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Take Alcatraz

OK, got it for 13 and 14.

I guess my point of the question about Ch 9 was whether we should all be monitoring that for receiving hails from others? I only recently saw that the FCC changed this Ch 9 for this purpose (though apparently this happened in 2003 so I'm behind the curve a bit). It seems that if we all monitored 9, too (and perhaps we had each other's MMSI for DSC), then it would eliminate some confusion. I do monitor 14 and 16, and sometimes even the race channels :cool: but that gets a little busy in scan mode.

I have not been able to find information on low power on the other channels except for the 1-watt restriction on ch 13. You mention there might be others that we would use, so now I'm wondering which ones they might be.

I know there's a VHF cheat sheet somewhere on Kynntana...but I'm not on the boat right now. I do have this info in my 'Smart Phone,' which is really great as long as it doesn't go in the water (again).
 
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The low-wattage channels (per my handheld) are 13, 17, 67 and 77. Channels 13, 67 and 77 are designated for intership comm's and 17 is for use by state and local governments for maritime control. We sometimes use 68 for races so people will drop down to 67 to talk without realizing the power drops to one watt.

2-3 years ago I intended to start an MMSI directory for our fleet but didn't get that going. If skippers thought they would use it we could gather the numbers.
 
BobJ said:
2-3 years ago I intended to start an MMSI directory for our fleet but didn't get that going. If skippers thought they would use it we could gather the numbers.
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Yes, let's do this, if for nothing else than to start using that dang feature on the VHF! Kynntana's MMSI is 338147422. Shall we start a new thread with MMSIs requested? Isn't this in a database on Jibeset already? Do we need permission to put a list together?
 
Gamayun said:
Yes, let's do this, if for nothing else than to start using that dang feature on the VHF! Kynntana's MMSI is 338147422. Shall we start a new thread with MMSIs requested? Isn't this in a database on Jibeset already? Do we need permission to put a list together?
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Dura Mater's MMSI # is 338166477
 
What a beautiful, clean track! The wind gods may "ever be in your favor" - I think that's going to be a hard record to beat!

todd22123 said:
I got there a little before 11, could not find the BYC buoy, so I just started from near the Berkeley Breakwater. The depth sounder was showing less than the draft, and I cannot remember which, if any is the deeper entrance channel. I will try to calibrate the depth sounder. I started 10:54:17, finished 12:35:40, same as Jackie, clockwise,reefed jib and main. ET 1:41:23 I didn't really do the race, though, since I never found the BYC buoy. Will put the coordinates in GPS next time. It was raining much harder for the sail back to Alameda, upwind, and I was cold and wet, so I used the motor a lot to get back.

View attachment 1230
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255grizzly said:
What a beautiful, clean track! The wind gods may "ever be in your favor" - I think that's going to be a hard record to beat!
Click to expand...

Dura Mater is doing a retake of Alcatraz on Saturday June 18, Rock On! is doing it on Sunday. Anyone else? Bob Johnston will do the math for us and determine who gets the trophy/photograph. Windtrip Infinity holds the current record. Every singlehander is welcome.

Sailing Instructions for the Take Alcatraz race:

Sailing instructions for the singlehanded TAKE ALCATRAZ challenge

Start = Berkeley Yacht Club buoy. It's yellow. It's dirty. Approximately 37 52 005 122 19 668 (East of Olympic Circle C)

Begin @ any time on any day. End where you began. Corinthian ethic: take your own time. Post it here.
 
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Philpott said:
Dura Mater is doing a retake of Alcatraz on Saturday June 18, Rock On! is doing it on Sunday. Anyone else? Bob Johnston will do the math for us and determine who gets the trophy/photograph. Windtrip Infinity is the current record holder. Every singlehander is welcome.

Sailing Instructions for the Take Alcatraz race:

Sailing instructions for the singlehanded TAKE ALCATRAZ challenge

Start = Berkeley Yacht Club buoy. It's yellow. It's dirty. Approximately 37 52 005 122 19 668 (East of Olympic Circle C)

Begin @ any time on any day. End where you began. Corinthian ethic: take your own time. Post it here.
Click to expand...

yes
 
Philpott said:
Dura Mater is doing a retake of Alcatraz on Saturday June 18, Rock On! is doing it on Sunday. Anyone else? Bob Johnston will do the math for us and determine who gets the trophy/photograph.
Click to expand...

You'll need a strong southerly (or maybe northerly) to beat Todd's time and that's not in the forecast. We'll be out on Saturday for a family sail for Father's Day, probably to Angel Island, and I might be game to go back out on Sunday solo. If I do, I'll look for a red O25.
 
Kynntana will be full of women sailors (7 of us) going to Angel Island for a hike on Sunday. We'll look for you guys out there racing your little hearts out :)
 
Take Alcatraz: Take Two for Dura Mater

061816 Conditions 1014 = 2.4 flood; 1549 = 2.1 ebb, didn't consider the effect that might have on our results. Hmmm. Not the smartest sailor.

Start: 11:46:40 Finish: 3:08:57 Wind seemed to be about 10 - 15 knots with bigger gusts. My reckoning? DM's elapsed time was 3:22:17.Better than last time by 20 seconds, and in less agreeable conditions. Subtraction may be wrong :-)

Go for it, Cavers and Johnston! Anyone else on this Fête des pères?
 
Nice Jackie! Corrected out, I'm sure you beat me.

Rock On, 061916... Start: 10:35:00, Finish: 13:31:00pm. Elapsed: 2:56 min.
Conditions 11:09AM 3.60 flood 2:24PM Slack 4:36PM -2.32 ebb.

FYI, I wasn't smart about my start time either because I needed to get back by 2 or so today. But for a clockwise rounding, I think the best time to start is about 3 hours after the max flood at GG (that would have meant starting at 14:09 today, which I just couldn't do!) Play around with these current maps and see if you agree.

Winds started out northerly but light. Although light, I had my hopes up that I would make it there in one tack! But then at 1130 or so, the winds died for a short while and then flipped west. The winds grew to 10-15, but it was clear when I rounded at 1230 or so that all was lost as far a the record goes. I still managed to get around, though, and had a great sail back under spinnaker. A beautiful day!

The record stands... unless maybe, Bob has something to report?!

Philpott said:
Take Alcatraz: Take Two for Dura Mater

061816 Conditions 1014 = 2.4 flood; 1549 = 2.1 ebb, didn't consider the effect that might have on our results. Hmmm. Not the smartest sailor.

Start: 11:46:40 Finish: 3:08:57 Wind seemed to be about 10 - 15 knots with bigger gusts. My reckoning? DM's elapsed time was 3:22:17.Better than last time by 20 seconds, and in less agreeable conditions. Subtraction may be wrong :-)

Go for it, Cavers and Johnston! Anyone else on this Fête des pères?
Click to expand...
 
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I went solo sailing today but I didn't come down that way. Before I tried to use it in the Silver Eaglet, I wanted to remind myself why I had shelved the spinnaker sock for use inside the Bay, for multiple hoists etc. I successfully reminded myself and the sock is headed back for the shelf. Short explanation - it's a sprit boat problem.

I'll crunch your numbers tomorrow - great to hear you both "took Alcatraz." Now give it back!
 
BobJ said:
I went solo sailing today but I didn't come down that way. Before I tried to use it in the Silver Eaglet, I wanted to remind myself why I had shelved the spinnaker sock for use inside the Bay, for multiple hoists etc. I successfully reminded myself and the sock is headed back for the shelf. Short explanation - it's a sprit boat problem.

I'll crunch your numbers tomorrow - great to hear you both "took Alcatraz." Now give it back!
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Did it wrap all around everything? Did it fall under the boat? Were you swearing and sweating and did you almost fall off the boat? Cuz "I successfully reminded myself" is a very understated way of describing all those things.
 
I probably said "Hmm, that's not a good look." I might have said "That's not fast." Anyway, I stripped the kite out of the sock and rehoisted it to dry out (if that tells you anything).

I can't duplicate my calculations from last December for Windtrip Infinity's run. I suspect the TOT formula was changed for 2016 (I've been using the formula from our SSI's). That's why I have to do this tomorrow - it might be a brain malfunction - but if anyone has the 2015 SSI's could you tell me what the TOT factors were? EDIT - Found them. Yes, they were changed.

So we can keep the results apples-to-apples, the "Take Alcatraz" Challenge shall be scored using TCF=720/(550+PHRF).
 
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Results are Up

Results from last weekend's "Take Alcatraz" challengers:

DURA MATER (PHRF 213): Elapsed 3:22:17, Corrected 3:10:53. DM's previous attempt was with a bodacious midwinter southerly: Elapsed 2:15:21, Corrected 2:08:14.

ROCK ON (PHRF 162): Elapsed 2:56:00, Corrected 2:57:59.

Record to beat: WINDTRIP INFINITY (PHRF 96): Corrected 1:53:00, during the same bodacious midwinter southerly last December.
 
BobJ said:
Results from last weekend's "Take Alcatraz" challengers:

DURA MATER (PHRF 213): Elapsed 3:22:17, Corrected 3:10:53. DM's previous attempt was with a bodacious midwinter southerly: Elapsed 2:15:21, Corrected 2:08:14.
ROCK ON (PHRF 162): Elapsed 2:56:00, Corrected 2:57:59.
Record to beat: WINDTRIP INFINITY (PHRF 96): Corrected 1:53:00, during the same bodacious midwinter southerly last December.
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Thank you, Bob, for that masterful rendering of our results. However, I must point out that - sad but true - my previous elapsed time was 3:15:21. It is for good reason that the skipper of Rock On! is known as "the tweaker" around the Berkeley Marina. Not for reasons you might suspect of a Berkeley denizen, or of someone depicted in the film The Salton Sea, but because he's always thinking of how to make it go faster. And it does. So thank you for that momentary leap of hope.
 
So posts #28 and 29 have been wrong for lo, these many months? Do you realize this has given false hope to hundreds of Cal 2-27 owners?

The unreasonable expectations thus created can only be ameliorated with the acquisition and use of a (free) genoa.
 
I tweak, therefore I am. Alas, I can't afford to tweak the big things, so I enjoy tweaking the little things. It keeps me out of trouble

This is really fun to see a collection of data about what works and doesn't to get around the Rock (even if I'm not on top of the list.) Here's a detailed ranking with the comments about wind and the current at the time of departure.

Screen Shot 2016-06-20 at 9.19.03 PM.png

I'm going to keep adding to the list of attempts and I hope others will too (I'll try to keep track).

I may make an attempt this Wednesday evening if I can fit it in. The boat is named Rock On, after all.
 
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