Bequia Finishes the 2008 Pacific Cup!
Finished Pictures!
Finish Time 19:35:33 HST (22:35:33 PDT) -> Should secure third place!
-Congratulations!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
(Travis) Tiki Blue Finished -> Timer Is Running...
Tiki Blue finished (Pau) at 15:46:58 HST (18:46:58 PDT).
If Bequia's finish time is 20:22:58 HST (23:22:58 PDT) then they will secure thrid place.
Their predicted ETA at 25 miles was 20:00 HST (23:00 PDT) ...
The wind as the night progresses generally gets lighter...
Go Go Go!
-T
P.S. I really hope i got these calculations correct...
If Bequia's finish time is 20:22:58 HST (23:22:58 PDT) then they will secure thrid place.
Their predicted ETA at 25 miles was 20:00 HST (23:00 PDT) ...
The wind as the night progresses generally gets lighter...
Go Go Go!
-T
P.S. I really hope i got these calculations correct...
the final run!! Sunday 7/27
DATELINE JULY 27, 1600 PST, PACIFIC OCEAN NEAR HAWAII,
hi folks
SHIVVER ME TIMBERS!! this is going to be close. at this morning's check in, to our delight and amazement, we were 15 minutes AHEAD of tiki blue. heaven only knows what the night had held for them. for us, the night was too rowdy for words. we smoked through several squalls with the last one about 0300 clocking in at 30 knots. but we handled it well on course and with lots of nail biting but no real problems. we went like crazy clocking 11-12s+ and one 15.8 by jack a new but short lived record.
there was only one squall to go that night and it looked kind of puny compared to the looming black clouds in the one before. the rain came and it started to blow. the wind was up to 30 right away and we were screaming through it. jack was driving but it was more and more obvious that the storm was building and would not hold at 30. the inevitable round up that could not come under control lead to wild variations in course amid huge seas and wind that reached 40 easily. the kite, old yeller, was flogging mercilessly and the crew was more and more apprehensive. finally, in an effort to fill the spinnaker by heading down, a wave added a bump in the wrong direction and we jibed. Bequia was pinned with the kite and the main holding her down at a crazy angle. the preventer was so loaded up it could not be released. eventually a wave released us and the boat came up on its feet.
a fresh driver, Jeff, took over. it seemed things were getting under control. jeff said something like "trusty old yeller" just as the kite filled... and then quit drawing at all. death of a legend. photos of the pieces to follow...
now it was time to take down the remnants. Dennis and jack headed forward while mike and tom managed lines in the cockpit and Jeff drove. only the main was up as the boat careened up and down barely under control. boat speed went from 14s to 15s to 16.8! ! for those who have no way to compare, that is incredibly fast. the noise was deafening. crew shouted to each other as loudly as possible as Stephen took the shredded kite into the forward hatch add the pole was recovered.
after a few minutes efforts began to furl out the jib which was let out about 8 feet at first then as time went by let out to the second reef point. meanwhile down below, the boat was in a shambles with everything on top of everything else. Dennis was muttering and Stephen was swearing but some semblance of order finally took over. as the sun came up, the second chute was launched.
with the news that we were ahead of tiki blue, the crew was ecstatic. we redoubled our efforts to drive perfectly on the best downwind angles with no errors in line or motion. mid afternoon we figured we were going well but fell into another wind hole, uncharted on the grib files and unpredictable in any other way. the crew struggled with hundreds of variations of steering angle, main and spinnaker trim. but at least an hour of maximum boat speed was lost.
we had no idea how we were doing vis a vis our competitor. did they suffer the same lack of wind? at 3:17 Tiki Blue made her 25 mile check in. we were 58 miles out, a 33 mile difference. by handicap they give us 4 hours and a few minutes. tom figured that our overall trip average was just above 7.25 knots. that computes to a dead heat if we only make our average and a win if we beat our average even by a minute.
we are directly upwind of the finish. all provided input based on hunch, experience, rumor and OUIJA predictions but tom gave us our real info. the wind veers near oahu so we will contrive to come in on port pole with that in mind. By tonight we'll know.
jack
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(Travis) Finishing Process...
Each boat must call the race committee when they are 100, 25 and 5 miles from finishing.
They have to post "ETA" in each case... some boats spend a lot of time on guessing others do not... so ETA is a pretty bad guess until you're in the 25 ->5 mile range...
I've posted a new link with the checkin data at right. Remember that these times are uncorrected for rating.
We anxiously await the postings for today!
but...
Tiki Blue Gave their 100 mile check in at 01:58 this morning
Bequia Gave their 100 mile check in at 06:45 this morning
The rating difference is between is 4:36. Remembering that the standings are more accurate and that the finishing weather is EXTREMELY local (no map we have will help) and time of day dependent (not favoring our guys)... it would suggest that they are a mear 11min. behind Tiki Blue!
One more thing.... The number of racers that have lost significant time near the finish because of navigation issues and wind management issues is HUGE. The finish is hard to find, intimidating, and tricky... It really is "Down to the wire"...
(That should build some drama! )
-T
They have to post "ETA" in each case... some boats spend a lot of time on guessing others do not... so ETA is a pretty bad guess until you're in the 25 ->5 mile range...
I've posted a new link with the checkin data at right. Remember that these times are uncorrected for rating.
We anxiously await the postings for today!
but...
Tiki Blue Gave their 100 mile check in at 01:58 this morning
Bequia Gave their 100 mile check in at 06:45 this morning
The rating difference is between is 4:36. Remembering that the standings are more accurate and that the finishing weather is EXTREMELY local (no map we have will help) and time of day dependent (not favoring our guys)... it would suggest that they are a mear 11min. behind Tiki Blue!
One more thing.... The number of racers that have lost significant time near the finish because of navigation issues and wind management issues is HUGE. The finish is hard to find, intimidating, and tricky... It really is "Down to the wire"...
(That should build some drama! )
-T
Saturday, July 26, 2008
End game: Saturday 7/26
Hello All...
End game.
Bequia is as light as we can make her and is flying along to our secret way point. Crew spirits high and extremely focussed. Sailing on the edge now with caution to the winds, no pun intended. We all enjoyed a huge Spanish frittata for breakfast to hold us through the day.
Our battle with Tiki Blue continues unabated. We were behind then pulled ahead. at one point we were two hours ahead then fell into a wind hole that left us giving up five hours on corrected time in one day. we aced them the next day and made up a full hour and a half. they knew we were coming for sure. with both of us going at it as hard as we could we made up another half hour by 0900 this morning.
Now they are slightly south of us and about one hour ahead. If we can see them, we will beat them on corrected time. We have favorable winds at 20+ knots all morning. it is a long race, as they say, and anything can still happen. Our big spinnaker, 'Old Yeller', continues to amaze. This is it's 3rd Pacific Cup and it is pulling hard. It has been up for 10 consecutive days!
Unfortunately, Tiki Blue should have the same winds as we do now. It is a game of constant tuning, trimming and hairline driving. There can be no mistakes.
Last night was our most difficult in terms of night time driving with squalls lashing us for several hours,dumping gallons of lovely fresh water all over Bequia and watch-standers. It was a dark and stormy night. Then, at the stroke of midnight, the northwestern sky lit up with a brilliant flash!. Armageddon? No, just the U.S. Navy with the annual Rim Pac Exercises. Oddly, not another flash nor sound was heard the rest of the night. Thankfully, this is not a live fire exercise. Pac Cup communication boat said to be aware of the odd Chilean destroyer or Japanese frigate that may sail by.
Kepano is planning the final meals to be made and consumed on the fly. The last night at sea is tonight with a guesstimated time of arrival Sunday at 3 pm-ish Hawaiian time.
Crew dogs are all taking turns with salt water bathing on the fantail. Quite fun actually. You strap on a safety harness, clip on to the boat, crab the canvas bucket and douse away! The water temperature is a delightful 74.6 F.
We can almost smell Oahu now!
Cheers and from all of us, thank you for your support and understanding!
Bequia
28757
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Friday, July 25, 2008
[PacCup 08!] Bequia blog Friday AM
DATELINE EASTERN PACIFIC, 08/7/26, 0930 PST
Good morning Beautifuls...
Well, we made great gains yesterday, over 170 miles and 98% of that was "good" or in the best direction towards Hawaii. We should be rubbing shoulders with the US Navy shortly. They are having a major exercise just Northeast of Oahu, an area that all of us Pac Cuppers will be sailing through at some point. We will probably see a destroyer or two. The Navy has been alerted to the fact that 70 or so sailboats will be slipping through the fleet. We will be sure to make nice to them as they have some very big guns.
Moon, stars, squalls, and nighttime driving are beyond description.
Everyone is getting a little tired and anxious to finish. discussion topics include family, animals, employment, wives, girlfriends, childhood, the meaning of life, the scurvy competition, and just about every other thing you can imagine. it would be appropriate to assume that everyone on board knows all your deepest secrets...
The boat took a very unanticipated roll a few days ago and Stevie, standing below in the salon, putting on his rain coat, took a tumble. He (Bam-Bam) banged his side on Dennis' chart table pretty hard ("you didn't scratch the table did you?"-Dennis). Pretty sore for a day or so. "Doc" Caplan fixed me up with ibupro-fun, and did his first aide thing on me. As an ultimate precaution he ran it by an MD friend who confirmed nothing to worry about. It was nothing near the severity, bruise-wise, as the arm thing back in March. As a matter of fact, there is no bruise visible at all! And he stayed on the boat. He feels great now, especially since we made up 3 1/2 hours on our closest rivals. Tiki Blue look out!! you only have 1h 29m ahead.
we all miss our respective SOs terribly. Tom says, as of this second, that we will get in around midnight (ugh) Sunday. But we will update you, especially as we get in cell phone range. Becky and Deanna are cautioned about having too much fun on the flight out.
Quartermistress (?)Becky needs a discussion about men on vacation.... we ran out of all alcohol on board days ago, we only have one cigar left and all the dancing girls jumped ship! we do have lots of bagels. how will we survive? the chef is designing a still....
Don't forget that Sail Mail is still giving us a hard time with the amount of time and bandwidth they will allow us, so don't be frustrated at the lack of e-mails. If we had our way, you would each get 10 a day!!
Very short emails only. we have been cut off by the SAilmail sheriff three times now!
Love and aloha,
Kepano, et. al.
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--
Posted By Bequia PacCup 08 to PacCup 08! at 7/25/2008 11:06:00 AM
(Travis) - Analysis?...
A few points - since we haven't heard from the boys today...
1) Bequia has been on starboard heading about 260 for a few days and jibed yesterday eve onto port and is now heading about 230ish - this indicates that they are either A) on what they think is a layline for HI (unlikely) B) are consolidating the leverage of the last few days (this is likely because the circulation from the storm behind them would make the north approach to HI bad) I hypothesize that the software is telling them to consolidate the leverage they had and to get back to the bottom of the course... I expect them to jibe one more time and enter HI on starboard.... we wouldn't expect to see that jibe until they were almost due East of Oahu, depending on how much lift they get on port and how much pressure (wind) they forecast on the bottom side of the course.
2) The Tropical Storm that has been below them all race is now, only a strong "east pacific wave" and forecast to weaken more -> they should beat it to HI, making the south side of the course slightly favored very near the finish. (how much favored is the tricky part)
3) There is now officially, Hurricane Genevieve much behind the fleet. currently due south of San Diego(ish)... Max winds at 65Kts gusting 80kts. Moving 285 at 10kts. This speed and direction make it no threat -> so no worriers out there... There has been a Hurricane down there somewhere almost every year...
Now the good news:
Between yesterday and Today, they cut the lead of the third place boat in half. down from 3 hours to 1.5 hours (that is a big change) They did it because there heading is better, Tiki Blue sailed slightly more miles, but in a less beneficial direction. in fact the Boats to the north (Sweet Okole and Bequia) gained yesterday consistently on the boats to the south.
They are now expected to finish around 2am Mondy morning. at 3 days out, we would expect that number to move forward a bit... Say midnight ish on Sunday, not a bad run!
- Hopefully they can squeeze an update into there limited bandwidth (in the mean time, I'm sure they are downloading more weather info then anything else! )
Lubbered,
-Travis
1) Bequia has been on starboard heading about 260 for a few days and jibed yesterday eve onto port and is now heading about 230ish - this indicates that they are either A) on what they think is a layline for HI (unlikely) B) are consolidating the leverage of the last few days (this is likely because the circulation from the storm behind them would make the north approach to HI bad) I hypothesize that the software is telling them to consolidate the leverage they had and to get back to the bottom of the course... I expect them to jibe one more time and enter HI on starboard.... we wouldn't expect to see that jibe until they were almost due East of Oahu, depending on how much lift they get on port and how much pressure (wind) they forecast on the bottom side of the course.
2) The Tropical Storm that has been below them all race is now, only a strong "east pacific wave" and forecast to weaken more -> they should beat it to HI, making the south side of the course slightly favored very near the finish. (how much favored is the tricky part)
3) There is now officially, Hurricane Genevieve much behind the fleet. currently due south of San Diego(ish)... Max winds at 65Kts gusting 80kts. Moving 285 at 10kts. This speed and direction make it no threat -> so no worriers out there... There has been a Hurricane down there somewhere almost every year...
Now the good news:
Between yesterday and Today, they cut the lead of the third place boat in half. down from 3 hours to 1.5 hours (that is a big change) They did it because there heading is better, Tiki Blue sailed slightly more miles, but in a less beneficial direction. in fact the Boats to the north (Sweet Okole and Bequia) gained yesterday consistently on the boats to the south.
They are now expected to finish around 2am Mondy morning. at 3 days out, we would expect that number to move forward a bit... Say midnight ish on Sunday, not a bad run!
- Hopefully they can squeeze an update into there limited bandwidth (in the mean time, I'm sure they are downloading more weather info then anything else! )
Lubbered,
-Travis
Bequia blog Friday AM
DATELINE EASTERN PACIFIC, 08/7/26, 0930 PST
Good morning Beautifuls...
Well, we made great gains yesterday, over 170 miles and 98% of that was "good" or in the best direction towards Hawaii. We should be rubbing shoulders with the US Navy shortly. They are having a major exercise just Northeast of Oahu, an area that all of us Pac Cuppers will be sailing through at some point. We will probably see a destroyer or two. The Navy has been alerted to the fact that 70 or so sailboats will be slipping through the fleet. We will be sure to make nice to them as they have some very big guns.
Moon, stars, squalls, and nighttime driving are beyond description.
Everyone is getting a little tired and anxious to finish. discussion topics include family, animals, employment, wives, girlfriends, childhood, the meaning of life, the scurvy competition, and just about every other thing you can imagine. it would be appropriate to assume that everyone on board knows all your deepest secrets...
The boat took a very unanticipated roll a few days ago and Stevie, standing below in the salon, putting on his rain coat, took a tumble. He (Bam-Bam) banged his side on Dennis' chart table pretty hard ("you didn't scratch the table did you?"-Dennis). Pretty sore for a day or so. "Doc" Caplan fixed me up with ibupro-fun, and did his first aide thing on me. As an ultimate precaution he ran it by an MD friend who confirmed nothing to worry about. It was nothing near the severity, bruise-wise, as the arm thing back in March. As a matter of fact, there is no bruise visible at all! And he stayed on the boat. He feels great now, especially since we made up 3 1/2 hours on our closest rivals. Tiki Blue look out!! you only have 1h 29m ahead.
we all miss our respective SOs terribly. Tom says, as of this second, that we will get in around midnight (ugh) Sunday. But we will update you, especially as we get in cell phone range. Becky and Deanna are cautioned about having too much fun on the flight out.
Quartermistress (?)Becky needs a discussion about men on vacation.... we ran out of all alcohol on board days ago, we only have one cigar left and all the dancing girls jumped ship! we do have lots of bagels. how will we survive? the chef is designing a still....
Don't forget that Sail Mail is still giving us a hard time with the amount of time and bandwidth they will allow us, so don't be frustrated at the lack of e-mails. If we had our way, you would each get 10 a day!!
Very short emails only. we have been cut off by the SAilmail sheriff three times now!
Love and aloha,
Kepano, et. al.
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Thursday, July 24, 2008
(Travis) BRIEF COMMENTS ONLY!
Per instructions from the Bequia crew - i will turn the feature of comments being sent to the boat back on, however there may be a delay in posting the comments to the boat in the new format, (which is to say i will be checking your comments for brevity! )
I used to sail... now i am the mean blogger guy...
-T
PS (comments are being sent to boat - these posts are not)
I used to sail... now i am the mean blogger guy...
-T
PS (comments are being sent to boat - these posts are not)
thursday 7/25 Bequia Blog
Hi folks,
first order of business:
first order of business:
WE got busted off Sail Mail altogether for over use so... expect fewer shorter notes from us directly and through the blog. ILY replaces the famous three words. we are back on but on limited volume.
Please make your responses to the web log brief. we love to hear but can't afford a long discussion or we won't be able to get weather or emergency traffic.
we saw a pod of whales 2d ago 100 yds ahead crossing. ltd visibility but neat.
paul Cayard himself on Hula girl raced past us 2d ago mid day 50yds (to windward) told us we were faster than he expected, that they took pics and would share w/us. very cool in the middle of the ocean!
lemon drops during happy hour made everyone "feeling happy" except the driver who kept full concentration, i assure you.
our two pole jibes go better and better. Jeff did the first w/o me around. most of the crew is now proficient.
we thought we had a good day yesterday but tiki blue must not have had to jibe like we did. we were wound up to 290+ and down to 180- but were going like crazy all day and night. i hate to say it but south paid for them even though we were straight to the barn. they are 60 miles south of us now. we have had to choose between conventional wisdom [south] and Expedition [west] the whole trip. the boats that have stayed up haven't done too well but we haven't either since we made solid choices but ended up between the two options. the scenario plays a little like last race but tiki blue took tutto bene's course.
after discussion, this is our plan: we are five hours behind Tiki Blue and cannot catch them on their line. our nearest competition behind us is a full day back. expedition says go west roughly for a 1/3, then above rhumb line for 1/3, then port pole reach into the finish. if we acn make up time it will be on that last day. we will run an optimization every day and follow it religiously.
it will take work and some luck to get our place back but this crew is really top drawer. i do not anticipate problems here. its a long race and a lot can happen yet.
we all love you all. see you soon.
jack
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squalls rule!
got you five by five tk. thanks.
love dad
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From Travis: Transponder is back working...
The transponder dropped out for a bit but is back up and working...
The boys used all there alloted bandwidth to download wind files, hopefully those files are helping them plot the best course possible.
-Travis
The boys used all there alloted bandwidth to download wind files, hopefully those files are helping them plot the best course possible.
-Travis
(From Travis) Overuse...
Due to the Boys using too much bandwidth, i am suspending the comments to the boat... Do Post them here and they can read them later. (I can personally attest to how fun they are to read after the race!
-Travis
-Travis
Failed Transponder!
On behalf of Dennis - Becky informs us that our transponder failed early this AM. We are fine, and remember you can check us on the Paccup site. We continue to also have intermittent problems with email, so again, don't worry if we fail to zip something out on a regular basis. We were actually cut off briefly today for over usage, so among other things we should all try to keep emails short. We are sailing hard!
Dennis sends his love, Tom
Dennis sends his love, Tom
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
test
squalls coming just a test
jack
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Bequia Tuesday Blog
MC:
Monday, 07/22/08: Kapani, (Stephen), cooked up a dinner meal that would have been considered decadent on terra firma, much less at sea. N.Y.'s,(huge), pan fried topped with a generous wedge of Maytag Blue accompanied by roasted red & green peppers and garlic potatoes w/ a butter reduction was served with an appropriate rosa vino. Our sailing tactics may have suffered a bit while we recovered from the food stupor that was induced by eating all but our plates and dinner ware.
Had our second hook up, the first was a blue fin a few days ago. Threw the little guy back in, about 3 lbs., wasn't big enough to feed the crew. Yesterday, we had our second hook up. A Mahi Mahi. Not as big as I would have liked, but big enough to do fish tacos tomorrow. The crew enjoyed observing the landing of the mahi and had lot's of suggestions during the cleaning process off the stern of the boat. Lost our gaff and the Bequia's fillet knife in the process of retrieving and cleaning the fish. Not very professional, but the deed was accomplished without further mayhem.
Yesterday, as well as today, the crew pulled off dual pole jibes. Actually, several maneuvers today. This topic and event has been a significant highlight of the race so far for Jack. He hasn't stopped talking to anyone who would listen to his plans and opinions of how to successfully execute this somewhat complicated if not somewhat exotic tactic. Especially aboard Bequia, which isn't really rigged for such a maneuver. Bottom line, the crew is now officially certified to execute this type of jibe, much to Jack's satisfaction and delight. Now he devote himself to other tactics which he has been secretly devising for the rest of the trip.
Kapani has woke up this morning stating that he dreamed he was swimming last night?? Not a good omen when your over 1000 miles offshore. He also related hearing laughing female voices? I can assure all of our significant others, there are no females onboard. If there were, they would have abandoned Bequia many days ago, forced out by cigar smoke, baudy language and adult males acting like 10 year olds. That's all I have to say about that, what happens offshore, stays on the boat.
It took me a little time to click into Bequia's driving characteristics. She handles a lot different from Punahele and it took me a few days to be comfortable with driving at night and in unstable conditions. Yesterday, I took the helm and "stayed on" for two hours. Our normal trick at the wheel is 15 minutes to half hour depending on conditions. The results achieved were; feeling more confident in helming the boat, achieving better than average VMG,(miles made good to our destination), and NO CRASHES/jibes. When I finished my trick on the wheel, I retired to my bunk and slept like a baby.
Jeff, (Heffe), has been doing outstanding bow work, ready to dash forward when the need arises, including out of a dead sleep, to do what needs to be done. He is also a driving maniac and there are no conditions that intimidate him.
Day before yesterday I took the boats first bucket bath off the stern. Most of the crew followed like lemmings. Soiled, smelly little beasts, running to the water. It looked like a beach spa of the aft end of Bequia, without the sand. Some of the squeals of delight were frankly, girly! Maybe that was Kapani's recollection of female voices??
We discovered Dennis' stash of batteries. no problem running out there, i assure you.
Tom continues to do excellent above and beyond work as navigator. he knows more ways to check things and cross check them with hypotheticals than anyone i know. maybe travis? he has already reloaded half the software on the boat and is now working off two different machines for technical reasons that are beyond me except that we couldn't write this and send it without the combination of the two. his driving is great too. he is certified to drive during jibes and has proven to have the patience to do wind seeking work in light and nonexistent air. if you are watching our track you know there have been ugly no wind holes that took some time to escape.
more later....
MC+
Monday, 07/22/08: Kapani, (Stephen), cooked up a dinner meal that would have been considered decadent on terra firma, much less at sea. N.Y.'s,(huge), pan fried topped with a generous wedge of Maytag Blue accompanied by roasted red & green peppers and garlic potatoes w/ a butter reduction was served with an appropriate rosa vino. Our sailing tactics may have suffered a bit while we recovered from the food stupor that was induced by eating all but our plates and dinner ware.
Had our second hook up, the first was a blue fin a few days ago. Threw the little guy back in, about 3 lbs., wasn't big enough to feed the crew. Yesterday, we had our second hook up. A Mahi Mahi. Not as big as I would have liked, but big enough to do fish tacos tomorrow. The crew enjoyed observing the landing of the mahi and had lot's of suggestions during the cleaning process off the stern of the boat. Lost our gaff and the Bequia's fillet knife in the process of retrieving and cleaning the fish. Not very professional, but the deed was accomplished without further mayhem.
Yesterday, as well as today, the crew pulled off dual pole jibes. Actually, several maneuvers today. This topic and event has been a significant highlight of the race so far for Jack. He hasn't stopped talking to anyone who would listen to his plans and opinions of how to successfully execute this somewhat complicated if not somewhat exotic tactic. Especially aboard Bequia, which isn't really rigged for such a maneuver. Bottom line, the crew is now officially certified to execute this type of jibe, much to Jack's satisfaction and delight. Now he devote himself to other tactics which he has been secretly devising for the rest of the trip.
Kapani has woke up this morning stating that he dreamed he was swimming last night?? Not a good omen when your over 1000 miles offshore. He also related hearing laughing female voices? I can assure all of our significant others, there are no females onboard. If there were, they would have abandoned Bequia many days ago, forced out by cigar smoke, baudy language and adult males acting like 10 year olds. That's all I have to say about that, what happens offshore, stays on the boat.
It took me a little time to click into Bequia's driving characteristics. She handles a lot different from Punahele and it took me a few days to be comfortable with driving at night and in unstable conditions. Yesterday, I took the helm and "stayed on" for two hours. Our normal trick at the wheel is 15 minutes to half hour depending on conditions. The results achieved were; feeling more confident in helming the boat, achieving better than average VMG,(miles made good to our destination), and NO CRASHES/jibes. When I finished my trick on the wheel, I retired to my bunk and slept like a baby.
Jeff, (Heffe), has been doing outstanding bow work, ready to dash forward when the need arises, including out of a dead sleep, to do what needs to be done. He is also a driving maniac and there are no conditions that intimidate him.
Day before yesterday I took the boats first bucket bath off the stern. Most of the crew followed like lemmings. Soiled, smelly little beasts, running to the water. It looked like a beach spa of the aft end of Bequia, without the sand. Some of the squeals of delight were frankly, girly! Maybe that was Kapani's recollection of female voices??
We discovered Dennis' stash of batteries. no problem running out there, i assure you.
Tom continues to do excellent above and beyond work as navigator. he knows more ways to check things and cross check them with hypotheticals than anyone i know. maybe travis? he has already reloaded half the software on the boat and is now working off two different machines for technical reasons that are beyond me except that we couldn't write this and send it without the combination of the two. his driving is great too. he is certified to drive during jibes and has proven to have the patience to do wind seeking work in light and nonexistent air. if you are watching our track you know there have been ugly no wind holes that took some time to escape.
more later....
MC+
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Sunday July 20
Holy cow Second Place!! lovin' it. i have to talk to Tom about the PRIME DIRECTIVE of the navigator and radio man.... figure and give the position reports absolutely first. then we have to work on how it is not funny to say you have "bad news" as a joke before reporting the good news...:)
we had a frustrating night. the wind was light and very variable and the seas were lumpy as Dennis likes to say. all that adds up to surprise bumps from the waves that unload the main which then fills again with a bang. believe it or not the off watch learns to sleep right through. saw our first squall early but it passed right by. Mike terrified the other guys with facts and figures and sailor exaggerations about what happens when you get in one. left some of the crew slightly breathless. because it was so light, you always imagine the other guys pounding out big numbers. this morning was a great relief.
interestingly, Expedition says still to go north above the great circle and then dive down to Kaneohe. no tips but we puzzle over the options all day long.
today we did our foredeck work checking for chafe at the head of the chute, changing halyards and re-leading them through the blocks with stoppers so we can manage the two pole jibes. there was also a small tear at the center base of the kite from hanging up on the light standard on the pulpit.
we had another great day of sitting out on deck shooting the breeze and having another one of Stephen's exemplary wine selections. rumors are that there were 'gars aboard. i found Dennis' stash. [he claims he found my stash] but anyway, it is a special time for swapping stories of sailing and life on land. yes, you folks who are not here to defend yourselves should be very worried. the stories get exaggerated for effect, at least that is what i heard.
we are rolling along at 6-8.5 knots depending on who drives. i am terrible at light wind but others seem to slip into a groove right away.
hope those other guys have less wind in a lousier direction than we have.
tom just took a sunsight out the saloon hatch. while we made tasteless jokes, he determined that we were within two nautical miles of where the apparently less reliable GPS said. we will get the GPS calibrated when we get in.
jack
PS: no significant injuries or malfunctioning bodily systems. all needs for human survival are easily met for the rest of the trip. so, no worries, mon.
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Day 4ish?
mike just caught his first fish. after talking of his prowess for days, yeah, years, he had fish on in 35 minutes! granted it was kinda small but a blue fin it was. A little blood on deck and DBR was having second thoughts.... we'll see if very very fresh sushi wins out over a little small mess on deck. mc: Yee of little faith......
our first entry in the blog got erased somehow but i will try to pick it up from here. the start was much more exciting than any start to a 2000 mile race had any right to be. boats got squeezed out of the starting line and there was some real close quarter drill going on. we came in full speed second rank with clear air and in just the planned place. thrilling. wee were still learning the 140 jib as we tacked several times out the gate then we wisely got our only allowed gear issue out of the way. we sent the second main batten to the briny deep. it seems to make little if any difference. mc: It was a start out of the text books. Flawless and as perfect as we could hope for. We instilled a little fear in our Div., we've got many more days of sailing to confirm their original impressions. So far so good. The boat and crew are performing well, achieving realistic expectations. With a little more hard work and some luck, we have a chance of achieving respectable results. One can only hope. The Bequia Boyz are making the effort, I can assure you.
our first days of getting situated went very well. everyone decides where their personal stash of gloves, glasses hats pillow, socks, PFD, extra socks, specially warm hat, nighttime gloves, etc. it sorts out over the first couple days. the excitement kept Dennis and Stephen up more than they slept for awhile but everyone is now getting the sleep they need. food has been great with cabbage rolls, lamb curry (OMG, thank you) and meatloaf. we snack a lot and breakfasts have been filling and store bought quality.
our routing issues were faced right away. a human professional said south ASAP but the high tech program suggested going over the great circle route for most of the way. we finally decided on the program for many good reasons and off we went. it was beam reach on white sails for the first two days. 48 hours after the start, up went the chute. it is still doing great duty. we are still reaching but not hard at this point. our strategy came into question as new data went into the program. in the end we are essentially on the rhumb line direct to Kaneohe. its a long story.... we have run down the two boats we could see. as you probably know we moved up the standings then dropped one place when another boat posted a days run of 12% more miles than any of the rest of the people in the fleet. we did beat the leader in miles yesterday which made us feel good. the boat that slipped into our spot took a much more southerly route. we are all after different approaches going straight to HI.
our watch schedule has been a riot to follow. in the middle of the night it is not uncommon seeing crew standing in front of the chart for five minutes then asking when they come on deck again. Stephen has redrawn the schedule so it is much more bleary eyed sailor friendly. Dennis Stephen and jack are pretty old hands at the spinnaker stuff. Jeff is showing that he is a natural. Michael took a bit to get comfortable with this boat since it behaves so much differently than his. he is now in charge and looks forward to his time on the wheel. Tom is a real wonder with little spinnaker experience and no ocean time, he has done a great job of avoiding roundups add downs. overall we have excellent drivers. the wheel hogs are Dennis and Stephen. Jeff will happily drive for hours and has done so when needed. all the crew show healthy concern for the others. this team got built beautifully in a day.
today it got hot. all the shorts came out and the heavy gear got put away. it is much more Hawaii like now. mc: We even started up the Hawaiian music and everyone is getting ready, albeit a little early for Kaneohe.
All are in good spirits and good health.
Gotta go, more later.
Jack
PS serious thanks to all who allowed us to go, supported the idea and the dream financially and emotionally. we all love you for helping.
our first entry in the blog got erased somehow but i will try to pick it up from here. the start was much more exciting than any start to a 2000 mile race had any right to be. boats got squeezed out of the starting line and there was some real close quarter drill going on. we came in full speed second rank with clear air and in just the planned place. thrilling. wee were still learning the 140 jib as we tacked several times out the gate then we wisely got our only allowed gear issue out of the way. we sent the second main batten to the briny deep. it seems to make little if any difference. mc: It was a start out of the text books. Flawless and as perfect as we could hope for. We instilled a little fear in our Div., we've got many more days of sailing to confirm their original impressions. So far so good. The boat and crew are performing well, achieving realistic expectations. With a little more hard work and some luck, we have a chance of achieving respectable results. One can only hope. The Bequia Boyz are making the effort, I can assure you.
our first days of getting situated went very well. everyone decides where their personal stash of gloves, glasses hats pillow, socks, PFD, extra socks, specially warm hat, nighttime gloves, etc. it sorts out over the first couple days. the excitement kept Dennis and Stephen up more than they slept for awhile but everyone is now getting the sleep they need. food has been great with cabbage rolls, lamb curry (OMG, thank you) and meatloaf. we snack a lot and breakfasts have been filling and store bought quality.
our routing issues were faced right away. a human professional said south ASAP but the high tech program suggested going over the great circle route for most of the way. we finally decided on the program for many good reasons and off we went. it was beam reach on white sails for the first two days. 48 hours after the start, up went the chute. it is still doing great duty. we are still reaching but not hard at this point. our strategy came into question as new data went into the program. in the end we are essentially on the rhumb line direct to Kaneohe. its a long story.... we have run down the two boats we could see. as you probably know we moved up the standings then dropped one place when another boat posted a days run of 12% more miles than any of the rest of the people in the fleet. we did beat the leader in miles yesterday which made us feel good. the boat that slipped into our spot took a much more southerly route. we are all after different approaches going straight to HI.
our watch schedule has been a riot to follow. in the middle of the night it is not uncommon seeing crew standing in front of the chart for five minutes then asking when they come on deck again. Stephen has redrawn the schedule so it is much more bleary eyed sailor friendly. Dennis Stephen and jack are pretty old hands at the spinnaker stuff. Jeff is showing that he is a natural. Michael took a bit to get comfortable with this boat since it behaves so much differently than his. he is now in charge and looks forward to his time on the wheel. Tom is a real wonder with little spinnaker experience and no ocean time, he has done a great job of avoiding roundups add downs. overall we have excellent drivers. the wheel hogs are Dennis and Stephen. Jeff will happily drive for hours and has done so when needed. all the crew show healthy concern for the others. this team got built beautifully in a day.
today it got hot. all the shorts came out and the heavy gear got put away. it is much more Hawaii like now. mc: We even started up the Hawaiian music and everyone is getting ready, albeit a little early for Kaneohe.
All are in good spirits and good health.
Gotta go, more later.
Jack
PS serious thanks to all who allowed us to go, supported the idea and the dream financially and emotionally. we all love you for helping.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
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