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Friday, March 26, 2010
Striclty Sail Pacific Boat Show
I will be heading to the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show in Oakland, California (April 15-18). Will be screening the final cut of my first sailing documentary project, "Gales, Whales and the Baja Ha-Ha" (Waterfront Hotel, Portside auditorium, April 15 2:00PM, April 18 10:30AM).
The show shifts to an improved four-day format and the majority of the booth exhibitors will be housed in a 30,000 square foot ‘Exhibit Hall’ – site of the former Barnes & Noble bookstore. lso new for 2010 is the addition of premium pre-owned boats in the in-water section of the show which is designed to enhance the show by providing attendees with a wider selection of boats to view.
The show's venue, Jack London Square, has undergone massive re-development since 1980s but the original "First and Last Chance" saloon, where authtor Jack London hung out while writing his books, still stands . The saloon is quite funky, more like a big tool shed, and the floor is so slanted that it is not recommended for persons with vertigo.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Encounter With the German Coast Guard and Rules of the Road
Stop That Leak, Save Your Boat
The unexpected happens sometimes during a cruise. The sailor is far from shore and his sailboat begins to take on water. In most cases, it is not because of a catastrophic incident, such as, collision with a hard object. The odds are that the water ingress is due to a split hose, a broken thru-hull fitting, or a leaking shaft log. Immediate action is necessary to locate the source of water and to stop the ingress.
Any water coming into the vessel needs immediate attention. Just a 2-inch hole below the water line allows 79 gallons of water inflow per minute. In a typical 30-foot sailboat, the hull fill up with 2,000 gallons of water in about 30 minutes.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
ABCs of EPIRBs
This pictorial shows how the components of the rescue system interact with each other.
COSPAS: Cosmicheskaya Systyema Polska Aariynyich Sudov (Russian)
SARSAT: Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking
Founded in 1982 by USA, Canada, Russia, and France. Currently 38 nations are participating. The system only receives 406 MHz signals.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Items on Board Quandry?
Due to lack of space, bring items on board with forethought. If the item you bring on board has at least two uses, it is even better. For example, this rubber strap wrench has multiple uses:
- opening jar lids
- remove oil/fuel filters
- open raw water filters, lids
- drinking water filter removal
- twist pipes, other
Baja Ha-Ha Sailing Regatta Guide
The official Baja Ha-Ha sailing regatta website is here. You can find everything at the link to get prepared, find crew, register and to know the milestone dates. A few of the key links are below.
- Mexican Marinas
- First Timer's Guide to Mexico
- Everything You Wanted to Know About the Baja Ha-Ha But Were Afraid to Ask
Mazatlan Cruiser's Guide
Friday, March 12, 2010
Conventional Sailing Rig or In-Mast Furling?
I have a strong preference for conventional rigs (slap-reefing) with a good slide system, triple reefing setup, and lazy jacks or the Dutchman system for ease of dropping sails. This is a relatively simple, time-tested system that requires a bit more work for the crew but it has its advantages: better sail shape (performance), full-batten capability, less weight aloft, and ultimately, better reliability. If in-mast furlers (IMFs) jam, it is likely to happen at an inopportune time. I am not a fan of IMFs for this reason. Nevertheless, the conventional versus the IMF rig debate rages on.
Now to IMFs… many (say over 50%) of new monohull cruising boats over 40 feet now are built with IMF systems and this includes premium "blue water" boats - Oyster, Halberg-Rassey, Hylas, and Amel to name just a few. Production boats such as Hunter, Beneteau, and Catalina use them. Charter fleets which use many of these production vessels in their fleets use them extensively. Most of the charter boats in the East Med use them.
Bankruptcy of Purse or Bankruptcy of Life?
To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea ... cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
Cast Off
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
by Mark Twain, Author
A Salty Nautical Tale
There were two twin brothers named Joe and John. Joe was an old salt and was the owner of a dilapidated old boat. It came to pass that John's lovely wife died the same day that Joe's boat sank in San Francisco Bay.
A few days later a kindly old lady met Joe on the street and mistaking him for John said, "I am sorry for your great loss. You must feel terrible."
The Sound of the Sea
My soul is full of longing
For the secret of the sea
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through me
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Poet
Ode to Rope
As I cast off for that very first time,
The "rope" in my hand has now become "line".
And hauling the sails to the top of the mast,
That "rope", now a "halyard" holds strong, taught and fast.
Then sailing in brisk winds full force on a beat.
The sails are trimmed in by that "rope" that's a "sheet".
And now at my anchorage with sails safely stowed,
I trust in that "rope" that now serves as a "rode".
Through all my life I will never lose hope,
Of a reason or time to play with a rope.
The "rope" in my hand has now become "line".
And hauling the sails to the top of the mast,
That "rope", now a "halyard" holds strong, taught and fast.
Then sailing in brisk winds full force on a beat.
The sails are trimmed in by that "rope" that's a "sheet".
And now at my anchorage with sails safely stowed,
I trust in that "rope" that now serves as a "rode".
Through all my life I will never lose hope,
Of a reason or time to play with a rope.
Trop Rock Radio Stations
You can find the best Internet trop rock and island radio music at the following links.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Character Counts
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
Gales, Whales and the Baja Ha-Ha
Genre: Sailing documentary
Format: HD Video
Length: 56 minutes
Rating: G
"Gales, Whales and the Baja Ha-Ha" is a sailing documentary video depicting the events surrounding the Baja Ha-Ha XVI (Oct. 25-Nov. 7, 2009).
The film follows the 750-mile course of Baja Ha-Ha race to the cape, which begins in San Diego, California and ends in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. With normal scheduled stops in Bahia Tortugas (Turtle Bay) and Bahia Santa Maria, the fleet gets in some rest and partying at the layovers. The class of 2009, which was the setting of the documentary, experienced unusual circumstances. Leg one of the race got underway in mild conditions but forecasted bad weather hit the sailors on the second and third day as winds of 25+ knots and waves topping 25 feet hit the fleet. In addition to the gale conditions, a rare close encounter with whales caused the sinking of one of the vessels, a J/120 sailboat. The video includes a segment of the actual Coast Guard footage from the helicopter showing the rescue of the five-person crew who drifted at sea for four hours in their life raft.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Puddle Jump: The Americas to French Polynesia (Seminar)
Genre: Sailing documentary
Format: HD Video
Length: 56:29 minutes (Part 1+ Part 2)
Rating: G
The Pacific Puddle Jump sail rally is an annual migration of private sailing yachts leaving various ports on the West coast of the Americas. The uniting mission of the rally is that all vessels are bound for French Polynesia to arrive in April, May or June.
Monday, March 1, 2010
RC Sailboat Racing in Hawaii
Genre: Sailing Hobby
Format: HD Video
Length: 3:37 minutes
Rating: G
Remote Control (RC) sailboat racing at the Ala Moana Park lagoon across from the Waikiki Yacht Club at the Ala Wai Harbor.
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2010
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March
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- Striclty Sail Pacific Boat Show
- Encounter With the German Coast Guard and Rules of...
- Stop That Leak, Save Your Boat
- ABCs of EPIRBs
- Items on Board Quandry?
- Baja Ha-Ha Sailing Regatta Guide
- Publications
- Mazatlan Cruiser's Guide
- Conventional Sailing Rig or In-Mast Furling?
- Bankruptcy of Purse or Bankruptcy of Life?
- Cast Off
- A Salty Nautical Tale
- The Sound of the Sea
- Ode to Rope
- Trop Rock Radio Stations
- Character Counts
- Gales, Whales and the Baja Ha-Ha
- Puddle Jump: The Americas to French Polynesia (Sem...
- RC Sailboat Racing in Hawaii
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March
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