ditty bag.
 
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sleddog said:
Sleddog currently resident in Tomales for the 110 District 56 Championships, leading to the Nationals next month at IYC.

Congrats to SURPRISE, Rebecca, Synbad, Mark, and crew for their class win in the PAC CUP! Syn: can you show us your new trophy clock and beautiful Koa bowls? Unlike PEARL, SURPRISE only had one round up, in a 28 knot squall. Macapuno for who first tells us the driver...

Closer to home ask me which well respected 110 skipper had his anchor shift in the back of his SUV as he rounded a corner yesterday on SFD enroute to Tomales. The anchor fluke hit his propane torch thumb screw and trigger simultaneously, unbelievably igniting the flame. The skipper noticed smoke arising inside the back of his car and pulled over, to discover his tool ditty bag being torched. Lucky that, because above and nearby the flame was his new suit of of red and blue bag sails!

Trivia: what safety gear should one carry when transporting an anchor? The answer is 1) fire extinguisher 2) ?

And if you were wondering, no it was not sleddog. And yes I did see the burned ditty bag.
Click to expand...


Vegas rules on the boat. We will probably never know who was at the helm during the round up. What happens on the boat stays on the boat.
 
SmartShoes Running.jpg
Today on Tomales Bay, 110 District 56 Championships. Thanks to Michael Sporer for the photo of SMART SHOES, #695, taken from the trap with daughter Emma driving OREMUS, 110 #004
 
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The 110 Class District Champs after 2 days and 5 races are Bren Meyer/Eric Menzel on their red LADYBUG, #300 in this short, excellent video. Congrats to them being consistently in the front of the pack, ready to pounce when mental or boat handling lapses were made..

One boat handling lapse on my part was the downwind finish of 2nd race. We were even with Bren 3 lengths from the line. But with neither laying the line we would both have to gybe, which we did simultaneously, Bren on the outside. Our spinnaker collapsed, Bren hailed leeward boat, I turned up and lost control, spinning out and Bren won by a length. Ouch.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qPOTtUnH-XZc6EP29PLMT8MkOLlXQALm/view?usp=drivesdk

Sean Callagy and I were 2nd on grey hull, #695, SMART SHOES. And David West, #693 was 3rd on blue hulled, GUNSMOKE.

Saturday's racing was a bit grueling for the old farts...with 22 miles of sailing 18 legs in 3 races in good breeze...Not sure if more damage to my body or the boat, hihi.. Great to see women skippering and crewing in the 110's. Well done Annie Lewis, Emma Sporer, Milly Biller, Anna-Pia, Cynthia G. and Kathy S. In the video, Milly's PINK has bow #6, and Kathy is crewing the other pink boat with her father Chris Longacre. Video by Michael Sporer, with daughter Emma.
 
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