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New Boat 4 Sled

Jackie got out of SFO just fine, thank you for asking.

Filled up my little suitcase with snow boots and thick wool sweaters, arrived to find holes in the ice on the lakes and 50 degree sunshine. Jeesh!!! What a letdown. I was excited, but that's all over now. I changed my reservation and will come back early, my dreams of 60 mph iceboating replaced by 95 knot winds in Oakland. A tree apparently fell on somebody's car down the street last night. Hope you all stayed out of harms way and tied your boats up tight while I was gone.
 
"Richardson Bay is not a safe anchorage in prefrontal wind."


What kind of coffee do they serve at the Taj Mahal?

Sanka. (I'm told it sank in that blow.)

https://www.oursausalito.com/houseboats/taj-mahal-houseboat.html

Storm2.JPG

On Tuesday afternoon, as the storm approached the Bay Area, the system developed two “eyes,” [maybe THREE] or areas of low pressure, resulting in a “doubled-barreled blow” to San Francisco and Santa Cruz, said Bay Area National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Garcia.

The rare occurrence, known as the Fujiwhara effect, intensified winds as the low-pressure areas danced around each other.

Rick Canepa, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Monterey County, cited the two low-pressure centers “and possibly a third one that are just kind of rotating around each other.”

The phenomenon was contributing to peak gusts upward of 60 to 75 mph in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Canepa said, with 50- to 60-mph winds across Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain [ https://weatherwest.com/ ] pointed to other unusual attributes of the weather system, including a “sting jet,” or localized acceleration of winds next to a low-pressure center. “The name comes from the 3D visualizations of this feature,” he said, “which look a little bit like a scorpion’s tail descending from the sky.” Swain said in a briefing Tuesday that the system had reached the benchmark for bombogenesis, or a “bomb cyclone,” which indicates a rapid drop in pressure.

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Oops - sorry Sled! I clicked the "Edit" button instead of the "Reply to Thread" button.

Since I'm a low-level admin I can edit posts, but I didn't mean to edit yours. I can't undo it.
 
Oops - sorry Sled! I clicked the "Edit" button instead of the "Reply to Thread" button.
Since I'm a low-level admin I can edit posts, but I didn't mean to edit yours. I can't undo it.

I'll edit your edit, and raise you one... Storm casualty: Wishing a quick recovery to our shipmate Bren who fell from a ladder up a tree and broke a leg...
 
Oh no! "Never climb a ladder if you're over (pick an age)." Very few observe that old adage (I sure don't).

I walked by Bren's Uno yesterday and didn't notice anything was amiss. There was a lot of stuff in the water, one boat had its hard dodger blown off and others had loose or missing covers. As usual, a couple furling jibs got shredded. In the SBY, the little Snipe looked fine but an Opti was blown off its rack, many other small boats were only *approximately* in their designated spaces and some were full of water.

There was more damage on the south and eastern-facing sections of Brickyard Cove.
 
In better days, TajMahal2.jpg


Sausalito's iconic Taj Mahal houseboat is sinking with little hope of salvage. Despite 16 pumps and divers, she's a going down and reportedly can't be saved. First WANDERBIRD, then PURSUIT, now the Taj Mahal, Sausalito's waterfront history is slowly leaving us...

TajMahal.jpg
 
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Grey Seas Under, was a fantastic read about the ocean salvage tug the Foundation Franklin.
Those guys were as tough as the iron the tug was built of!
 
Grey Seas Under, was a fantastic read about the ocean salvage tug the Foundation Franklin.Those guys were as tough as the iron the tug was built of!

Foundation Franklin.jpg

SS Foundation Franklin, 155', single screw, 1,200 hp, was a seagoing salvage tug built for the Royal Navy as HMS Frisky in 1918. In 1930, the FF was sold to Foundation Maritime and renamed Foundation Franklin. FF became famous for many daring salvage operations and rescues between 1930 and 1949. Her many rescues and salvage triumphs were celebrated in Farley Mowat's book Grey Seas Under. "We don't need no stinkin' radar!" If you haven't read this book, and its companion Serpent's Coil , you are in for a treat. Good reading for SHTP.

A classic interaction: the tug barely survived a hurricane and was blown ashore in Bermuda. The storm ended and a crewman says, "Where are we, Cap?" The Captain says, "In the middle of a golf course. Start digging."
 
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Currently the tug GENE DUNLOP is a hauled at Dakota Shipyard in Anacortes, WA. Just looking at the underbody and the size of her propellers is impressive.

That’s a helluva stairway! Not something you’ll see in most boatyards.

In the stern shot, I noticed the fairly large nitrogen gas cylinder. Many years ago, I had a quite nice steel motorsailer as a dock neighbor. The motorsailer had large hollow steel rub-rails and I learned that they were nitrogen gas filled to inhibit rust. Maybe the DUNLOP has nitrogen filled rudders?

It’s been years since reading everything by Farley Mowat I could get my hands on. Maybe it’s time to revisit.

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A few years ago at the helm of the 5000HP twin azimuthing drives tractor tug DELTA DEANNA.
 
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DELTA DEANNA? Here she is:

Delta Deanna 4.jpg

Built in 1999, by Marco Shipbuilding of Seattle, Washington as the DELTA DEANNA for Bay and Delta Marine Services Incorporated of San Francisco, California.

In 2009, the DD was chartered by the Signet Maritime Corporation of Houston, Texas. Where she was renamed as SIGNET ENTERPRISE.

On August 26th, 2017 due to winds and currents caused by the passage of Hurricane Harvey, while attempting to hold an oil rig in position, the tug collided with a nearby oil rig and partially sank near Port Aransas, Texas. She was eventually raised, and salvaged.

In 2019, the tug was acquired by the Coos Bay Towboat Company of Coos Bay, Oregon. Where she was renamed CYGNET. That tug gets around!

Delta Deanna3.jpg
 
Oh Yes Tom- I am sure that you have read " Grey seas under" and the " Serpent's Coil "- both utterly unforegettable books ! Hope you have read " The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" as well ! His writing is very special !
 
Oh Yes Tom- I am sure that you have read " Grey seas under" and the " Serpent's Coil "- both utterly unforegettable books ! Hope you have read " The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" as well ! His writing is very special !

A bit of internet search will reveal that Canadian author Farley Mowat (1921-2014) was an outspoken environmentalists in addition to being quite a prolific writer. He was probably best known for his book made-into-a-movie “Never Cry Wolf.”

Sue and I are both readers and suckers for a good bookstore. In the Fall of 2019, we were in Toronto and had learned that there was an unusual bookstore with a singular focus: nautical books. We had vague directions where to find the store and were wandering the waterfront without success when we happened upon the headquarters of the Toronto Marine Police. We found our way in and, not surprisingly, they were able to provide precise directions to Toronto’s (and maybe North America’s) most unique bookstore: The Nautical Mind https://www.nauticalmind.com/ We had a truly delightful visit with the store owners, and left with a few additional pounds for our luggage.
 
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Can anyone tell us what is going on here? Where and/or when?

Stonehenge on Acid.jpg

Just an aside, an Aurora Borealis was sighted Saturday over California. Below, Aurora Borealis from onboard a flight from LAX to Phoenix.

Aurora.jpg
 
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Can anyone tell us what is going on here? Where and/or when?

View attachment 8288

Just an aside, an Aurora Borealis was sighted Saturday over California. Below, Aurora Borealis from onboard a flight from LAX to Phoenix.

View attachment 8289

If there was any doubt of the competitiveness of the 110 Fleet, this should remove any doubts. This location helps to align the skippers senses to all aspects of the cosmos. But, it helps to be in Northern Iceland to get the full benefit. The skipper becomes invincible.

Ants
 
Can anyone tell us what is going on here? Where and/or when?

Wow! The DAZZLERS have been to the Arctic Henge in Northern Iceland. Who would have thunk. The photo of the Aurora at the Arctic Henge was taken a few months ago by an unknown person. The camera person is looking due south, and the North Star (Polaris) is straight up..Many well known stars and constellations are visible. Cool
 
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