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Cheers - Bryan
What Worked? What didn't?
- Thread starter Philpott
- Start date
Lightspeed
Willpower
The Generals barometer worked and Lightspeeds Expedition software did not. Relying completely on software routing technology can backfire! My lesson learned, is you need to do the race to know how to do the race!!...
hodgmo
Still Floating
I second Rick’s comment: the 1st race is a learning experience. But so is the 2nd, I think, time will tell. That said, comparing my 2012 and 2014 experiences, what felt like the things I did differently that helped me the most are:
• Lighter boat (truck loads removed, no harpsichord, etc… F=ma I’m told)
• Better balance of seamanship and racing
– Forget comfort & accept sail and gear damage
– But if done well, with good luck, faster
• Realistic strategies (Frolic is not a sled)
• Lots of attention on relevant weather and my barometers (versus celestial which is fun but not fast)
• Better sleep habits (2 hr timer vs 1 hr)
• Beefed up gooseneck, etc (stuff that was edgy in 2012)
• Powerful below-deck autopilot drive (I destroyed two grand prix tiller pilots in 2012)
• Better spinnakers and gear (I learned a lot from Green Buffalo)
– More chutes, more sail time
– Two pole jibes (wow!)
– Outgrabber
It’s hard to quantify but I've no doubt that the interaction I've enjoyed since 2012 with SHTP vets, several who I now count as friends, really helped. It’s a great group and I feel fortunate to be a member!
But the real kick in my pants was the last paragraph in Lee Shore Blues – a must read
• Lighter boat (truck loads removed, no harpsichord, etc… F=ma I’m told)
• Better balance of seamanship and racing
– Forget comfort & accept sail and gear damage
– But if done well, with good luck, faster
• Realistic strategies (Frolic is not a sled)
• Lots of attention on relevant weather and my barometers (versus celestial which is fun but not fast)
• Better sleep habits (2 hr timer vs 1 hr)
• Beefed up gooseneck, etc (stuff that was edgy in 2012)
• Powerful below-deck autopilot drive (I destroyed two grand prix tiller pilots in 2012)
• Better spinnakers and gear (I learned a lot from Green Buffalo)
– More chutes, more sail time
– Two pole jibes (wow!)
– Outgrabber
It’s hard to quantify but I've no doubt that the interaction I've enjoyed since 2012 with SHTP vets, several who I now count as friends, really helped. It’s a great group and I feel fortunate to be a member!
But the real kick in my pants was the last paragraph in Lee Shore Blues – a must read
I second Rick’s comment: the 1st race is a learning experience. But so is the 2nd, I think, time will tell. That said, comparing my 2012 and 2014 experiences, what felt like the things I did differently that helped me the most are:
• Lighter boat (truck loads removed, no harpsichord, etc… F=ma I’m told)
• Better balance of seamanship and racing
– Forget comfort & accept sail and gear damage
– But if done well, with good luck, faster
• Realistic strategies (Frolic is not a sled)
• Lots of attention on relevant weather and my barometers (versus celestial which is fun but not fast)
• Better sleep habits (2 hr timer vs 1 hr)
• Beefed up gooseneck, etc (stuff that was edgy in 2012)
• Powerful below-deck autopilot drive (I destroyed two grand prix tiller pilots in 2012)
• Better spinnakers and gear (I learned a lot from Green Buffalo)
– More chutes, more sail time
– Two pole jibes (wow!)
– Outgrabber
It’s hard to quantify but I've no doubt that the interaction I've enjoyed since 2012 with SHTP vets, several who I now count as friends, really helped. It’s a great group and I feel fortunate to be a member!
But the real kick in my pants was the last paragraph in Lee Shore Blues – a must read
What type of autopilot did you use?
Thanks,
Todd
hodgmo
Still Floating
Frolic has Raymarine electronics, with the X10 autopilot computer and type 1 below-deck motor, but they are there almost accidentally and I don’t necessarily recommend them. While the Raymarine has so far been OK, there are probably better choices for blue water racing. For example, Green Buffalo uses an Alpha system (two aboard) and Jim seems very pleased with his redundant system. Ken Roper uses tiller pilots on Harrier. The best choice of course will depend on your boat. A J/92 weighs a lot less than an islander 36 and has a very different underbody. I don’t know anyone who has a broader knowledge of autopilots and their best application than Brian Boschma, and I recommend getting his advice on that topic.
Raymarine tiller pilot
The only equipment failure on Harrier was one Raymarine tiller pilot 4000 (might have been a 4000GP).
But it really just wore out. Stopped working after 4 days, but what failed was the little plastic (!) gizmo
in the drive unit. Replaced the AP with a like unit (a relatively new one, but not unused) and it worked
fine the rest of the way...11 1/2 more days. As a matter of fact, it worked all the way back to LA too.
I do carry spare motors, but never have had to replace them. Keep the water out with a cover and
silicone grease on the thruster so the seals are kept functional. My supply of "tiller type" pilots is fairly
extensive....Some Navicos, but mostly Raymarine. The latter interface with my sailing instruments so I
can sail in "wind mode" when it suits me. I have an Atoms wind vane, but didn't carry it on the race.
I do get weather fax with a XAXERO software connecting SSB transmissions to my laptop. Had very
little luck with this on this race until I replaced my recalcitrant SSB rig (poor receiver performance). So
I had good wx faxes on the way back...tee hee. My barograph is pretty sensitive and kept me in the
wind the whole way over on the race.
Didn't tear up any sails or rigging in either direction. Only used one 3/4 oz GP chute and it held up fine.
Probably because I had 4 other chutes and also used my nylon twins a lot.
If I weren't getting so damn old, I'd look forward to #14 with essentially the same gear and boat.
Fair Winds to all Ken
The only equipment failure on Harrier was one Raymarine tiller pilot 4000 (might have been a 4000GP).
But it really just wore out. Stopped working after 4 days, but what failed was the little plastic (!) gizmo
in the drive unit. Replaced the AP with a like unit (a relatively new one, but not unused) and it worked
fine the rest of the way...11 1/2 more days. As a matter of fact, it worked all the way back to LA too.
I do carry spare motors, but never have had to replace them. Keep the water out with a cover and
silicone grease on the thruster so the seals are kept functional. My supply of "tiller type" pilots is fairly
extensive....Some Navicos, but mostly Raymarine. The latter interface with my sailing instruments so I
can sail in "wind mode" when it suits me. I have an Atoms wind vane, but didn't carry it on the race.
I do get weather fax with a XAXERO software connecting SSB transmissions to my laptop. Had very
little luck with this on this race until I replaced my recalcitrant SSB rig (poor receiver performance). So
I had good wx faxes on the way back...tee hee. My barograph is pretty sensitive and kept me in the
wind the whole way over on the race.
Didn't tear up any sails or rigging in either direction. Only used one 3/4 oz GP chute and it held up fine.
Probably because I had 4 other chutes and also used my nylon twins a lot.
If I weren't getting so damn old, I'd look forward to #14 with essentially the same gear and boat.
Fair Winds to all Ken
Alone in a strange town with too much wine, I will add my thoughts. Like Frolic I did a lot to lighten Scaramouche this year. Unlike Frolic it did not improve my performance. I was first to finish only because the hotshots like Jim Q and Alex didn't enter. Now I'm hoping Brian B will step in and explain all this but.....When I entered the Paccup in 2010 it was explained to me that if you lighten the boat, you're cheating. The boat is rated 'as sailed' which I think means you must weigh the same in the race as you did when weighed. I got my weight from a travel lift operator who said the weight was approximate even when the straps were vertical but because of my forefoot the straps were anything but vertical so it was very difficult to determine the weight. A boat like Frolic is one of a series and I have no idea how the PHRF determines their 'as sailed' weight. The PHRF seems to be nonsense to me anyway as in the Northwest my rating is 114, in NorCal it was 80, and on appeal changed to 90.
So if a person was considering entering the race and was concerned about doing well it is important to sail at the weight you are rated at and to have a boat that you have some hope of sailing to its rating. Or you could do like I did and just make a ton of great friends, drink too much wine, have the greatest family reunion ever, and suffer thru a couple of weeks in that hell ship known as Kauai.
So if a person was considering entering the race and was concerned about doing well it is important to sail at the weight you are rated at and to have a boat that you have some hope of sailing to its rating. Or you could do like I did and just make a ton of great friends, drink too much wine, have the greatest family reunion ever, and suffer thru a couple of weeks in that hell ship known as Kauai.
BobJ
Alerion 38 "Surprise!"
For the SHTP you can (and should) take excess weight out. However, you can't remove stuff that is standard from the factory. Skippers have gotten in trouble for removing the door to the head or a table, if it was factory-installed. This is because your boat's PHRF rating is for a stock boat.
So if your WhizBang 32 came standard with a compressor to inflate your life-sized crew doll, you have to race with the compressor. I hope that helps.
This all got weirder with Pacific Cup, especially this year.
So if your WhizBang 32 came standard with a compressor to inflate your life-sized crew doll, you have to race with the compressor. I hope that helps.
This all got weirder with Pacific Cup, especially this year.
brianb
Olson 34 Driver
Wow, what could be weirder in the Pac Cup than a life-sized crew doll with inflater ?
BobJ
Alerion 38 "Surprise!"
No, that was a SHTP deal. The inflated doll was even attached to the backstay for the start - there's a photo somewhere.
solosailor
New member
Got a pic of of the doll up at the masthead with "her" legs around the skipper..... will have to dig that one up.
Getting back to the topic (I actually had an inflatable doll but couldn't remember what she was used for and when I did, couldn't manage to blow her up). I can recommend Ensure for the first few days when you feel shitty but need to keep your strength up. On my suggestion Al tried it and was happy with it too I think. If I ever do another SHTP I will report back on the efficacy of Depends. I use a Panasonic Toughbook loaded with Nobletec for navigation. Obviously I have lots of duplication but my AIS is displayed on the Toughbook as well as navigation so it's important. The Toughbook may be tough but a splash of coffee or a drip and it's out of business. Stretch and Seal or one of those products stretched over the keyboard gives a ton of protection. Returning to Canada we had my usual weatherfax info as well as Keven's gribs. I really don't understand this fascination with gribs which as far as I can tell are uninterpreted computer projections. The weatherfax gives the same information interpreted by people who have spent their whole university careers studying meteorology. Now to be completely fair, there were a couple of days when my Weatherfax didn't receive and the gribs came thru' (on the sat phone) but I suspect I just wasn't interested enough to tune the weatherfax.
As an ex-military aviator, I lived with weather fax pictures as interpreted by our friendly Air Force meteorologists. After a while, some of their expertise naturally rubbed off, so that's what I use at sea. Never even heard of grib files until I got involved with SHTPers. I'm just more comfortable seeing the whole wx picture, rather than just the winds.
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Just how friendly are those Air Force meteorologists? Will they share with mere singlehanders or does access require a high (really high) rank? In other words, Sir, is that information available to civilians?
?
BobJ
Alerion 38 "Surprise!"
I completely agree Ken. Focusing on GRIB files completely screwed our Pacific Cup effort. We chased those little barbs all over the ocean while our competitors focused on the interpreted charts and left us behind. I've learned my lesson.
Jackie, these are available to us from a number of sources for free. I suspect the Air Force version focused on higher altitudes - we'd be interested in surface conditions.
Jackie, these are available to us from a number of sources for free. I suspect the Air Force version focused on higher altitudes - we'd be interested in surface conditions.
Lightspeed
Willpower
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Jackie
Any decent book on meteorology is full of info on interpreting wx fax charts...isobars, etc. If you want to get really expert, learn how the 500mbar charts (winds aloft...jet stream) affect the weather by forcing movement of the highs and lows. I have good book on that at home. I'm not so good on that score, so i just try to get the surface faxes twice a day.
They also publish 24 , 48 and 72 hr forecasts. I sometimes look at these to confirm what I THINK I'm going to see. I think it is important for those of us that are moving at 6 knots, or so to realize that , unlike in an aircraft, we can't make big changes in our current (and therefor tomorrow's) position to modify our situation
vis-a-vis the forecasts. Makes it all the more important for us "slowpokes" to look ahead. What you are doing today pretty much dictates the next couple of days...We can't react to drastic wx changes since our moves are so slow!
Any decent book on meteorology is full of info on interpreting wx fax charts...isobars, etc. If you want to get really expert, learn how the 500mbar charts (winds aloft...jet stream) affect the weather by forcing movement of the highs and lows. I have good book on that at home. I'm not so good on that score, so i just try to get the surface faxes twice a day.
They also publish 24 , 48 and 72 hr forecasts. I sometimes look at these to confirm what I THINK I'm going to see. I think it is important for those of us that are moving at 6 knots, or so to realize that , unlike in an aircraft, we can't make big changes in our current (and therefor tomorrow's) position to modify our situation
vis-a-vis the forecasts. Makes it all the more important for us "slowpokes" to look ahead. What you are doing today pretty much dictates the next couple of days...We can't react to drastic wx changes since our moves are so slow!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
Okeedokee. I'll go to the library and get a children's meteorology book. Seriously. With a liberal arts background, this kind of information eludes me, but I'll start from zero. I listened carefully to Mike Jefferson regarding electrical work on a boat, but it was the book from the children's section with the simple drawing of an AA battery, a piece of wire and a paper clip that finally offered the "aha!" moment. True that, as they say.
[email protected]
Capri 25 - Jack
I was really weather stupid when I started. In fact I was not able to get any weather fax for the first two weeks, until I realized I needed to shut down all the electrical noise on the boat to allow my Sony mulitband receiver, hooked up to my Macbook, to get the signal out of Pt. Reyes. The setup also allowed me to listen to the SSB conversations, until it became to depressing as listened to the position reports and knew I was slipping back further and further each day. Next time out my #1 target will to be far better prepared with respect to receiving, and understanding, the weather faxes and how they relate to my sailing.
While there were two notable failures on the boat (bolt a the masthead leading to a spreader failure and the Delorme tracker I was using for communication), there were also some success. After reading all the blogs, forums, and books I could get my hands on I learned that the Raymarine ST1000 and ST2000 were not highly reliable. I took one of each, but connected them to a traveler located in front of the vane. Lines from the traveler led to the vane servo blade which in turn provided the power to move the tiller. I tried direct linkages prior to the trip and did not find a setup that worked well. By using the traveler I was able to alter the purchase and come up with a system that worked really well. I never had to go to the second ST2000 as the ST100o worked perfectly through most of the trip, which makes sense as it was under almost no load at any time. Downside - I had the drag of a servo-blade, small though it was, Linking a tiller autopilot to a wind vane servo blade is not a new idea, but I think the traveler set up might be a new wrinkle. I used the wind vane during the delightful first three days as it is a really strong unit.
While there were two notable failures on the boat (bolt a the masthead leading to a spreader failure and the Delorme tracker I was using for communication), there were also some success. After reading all the blogs, forums, and books I could get my hands on I learned that the Raymarine ST1000 and ST2000 were not highly reliable. I took one of each, but connected them to a traveler located in front of the vane. Lines from the traveler led to the vane servo blade which in turn provided the power to move the tiller. I tried direct linkages prior to the trip and did not find a setup that worked well. By using the traveler I was able to alter the purchase and come up with a system that worked really well. I never had to go to the second ST2000 as the ST100o worked perfectly through most of the trip, which makes sense as it was under almost no load at any time. Downside - I had the drag of a servo-blade, small though it was, Linking a tiller autopilot to a wind vane servo blade is not a new idea, but I think the traveler set up might be a new wrinkle. I used the wind vane during the delightful first three days as it is a really strong unit.