New Boat 4 Sled

[BobJ]

Not long ago, ROWENA was for sale in Newport, CA. The photos are worth a look.

Thanks for that link! What a beauty - I forgot she's a Rhodes design.

With regard to LITTLE PACKET, you sound interested?

We owned a couple of wooden boats so I have an idea what I'd be facing. We easily spent as many hours maintaining SQUALI and ALTA as we spent sailing them and they were not large boats - 21' and 23' respectively. SQUALI was mahogany on oak frames and like LITTLE PACKET, had painted canvas decks. ALTA had a clinker hull of oak planking on oak frames, all naturally-finished. Her decks were teak. They were beautiful boats when everything was in good shape but often you just wanted to put the sandpaper down and go sailing.

And yet, the tug of uniqueness and nostalgia is still there, and these boats will not be replaceable once they are lost to neglect. I've considered going to have a look.

Regarding tillers, I spent most of my sailing years in dinghies. While Rags behaves as you describe it would be difficult to get used to a wheel. It's only a 33'er - I'd be looking to convert it to a tiller.

 

[sleddog]

That's a photo of the Corinthian YC, Tiburon. Semi-famous race starts there is the SSS Singlehanded Transpac.

Steve is correct: the SSS Singlehanded Transpac starts in front of the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon, CA. Only took 5 minutes for the winning answer to be received.

I promise this quiz won't be as easy. If there is a winner, he/she wins an overnight stay at the Capitola Boating Club and Maritime Museum.

Follow along: The Singlehanded Transpac passes two significant headlands close aboard. Both have historical lighthouses. The first is Point Bonita, 2.4 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The second is Kilauea Point, 5.8 miles east of the Hanalei Bay finish line.

Both lighthouses are spectacular places to visit, with gorgeous views. Kilauea Point Light, which sits on the rim of an ancient volcanic crater, was once the site of "kukui ahi", fires lit by the Hawaiians of old to guide fisherman home.

Between 1912-1913, a more hi-tech version of the kukui ahi was built, and the Kilauea Point Lighthouse, 180 feet above sea level, became home to a second order Fresnel Lens, with a light reportedly visible up to 90 miles to aircraft such as "Bird of Paradise," which, on June 28–29, 1927, crewed by 1st Lt. Lester J. Maitland and 1st Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger, completed the first flight over the Pacific Ocean, from California to Hawaii.

Kilauea Point also has an interesting geologic feature just offshore, Mokuaeae Island. "Mokuaeae" means "islet frothing in the rising tide." During times of low surf, the endangered monk seal can be seen sunning on Mokuaeae's rocks.



Mokuaeae Island lies just 360 feet across a narrow channel from Kilauea Point's rocky cliff. I've stood looking down on that channel many times, wondering if anyone has been foolish or brave enough to try and sail inside Mokuaeae Island.



An answer was finally revealed, and the choices are as follow: (Only one is correct.)

A. It would be nearly impossible to sail through the Mokuaeae Passage due to the underwater hazard of several "bommies" just below the surface.

B. The Lighthouse tender KUKUI once sailed through the Passage in September of 1912 while delivering materials for the construction of the lighthouse. The supplies were hauled up the cliff using a derrick crane set in the lava rock.

C. Singlehanded sailor Claudia H. once sailed her pretty blue, 24' double-ender TIARE through the Mokuaeae Passage on a day trip from Nawiliwili to Hanalei.

D. The beautiful 44' Gene Wells design cutter STARLIGHT, now homeported in Nawiliwili, used the Passage at least twice under its original owner, Walter Hoffman, who used to snorkel in the area.

E. After the 1973 Transpac, the C&C 61 ROBON spinnakered through the Mokuaeae Passage, likely eliciting choice and astonished comments from the tourists above as well as from the crew below as their spinnaker went aback mid-channel.

Ready, Set, Go.

 

[BobJ]

I'm going with "B" since the name and dates match up.

 

[Submarino]

Bob, I think you are right. I visited the light house last week and saw a picture of a derrick. My first reaction was why didn't they just truck that stuff over land, but I started to think that there were no roads leading out of harbors to the light house back then. -Joe B.

 

[DaveH]

I'm going with D; partly to be contrarian, but also because I see no evidence that KUKUI was anything but engine driven.

 

[BobJ]

Ha HA!

 

[sleddog]

Here's STARLIGHT in her dotage, visited a week ago at Nawilwili. Gene Wells designed her in 1956. In his later years, Wells lived in Anahola, up the road from Kilauea, designing and building beautiful boats right up to the end.

Originally a light blue, I thought STARLIGHT one of the prettiest and fastest boats of her generation, second only to CHUBASCO and TICONDEROGA.

Unfortunately, though STARLIGHT did race in the '61&'63 Transpacs, owner Walter Hoffman never sailed her through the Mokuaeae Passage. I like David's contrarian
approach. But like BobJ and Joe B., your answer is incorrect and you will have to sit on the lazarette hatch and cheer other contestants.

 

[Bob Buell]

I'm going with "E" Robon, only because I was there as the delivery skipper on Robon after our Transpac finish in '73, and we were racing from Hono to Hanalei with owner Bob Grant aboard, who asked me if we could sail inside the rock ?
I checked the chart and showed 18 ft of depth I believe, and we sailed thru with no problem, except the chute backed for a moment in the lee there. I had done 2 previous Hono to Hanalei races so was familiar with that coastline.
I had related this story to the Sleddog and he ran with it...

Also I spent several years sailing on ROWENA mentioned above, with owner Don Dalziel at StFYC, he had her built at Stone Yard in 1963-64. And I was a cadet at CMA in Vallejo from '64 -'67 and raced and slept on Rowena every weekend.
Wonderful boat, but never won any races, very comfortable fast cruiser. Loved the pix of her listing at Ardell Yachts above also.
Aloha, Bob Buell

 

[BobJ]

Wonderful boat, but never won any races, very comfortable fast cruiser.

One of the reasons I haven't looked at LITTLE PACKET is related to this. I realized I was studying the photos to see how much weight I could get out of her - all those oil lamps (what is it with the oil lamps?), the anchor, chain and windlass on the bow, all that steering gear in the stern, and so on. Then I looked at the D/LWL ratio with an eye to what the PHRF rating might be and concluded I was running down the wrong trail!

Meantime... nothing like a little "insider information" to win one of Sled's contests! That was the choice I thought was LEAST likely to be the answer!

 

[Submarino]

That's nuts! But, it's tempting! Did you guys motor or sail out?

 

[sleddog]

That's nuts! But, it's tempting! Did you guys motor or sail out?

Bob Buell and crew sailed ROBON through the Mokuaeae Passage under spinnaker. No motor. After all, they were Racing, from Hono to Hanalei. Although I doubt it came under consideration at the time, the Mokuaeae "shortcut" saved ROBON about 200 yards distance.

5 years later, in the summer of 1978, Captain (then 2nd Mate) Bob Buell was at anchor at Hanalei on his L/36 BELLWETHER for their annual family vacation. In sailed some scruffly singlehanders from the Mainland. Bob rowed over to WILDFLOWER and asked, "what are you guys doing here?"
"We're racing from San Francisco."
"Where's your finish committee?"
"Finish committee? We don't need no stinkin' finish committee."
Bob rowed back to his BELLWETHER and returned with a 6 pack of cold beer.
"Aloha to Hanalei," he says, becoming inextricably entwined in SHTP welcoming lore.

 

[sleddog]

Boat protection from lightning strikes is an inexhaustible subject, likely with no definitive answers. Certainly, the "Cone of Protection" aboard a boat is a myth, ask my brother who's Etchell's 22 was struck while racing in the Chesapeake.

Aboard my previous WILDFLOWER I had a short length of #2 battery cable run from the mast butt to a nearby keelbolt. But I harbored no illusion that this recommended protective measure was anything but psychological.

I've seen lightning strikes close by. The East Coast and Florida receive more than their fair share, as does Central America and SE Asia. Once, in a California coastal race, our rigging glowed green with St. Elmo's Fire. Another time, when working at the masthead of an all aluminum boat in Miami, my tools started to glow. I couldn't get lowered down fast enough!

Thanks to Commodore Tompkins for sharing his thoughts on the recent lightning strike aboard FLASHGIRL. From his description, I'm guessing he was lucky not to be aboard. I can not imagine a lightning bolt loosening the injectors on his engine and running his autopilot.

~S,
It is now nine days. I have been right thru the boat inside. Structurally she seems sound. I have NOT seen signs of blistering or bubbling either on the bulkheads, the cabin sole or along the waterline. So far have not been to the masthead, or under the boat, the water has been cloudy and uninviting, and I have plenty to do elsewhere. I plan to remove the mast for a thorough check on the rods, so going aloft is really not necessary.

It is quite true that there has been water in the core of the hull, and I have detected, before the strike, a number of blisters in the paint below, four, I think. These are now no worse than before the strike. I believe these blisters are caused by residual moisture in the balsa-cored panels.

The grounding system I installed at the suggestion of MM (in Sausalito), seems to have been effective. Four, (4) light fixtures, fastened to the overhead with small sheet-metal screws, were blasted off their mounts. The inside skin of the hull is carbon, from waterline over the house to the waterline opposite, and that is a good conductor, so I am told. I have found three (3) places where the paint over the carbon seems to have failed. These places are very small, perhaps 2mm x 10mm, no more. These spots are NOT associated with any fittings.

I mentioned ET's name to MM, and he said that he was familiar with T's name and that he disagreed with him on a number of points. In my grounding system, the mast is connected by two battery-cable size wires to a pair of 3/8” diameter copper bolts, which are in turn soldered to the ground plate which was vacuum-bagged to the underside of the hull, centered on the butt of the mast. I expected the bolts to vaporize, and certainly the silver-solder to disappear. We shall see when I go swimming next week! The bolts appear untouched on the inside, and there is no scorching anywhere to be seen, including the partners , the chainplates, and the deck where the chainplates arise.

The strike which hit FLASHGIRL was sufficiently violent that Dave and Nancy Nottage, in bed one quarter mile away, felt their house and bed shake. The violence on FLASHGIRL must have been severe. There is a place in the interior joinery where I made a 10/1 scarf joint. That joint, in Kauri, was perfectly painted and invisible. After the strike the joint was split. I deduce that the hull must have distorted significantly, and that it was this distortion which broke the PVC plumbing and caused the aforementioned split. The broken PVC is what caused the sinking. My investigation of the broken PVC suggests wracking, rather than anything electrical: no sign whatsoever of heat, the break is crisp and sharp for 360 degrees.

The positive lead to our large alternator had it’s lug vaporized, a part is simply missing. When I went to remove the injectors in order to service the waterlogged engine, all three injectors were finger tight, I removed them without use of a wrench! I know for certain they were tight, as we used the engine from NZ to Hawaii and there were no fuel leaks, quite aside from watching a mechanic set them up tight. The engine will be saved, although immersion destroyed the small alternator, and we will have to replace the instrument panel and the wiring that serves it: saltwater intrusion to so many connections virtually guarantees trouble down the line if not sooner.

The screw-drive to the Alpha autopilot spewed water when I centered it. The fact that it was hard over to port, suggests that the electrical charge somehow drove it’s motor. All Autopilot parts will go back to Port Townsend for service. I do not expect the CPU to be repairable.

The two 8D gel cells, about two years old, have survived, and are presently holding a charge. They are ashore, so that I can properly clean the boat.

Have not examined any radios. The compass seems OK. The B&G CPU is toast, as is the CPU for the NKE autopilot. The submersible VHF units seem to work, they were not deep underwater, nor immersed for long.

More news as it comes to light. Sleeping better, helped by being dead tired every night. This getting old business is not for sissies!

Thanks for your good wishes,

wmt/FLASHGIRL

 

[sleddog]

Cetaceans are the maxi-boats of marine life. Though they can't plane on the ocean's surface, their hydrodynamic shape and powerful tail can propel a large whale at great speed. Orcas can easily reach 25 knots.

Orcas, like humpbacks, love to jump clear of the water for pure joy. Recently, near San Juan Island in Washington State, a pod of orcas was seen breaching off Lime Kiln Point. In the thick of the water aerobics was Orca J2, also known as "Granny."

By historical records and sighting reports, Granny, at age 105, is the oldest orca on the planet. Granny was around before the TITANIC hit the iceberg.

Granny is a long time family member of J Pod, the "Southern Resident" orcas of
Washington state. The Southern Residents of J Pod number only 29. Since 1998 there have been 16 recorded births and 11 deaths in Granny's family.

Southern Residents have previously ranged from the Oregon Coast to Vancouver Island, preferring to spend summers in the Salish Sea near Puget Sound. Their diet is salmon, and here lies the problem, why they are considered " Federally Endangered" in both Canada and the U.S: Salmon stocks of the Northwest are down 95%.

In their quest for food, orcas never really stop swimming. This means Granny has been swimming pretty much non-stop for over 100 years. The Southern Residents on average travel about 72 miles in a 24-hour period day in, day out. This means in Granny’s lifetime she has swum around the world the equivalent of 127 times, or 1,300 Singlehanded Transpacs.

Currently, in their hunt for salmon, the Southern Residents, including Granny's J Pod, have been seen as far south as Monterey Bay. I'd be hungry too if I needed 100-300 pounds of wild fish per day to survive.

Here's to Granny (photo below) and her long life!

 

[sleddog]

Not often one gets to see world class skipper Morgan Larson about to go down for the count on his Moore-24 BRUZER. If a leeward round down is gonna happen, it's likely to be in the Double Damned Race in the Columbia River Gorge, from Cascade Locks 40 miles upriver to the Dalles. Winds gusting 25-40 are common place as the Gorge funnels the breeze between steep canyon sides.

So how many people went overboard off BRUZER yesterday at this particular moment? As Paul Harvey's tagline used to say, "And now for the rest of the story.."

In Morgan's succinct words, "3 people overboard. Christa alone on the yacht. She dropped the kite and put it head to wind. I was hanging on the backstay and climbed back on. We picked up the other two swimmers, then took a 2 minute breather and hoisted again! We stopped half way at Hood River (our plan from the get go) but the Melges broke the record and it was a fun time!

Just a typical day on the Gorge"

 

[H Spruit]

"And now for the rest of the story.."

And Morgan proves another old line, used by the racing world....
The better you are at what you do, The more trouble you will be in when you CRASH!

 

[Philpott]

"And now for the rest of the story.."

And Morgan proves another old line, used by the racing world....
The better you are at what you do, The more trouble you will be in when you CRASH!

that photo looks like the mast is coming down. Is that just the pressure on the forestay, pulling that far away from the boat? Yikes

 

[sleddog]

that photo looks like the mast is coming down. Is that just the pressure on the forestay, pulling that far away from the boat? Yikes

More than meets the eye. The mast looks fine. But the spinnaker pole looks to be detached at both ends, and the boom vang released. Guessing they were trying to jibe? With 4 crew total, and 3 off the boat, seems fortunate Christa was able to get the spinny dropped and the boat turned head to wind.

 

[Sleddog_sis]

More than meets the eye. ....With 4 crew total, and 3 off the boat, seems fortunate Christa was able to get the spinny dropped and the boat turned head to wind.

Good God, that looks and sounds hairy. I will stick with windsurfing and small-time catapults, thank you.

 

[BobJ]

Here's to Granny and her long life!

Granny's mayoral address (and hopefully not her final address as the heading suggests).

I wonder if "J32" (see article) is why SSS'er Chris Boome named his J/32 RHAPSODY.

 

[BobJ]

"Just a typical day on the Gorge"

Here's the Express 27 MONSTER EXPRESS doing a cockpit rinse in that same race.

"Uh... MADE?"