It was cold and raining and the race was delayed because everyone was in the bar (sailors!). First start was 20 mins late and had a general recall as too many boats were over the line early. They changed the course from 8short to 7short as the wind had shifted.
Winds were forecast to be 5-8 knots from the SE.
John is in BC, Melissa was out. Got a guy from work Chris who is also taking sailing lessons at Whitby Yacht Club to come out. I also played hockey with him a couple of year ago.
We tacked at the start around the committee boat with less than a minute to our start. Hardly any wind, and probably a 2 knots current was pushing us into the committee boat. Had to fend off and the wind finally pushed us to the start line blocking several boats behind us (sorry Berserk!)
Just enough wind to get the boat moving. We were 3rd of 4 boats at the windward mark, improved to 2nd after the next leg. We could not catch Cheekey Monkey on the downwind leg, so we tried to avoid dead downwind and find some wind. On the final leg I purposely went out a little farther to try and find more wind. Went a little too far and finished 3rd just behind Iris the Catalina 25, and 5 minutes behind Cheekey Monkey the Shark. Don't think we caught the Shark on corrected time.
Chris did well on the helm.
Melissa is really starting to understand racing and sailing terms!
Man did it rain as we went upstairs for a drink.
Trip Odometer: 9.44 miles
Moving Average: 3.3 knots
Moving Time: 02:52:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130731.kmz
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
CS34 Oakville to Whitby
Left the dock a little after 9am, single handed.
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| Thank You Oakville Club! |
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| View looking down harbour |
Winds were forecast for 7-10 knots from the SW and swing to W towards Toronto.
Out on the water, they were much less. Tried to sail with jib only with the wind on a broad reach, but could only muster 2 knots of boat speed without the motor. With the motor, the jib was collapsing because the apparent wind generated by the foreward motion of the boat was more than the wind pushing the sails.
Motored the entire way.
Got some rain off Port Credit.
Leftover 2ft swells made is very lumpy until the east side of the Leslie Street spit.
Towards Whitby is was sunny and warmer, and with winds had picked up slightly from the south. Probably could have sailed, but I just wanted to get home.
Burned an 1/8th of a tank of diesel (10 L).
Trip Odometer: 48 miles
Moving Average: 7.2 knots!
Moving Time: 06:36:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130729.kmz
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
CS34 WYC to Oakville Club
Left the dock a little after 8am for a pumpout.
Left with 3/4 tank of diesel.
No wind to speak of and a 2ft swell left from the SE from the overnight breeze. I was feeling very QUEEZY!
Went about a mile off shore to wave a Rita who was working at Pickering Nuclear Generating Station
Past Frenchman's Bay wind picked up to 15 knots, but on the nose!!!
Didn't even bother with the sails, just motored along at 6 knots
Wind and waves were building ON THE NOSE.
It was a releaf to go into the inner harbor.
Trip Odometer: 53.20 miles
Moving Average: 6.1 knots
Moving Time: 09:39:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130723.kmz
Left with 3/4 tank of diesel.
No wind to speak of and a 2ft swell left from the SE from the overnight breeze. I was feeling very QUEEZY!
Past Frenchman's Bay wind picked up to 15 knots, but on the nose!!!
Didn't even bother with the sails, just motored along at 6 knots
Wind and waves were building ON THE NOSE.
It was a releaf to go into the inner harbor.
Trip Odometer: 53.20 miles
Moving Average: 6.1 knots
Moving Time: 09:39:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130723.kmz
Monday, July 22, 2013
Prince Edward County in Land Yacht
Rita, Bogart, and I decided to take a break from sailing and take the land yacht to Prince Edward County. The land yacht is a 1991 British Racing Green Miata:
We visited Dave and Toni in Brighton. Toni took a tumble a couple of weeks ago while photographing a bird and broke her collar bone and fibula, so we brought her some flowers and stayed for a drink. It was a nice visit.
We checked out some waterfront properties near Carrying Place that we saw on MLS.
Lunch of champions was some County French Fries.
We explored many backroads of the County.
We stopped at the Rosehill Winery, and picked up a couple of bottles of really nice Chardonnay. A couple years back, we stayed at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and had an amazing dinner; the house white wine was very enjoyable. When we asked what it was, they said its from Prince Edward County: Rosehill Chardonnay.
We stopped at the end of Huck's Point Road and walked on the beach.
We stopped in Picton and checked out some shops.
We drove to Belleville, picked up a sub, and enjoyed it with a bottle of wine on the town docks.
I showed Rita Don and Helen's (Sherry Lynn's parents) place in Belleville.
Winds didn't affect our travels!
Trip Odometer: 227.6 miles
Moving Average: 56.9 knots
Moving Time: 03:20:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130721.kmz
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| This photo is from 2008 That is little Still Time in background before we bought her |
We visited Dave and Toni in Brighton. Toni took a tumble a couple of weeks ago while photographing a bird and broke her collar bone and fibula, so we brought her some flowers and stayed for a drink. It was a nice visit.
We checked out some waterfront properties near Carrying Place that we saw on MLS.
Lunch of champions was some County French Fries.
We explored many backroads of the County.
We stopped at the Rosehill Winery, and picked up a couple of bottles of really nice Chardonnay. A couple years back, we stayed at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and had an amazing dinner; the house white wine was very enjoyable. When we asked what it was, they said its from Prince Edward County: Rosehill Chardonnay.
We stopped at the end of Huck's Point Road and walked on the beach.
We stopped in Picton and checked out some shops.
We drove to Belleville, picked up a sub, and enjoyed it with a bottle of wine on the town docks.
I showed Rita Don and Helen's (Sherry Lynn's parents) place in Belleville.
Winds didn't affect our travels!
Trip Odometer: 227.6 miles
Moving Average: 56.9 knots
Moving Time: 03:20:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130721.kmz
Saturday, July 20, 2013
CS34 WYC Moonlight Cruise
The full moon in on Monday at 2pm, so the Whitby Yacht Club organized at Almost a Full Moon cruise on the Saturday night. Rita and I were cruise captains and lead the fleet out.
The moon rose at 6:53pm with the sun set at 8:52pm
Rita and I anchored outside the clubhouse at around 8pm, and led the fleet out at 9pm.
Winds were forecast from the NW about 10 knots with gusts to 20. The NW wind meant not too many waves, so I sent the course to be from where we were anchored out to mark 9 of the race course, then a beam reach to the Ajax weather buoy and back.
There were 33 boats who had signed up for the cruise, but only 12 came out.
It was the best sail of the season for us on the big boat.
Winds were a little less, about 10 knots, but got the boat going between 4 and 5 knots the entire time.
We didn't get any moonlight shots as there wasn't enough light for the camera.
These are from Paul Becker:
The moon was VERY bright, a good time was had by all.
Trip Odometer: 15.0 miles
Moving Average: 4.5 knots
Moving Time: 03:18:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130720pm.kmz
The moon rose at 6:53pm with the sun set at 8:52pm
Rita and I anchored outside the clubhouse at around 8pm, and led the fleet out at 9pm.
Winds were forecast from the NW about 10 knots with gusts to 20. The NW wind meant not too many waves, so I sent the course to be from where we were anchored out to mark 9 of the race course, then a beam reach to the Ajax weather buoy and back.
There were 33 boats who had signed up for the cruise, but only 12 came out.
It was the best sail of the season for us on the big boat.
Winds were a little less, about 10 knots, but got the boat going between 4 and 5 knots the entire time.
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| Interlude (Mirage 33) at sunset |
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| Rita always takes a nice photo! |
We didn't get any moonlight shots as there wasn't enough light for the camera.
These are from Paul Becker:
The moon was VERY bright, a good time was had by all.
Trip Odometer: 15.0 miles
Moving Average: 4.5 knots
Moving Time: 03:18:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130720pm.kmz
C22 Whitby Mayor's Cup
WYC Mayor's Cup is a weekend pursuit race. Boats start in the reverse order of their PHRF handicap. For example, Gary on Dolphin has a PHRF of 300, while Still Time has a PHRF of 270, so I would give him 30 seconds for every mile sailed. Similarly, a competitor with a PRHF of 210, would give me the difference of 60 seconds a mile. The course was set to the Moore Point mark in Pickering, making the race 14 miles long.
I started 7 minutes after Gary; while the fastest boat in our fleet is Ed's JustinTime with a PRHF of 135 started 34 minutes after me. I really like this format because theoretically, all boats should finish at the same time and you really get to gauge your sailing performance.
I was out single handed with the light #1 and full racing main.
Winds were from the NW, 6-12 knots making for a nice close reach to Pickering.
Not so, winds were VERY light at the start and picked up as the fleet went west. Going into shore, the winds were VERY flukey. Puffs would come up and the boat would be overpowered and rounded up. Plus they were shifting as much at 90 degrees! At one point, the wind died inshore, so I fought my way offshore away from the mark to find wind, only to have it die, and start again inshore. Was very frustrating sailing!
Near the west windward mark, I was second around just behind Silver Shadow (Tartan 3400). Winds were gusting and shifting all over the place. At one point I was healed over so much that I fell backward and broke the electrical connection for the autohelm. Ugggghhh.
Got the boat going well just behind a beam reach following the rhumb line to the finish. After a couple of miles the winds lightened, then switch from NW to SW and picked up. Trying the gybe the sails without an autohelm was difficult. On this new point of sail (broad reach), I need to pole out the genoa to windward. THIS IS WHEN THE TROUBLE STARTED. Going forward without an autohelm is tough, so I rigged a tiller tamer with a line. However, the winds were shifty, and everytime I went forward, the boat would wander around. Plus, the boat would respond to weight shifts as I went forward. After about 10 trips to the foredeck, the boat would fall off/round up and lose all boat speed. I ALMOST got the pole setup, and the genoa back winded and wrapped around the forestay. The sheets went under the boat and got all tangled. I took me about 15 minutes to get this sorted out (just look at the track!). Meanwhile boats were catching and passing me. I went from 2nd place to the rear of the fleet.
What a cluster F!
Scored a DFL (Dead Friggan Last), but oh wait, I still beat Bruder on Dolphin!
Trip Odometer: 21.40 miles
Moving Average: 4.4 knots
Moving Time: 04:40:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130720.kmz
I started 7 minutes after Gary; while the fastest boat in our fleet is Ed's JustinTime with a PRHF of 135 started 34 minutes after me. I really like this format because theoretically, all boats should finish at the same time and you really get to gauge your sailing performance.
I was out single handed with the light #1 and full racing main.
Winds were from the NW, 6-12 knots making for a nice close reach to Pickering.
Not so, winds were VERY light at the start and picked up as the fleet went west. Going into shore, the winds were VERY flukey. Puffs would come up and the boat would be overpowered and rounded up. Plus they were shifting as much at 90 degrees! At one point, the wind died inshore, so I fought my way offshore away from the mark to find wind, only to have it die, and start again inshore. Was very frustrating sailing!
Near the west windward mark, I was second around just behind Silver Shadow (Tartan 3400). Winds were gusting and shifting all over the place. At one point I was healed over so much that I fell backward and broke the electrical connection for the autohelm. Ugggghhh.
Got the boat going well just behind a beam reach following the rhumb line to the finish. After a couple of miles the winds lightened, then switch from NW to SW and picked up. Trying the gybe the sails without an autohelm was difficult. On this new point of sail (broad reach), I need to pole out the genoa to windward. THIS IS WHEN THE TROUBLE STARTED. Going forward without an autohelm is tough, so I rigged a tiller tamer with a line. However, the winds were shifty, and everytime I went forward, the boat would wander around. Plus, the boat would respond to weight shifts as I went forward. After about 10 trips to the foredeck, the boat would fall off/round up and lose all boat speed. I ALMOST got the pole setup, and the genoa back winded and wrapped around the forestay. The sheets went under the boat and got all tangled. I took me about 15 minutes to get this sorted out (just look at the track!). Meanwhile boats were catching and passing me. I went from 2nd place to the rear of the fleet.
What a cluster F!
Scored a DFL (Dead Friggan Last), but oh wait, I still beat Bruder on Dolphin!
Trip Odometer: 21.40 miles
Moving Average: 4.4 knots
Moving Time: 04:40:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130720.kmz
Thursday, July 18, 2013
C22 Whitby Race Night
Windfinder was saying chance of rain in the dinner hour and 8 knot west winds with gusts to 14.
At around 5:30pm, major rain and winds swept through the area. There were also several developing Cumulonimbus clouds, so we rigged up the heavy #1 and the racing main. My thought was if we get a gust front, I didn't want to shred the light #1 (our best sail).
Just John and I, going out the channel the threatening clouds dissipated, so we swapped the heavy #1 for the light #1. There certainly wasn't 8 knots of wind out there, perhaps 1-2 with a leftover 2ft swell. The race committee wisely postponed the race for half an hour, and we started a 4M course with about 6 knots of wind from the SW.
Not a bad start, but the winds were diminishing towards the windward mark, and we were 4th around it. On the second leg, we gained some ground on the fleet in front of us, but alas the winds were diminishing, and the race committee shortened the course.
Winds COMPLETELY died and came back lightly from the NW. It took forever to get to the leeward mark. On the final upwind leg on a beam, we were able to get the boat going over 4 knots.
We were 4th of 5 across the line, not too far behind the others.
UPDATE: we won the race on corrected time.
On the way back in the channel Time 1, a Northern 29 was stuck in the channel without wind or motor. We towed them to their dock. I WAS worried that the 2HP would not be enough for the boat, but it is absolutely fine!!!
We didn't get back to the dock until 9:30pm.
Trip Odometer: 9.00 miles
Moving Average: 3.3 knots
Moving Time: 03:08:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130717.kmz
NOTE: GPS batteries died, so not a full track.
At around 5:30pm, major rain and winds swept through the area. There were also several developing Cumulonimbus clouds, so we rigged up the heavy #1 and the racing main. My thought was if we get a gust front, I didn't want to shred the light #1 (our best sail).
Just John and I, going out the channel the threatening clouds dissipated, so we swapped the heavy #1 for the light #1. There certainly wasn't 8 knots of wind out there, perhaps 1-2 with a leftover 2ft swell. The race committee wisely postponed the race for half an hour, and we started a 4M course with about 6 knots of wind from the SW.
Not a bad start, but the winds were diminishing towards the windward mark, and we were 4th around it. On the second leg, we gained some ground on the fleet in front of us, but alas the winds were diminishing, and the race committee shortened the course.
Winds COMPLETELY died and came back lightly from the NW. It took forever to get to the leeward mark. On the final upwind leg on a beam, we were able to get the boat going over 4 knots.
We were 4th of 5 across the line, not too far behind the others.
UPDATE: we won the race on corrected time.
On the way back in the channel Time 1, a Northern 29 was stuck in the channel without wind or motor. We towed them to their dock. I WAS worried that the 2HP would not be enough for the boat, but it is absolutely fine!!!
We didn't get back to the dock until 9:30pm.
Trip Odometer: 9.00 miles
Moving Average: 3.3 knots
Moving Time: 03:08:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130717.kmz
NOTE: GPS batteries died, so not a full track.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
CS34 Afternoon Sail
Rita and I went out for an afternoon sail. Wind were LIGHT 3-6 from the East. The thought was to sail out to our friends who are in the Lake Ontario 300 and say hi! We headed out on a beam reach with about 3 knots of boat speed.
I went below and got the Lake Ontario 300 YellowBrick race tracker going.
We tried to hail Sumac, but no answer, did get a reply back from Rob on Black Magic, and there was more wind offshore. Glad!
Winds were dying, not enough to get through the leftover 2ft waves., so we motored back.
We anchored in 9 ft of water by the clubhouse and BBQed dinner.
Went for a swim, even Bogart the dog came in with his life jacket.
Trip Odometer: 8.88 miles
Moving Average: 3.5 knots
Moving Time: 02:36:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130713.kmz
I went below and got the Lake Ontario 300 YellowBrick race tracker going.
- Sumac
- Moonlight Misstress
- Black Magic
We tried to hail Sumac, but no answer, did get a reply back from Rob on Black Magic, and there was more wind offshore. Glad!
Winds were dying, not enough to get through the leftover 2ft waves., so we motored back.
We anchored in 9 ft of water by the clubhouse and BBQed dinner.
Went for a swim, even Bogart the dog came in with his life jacket.
Trip Odometer: 8.88 miles
Moving Average: 3.5 knots
Moving Time: 02:36:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130713.kmz
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
MacIntosh Race Summary
Using my handheld GPS:
Trip Odometer: 507 miles
Moving Average: 6.8 knots
Moving Time: 74:37:00
NOTE: this includes time at the start from leaving Marblehead.
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130710.kmz
NOTE: the GPS only keeps about 48 hours of track data, so the start of the track was lost.
We had lots of time to see where we could have made up 20 seconds.
We gambled on a wind shift and didn't get it.
We should have tacked earlier and not opened the door to Harrier.
Talking to some other sailors including the overall PHRF winner Peter Noonan on a Swan 56, the wind shift DID happen about 5 miles east of us. Peter won because he caught that wind shift offshore.
Trip Odometer: 507 miles
Moving Average: 6.8 knots
Moving Time: 74:37:00
NOTE: this includes time at the start from leaving Marblehead.
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130710.kmz
NOTE: the GPS only keeps about 48 hours of track data, so the start of the track was lost.
We had lots of time to see where we could have made up 20 seconds.
- Spinnaker topping lift had failed again.
- Spinnaker inboard pole pulley had failed.
- Dirk has cut the panels for a new Kevlar #3, but didn't get time to sew it up.
- We could have run an asym for the first bit of the final leg.
- If we didn't have to duck the trawler in the open ocean.
We gambled on a wind shift and didn't get it.
We should have tacked earlier and not opened the door to Harrier.
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| This is how close we were at the finish!!! |
Talking to some other sailors including the overall PHRF winner Peter Noonan on a Swan 56, the wind shift DID happen about 5 miles east of us. Peter won because he caught that wind shift offshore.
MacIntosh MTOH Day 4
During the night, we got within 3 miles of shore on the SE corner of Nova Scotia, near Lockeport. I was able to get cell service, send some updates to friends via email, and look on the race tracker.
WE WERE IN THE LEAD BY ABOUT 5 MILES!
We had 90 miles to Halifax!
We did a tack and a 12 mile hitch out into the Atlantic so we could make Halifax.
Weather reports had said that the EAST wind we were experiencing was going to swing to the south during the day tomorrow. We were below the rhumb line and decided to risk going a little further inshore and will get paid BIG off handsomely when the wind shifted to the SE, and we would be on a beam/broad reach into Halifax vs all the offshore boats that would be dead downwind.
The wind had picked up over 30 knots, us with a full main, #3 and all bodies on the rail to flatten the boat out. We would stay like this for another 8 hours. We had started to get closer to shore by Mahone Bay, with no wind shift. WE DID NOT GET THE WIND SHIFT AND LIFT TO HALIFAX.
We were 2.5 miles from Peggy's Cove.
If we had tacked even one hour (7 miles) earlier, we would have sailed 6 miles less.
As we came out of Mahone Bay, Harrier had made up our 5 miles lead.
The J/35 Harrier has the same PHRF rating as MacIntosh, so the final 25 miles was a match race. We covered them all the way to windward turning mark at Halifax and they got ahead of us on the reach to the next turning mark.
On the final turning mark, we were hoping to fly the spinnaker, but the wind had shifted just forward of the beam making it difficult to fly the symmetric chute.
Dirk was on the helm, and Mac was a handful in the puffs.
We were flying towards the finish at over 9 knots, gaining on Harrier.
The course swung more downwind, and we were able to close the gap further.
This is how close we got at the finish line:
After 3 days on the water, we end up with a 25 mile match race, 20 seconds out of first place.
So we placed SECOND in PHRF-3 and FOURTH overall in PHRF.
We were disappointed, tired, but proud of our accomplishment.
WE WERE IN THE LEAD BY ABOUT 5 MILES!
We had 90 miles to Halifax!
We did a tack and a 12 mile hitch out into the Atlantic so we could make Halifax.
Weather reports had said that the EAST wind we were experiencing was going to swing to the south during the day tomorrow. We were below the rhumb line and decided to risk going a little further inshore and will get paid BIG off handsomely when the wind shifted to the SE, and we would be on a beam/broad reach into Halifax vs all the offshore boats that would be dead downwind.
The wind had picked up over 30 knots, us with a full main, #3 and all bodies on the rail to flatten the boat out. We would stay like this for another 8 hours. We had started to get closer to shore by Mahone Bay, with no wind shift. WE DID NOT GET THE WIND SHIFT AND LIFT TO HALIFAX.
We were 2.5 miles from Peggy's Cove.
If we had tacked even one hour (7 miles) earlier, we would have sailed 6 miles less.
As we came out of Mahone Bay, Harrier had made up our 5 miles lead.
The J/35 Harrier has the same PHRF rating as MacIntosh, so the final 25 miles was a match race. We covered them all the way to windward turning mark at Halifax and they got ahead of us on the reach to the next turning mark.
On the final turning mark, we were hoping to fly the spinnaker, but the wind had shifted just forward of the beam making it difficult to fly the symmetric chute.
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| Harrier's lead at the start of the final 12 miles |
Dirk was on the helm, and Mac was a handful in the puffs.
We were flying towards the finish at over 9 knots, gaining on Harrier.
The course swung more downwind, and we were able to close the gap further.
This is how close we got at the finish line:
After 3 days on the water, we end up with a 25 mile match race, 20 seconds out of first place.
So we placed SECOND in PHRF-3 and FOURTH overall in PHRF.
We were disappointed, tired, but proud of our accomplishment.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
MacIntosh MTOH Day 3
We blew across the Gulf of Main through the night in the fog with a full main and light #1. In the middle of the night we were on a starboard tack and had a 43ft yacht from the division above us called Agincourt. Pretty neat. When we were on port tack, all eyes were looking for starboard boats coming in. Visibility wasn't more than 200ft.
The time on this photo was 7:19am
Winds had picked up over 25 knots causing us to be woken up for a sail change to the #3. A little while later apparent wind was up over 30 knots, so we threw in a reef.
We kept our boat speed close to 7 knots with this sail configuration heeled over about 25 degrees. We pretty much stayed like this for the rest of the day and into the night.
We did encountered a fishing trawler and had to alter course:
The time on this photo was 7:19am
Winds had picked up over 25 knots causing us to be woken up for a sail change to the #3. A little while later apparent wind was up over 30 knots, so we threw in a reef.
We kept our boat speed close to 7 knots with this sail configuration heeled over about 25 degrees. We pretty much stayed like this for the rest of the day and into the night.
We did encountered a fishing trawler and had to alter course:
Monday, July 8, 2013
MacIntosh MTOH Day 2
The night shift has switched back to the asym as the winds had lightened; Kevin said he loved this watch the most because they were flying the chute at over 8 knots comfortably in the dark with hardly any waves.
Don't remember much of the second day other than the winds were 15-20 from the east, with occasional puffs in the 30s. Our watch was woken up to douse the asym as the winds did pickup and moved forward.
We had gone with the heavy #1 most of the time.
During our provisioning in Marblehead, Michael had picked up three bag of chips, which we had already gone through. We wished had bought more chips.
Off the coast of Maine, we passed a cruise ship:
This prompted Michael to shout "THROW US YOUR CHIPS!!!"
Sounded an lot like "SHOW US YOUR..."
Man did we laugh!
Here is picture of Kevin off watch:
Night shift was raining and foggy but warm
Don't remember much of the second day other than the winds were 15-20 from the east, with occasional puffs in the 30s. Our watch was woken up to douse the asym as the winds did pickup and moved forward.
We had gone with the heavy #1 most of the time.
During our provisioning in Marblehead, Michael had picked up three bag of chips, which we had already gone through. We wished had bought more chips.
Off the coast of Maine, we passed a cruise ship:
This prompted Michael to shout "THROW US YOUR CHIPS!!!"
Sounded an lot like "SHOW US YOUR..."
Man did we laugh!
Here is picture of Kevin off watch:
Night shift was raining and foggy but warm
Sunday, July 7, 2013
MacIntosh MTOH Day 1
Our watches were 3 hours long and worked well
It was here that we pull ahead of the leading J/35 Harrier with the J/109 in the background:
The time on these photos was 3:36pm.
Winds were from the ENE about 15 knots with flat water.
Passing us was the BEAUTIFUL 85' Herreshoff ketch Ticonderoga on a close reach:
In the evening and night we stayed with a full main and light #1 with 7.5 knots of boat speed on a close reach up the coast of Maine.
Notice how the bottom of the headsail is doing nothing:
- John
- Mike
- Me
- Dirk
- Kris
- Kevin
It was here that we pull ahead of the leading J/35 Harrier with the J/109 in the background:
,
The time on these photos was 3:36pm.
Winds were from the ENE about 15 knots with flat water.
Passing us was the BEAUTIFUL 85' Herreshoff ketch Ticonderoga on a close reach:
In the evening and night we stayed with a full main and light #1 with 7.5 knots of boat speed on a close reach up the coast of Maine.
Notice how the bottom of the headsail is doing nothing:
We found that there was some wind sheer happening: the wind near the top of the mast was different than the bottom. If we moved the jib cars back to correct for this, we were spilling to much wind up top for power. So what we did was run a snatch block and extra line to pull the leach tight. Also kept the sail off the lifelines, as it flattened the bottom of the headsail.
Back onshore towards Marblehead there was MAJOR rain and thunderstorms:
We did get wet, but no gust fronts or lightning strikes!
MacIntosh Start
Breakfast at the club.
Marblehead to Halifax (MTOH from now on) offshore race start was at 1pm
We got out around 11am, and sailed around the start course watching all the HUGE boats getting ready: Rambler, Donnybrook, Snow Lion, etc. We were in the 6th start, so we weren't off until 2pm.
Winds from the east light and at our start, they went down to almost nothing. After our start, they sounded the cannon twice to signify a postponement because of not enough wind. Downwind start was weird.
These photos were posted on the MTOH site from the start line:
Thanks Craig Davis for these!
At the 1st turning mark, we hoisted the light #1, dousing the spinnaker, and headed to the next mark with 4 or 5 knots of boat speed. After the 2nd turning mark, we beat NE with close to 6 knots of speed as the winds picked up. After a an hour or so, winds were lightening, so we hoisted the asymmetric spinnaker and our speed increased. We ran with the asym for most of the night with close to 8 knots of boat speed. An easy sail with the wind on the beam.
Marblehead to Halifax (MTOH from now on) offshore race start was at 1pm
We got out around 11am, and sailed around the start course watching all the HUGE boats getting ready: Rambler, Donnybrook, Snow Lion, etc. We were in the 6th start, so we weren't off until 2pm.
Winds from the east light and at our start, they went down to almost nothing. After our start, they sounded the cannon twice to signify a postponement because of not enough wind. Downwind start was weird.
These photos were posted on the MTOH site from the start line:
 |
| That is yours truly holding the boom out. |
At the 1st turning mark, we hoisted the light #1, dousing the spinnaker, and headed to the next mark with 4 or 5 knots of boat speed. After the 2nd turning mark, we beat NE with close to 6 knots of speed as the winds picked up. After a an hour or so, winds were lightening, so we hoisted the asymmetric spinnaker and our speed increased. We ran with the asym for most of the night with close to 8 knots of boat speed. An easy sail with the wind on the beam.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
MacIntosh Shakedown
Breakfast at the club.
Micheal, Kris, and John made a short walk to the local grocery store to provision for the trip.
Kevin and I headed to West Marine to get some nuts/bolts for the leach block on the head on the mainsail. Also stopped at Ace Hardware and CSV Pharmacy.
HOT as HECK!
Once we got everything organized, we dropped our mooring ball and headed out the harbour.
We had a great sail with west wind 15-20 knots, broad reach so we hoisted Dirk's brand new never flown chute. He was pleased with the sail. We practiced several gybes.
It is a good thing we did because the topping lift for the pole had jumped it's shiv and was jammed. We could not dip pole gybe the spinnaker. We had to use a spare jib halyard. Would rather have found this out now, than on the race course. The block to raise the inboard end of the pole was also broken, making it difficult to raise the inboard end of the pole up under load.
Beating back, the winds had picked up over 25 knots, so we dropped her and hoisted the Dacron #3. We also practiced putting in a reef in the mainsail. We found that the running backstays were also catching on the boom.
Coming back to the harbour, we say some young boys tending their lobster traps.
Just look at the smiles on their faces!
There were lobster traps all around the harbour and out on the race start.
Coming back in we past a 90ft rocket from New York called Rambler:
Yes, that is their 40ft tender with two motors on it!
Coming back in we saw a Canadian boat coming out under spinnaker:
Dirk recognized the boat from Nova Scotia: brand new Jeanneau 409. We met many of the crew on land later in the trip. They were in the cruising division.
Great afternoon on the water.
Trip Odometer: 24.9 miles
Moving Average: 7.0 knots (!!!)
Moving Time: 03:34:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130706.kmz
Once back on the mooring ball, we hoisted Kris up the mast to troubleshoot the spinnaker topping lift. The shiv was worn; no time for a replacement. Kris also rigging up some shock chords half way up the mast to keep the running back stays from catching on the boom.
Dinner at the Landing was AWESOME.
Of course I had lobster!
We all went again to Maddie's bar for a nightcap. VERY BUSY
Micheal, Kris, and John made a short walk to the local grocery store to provision for the trip.
Kevin and I headed to West Marine to get some nuts/bolts for the leach block on the head on the mainsail. Also stopped at Ace Hardware and CSV Pharmacy.
HOT as HECK!
 |
| Look what motor sailed by: a Catalina 22 For those of you who don't know, this was my first sailboat, and I still race her today! |
Once we got everything organized, we dropped our mooring ball and headed out the harbour.
We had a great sail with west wind 15-20 knots, broad reach so we hoisted Dirk's brand new never flown chute. He was pleased with the sail. We practiced several gybes.
It is a good thing we did because the topping lift for the pole had jumped it's shiv and was jammed. We could not dip pole gybe the spinnaker. We had to use a spare jib halyard. Would rather have found this out now, than on the race course. The block to raise the inboard end of the pole was also broken, making it difficult to raise the inboard end of the pole up under load.
Beating back, the winds had picked up over 25 knots, so we dropped her and hoisted the Dacron #3. We also practiced putting in a reef in the mainsail. We found that the running backstays were also catching on the boom.
Coming back to the harbour, we say some young boys tending their lobster traps.
Just look at the smiles on their faces!
There were lobster traps all around the harbour and out on the race start.
Coming back in we past a 90ft rocket from New York called Rambler:
Yes, that is their 40ft tender with two motors on it!
Coming back in we saw a Canadian boat coming out under spinnaker:
Dirk recognized the boat from Nova Scotia: brand new Jeanneau 409. We met many of the crew on land later in the trip. They were in the cruising division.
Great afternoon on the water.
Trip Odometer: 24.9 miles
Moving Average: 7.0 knots (!!!)
Moving Time: 03:34:00
Google Earth Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2013/20130706.kmz
Once back on the mooring ball, we hoisted Kris up the mast to troubleshoot the spinnaker topping lift. The shiv was worn; no time for a replacement. Kris also rigging up some shock chords half way up the mast to keep the running back stays from catching on the boom.
Dinner at the Landing was AWESOME.
Of course I had lobster!
We all went again to Maddie's bar for a nightcap. VERY BUSY
Friday, July 5, 2013
Marblehead
Marblehead and the Boston Yacht Club are BEAUTIFUL!!!
What a view from the covered deck were we had lunch:
After lunch we boarded one a three BYC tenders:
To find MacIntosh having a ball:
We took a while to load our gear and stow it below. We took the delivery main off the boom and hoisted the brand new Kevlar main that Dirk had built. Dirk's friend John from PEI had sailed MacIntosh down, and had someone drive down to pickup John and all our extra sails/gear.
Left to Right on the tailgate of John's ride home:
We had dinner at the club (along with Happy Hour). Dirk's brother John came in the Detroit in the late afternoon. Sitting at our table was Gary, who campains a 12M wooden racing yacht called Valiant.
Four of us went for a tour of old Marblehead. It was KEWL walking through clapboard houses that were built in the 18th century! We made dinner reservations for Saturday night at John's favourite restaurant called the Landing. We ran in to Gary by the restaurant, and he took us on a tour of USA24.
UNBELIVABLE!!!
Immaculate inside and out!
We then headed to Maddie's Sail Loft for a drink. This bar has been voted as the top ten sailing bars to visit. Check out the poster on the wall (click to enlarge).
Another checkmark on my bucket list!
What a view from the covered deck were we had lunch:
 |
| Love these panoramic shots! |
To find MacIntosh having a ball:
We took a while to load our gear and stow it below. We took the delivery main off the boom and hoisted the brand new Kevlar main that Dirk had built. Dirk's friend John from PEI had sailed MacIntosh down, and had someone drive down to pickup John and all our extra sails/gear.
Left to Right on the tailgate of John's ride home:
- Kris
- Dirk
- Kevin
- Michael
- Bart
- John
We had dinner at the club (along with Happy Hour). Dirk's brother John came in the Detroit in the late afternoon. Sitting at our table was Gary, who campains a 12M wooden racing yacht called Valiant.
Four of us went for a tour of old Marblehead. It was KEWL walking through clapboard houses that were built in the 18th century! We made dinner reservations for Saturday night at John's favourite restaurant called the Landing. We ran in to Gary by the restaurant, and he took us on a tour of USA24.
UNBELIVABLE!!!
Immaculate inside and out!
- built in 1970 (last wooden one)
- 85 ft long
- 85 ft tall mast
- boom had to be 40ft long
- takes a crew of 18 to run her
We then headed to Maddie's Sail Loft for a drink. This bar has been voted as the top ten sailing bars to visit. Check out the poster on the wall (click to enlarge).
Another checkmark on my bucket list!
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