The results are in and Rhiannon has won her class in Leg 4 of the 2009 Puerto Vallarta Race!
We feel especially good about this win because this was the only leg of the event with good wind for sailing, and we were closer than ever to our competition.
Because the PV09 race is a handicapped event, we were able to finish about 3 hours behind the much faster boats and still pull out a victory based on our slower hull speed.
But don´t think for a moment that we were lollygagging - we gave this race everything we had.
Coming out of San Jose Del Cabo, we found seas to 10 feet and about 25 knots of sustained wind for the first afternoon and night. To borrow a phrase, the tiny ship was tossed! No one slept much that night, and all hands were occupied keeping sails trimmed for maximum speed. We saw over 8 knots just on our Genoa and main sail.
The wind abated somewhat on the second day of the race, but kept up enough that we didn´t need to run our engine until 11 PM last night. We motored into Banderas Bay with almost no wind, and the race rules require every boat to sail the last mile of each leg unassisted.
Luckily for us, we found a perfect breeze and crossed the finish line at a respectable 4.5 knots.
Puerto Vallarta is a sizable city, and we´ll head out and explore a bit tomorrow (after doing some much-needed laundry) and the next day. I´ll get some photos up of Leg 4 and San Jose Del Cabo tomorrow as well.
But right now, the beer is flowing and we´re just beginning to realize that we´ve sailed 1200 miles in a 44 foot sailboat and made it here in fine form - with enough left in the boat and crew to take a win in the last, toughest leg of the event.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Leg 3 - fishing derby - and San Jose Del Cabo
When last we left our intrepid heroes, we were bravely running away from some potential weather in Bahia Santa Margarita. Luckily for us, Leg 3 of this event is a non-race leg for the non-spinnaker boats. Instead, we were supposed to concentrate on our fishing.
This we did, but were skunked, and because we were just way out to sea (the coast curves eastward and then back out west, and we were on a straight line to Los Cabos) there wasn't
much reason to take pictures.
But after a pretty gnarly approach to Los Cabos, with winds up around 25 knots and 5-10 foot swells, we rounded the end of the Baja peninsula and into the Sea of Cortez. This is also known as the Gulf of California, but I think Sea of Cortez has a more romantic ring to it.
You can hear Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbosa from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
saying it in his best pirate brogue and it's just better that way.
We made yet another night approach to the bay (that's 2 out of 3 harbors we've had to
find our way into at night, for those keeping score at home) and found our slip.
The marina at Puerto Los Cabos is all brand new and on its way to being very very - I mean VERY - posh. It's a man-made harbor, big enough to hold some yachts that are big enough to be painted Navy grey without too much irony. The ironic part is that the little town that's still here around the periphery of the poshness is still dirt roads and a cacophany of chickens and dogs running loose through the neighborhood. That's the area I took off to visit as soon as the sun was up.
I first went into a little restaurant under a palm-thatched roof called Ali's International Place - there was an old guy watching TV in the shade. That turned out to be Ali - a North African ("Well, it goes double for Berbers") man who settled here many decades ago. I asked about the possibility of breakfast and he told me I could have a ham and cheese omelet or huevos rancheros, with fresh squeezed orange juice for $10US. I agreed and specified the huevos (duh!) and sat down. Ali's cat came over and hopped into my lap and settled right down.
Well, the huevos were awesome - he cut the onions and peppers and a generous helping of fries for me and cooked it all up under the Palapa roof. And he squeezed the juice from a big pile of oranges.
Oh yeah, this is the Mexico I wanted to visit. No doubt.
Later on, Bill and Stacy and I took a cab for the 1.5 mile ride into San Jose Del Cabo. This little town is about 200 years old and reminds me strongly of Carmel in California - or more properly, it reminds me of Castroville on its way to becoming Carmel. They even have a brew pub! Of course, I bought a pint glass after enjoying their fine raspberry beer. (This is Jill's cue to roll her eyes and make space in the glass cabinet.)
San Jose Del Cabo is making its reputation as the Anti-Cabo San Lucas, which is 15 miles south of here. Where CSL is all cruise ships and chain restaurants and big name mall shops, SJDC is all about little art galleries and one-off restaurants with unique menus. Of course, you can still get an awesome meal for under $20 US. There are big hotels in SJDC, but they're out at the beach, and the hotels in town are still the European-style family operations.
My favorite find in SJDC was El Tamarindo - a little arts/crafts store run by a fine fellow named Antonio. As we walked in, he grabbed some of his decorated shot glasses and poured three shots for us. "It's my family's homemade Tequila," he said. I considered passing, but he said it wasn't as strong as commercial tequila - only about 20 proof - and good for sipping. "Don't shoot it," he said.
Well, we tasted it and it was amazing. It was sweet, with hints of vanilla and just a mild touch of the strangely bitter tequila flavor. It was to regular Tequila as Drambuie is to the cheapest nastiest Scotch you ever had, only less syrupy than Drambuie. If you bought a decorated bottle, he filled it for you before wrapping it up. Needless to say, we left with three bottles! As we were heading out, he gave us a to-go plastic bottle to enjoy on the trip.
Yesterday I determined to walk into SJDC and take some shots of the neighborhood along the way. They're building a big old raised road from the marina into town, but the road is still dirt at this time. There are a bunch of buildings - some abandoned, some still in business, along the dusty route, and a swale or slough with egrets. It was a good walk.
SJDC is a small town, but with some special effort, I did manage to get lost off in the neighborhoods and side streets. Unlike a "planned" community, there are businesses on pretty much every street, so even when you're lost, you can always find a place to get a Coke. While I was lost, I stumbled into another couple of very special art shops, which I would describe, but it would spoil some surprises when I get home!
The one thing the marina lacks is a laundry, so I'm thankful for the cheap T-shirt sales on the main drag. This will keep me from seriously offending the people on the plane home!
Today we leave at 1 PM for Puerto Vallarta. We expect the trip to take between 48-60 hours, depending on the wind. I got up early to miss the crowd at the showers and get some hot water, then sat down at the marina office to write this installment. Now I'll head back to the boat and get some breakfast and start stowing things for the trip. I'm ready to tackle the last lap and then enjoy the amenities of PV.
This we did, but were skunked, and because we were just way out to sea (the coast curves eastward and then back out west, and we were on a straight line to Los Cabos) there wasn't
much reason to take pictures.
But after a pretty gnarly approach to Los Cabos, with winds up around 25 knots and 5-10 foot swells, we rounded the end of the Baja peninsula and into the Sea of Cortez. This is also known as the Gulf of California, but I think Sea of Cortez has a more romantic ring to it.
You can hear Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbosa from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
saying it in his best pirate brogue and it's just better that way.
We made yet another night approach to the bay (that's 2 out of 3 harbors we've had to
find our way into at night, for those keeping score at home) and found our slip.
The marina at Puerto Los Cabos is all brand new and on its way to being very very - I mean VERY - posh. It's a man-made harbor, big enough to hold some yachts that are big enough to be painted Navy grey without too much irony. The ironic part is that the little town that's still here around the periphery of the poshness is still dirt roads and a cacophany of chickens and dogs running loose through the neighborhood. That's the area I took off to visit as soon as the sun was up.
I first went into a little restaurant under a palm-thatched roof called Ali's International Place - there was an old guy watching TV in the shade. That turned out to be Ali - a North African ("Well, it goes double for Berbers") man who settled here many decades ago. I asked about the possibility of breakfast and he told me I could have a ham and cheese omelet or huevos rancheros, with fresh squeezed orange juice for $10US. I agreed and specified the huevos (duh!) and sat down. Ali's cat came over and hopped into my lap and settled right down.
Well, the huevos were awesome - he cut the onions and peppers and a generous helping of fries for me and cooked it all up under the Palapa roof. And he squeezed the juice from a big pile of oranges.
Oh yeah, this is the Mexico I wanted to visit. No doubt.
Later on, Bill and Stacy and I took a cab for the 1.5 mile ride into San Jose Del Cabo. This little town is about 200 years old and reminds me strongly of Carmel in California - or more properly, it reminds me of Castroville on its way to becoming Carmel. They even have a brew pub! Of course, I bought a pint glass after enjoying their fine raspberry beer. (This is Jill's cue to roll her eyes and make space in the glass cabinet.)
San Jose Del Cabo is making its reputation as the Anti-Cabo San Lucas, which is 15 miles south of here. Where CSL is all cruise ships and chain restaurants and big name mall shops, SJDC is all about little art galleries and one-off restaurants with unique menus. Of course, you can still get an awesome meal for under $20 US. There are big hotels in SJDC, but they're out at the beach, and the hotels in town are still the European-style family operations.
My favorite find in SJDC was El Tamarindo - a little arts/crafts store run by a fine fellow named Antonio. As we walked in, he grabbed some of his decorated shot glasses and poured three shots for us. "It's my family's homemade Tequila," he said. I considered passing, but he said it wasn't as strong as commercial tequila - only about 20 proof - and good for sipping. "Don't shoot it," he said.
Well, we tasted it and it was amazing. It was sweet, with hints of vanilla and just a mild touch of the strangely bitter tequila flavor. It was to regular Tequila as Drambuie is to the cheapest nastiest Scotch you ever had, only less syrupy than Drambuie. If you bought a decorated bottle, he filled it for you before wrapping it up. Needless to say, we left with three bottles! As we were heading out, he gave us a to-go plastic bottle to enjoy on the trip.
Yesterday I determined to walk into SJDC and take some shots of the neighborhood along the way. They're building a big old raised road from the marina into town, but the road is still dirt at this time. There are a bunch of buildings - some abandoned, some still in business, along the dusty route, and a swale or slough with egrets. It was a good walk.
SJDC is a small town, but with some special effort, I did manage to get lost off in the neighborhoods and side streets. Unlike a "planned" community, there are businesses on pretty much every street, so even when you're lost, you can always find a place to get a Coke. While I was lost, I stumbled into another couple of very special art shops, which I would describe, but it would spoil some surprises when I get home!
The one thing the marina lacks is a laundry, so I'm thankful for the cheap T-shirt sales on the main drag. This will keep me from seriously offending the people on the plane home!
Today we leave at 1 PM for Puerto Vallarta. We expect the trip to take between 48-60 hours, depending on the wind. I got up early to miss the crowd at the showers and get some hot water, then sat down at the marina office to write this installment. Now I'll head back to the boat and get some breakfast and start stowing things for the trip. I'm ready to tackle the last lap and then enjoy the amenities of PV.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Race 2 - Bahia De Tortugas to Bahia Santa Margarita
When we left Marina Del Rey, the race committee had assigned us a handicap of 127 - which is computed by some formula to take into account the fact that our boat is slower than the others on the race. Captain Tarr thought we should have had an even higher handicap, but we had to race one leg to prove it. Well, we did - and the race committee then gave us a new handicap of 145. This is probably about right, as you'll read below.
Turtle Bay
We got to Turtle Bay after dark and anchored with the fleet. There's a very very small town there, and we were all pretty tired so we skipped the going-ashore. When we're at anchor, we can all sleep through the night, and I was particularly grateful not to pull my usual 11:30-2:00 and 6:30-10:30 watches!
The start at Turtle Bay
The next morning, we had another race start and took off south for Bahia Santa Margarita and the possibility of whales outside of Bahia Magdalena. This time, we made a calculated tactical risk - that we'd get better wind and more sail-time (versus engine time) if we went farther out into the ocean. Well, we went, but the wind wasn't there waiting for us. We motored on.
All around Turtle Bay, however, there are drift nets and lobster pots galore. So we had to keep two people up in front of the boat scanning for obstructions. A net would get wrapped around our keel and propeller and could seriously damage the boat, so it was slow and careful going until we got about 10 miles offshore.
Our world for 8 days
Eventually, we had to turn back in towards the second finish line, and finally we got some wind. Of course, with the wind came swells, but they were still very mild. And instead of tailing off, the wind became more intense as we pulled into Bahia Santa Margarita for the night. BSM is just a fishing camp in a partially-protected bay just north of Magdalena. By the time we dropped anchor, the wind was getting up towards 30 knots and the weather reports called for 30+ by the end of the next day and accordingly high seas.
Bahia Santa Margarita
So we made the right decision and chose to beat feet out of Santa Margarita and buy ourselves an extra day in San Jose Del Cabo. And the best news is that with our new handicap, we were very close to beating our nearest competition (G-Rated - a nice new sloop).
More later about the ride down to Cabo.
Turtle BayWe got to Turtle Bay after dark and anchored with the fleet. There's a very very small town there, and we were all pretty tired so we skipped the going-ashore. When we're at anchor, we can all sleep through the night, and I was particularly grateful not to pull my usual 11:30-2:00 and 6:30-10:30 watches!
The start at Turtle BayThe next morning, we had another race start and took off south for Bahia Santa Margarita and the possibility of whales outside of Bahia Magdalena. This time, we made a calculated tactical risk - that we'd get better wind and more sail-time (versus engine time) if we went farther out into the ocean. Well, we went, but the wind wasn't there waiting for us. We motored on.
All around Turtle Bay, however, there are drift nets and lobster pots galore. So we had to keep two people up in front of the boat scanning for obstructions. A net would get wrapped around our keel and propeller and could seriously damage the boat, so it was slow and careful going until we got about 10 miles offshore.
Our world for 8 daysEventually, we had to turn back in towards the second finish line, and finally we got some wind. Of course, with the wind came swells, but they were still very mild. And instead of tailing off, the wind became more intense as we pulled into Bahia Santa Margarita for the night. BSM is just a fishing camp in a partially-protected bay just north of Magdalena. By the time we dropped anchor, the wind was getting up towards 30 knots and the weather reports called for 30+ by the end of the next day and accordingly high seas.
Bahia Santa MargaritaSo we made the right decision and chose to beat feet out of Santa Margarita and buy ourselves an extra day in San Jose Del Cabo. And the best news is that with our new handicap, we were very close to beating our nearest competition (G-Rated - a nice new sloop).
More later about the ride down to Cabo.
Race 1 - Marina Del Rey to Cedros Island and Turtle Bay
When I close my eyes, I can still feel the boat rocking. This is after 36 hours on land in San Jose Del Cabo.
But the rocking and rolling didn't start for several days after the race began. We had a little wind as we headed out for the start 8 days ago, but within an hour of the starting gun it had died away to almost nothing. We started the boat's perky little diesel engine and kept on our way.
The fleet departs Marina Del Rey
We passed Catalina in the evening and by dawn we were cruising past San Clemente and on towards San Diego.
Catalina Island
And then not much happened for about 48 hours. We raised a cheer when we crossed into Mexican waters, but the wind stayed elsewhere. We motored. After a while, we headed farther out to sea in search of a breeze, but all we found was a bit more swell - then came the seasickness.
I tried to tough it out, but finally ended up at the rail on Sunday night. Then Stacy convinced me that a scopolamine patch was the better part of valor and I got better very quickly.
But that didn't help our race situation - we were falling farther behind the fast boats every hour. A Spinnaker-equipped boat can sail straight downwind with just a little breeze, but we need about 10 knots of wind to do better than our crossover speed (where it makes racing sense to discard our handicap advantage and use the engine).
Captain Bill Tarr
When we got to Cedros Island on the morning of Day 4, we were totally becalmed and race rules require that we sail the last mile to the finish. We had sails up, but we just drifted with the current to the finish. Then we fired up Perky again and motored on to Turtle Bay. That's when I caught my fish.
Sunset south of Magdalena Bay
As we expected, we finished second to G-Rated in this leg, but there's a silver lining - the race committee adjusted our handicap to make the second race leg more of a race.
Rose of Sharon - a lovely Schooner on our race
More on legs two and three later.
But the rocking and rolling didn't start for several days after the race began. We had a little wind as we headed out for the start 8 days ago, but within an hour of the starting gun it had died away to almost nothing. We started the boat's perky little diesel engine and kept on our way.
The fleet departs Marina Del ReyWe passed Catalina in the evening and by dawn we were cruising past San Clemente and on towards San Diego.
Catalina IslandAnd then not much happened for about 48 hours. We raised a cheer when we crossed into Mexican waters, but the wind stayed elsewhere. We motored. After a while, we headed farther out to sea in search of a breeze, but all we found was a bit more swell - then came the seasickness.
I tried to tough it out, but finally ended up at the rail on Sunday night. Then Stacy convinced me that a scopolamine patch was the better part of valor and I got better very quickly.
But that didn't help our race situation - we were falling farther behind the fast boats every hour. A Spinnaker-equipped boat can sail straight downwind with just a little breeze, but we need about 10 knots of wind to do better than our crossover speed (where it makes racing sense to discard our handicap advantage and use the engine).
Captain Bill TarrWhen we got to Cedros Island on the morning of Day 4, we were totally becalmed and race rules require that we sail the last mile to the finish. We had sails up, but we just drifted with the current to the finish. Then we fired up Perky again and motored on to Turtle Bay. That's when I caught my fish.
Sunset south of Magdalena BayAs we expected, we finished second to G-Rated in this leg, but there's a silver lining - the race committee adjusted our handicap to make the second race leg more of a race.
Rose of Sharon - a lovely Schooner on our raceMore on legs two and three later.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Jeffie the Fish Slayer
Greetings race fans!
This is our first post since leaving Marina Del Rey - we had a "Sea-mail" single side-band modem installed on Rhiannon, but it bravely quit working as we left the harbor. So there's a week's worth of news to catch up, but first I want to brag on our first (and so far, only) fish catch of the trip.
The fish in question seems to be a striped Bonito, but didn't match what our fishing book said about the meat - we fileted this bad boy and instead of the dark, oily meat expected for a Bonito, we found a lovely light filet - a bit softer than Ahi, but we turned this guy into sashimi toute suite! No spoiling nice fish with nasty fire on this boat.
Here's a shot of the mighty fish-slayer, red in tooth and claw (and t-shirt and shorts and shoes - Who knew the old fish could have so much blood in him?)...
We got this fish right off Cedros Island on our way to Turtle Bay - that's Cedros in the background - and have been skunked ever since. I checked and we're using the right tackle, so it's just bum luck. However, the fishing is said to be very good between San Jose Del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta, so we intend to keep at it. Other boats have landed Yellowtail (Hamachi) and Yellowfin Tuna, as well as a buttload of skipjack and other Bonito and Mackerel.
We've also seen a lot of whales, but I have yet to get a good picture of one.
More about the sailing and the race by and by...
This is our first post since leaving Marina Del Rey - we had a "Sea-mail" single side-band modem installed on Rhiannon, but it bravely quit working as we left the harbor. So there's a week's worth of news to catch up, but first I want to brag on our first (and so far, only) fish catch of the trip.
The fish in question seems to be a striped Bonito, but didn't match what our fishing book said about the meat - we fileted this bad boy and instead of the dark, oily meat expected for a Bonito, we found a lovely light filet - a bit softer than Ahi, but we turned this guy into sashimi toute suite! No spoiling nice fish with nasty fire on this boat.Here's a shot of the mighty fish-slayer, red in tooth and claw (and t-shirt and shorts and shoes - Who knew the old fish could have so much blood in him?)...
We got this fish right off Cedros Island on our way to Turtle Bay - that's Cedros in the background - and have been skunked ever since. I checked and we're using the right tackle, so it's just bum luck. However, the fishing is said to be very good between San Jose Del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta, so we intend to keep at it. Other boats have landed Yellowtail (Hamachi) and Yellowfin Tuna, as well as a buttload of skipjack and other Bonito and Mackerel.
We've also seen a lot of whales, but I have yet to get a good picture of one.
More about the sailing and the race by and by...
Friday, January 30, 2009
The night before...
Today started at 5:30a.m. Yes, a.m. My eyes opened right away. Was it KCRW starting their newest pledge drive or was my mind racing with so much to get done? After a quick shower, I had enough time to turn on the computer and scan a few documents before Kerry arrived. Off to farmer's market for fresh vegies and a cup of java, then to the airport to pick up Jeff, and to more marketing until all the items on the list were found! Then, it's back to the boat for stowage.
Back on the boat, Aldo was finishing the new mainsail cover, Joe was finishing repairs to the anchor windless and bow roller, the bottom was cleaned and Bill and Jack worked on our water leak (left over from the installation of our water maker) and a final check of the sail to see what it looks like (yes, it was finally delivered and hoisted yesterday).
I sneaked to the back of the boat to finish cleaning the aft cabin (hate to leave port with a dirty bedroom) and filed most of our papers away for safe keeping. Jack took charge of refueling while Bill and Jeff stowed extra anchors, rode and chain. Kerry kept stowing food. We certainly won't starve! Thanks to Kerry and mom for all the hours of cooking and preparations!
Jeff and I headed out for an afternoon run to drop stuff off at storage and to check out some fishing gear at a neighborhood haunt. We got back in time to change into our team shirts and join the rest of the crew at the skipper's meeting and send-off party hosted by DRYC.
Winding down the day, there's still some stuff to stow in the main salon and I'd love to wash down the decks. Bill is working on the computer and Jeff is hanging the fishing rods. One last look around the boat and it's off to bed!
Back on the boat, Aldo was finishing the new mainsail cover, Joe was finishing repairs to the anchor windless and bow roller, the bottom was cleaned and Bill and Jack worked on our water leak (left over from the installation of our water maker) and a final check of the sail to see what it looks like (yes, it was finally delivered and hoisted yesterday).
I sneaked to the back of the boat to finish cleaning the aft cabin (hate to leave port with a dirty bedroom) and filed most of our papers away for safe keeping. Jack took charge of refueling while Bill and Jeff stowed extra anchors, rode and chain. Kerry kept stowing food. We certainly won't starve! Thanks to Kerry and mom for all the hours of cooking and preparations!
Jeff and I headed out for an afternoon run to drop stuff off at storage and to check out some fishing gear at a neighborhood haunt. We got back in time to change into our team shirts and join the rest of the crew at the skipper's meeting and send-off party hosted by DRYC.
Winding down the day, there's still some stuff to stow in the main salon and I'd love to wash down the decks. Bill is working on the computer and Jeff is hanging the fishing rods. One last look around the boat and it's off to bed!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Follow Our Adventure Online!
We're down to just a few days before we throw off the lines and head south on our adventure, and today we found out that you can follow our adventure in real-time, courtesy of the position transponder on the boat!
Check out: http://trackinfo.fistracking.com/PV2009/
Using this site, you'll be able to specify our boat, Rhiannon, and up to 10 other boats on the race and chart our progress.
The screen looks like this:
So, select "Non-Spinnaker Race 4" and then specify Rhiannon. Then you can bookmark that link and check on us day by day. They've also got a news page and forum for the race.
Flying Untied
So I've been planning to bring my super-duper 8-foot tuna-slayer fishing pole on this trip. I got this heavy fiberglass pole about 20 years ago in Santa Cruz, and it hasn't seen use since I came to Oregon. I checked with United about checking it and they said "No problem" - but neglected to tell me that they'd charge me $175 to take it to L.A. - it would actually be cheaper to buy my fishing pole a seat on the plane! Good thing I checked twice and thought to ask!
So, sad to say, I'll be buying a nice used pole when I get to L.A. on Friday morning, and cursing the way United likes to nickel-and-dime you all the way down there.
Super What?
It turns out we're going to be at sea during the Super Bowl. So we're likely to miss out on some buffalo wings and brewskis, but all things considered, I think we're getting the better end of this deal.
And for our viewing pleasure...
It also turns out that my fellow crewmates have never seen the movie Muppet Treasure Island. So I bought a copy on DVD and will have everyone singing along to this great musical while we're on the water.
I mean, with Tim Curry playing Long John Silver, how can you go wrong? His rendition of "When You're a Professional Pirate" is right up with "Sweet Transvestite" in the Curry Ouevre.
Between this and our collection of Great Big Sea and Captain Bogg & Salty CDs, we're sure to have a fine Chanty quintet by the end of the journey.
Check out: http://trackinfo.fistracking.com/PV2009/
Using this site, you'll be able to specify our boat, Rhiannon, and up to 10 other boats on the race and chart our progress.
The screen looks like this:
So, select "Non-Spinnaker Race 4" and then specify Rhiannon. Then you can bookmark that link and check on us day by day. They've also got a news page and forum for the race.
Flying Untied
So I've been planning to bring my super-duper 8-foot tuna-slayer fishing pole on this trip. I got this heavy fiberglass pole about 20 years ago in Santa Cruz, and it hasn't seen use since I came to Oregon. I checked with United about checking it and they said "No problem" - but neglected to tell me that they'd charge me $175 to take it to L.A. - it would actually be cheaper to buy my fishing pole a seat on the plane! Good thing I checked twice and thought to ask!
So, sad to say, I'll be buying a nice used pole when I get to L.A. on Friday morning, and cursing the way United likes to nickel-and-dime you all the way down there.
Super What?
It turns out we're going to be at sea during the Super Bowl. So we're likely to miss out on some buffalo wings and brewskis, but all things considered, I think we're getting the better end of this deal.
And for our viewing pleasure...
It also turns out that my fellow crewmates have never seen the movie Muppet Treasure Island. So I bought a copy on DVD and will have everyone singing along to this great musical while we're on the water.
I mean, with Tim Curry playing Long John Silver, how can you go wrong? His rendition of "When You're a Professional Pirate" is right up with "Sweet Transvestite" in the Curry Ouevre.Between this and our collection of Great Big Sea and Captain Bogg & Salty CDs, we're sure to have a fine Chanty quintet by the end of the journey.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Ship's Blog at Sea!
Among the many fine features of Google's Blogger is the ability to create a blog post in e-mail and send that post to our blog.
As it turns out, we'll have some kind of satellite wireless e-mail sending capability on the boat, so we're planning to send out regular (if not daily) blog updates throughout the race. They're likely to be text-only, just like this test e-mail posting, but that's still a far cry from being completely out of touch!
Getting Our Fishing Gear Together
One of the challenges on the PV race is a fishing derby for the Non-Spinnaker class boats. The organizers plan to give us a disposable camera with which we'll take pictures of the fish we catch, and the organizers will give an award for the biggest fish caught on the trip.Now, I doubt we'll match the guys on the left here, but we do plan to take part in the derby. For one thing, some fresh Mahi-Mahi or Yellowtail would be nice to eat. But beyond that, we all spent $37 each on Mexican fishing licenses for the duration of the trip.
So I'm bringing my super-duper 8-foot ocean fishing pole and my brother in law Andrew sent me some killer lures. I went out yesterday and bought some "Mooching Rigs" - a 2-hook setup designed to be used with these little rubber squid things. The guys at the fishing shop assure me that the ocean fish are so aggressive that they'll hit these things with impunity.
To avoid hassles in the security line, I'll pick up a gaff hook and/or a long-handled net when I get to L.A. Sensible, yes?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Jacklines - for safety
One of the decisions we had to make was the kind of jacklines we would have for an off-shore race. There are many different configurations and the more I read about this the more I realized that what's being sold is often not sufficient for our purposes. I can't believe that some people are selling (and buying) jacklines that stretch. Yeah, there's a great idea. Just when I want to stay close to the boat, the line stretches and I've got further to go to get back aboard!
So, after looking around, we decided to make our own configuration. We wanted something that can break down when we're in port, but lends optimal safety off-shore. We wanted something that can be replaced if needed and was easy to store.
First we replaced the traditional lifelines from the mid-ship gates, aft with solid stainless as part of the installation of our arch. Because the new stanchions were installed on the gunwales instead of on the deck, we got an additional 2-4 inches of walking space. This may not sound like much, but it makes a big difference when you're carrying heavy lines! In the aft area, it's amazing that we can now walk behind the backstay, giving us much more mobility on the aft deck!
Next, we installed some eyes on the arch at about neck level for me (under-arm level on Bill). We decided that the lifelines were at just the right spot on Bill (at the hip) that if he lost his balance he'd pitch over the side and into the water (which is bad).
We then found some amsteel line, which for the size we're using as a pulling strength of about 3,350lbs and doesn't stretch. We ran this line from the eye on the arch to the spreaders. With a taught knot on both ends and a stopper line around the spreader for friction (thanks Kerry for the beautiful knot-work!). We can clip our harnesses in when we're walking the decks. We have an additional amsteel line that attaches around the mast and runs forward to the steel base of the bow-roller or windless cleat (whichever is more convenient).
With this configuration we've got significant movement on deck and we'll be attached at all times.
Mosquitto Netting
People have been asking me what I've been doing in preparations for "the big race." To be honest, I've been doing many of the things that I've been wanting to get to for years but never found the time for them to inch up to the top of my famous and ever-growing "to do list."
One of the big projects was to build a mosquito netting. This netting is made from "no-see-ums" fabric to keep the little critters out. I sewed a nylon webbing around the netting and ran lead-shot along the bottom and sewed it into each section. Along the top and sides I attached turn-buckle eyes that match the dodger and bimony. These same turn-buckles are used for our new weather enclosure made by Aldo Upholstery. These same turn-buckles will one day sport shade sections. The concept is one measurement of turn-buckles that can do oh so many things for us!
When we get somewhere with bugs I'll sit in the cockpit at sunset and see if my work was any good (benedryl at the ready just in case).
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Learning About Crossover Speed
Learning to sail is going to involve a number of challenges, and one of them involves a new rule in the PV09 Racing Rules of Sailing:
Part 4, 42.3 (h): Sailing instructions may, in stated circumstances, permit propulsion using an engine or any other method, provided the boat does not gain a significant advantage in the race.
Because the new four-race format has three scheduled stopovers before reaching Puerto Vallarta, it's important to avoid having stragglers who fail to reach one destination before the next leg starts---Feb. 4 from Turtle Bay, Feb. 7 from Magdalena Bay and Feb. 10 from Cabo Falso. And I'm totally down with getting to each destination on time, because I want to spend plenty of time enjoying the towns where we stop and getting in some skin diving with the whales in Mag bay and my new underwater camera!
The rule is set up so that competitors who motor their way pay a price steeper than it would cost them to sail. So the organizers developed a new "Cross-Over speed" formula that will be introduced in the race thanks to some clever DRYC members: David Feinstein, who suggested it; Allen Puckett, an aeronautical engineer who developed it (he once worked for Howard Hughes), and Peggy Redler, the race coordinator and former math teacher who implemented it into a computer code scoring system.
As Redler explained, "The Cross-Over speed is based on a boat's PHRF (handicap) rating and the speed of a virtual boat: 8 knots. The formula creates a unique speed for each boat that allows them to use their engine when their sailing speed drops below a certain point. It will not adversely affect their corrected time."
But here's the joker: The Performance Handicap Racing Fleet system is based on time and distance.
"This is not a power boat race," Redler emphasized, "because the faster you go under power and the more distance you make gets you a higher penalty . . . and because we subtract how far you power, you get less sailing distance and therefore less [PHRF] handicap time allowed.
"But it's to your advantage when the wind is very light to turn the engine on, [or] if it's blustery, for the sake of controlling your boat."
Once an engine is run and then turned off, the rules forbid re-starting it for another hour, preventing racers from picking their spots repeatedly in patchy conditions.
"This is more than just making your boat go faster," Redler said. "There are tactics and navigation involved. You need to know how to use GPS, charts, bearings. It's a multi-skill game. It's the only way you can have a multi-race event when you have to get the boats through one leg in time to start another."
Tom Redler, race committee chairman and husband of Peggy, said, "This is the only race I know of that went to the trouble of working out a formula that would make it possible to use the engine and not degrade the race."
One thing for sure: it all makes the navigators' lives more complicated---which is why two new awards will honor the spinnaker and non-spinnaker division navigators whose calculated finish times for the first three legs most closely match the times registered by the boats' on-board satellite transponder, which will operate on real time.
Except for the final finish off the beach at Puerto Vallarta, Peggy Redler noted, "There are no [finish] lines on the water. They have to find them [with instrumentation]."
The four individual races are marked by stopovers along the Baja California peninsula: 376 nautical miles from Marina del Rey to Cedros Island outside of Turtle Bay; starting Feb. 4, 220 n.m. to Magdalena Bay, famous for its friendly migrating whales; starting Feb. 7, 152 n.m. to Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja peninsula, and the last, starting Feb. 10, 286 n.m. across the Gulf of California to Puerto Vallarta on the mainland, finishing off the beach in Banderas Bay in front of the race headquarters Westin Resort & Spa.
Part 4, 42.3 (h): Sailing instructions may, in stated circumstances, permit propulsion using an engine or any other method, provided the boat does not gain a significant advantage in the race.
Because the new four-race format has three scheduled stopovers before reaching Puerto Vallarta, it's important to avoid having stragglers who fail to reach one destination before the next leg starts---Feb. 4 from Turtle Bay, Feb. 7 from Magdalena Bay and Feb. 10 from Cabo Falso. And I'm totally down with getting to each destination on time, because I want to spend plenty of time enjoying the towns where we stop and getting in some skin diving with the whales in Mag bay and my new underwater camera!
The rule is set up so that competitors who motor their way pay a price steeper than it would cost them to sail. So the organizers developed a new "Cross-Over speed" formula that will be introduced in the race thanks to some clever DRYC members: David Feinstein, who suggested it; Allen Puckett, an aeronautical engineer who developed it (he once worked for Howard Hughes), and Peggy Redler, the race coordinator and former math teacher who implemented it into a computer code scoring system.
As Redler explained, "The Cross-Over speed is based on a boat's PHRF (handicap) rating and the speed of a virtual boat: 8 knots. The formula creates a unique speed for each boat that allows them to use their engine when their sailing speed drops below a certain point. It will not adversely affect their corrected time."
But here's the joker: The Performance Handicap Racing Fleet system is based on time and distance.
"This is not a power boat race," Redler emphasized, "because the faster you go under power and the more distance you make gets you a higher penalty . . . and because we subtract how far you power, you get less sailing distance and therefore less [PHRF] handicap time allowed.
"But it's to your advantage when the wind is very light to turn the engine on, [or] if it's blustery, for the sake of controlling your boat."
Once an engine is run and then turned off, the rules forbid re-starting it for another hour, preventing racers from picking their spots repeatedly in patchy conditions.
"This is more than just making your boat go faster," Redler said. "There are tactics and navigation involved. You need to know how to use GPS, charts, bearings. It's a multi-skill game. It's the only way you can have a multi-race event when you have to get the boats through one leg in time to start another."
Tom Redler, race committee chairman and husband of Peggy, said, "This is the only race I know of that went to the trouble of working out a formula that would make it possible to use the engine and not degrade the race."
One thing for sure: it all makes the navigators' lives more complicated---which is why two new awards will honor the spinnaker and non-spinnaker division navigators whose calculated finish times for the first three legs most closely match the times registered by the boats' on-board satellite transponder, which will operate on real time.
Except for the final finish off the beach at Puerto Vallarta, Peggy Redler noted, "There are no [finish] lines on the water. They have to find them [with instrumentation]."
The four individual races are marked by stopovers along the Baja California peninsula: 376 nautical miles from Marina del Rey to Cedros Island outside of Turtle Bay; starting Feb. 4, 220 n.m. to Magdalena Bay, famous for its friendly migrating whales; starting Feb. 7, 152 n.m. to Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja peninsula, and the last, starting Feb. 10, 286 n.m. across the Gulf of California to Puerto Vallarta on the mainland, finishing off the beach in Banderas Bay in front of the race headquarters Westin Resort & Spa.
Disney's Pywacket V Drops Out
We can't say for sure that the prospect of racing against Rhiannon has intimidated five other skippers, but the race organizers issued this release today:
Disney withdraws, but he'll be back
The fleet has 16 boats, following the recent addition of two boats and the withdrawal of five, including Roy E. Disney's new Pyewacket V in what would have been its maiden race.
Pyewacket V
A disappointed Disney said, "It's a real bummer, but the race falls into the recovery time of some non-life-threatening surgery."
He said he would be back on the water for the Newport to Ensenada race, the Hoag Cup in June and his 16th Transpac to Hawaii in July.
We're sorry Pywacket won't be joining us, and we wish Mr. Disney all the best.
But looking forward, here's a shot of 14 of the 16 skippers, and what will probably be the final entry list:
PV09 Confirmed entries
Spinnaker-A
Amazing Grace (Farr 55), James Puckett, Del Rey YC
Carmagnole (Beneteau First 45), Dan Howard, DRYC
Dare (Beck 60), Bob Kettenhofen, Balboa YC
Felicita (J/120), Perry Peters, Arizona YC, Phoenix
Spinnaker-B
Barking Spider (Catalina 36 MK2), David Kory, Point Richmond, Calif.
Jungle Jim (Jeanneau 49), Jim Maslon, DRYC
Rose of Sharon (Burgess 59), Byron K. Chamberlain, Newport Harbor YC
Sleeper (Jeanneau 44), Ron Simonson, Cabrillo Beach YC
Tranquility (Beneteau First 40.7, Max Lynn, Santa Barbara YC
Non-Spinnaker-A
Blue Note (Beneteau 473), Kevin & Rhonda Wixom, Mission Bay YC
Defiance (Swan 56), Peter Noonan, St. Francis YC
Lumiere (Beneteau 49), Carl Marusak, MD, DRYC
Transformer (Beneteau 49), Joel Young, So. Bay Yacht Racing
Non-Spinnaker-B
Artsea (Grand Soliel 45), Marty Laffer, DRYC
G-Rated (Catalina 42 MK2), Sid and Mark Lampert, DRYC
Rhiannon (Peterson 44), Bill & Stacy Tarr, DRYC
Disney withdraws, but he'll be back
The fleet has 16 boats, following the recent addition of two boats and the withdrawal of five, including Roy E. Disney's new Pyewacket V in what would have been its maiden race.
Pyewacket VA disappointed Disney said, "It's a real bummer, but the race falls into the recovery time of some non-life-threatening surgery."
He said he would be back on the water for the Newport to Ensenada race, the Hoag Cup in June and his 16th Transpac to Hawaii in July.
We're sorry Pywacket won't be joining us, and we wish Mr. Disney all the best.
But looking forward, here's a shot of 14 of the 16 skippers, and what will probably be the final entry list:
That's our Cap'n Bill Tarr, leftmost in the back row
PV09 Confirmed entries
Spinnaker-A
Amazing Grace (Farr 55), James Puckett, Del Rey YC
Carmagnole (Beneteau First 45), Dan Howard, DRYC
Dare (Beck 60), Bob Kettenhofen, Balboa YC
Felicita (J/120), Perry Peters, Arizona YC, Phoenix
Spinnaker-B
Barking Spider (Catalina 36 MK2), David Kory, Point Richmond, Calif.
Jungle Jim (Jeanneau 49), Jim Maslon, DRYC
Rose of Sharon (Burgess 59), Byron K. Chamberlain, Newport Harbor YC
Sleeper (Jeanneau 44), Ron Simonson, Cabrillo Beach YC
Tranquility (Beneteau First 40.7, Max Lynn, Santa Barbara YC
Non-Spinnaker-A
Blue Note (Beneteau 473), Kevin & Rhonda Wixom, Mission Bay YC
Defiance (Swan 56), Peter Noonan, St. Francis YC
Lumiere (Beneteau 49), Carl Marusak, MD, DRYC
Transformer (Beneteau 49), Joel Young, So. Bay Yacht Racing
Non-Spinnaker-B
Artsea (Grand Soliel 45), Marty Laffer, DRYC
G-Rated (Catalina 42 MK2), Sid and Mark Lampert, DRYC
Rhiannon (Peterson 44), Bill & Stacy Tarr, DRYC
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Puerto Vallarta Race Makes YouTube!
Check out this video, produced by Del Rey Yacht Club, about the Puerto Vallarta race:
I'm sure you'll agree, whatever it may lack in polished production values, it more than makes up for by describing the fabulous places we're going to visit and the many great parties along the way!
I'm sure you'll agree, whatever it may lack in polished production values, it more than makes up for by describing the fabulous places we're going to visit and the many great parties along the way!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Just a few weeks away
In 22 days, I'll fly to Los Angeles and assist in the final loading and preparation of Rhiannon for our journey. We're now sponsored by Mechanix Wear for deck gloves, in addition to Columbia Sportswear for our general clothing needs at sea. Mechanix makes these nifty lightweight gloves that are thin enough to let you do fiddly work but strong enough to last in tough conditions.
We've all obtained our Mexican fishing licenses, and my Brother-in-Law Andrew Ellis - sport fisherman and SCUBA captain extraordinaire of Kauai - has made me some killer Mahi-Mahi lures for the trip. We'll keep a fishing line off the stern all the way down the Baja coast and see if we can hook into some dinner. Andrew also sent me the ultimate killer reel for my ocean fishing pole, because that's the kind of ultra-groovy guy he is.
I also went out and found myself some fins, mask, and snorkel for some skindiving along the way. Apparently we can expect whales and all kinds of groovy sea life in Magadalena Bay and in Turtle Bay. Sadly, I don't think I'll get my supercool underwater digital photo rig in time for this trip. Once again, my failure to be a multi-millionaire has a negative impact on my plans!
I find myself thinking more and more about the trip every day - with momentary seizures of panic that I'm not doing enough to prepare. This time last year, I was spending hours each day preparing for the Alcan Winter Rally, but this time Bill and Stacy and Jack and Kerry are doing the heavy lifting of boat preparation. I'll make it up to them along the way with fish and coffee.
I continue to study the sailing books, and Stacy assures me that my bunk will be the most comfy on the boat. All in all, this race is coming into focus, and it looks really good.
We've all obtained our Mexican fishing licenses, and my Brother-in-Law Andrew Ellis - sport fisherman and SCUBA captain extraordinaire of Kauai - has made me some killer Mahi-Mahi lures for the trip. We'll keep a fishing line off the stern all the way down the Baja coast and see if we can hook into some dinner. Andrew also sent me the ultimate killer reel for my ocean fishing pole, because that's the kind of ultra-groovy guy he is.
I also went out and found myself some fins, mask, and snorkel for some skindiving along the way. Apparently we can expect whales and all kinds of groovy sea life in Magadalena Bay and in Turtle Bay. Sadly, I don't think I'll get my supercool underwater digital photo rig in time for this trip. Once again, my failure to be a multi-millionaire has a negative impact on my plans!
I find myself thinking more and more about the trip every day - with momentary seizures of panic that I'm not doing enough to prepare. This time last year, I was spending hours each day preparing for the Alcan Winter Rally, but this time Bill and Stacy and Jack and Kerry are doing the heavy lifting of boat preparation. I'll make it up to them along the way with fish and coffee.
I continue to study the sailing books, and Stacy assures me that my bunk will be the most comfy on the boat. All in all, this race is coming into focus, and it looks really good.
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