Daydreamer
SAILOR
My nephew is home from college and wants to go sailing!
No solid plan, morning ebb would make for a nice trip out the Gate.
No solid plan, morning ebb would make for a nice trip out the Gate.
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Sailing Tomorrow
- Thread starter Philpott
- Start date
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
You have a relative who will sail with you?! That's nice! You might also point to that Madman Across the Water Herrigel who has another Wilderness as proof that he is safe with you!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
We'll come again next Thursday afternoon
The in-laws hope they'll see you very soon
But is it in your conscience that you're after
Another glimpse of the madman across the water
Daydreamer
SAILOR
"Madman Across the Water" ha!! That's a good one 
I already turned them on to the tracker page and told them to cheer on Domino!
Hope that southern tactic continues to pay out. Go Domino!
I already turned them on to the tracker page and told them to cheer on Domino!
Hope that southern tactic continues to pay out. Go Domino!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Home from Hanalei Bay. That was alot of fun. Climbed aboard Dura Mater, opened her thru hulls up, aired her out and made myself a cup of coffee. Sat in the cockpit and looked around O Dock at the Berkeley marina. Seems real quiet. It's a lot less muggy here. I'm not walking around in sodden hiking boots and my clothes are not damp. Nothing has changed here. Sailing Saturday or Sunday. Maybe over to the Ferry Building. Would anyone like to join me? On your own boat, of course. Nightmare is staying home after sailing the past several weekends, Fugu is going up to the Delta, Bob is buying his daughter a bimmer. Everyone else is in Kauai.
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Sailing over to Richmond Yacht Club later today. Ed Ruszel called to say there is a shindig. Says all I have to do is mingle and sidle up to the bar, no one will notice that I'm not a member. Says there will be thick carpeting in swanky new digs. I'll bring a change of clothing: Out with the SSS clothes, on with the yachtie stuff. Mikimotos and little black dress. Real one, not kevlar.
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Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
DM is in Monterey surrounded by fishing boats, prolly staying up after dark, watching the shields fleet as they glide back in through the "chute" with their excellent, crinkly sails. On Tuesday or Wednesday we'll be sailing over to Moss Landing for lunch, then back to C-5, just below the harbormaster's office. If anyone would like to join us, you are welcome, on DM or your own boat.
Dazzler
m/v PACIFIC LOON
Jackie, The Shields fleet has an interesting history that may be unknown to many without a bit of internet searching. Not well known is that our own Sleddog's father was instrumental in helping to build the fleet. Sled will need to verify, but I believe his father donated some of the boats there in Monterey. Please correct me...
Tom
Tom
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
I cannot correct you, Tom. It is la verdad.
Skip “gimpy” Allan knows every boat. Every boat. During the pre-Transpac cruise-in to Oakland Yacht Club earlier this year he sailed in the Estuary on Bob Johnston’s beauteous Ragtime! While Cliff Shaw steered, Skip waved to the crowd like a Rose Bowl float participant. He knew every skipper (of a certain age) and every boat on the water. For awhile he issued trivia questions, but Bob was the only one who knew the answers. He would call out to skippers by name: “Looking good ___________!” “Who is that?” “Skip!” “Oh! Skip!” Then they would try to catch up. But of course, we were aboard Ragtime! so they couldn’t do that.
Here is what Skip had to say about the Monterey Shields fleet. I’ll try to find Harriet and photograph her. Hope she’s been maintained. I don’t want to disappoint.
“At least half a dozen of the Monterey Shields were donated by Corny Shields through my father: #94,96,186. #161 is named after my mother, "Harriet." Many more were donated in S.Cal to Irvine, USC, OCC, Santa Barbara, UCLA, USC, and are still in use, now based at OCC crew base in Newport, where there are a dozen or so.
I used to teach sailing at Stanford in Shields. We had three boats based at SFYC. Yes, they are good looking boats. They are wet, and can fill with water and sink. At least one sank on SF Bay and one on Monterey Bay (both recovered). I think I wrote about that somewhere on SSS Forum.” Email from Skip Allan 092716
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Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Dura Mater has been in Grand Marina for five weeks now and I've gotten a lot of little tasks accomplished. There's more wind in Berkeley, and what that means is that I would arrive meaning to address something or another, but then I would sail instead because - well _ because there was wind! Duh.
Arrived Wednesday to find my dock mate Rob attaching his new grab bar. Yes, a beautiful, elegant grab bar worthy of Tiger Beetle.
I prepared DM for take off. Rob noted that it was drizzling. "No, it's not" I insisted to myself. So off we drifted into the non drizzle until, in front of the fuel dock DM and I found ourselves getting flushed out the estuary sideways in the ... Okay, in the drizzle. In the 4+ knot ebb.
But today! Today is another day! Slack at 13:36, max ebb of 4.3 only later @17:12
Should be plenty of wind. Who's gonna be out there today?
Arrived Wednesday to find my dock mate Rob attaching his new grab bar. Yes, a beautiful, elegant grab bar worthy of Tiger Beetle.
I prepared DM for take off. Rob noted that it was drizzling. "No, it's not" I insisted to myself. So off we drifted into the non drizzle until, in front of the fuel dock DM and I found ourselves getting flushed out the estuary sideways in the ... Okay, in the drizzle. In the 4+ knot ebb.
But today! Today is another day! Slack at 13:36, max ebb of 4.3 only later @17:12
Should be plenty of wind. Who's gonna be out there today?
Attachments
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Remember last week, when I invited you all to sail over and have lunch with me at the Ferry Building? Well, who should show up but Nathalie Criou. Yeah, singlehander Nathalie, she of the 2014 Transpac, former owner of Elise. She owns a new boat now. A Beneteau Figaro named Envolee with a little accent mark over one of the “e”s. I google translated it, and Envolee means “Flight’. Pretty cool name, huh?
While we ate Nathalie talked about the 2017 Le Solitaire du Figaro, which starts this summer on June 4. First of all, it is a sailing race that the French love. And the French love sailing like big dogs love tennis balls. I’ve attached a document from Google Translate for you, because the French don’t bother to post a description of the race in English. Why bother? They already have a gazillion people show up to say “Bon Voyage!” to the sailors. Americans would only clog up the docks. Why do the French love this race in particular? Because anybody can play. Although participants this year include Vendee Globe winners, there is also a “rookie” division for newby Solitaire sailors. If they qualify. Yes, here in our little backwater we may consider Nathalie a pretty experienced sailor, but over there she has to qualify to play with the big kids.
Nathalie is from Toulouse, France. When she told her mother that she plans to qualify for the Solitaire her mother replied, “Oh, Nathalie! That race is for really good sailors.” Huh. Will her mother be at the finish? I asked. Nathalie laughed. “I hope so!”
Here are some bits about the race: All Figaros are one design, and there are lots of them. Envolee is the second iteration of the boat, a Figaro 2. Next year there will be a Figaro 3, which will cause the Figaro 2 to become obsolete for the Solitaire, if not for racing. Envolee will still be special on our water, along with Crispen Barker’s Figaro Hot Socks. Over a previous lunch Brian Boschma told me about the design and marketing of the Hobiecat, which sounds similar to the way Beneteau has developed the Figaro (what we cosmopolitan types call “le Figaro”). Make the boats one design, make ‘em fast and fun, and they’ll sell like hotcakes. Set up a race in Virginia Beach and people will travel far to join in the experience. While it’s true that these Beneteaus are a bit pricier (okay, yeah, quite a bit pricier), what that means is that Nathalie can practice here on Envolee, then charter a Figaro in France to sail in the race with the expectation that everything on the boat should be in the same place. Lines led aft, the same type of rope and clutches, sails, etc. And since professionals who sail in the Figaro wouldn’t dream of using sails twice, sails are available for reasonable prices. That means that Envolee will be raced with “used” sails here in the Bay. Ha! With that information, try catching her.
Anyway, as a member of the Richmond Yacht Club Nathalie is being supported in part by its Sailing Foundation, the one that sells donated boats and pays for that Club’s remarkable youth sailing program. But she still needs some more financial support, something she admitted reluctantly. There is the roundtrip airfare to France for the qualifier and then back again for the race itself. And then there are provisions and the cost of the charter, the entry fee (approximately $3000) and the salaries of the support staff. But wait! Is there a support staff? No? Good thing. That would be expensive. It also means that Nathalie will have to do everything herself. Buy the food, schlep the provisions, fold the sails all alone at the end of each leg of the four leg race. Are we surprised? Take a look at the photos below of Nathalie preparing for the 2014 Transpac. See Doug Soderstrom waiting in the cockpit to help? I walked back and forth next to Nathalie several times at the Corinthian that year. I kept asking Doug, “Has she asked for help yet?” “Not yet,” he replied. Every time.
Here’s the thing: Nathalie is a singlehander through and through. She probably won’t ask for help. But when has that ever stopped members of the SSS from offering it? She will be sailing the Singlehanded Sailing Society burgee. If you would like to donate in some way, here is the URL for the Richmond Yacht Club’s foundation:
http://www.nathaliecriouracing.com/get-involved.html
And let’s remember to watch her on TV. She may be a foreigner, but she's our foreigner.
The Solitaire du Figaro 2017 will start on June 4th in Pauillac (Gironde) for four stages, before a scheduled arrival some 1,700 miles and three weeks later in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) after a passage by Concarneau, announced Friday OC Sport -Pen Duick, organizer of the event.
Renowned Solitaire Urgo du Figaro since the arrival of its new sponsor, the race will bring together about forty boats for its 48th edition.
The first stage will lead the fleet of Bordeaux, via the estuary of the Gironde, as far as Gijón on the coast of Asturias. Then, the program will be a stop until Concarneau, then a sprint of 150 miles off the port of Breton. Follow The Solitaire URGO ✔ @ LaSolitaire2017
Stage 2, the fleet will leave Asturias to join La Cornouaille and the city of Concarneau @regionbretagne 2:44 AM - Dec 2, 2016
The finish of the 4th and final stage will be in Dieppe. This post-Vendée Globe edition should record the participation of some tourdumondists, like Yann Eliès, triple winner of the event.
The course of the Solitaire du Figaro 2017 (1,700 miles):
1st stage - Departure on 4th June: Bordeaux-Pauillac - Gijón (Spain) 525 miles
2nd stage - Departure 10 June: Gijón (Spain) - Concarneau 520 miles
3rd stage - Departure on 15th June: Concarneau - Concarneau 150 miles
4th stage - Departure on June 19th: Concarneau - Dieppe 505 miles
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Tchoupitoulas
New member
Jackie why do your pictures never fit on my screen?
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Dunno, Steve. They fit on my iphone se screen. I took these shots of Nathalie w a real old Lumix camera. I'll send them to your email, see if that is any different. I hope we are not incompatible.
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
062817 Sailing Tomorrow
Dura Mater has never been up the Delta, so up we go. Don't know why it's called "Up the Delta", when the sailing is downwind, but that's the way it is. People in Sacramento refer to it as "down the Delta". So now we know.
We will leave on a flood, Sunday morning, which starts at 6:30 am on Sunday July 2, sailing out of the Berkeley Marina. What to bring? Dave Morris says: "a bikini, tequila, mosquito repellent, sunscreen." He also told me to change my transmission fluid before I go, which I can do because he showed me how. And I'm taking three impellers because I have heard that the sea grass gums them up.
I'm taking Hal Schell's book Dawdling on the Delta, which I found on some rare book internet site. Mr Schell clearly loved the Delta, and his book has lots of photos. But here's the thing: it was published in 1983. That's a long time ago. Things may have changed. ;-) And there are only a few photos of sailboats in the whole book. On page 147 there is a lovely shot of a Cal 2-27. One of DM's cousins, maybe, but in general the book focuses on power boats and power boat people. What kind of a book is that? Feh!
Bob Johnston tells me: "you'll want bug screens for your companionway". I see a bug pattern here. So I asked my friend Stacey from Wisconsin. People in Wisconsin know bugs. I asked her if citronella candles work. People from Wisconsin have very nice social skills. She hedged and said, "I never had much luck with citronella." In Wisconsin-speak that means, "Hell no!" According to Stacey, Skin So Soft oil spray by Avon is what works. I was worried for a nanosecond because I haven't seen an Avon lady in Oakland in forever. But I do have a laptop and I know how to type: EBAY. And there it was! Two spray bottles. In case I meet up with a lot of those little buggers. For $8 each. So I typed in my credit card and they arrived two days later, free shipping. Thank you, EBAY.
I also have some mosquito netting, also known as "Tulle" in the fabric trade, which I bought for some long forgotten ballet tutu costume. It has silver stars embedded in it. I have yards of it, and I'll tape it to my single hatch and companionway entrance with ... what else? Duct tape. DM will feel so pretty.
Bob Johnston says he "sailed a 13' Banshee from Pittsburg Marina to Sevenmile Slough in an afternoon." What does this mean? I have no idea. It's like a foreign language. Christine and Jonathan sail Stink Eye up to Owl Harbor every summer for several months at a time. Christine is the Delta Doo Dah Doodette. What does this mean? I have no idea. But I'm going up the Delta to find out. And I'm taking my tape recorder and camera with me.
Dura Mater has never been up the Delta, so up we go. Don't know why it's called "Up the Delta", when the sailing is downwind, but that's the way it is. People in Sacramento refer to it as "down the Delta". So now we know.
We will leave on a flood, Sunday morning, which starts at 6:30 am on Sunday July 2, sailing out of the Berkeley Marina. What to bring? Dave Morris says: "a bikini, tequila, mosquito repellent, sunscreen." He also told me to change my transmission fluid before I go, which I can do because he showed me how. And I'm taking three impellers because I have heard that the sea grass gums them up.
I'm taking Hal Schell's book Dawdling on the Delta, which I found on some rare book internet site. Mr Schell clearly loved the Delta, and his book has lots of photos. But here's the thing: it was published in 1983. That's a long time ago. Things may have changed. ;-) And there are only a few photos of sailboats in the whole book. On page 147 there is a lovely shot of a Cal 2-27. One of DM's cousins, maybe, but in general the book focuses on power boats and power boat people. What kind of a book is that? Feh!
Bob Johnston tells me: "you'll want bug screens for your companionway". I see a bug pattern here. So I asked my friend Stacey from Wisconsin. People in Wisconsin know bugs. I asked her if citronella candles work. People from Wisconsin have very nice social skills. She hedged and said, "I never had much luck with citronella." In Wisconsin-speak that means, "Hell no!" According to Stacey, Skin So Soft oil spray by Avon is what works. I was worried for a nanosecond because I haven't seen an Avon lady in Oakland in forever. But I do have a laptop and I know how to type: EBAY. And there it was! Two spray bottles. In case I meet up with a lot of those little buggers. For $8 each. So I typed in my credit card and they arrived two days later, free shipping. Thank you, EBAY.
I also have some mosquito netting, also known as "Tulle" in the fabric trade, which I bought for some long forgotten ballet tutu costume. It has silver stars embedded in it. I have yards of it, and I'll tape it to my single hatch and companionway entrance with ... what else? Duct tape. DM will feel so pretty.
Bob Johnston says he "sailed a 13' Banshee from Pittsburg Marina to Sevenmile Slough in an afternoon." What does this mean? I have no idea. It's like a foreign language. Christine and Jonathan sail Stink Eye up to Owl Harbor every summer for several months at a time. Christine is the Delta Doo Dah Doodette. What does this mean? I have no idea. But I'm going up the Delta to find out. And I'm taking my tape recorder and camera with me.
BobJ
Alerion 38 "Surprise!"
"...which I bought for some long forgotten ballet tutu costume. It has silver stars embedded in it."
You're wearing this to the cruise in/out up/down right? By the way, that's the orientation: Up the Delta, down to Redwood City.
Besides bug screens, I think I also said something about a depth sounder.
You're wearing this to the cruise in/out up/down right? By the way, that's the orientation: Up the Delta, down to Redwood City.
Besides bug screens, I think I also said something about a depth sounder.
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
It will be the tutu brigade, and I'll wear one if you will. How about that trip to BC. Anything more? We're going up there in September. Did you stay at Orcas Island or Friday Harbor? Which hotel/motel? Didja take the ferry up?
BobJ
Alerion 38 "Surprise!"
You're on. What color? I think we should coordinate.
Tutu options.
We left our rental car at the Anacortes ferry terminal and took the ferry to Friday Harbor. San Juan Island has pretty good bus service, and there's a huge increase in cost to take your car over on the ferry. In Friday Harbor we stayed at the Earthbox Inn & Spa. It's kind of motel-ish but it's close to town, while far enough away to be quiet.
A highlight was Vancouver. What a beautiful city, almost surrounded by water. I want to go back and spend more time there.
Tutu options.
We left our rental car at the Anacortes ferry terminal and took the ferry to Friday Harbor. San Juan Island has pretty good bus service, and there's a huge increase in cost to take your car over on the ferry. In Friday Harbor we stayed at the Earthbox Inn & Spa. It's kind of motel-ish but it's close to town, while far enough away to be quiet.
A highlight was Vancouver. What a beautiful city, almost surrounded by water. I want to go back and spend more time there.
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