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  • Sailing-Hawaii connection?

    Various people from or sailing to Hawaii are out there.
    If you hear of a story, please share it here!
    A start... http://www.midweek.com/content/colum..._a_pro_sailor/
    Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

  • #2
    Re: Sailing... Hawaii connection?!

    July 5 is the start of the Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay. http://pacificcup.org/
    (The Pacific Cup is held in even-numbered years, while the TransPac race from Los Angeles to Diamond Head is held in odd-numbered years.)
    This year there are 58 entries. Only one boat is based in Hawaii -- CIRRUS, a Standfast 40 based here in Kaneohe and owned/skippered/navigated by my friend, the highly experienced racer Bill Myers.
    Bill and his delivery crew left Kaneohe last Tuesday to take CIRRUS to San Francisco, where they'll have little more than a week to get ready to race back home. They're doing daily reports on the delivery and also for the race back, with plenty of photos, route maps and info, and more. Check 'em out at http://cirrus2010.blogspot.com/ .
    Wish I was there.
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    That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

      14 boats left San Francisco today and are heading for Hanalei Bay, in the Singlehanded Sailing Society's race. You can view the entrants, blogs, position reports and more at this link.
      I'll be watching the results of Ken 'The General' Roper extra closely, as he's doing this race for the 11th time; we were dockmates for over a decade; and he's an old friend. (Literally, an old friend. A retired Brigadier General, he's 81 years young now.) We did a few doublehanded races together, too.

      I know Matapule will have an opinion about this, based on his comments about singlehanding in another thread. I'm still planning to address that; I just haven't had time.
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      That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

        Okay, I pulled the quote of Matapule's post (below) out of the thread about Abby Sunderland and switched it over here. (There's also two photos in my reply below.) (And Matapule, did you get my 2nd reply about a slip for you in Hawaii Kai?)

        Originally posted by matapule View Post
        Okay, let me just spit it out!
        I am totally opposed to single handed sailing, by any gender or age group, for more than 24 hours. International Maritime Law requires that a "proper lookout" be maintained at all times. A single hander cannot stay awake 24/7 while on a voyage. A single hander is breaking an unenforced law. They are putting themsleves and others in danger and those who might need to rescue them.
        On a voyage of over 24 hours, I always require a minimum crew of two. On voyages over 4 days my personal protocol is a minimum crew of 3 on my 40 foot boat. I require a 24 hour watch be maintained at all times
        For the most part, I agree with you. And that's hard for me to say, as a longtime singlehander.
        And here was my baby, my full-time liveaboard home and racer/cruiser, a 43' Polaris double-ended cutter designed by Robert Perry:

        (Sorry about the water damage on the right side. It's blocking the view of the windvane self-steering system. And there's one more singlehand photo coming up below.)
        And first, a note to the uninitiated -- the safest place to be is offshore; the most dangerous is near shore. Close to shore you have countless other pleasure boats and work boats, rocks, reefs, shipping lanes, marker buoys that may be out of position and marker lights that may be out or not blinking in the proper sequence, etc etc. Offshore you have almost none of that, especially if you're well outside of the normal shipping lanes/routes. There are still hazards, like submarines just below the surface (yes, it's happened with yachts hitting submarines or vice versa -- look at the recent Ehime Maru disaster just off Diamond Head a few years ago!) and even more often the risk of hitting a shipping container that fell off its ship. (They don't sink all the way; they usually trap an air bubble and the top 1' or so floats above the water. Incredibly hard to see. I barely missed one at night one time when I was in my powerboat and going about 25 to 30 knots. If I'd hit it, it would've ripped the bottom right off my boat. Fortunately I saw it, avoided it, stopped, called the Coast Guard and reported it, and they had a helicopter come out and drop a marker on it until someone could come tow it in or sink it.) There can be other hazards offshore too -- giant logs that drift away from the Pacific Northwest (they sometimes wash up on the beaches here) and even abandoned sailboats that, left on their own, drift around the seas for years. Abby Sunderland's boat is adrift somewhere near Antarctica. And I know of one racing yacht that was abandoned near San Francisco and several years later was sighted south of Tahiti.
        All of this serves to show why Matapule is absolutely correct in demanding that an adequate lookout be kept at all times, 24/7.
        On some of my singlehanded trips along the west coast of the US and Mexico and South America, I tried as often as possible to find a harbor or cove to pull into at night whenever possible. If nothing was available, I'd hit the NoDoz and nuclear-strength coffee at night and catch catnaps during the daylight hours. No more than two hours at a stretch, and to get acclimated to that sleeping schedule I'd usually start sleeping that way two to three weeks before departure. If you suddenly go from a regular 8-hour nighttime sleep schedule to no more than two hours of daytime sleep and none at night, it'll really mess you up. While sleeping, I used a windvane self-steering device or, if weather conditions wouldn't allow that, an electronic autopilot (with a ton a spare parts).
        On longer trips offshore, if I did see another yacht or a ship I'd radio them to ask their course and speed and I'd also ask if they were aware of any other vessels in the area.
        And like most offshore sailors, I had electronic aids. The primary one was my Furuno radar, with an adjustable alarm system if anyone entered a specific zone and screeched really loud if they did; it also tracked the courses of other vessels. I also had multiple manual radar reflectors, to make sure other ships could see me. (These must be mounted in an X position to give the best return; amateurs hang them in a + position, which is far less effective.) Sorry you can't see any of that in my photo above, as they were located higher on the mast.
        Another point about radar is that wooden boats and wooden masts are much much harder for radar to pick up than fiberglass boats and metal masts, so a good radar reflector, properly mounted, is even more important for woodies. (I had an aluminum mast, but I always thought about filling the inside of it with crumpled up balls of aluminum kitchen foil. It would've made my 43' boat look like an aircraft carrier on someone else's radar, but it would've added too much weight up high where you least want it.)
        It's also smart to use masthead running lights instead of lights mounted at deck level. The higher lights make you visible from a lot farther away. Some singlehanders even turn on a masthead strobe light regularly at night, though that's illegal except in emergencies.
        These days there are far more advanced anti-collision electronics and electronic radar reflectors plus systems and procedures that make singlehanding as safe as humanly possible.
        But singlehanding is still dangerous, as Matapule says. All we singlehanders can do is take every precaution we can and, when offshore and taking a two-hour daylight catnap, hope that any other vessel is fully crewed and standing a good watch and that our electronics are working faithfully.

        And a quick related singlehanding story and photo.
        I used to race a 7' Sabot sailing dinghy, exactly like the El Toro's here. They're about the length of the average living room couch and weigh less than 80 pounds. They're great for teaching children how to sail, and are sometimes raced by adults in a "senior" division. (Not fair for us to race kids directly. We're too experienced, plus if the wind was light I could light a cigarette or a cigar and watch the smoke to read the wind angle. hehehehe)
        Anyway, these tiny boats are almost always used only inside of protected harbors or on lakes. (I sailed one out to the sandbar in Kaneohe Bay a few times, and people were shocked that I dared to do that. Heh.)
        Once a year there was an event called The Ironman Race, where we'd start inside the harbor, go out to the ocean and around the detached breakwater and right back inside the harbor; about 100 yards in the open ocean. "Ironman"? Pffffbt.
        I challenged any adult to race me in a real Ironman event -- 32 miles of open ocean, from Catalina Island to Marina del Rey. Across one of the most heavily trafficked shipping lanes on the west coast. In waves up to 10' to 12' and winds of 15 to 20 knots. And yes, with an escort boat, because I'm not as dumb as I look.
        One guy accepted my challenge, and we did it. I packed a cooler with lunch and water, and had my handheld VHF radio and my cigarettes in a couple of Ziploc bags to keep them dry. The other guy quit less than halfway across, but yours truly finished it and claims the sailing Ironman title.
        Here's a photo about a mile from the finish, taken from my escort boat, after 31 miles of open ocean sailing:


        And like my signature line says...
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        Last edited by LikaNui; June 21, 2010, 03:57 PM.
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        That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

          The singlehand racers from San Francisco are almost a week into their race to Hanalei Bay. Fascinating blog reports are merged onto the page at this link.
          I especially hope that MenehuneMan is reading that, as it'll give him another look at his own upcoming trip. [/wave to MM]
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          That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

            i used to work for a guy who competed in both the Pacific Cup and Trans Pac - and actually did well in both races. It was exciting to follow his boat on the websites.
            "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
            – Sydney J. Harris

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

              Thanks for sharing Likanui!
              Beautiful big boat and great little one too.

              Very informative info all along the way.
              Yeah, containers and logs are the most dangerous things afloat. No noise.
              At least ships should be heard and seen! The best piece of advice that I'll incorporate is the sleeping in short shifts before I go. Thanks for that and the links on the racers too.

              After Don gets here... we'll get you out sailin'!
              Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                One thing I should've clarified -- when close to shore with nowhere to pull in for a sleep, tack offshore. Nothing worse than waking up and hearing your boat grinding against rocks or the sound of waves breaking on a beach. Also, be sure to reduce sail while you're asleep, in case a squall comes along. Even on a fully crewed boat it's smart to reduce sail at night for safety reasons. Unless you're racing.
                Another thing I should've mentioned is about flossing. Not what you think. The flossing I mean is what you have to do if you accidentally wrap seaweed or an old fishing net or something around your keel and the boat slows down or even stops. That's when the flossing comes in. Take a looong length of line up to the bow. One person holds one end of the line and the other person holds the rest of the line. Pull it up snug under the hull, then both of you start walking aft, paying out line or pulling it in as needed. You'll feel it if the line comes to the seaweed/net, so then you carefully floss back and forth until you free the obstruction. Flossing is easy on a full-keel design or on a full-keel with a cutaway forefoot. Much harder on a fin keel, but still doable.
                If conditions are calm enough, you can heave to and stop theboat, tie a line around your waist with the other end firmly tied to the boat, then dive in and free the obstruction by hand. And remember to leave yourself a way to climb back aboard!
                Speaking of getting back aboard, here's another tip, especially for recovering an injured person in the water. It's almost impossible to lift a person back onto the boat by hand, esepcially with the curvature of the hull and with wet hands, etc. My secret tip is to lower a sail halfway into the water (a headsail works, but the mainsail is best), creating a kind of hammock. Get the victim into the fold of the sail, then start hoisting the halyard and raising the sail back up. It'll lift the victim out of the water and dump them right back on deck!
                I always recommend practicing man overboard recovery drills before a race or a voyage.
                Another thing to think about is how you'll get to the top of the mast. You should go up often while at sea, to make sure lines and halyards aren't chafing through and that blocks and sheaves are okay (or to replace them if they break). You may also need to work on antennas, lights, radar reflector, etc. If you don't have permanent mast steps, there are collapsible ones that you can hoist up on a halyard. If you install permanent ones, try to get the kind that fold up flat against the mast, but make sure to get the ones that have a lip on the outer edge so your foot doesn't slip off. If you get the old style, tie a line to the end of each step all the way from top to bottom so that will keep other lines and halyards from getting snagged on them. And it goes without saying that you have to wear a safety line when you go up the mast.
                MM, regarding sleeping -- if it's just you and Don on board, you'll probably be doing shifts of 4 on/4 off, so get into that sleep pattern ahead of time.
                And heck yes, I gladly accept your offer of a sail when you guys get back here! My only recent sailing has been on OPB's (Other People's Boats); I sold mine a few months ago when I got an offer I couldn't refu$e.
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                That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                  Again cool Likanui. We have a top of the line bosun chair for going up the mast.
                  (It was Denis' from 'Miha').

                  The Fijian Voyaging Society hopes to sail to Hawaii someday.
                  They just completed a major sail around the South Pacific.
                  http://www.fijivoyaging.com/
                  http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=150769
                  "Friday, June 25, 2010

                  Name of Vessel - Uto ni Yalo : Name of voyage - "Vutala na Ua"

                  When we set off on March 27th, 2010 bound for Auckland with a relatively inexperienced crew of 14 men and two women, we had no idea what the next 14 weeks had in store for us.

                  A small group of supporters and family members showed up to fare us well from the Fisheries Wharf at the Bay of Islands in Lami that day. We departed with only a few personal belongings because of the confined space and three months ration kindly donated by over 20 generous sponsors.

                  We are grateful these sponsors believed in what we were setting out to do, sail a 22-metre traditional double hull canoe on a 7000 nautical mile circumnavigation of the South Pacific Ocean, through five countries, over three months..."
                  Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                    Originally posted by LikaNui View Post
                    (And Matapule, did you get my 2nd reply about a slip for you in Hawaii Kai?)
                    Yes I did, thank you, and I called them. Not going to work, too little air draft (with mast down) and depth draft at low tide (about 3 feet!) under the bridge. Right now, my only altetrnative is Ko 'Olina.


                    For the most part, I agree with you. And that's hard for me to say, as a longtime singlehander.
                    Midshipman, keel haul the swarthy slime and take away his tot of rum, and then we'll run him through and make him walk the plank......and.....and..... then we'll kill him too.

                    And here was my baby, my full-time liveaboard home and racer/cruiser, a 43' Polaris double-ended cutter designed by Robert Perry
                    A classic!, beautiful from any angle. The hull shape is somewhat similar to my hull. Going to have lunch with my pals at Willard Marine tomorrow.

                    And first, a note to the uninitiated -- the safest place to be is offshore; the most dangerous is near shore.
                    Yep, the delivery captain (an acquaintance of mine) of the Nordhavn 62 knew that when he drove it on the rocks just south of Mag Bay in Baja about 3 years ago. One life needlessly lost.

                    There are still hazards, like submarines......shipping container.......giant logs.......boat adrift
                    also include whales (a boat sank after hitting a whale in the last Ha Ha), rodes of various types, sneaker waves that are out of sync......and single handers taking 2 hour catnaps.

                    However, very few emergencies occur off shore and they are almost rare given the number of vessels on the high seas. It is really pretty safe if operating according to accepted standards and thus I don't lose any sleep over it.

                    I tried as often as possible to find a harbor or cove to pull into at night whenever possible.
                    That is the prudent thing to do if coastal cruising. If in the open ocean, the minimum a single hander should do while sleeping is heave to.

                    I also had multiple manual radar reflectors, to make sure other ships could see me. (These must be mounted in an X position to give the best return; amateurs hang them in a + position, which is far less effective.)
                    Another way to put it is to hang them in the "catch rain" position.

                    The higher lights make you visible from a lot farther away.
                    Yep, my running lights are about 20 feet above the waterline. Also the radar transmitter should be AT LEAST 6 feet above any standing person!

                    Some singlehanders even turn on a masthead strobe light regularly at night, though that's illegal except in emergencies.


                    systems and procedures that make singlehanding as safe as humanly possible.
                    The operative word "human" is the weak link.

                    hope that any other vessel is fully crewed and standing a good watch and that our electronics are working faithfully.
                    In other words, hope that someone else is watching out for their best interests.

                    They're great for teaching children how to sail,
                    I learned to sail in an El Toro at the Berkeley Aquatic Park! Children? Harumph! Throw him to the sharks too!

                    Here's a photo about a mile from the finish, taken from my escort boat, after 31 miles of open ocean sailing:
                    Nice tatoo, looks like Bitchin' Bob in the Sabot!

                    The flossing I mean is what you have to do if you accidentally wrap seaweed or an old fishing net One person holds one end of the line and the other person holds the rest of the line. Pull it up snug under the hull, then both of you start walking aft, paying out line or pulling it in as needed.
                    And when single handing?

                    if it's just you and Don on board, you'll probably be doing shifts of 4 on/4 off, so get into that sleep pattern ahead of time.
                    We prefer 3/3 but 4/4 certainly works with a crew of two. On a 1000 mile voyage with 2 couples aboard, the men wanted 3 hour shifts and the women 2 hour shifts, so for the men it was 3 on, 9 off and for the women, 2 on and 8 off. Worked great and was pure luxury.

                    Lika, you know that I'm just giving you some ribbing above. I really wouldn't take away your tot of rum before throwing you overboard.
                    Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

                    People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                      Originally posted by matapule View Post
                      Yes I did, thank you, and I called them. Not going to work, too little air draft (with mast down) and depth draft at low tide (about 3 feet!) under the bridge. Right now, my only altetrnative is Ko 'Olina.
                      Oh well. We tried. Anyway, I think Hawaii Kai also has liveaboard restrictions. Ko Olina is rapidly becoming a monopoly.

                      Midshipman, keel haul the swarthy slime and take away his tot of rum, and then we'll run him through and make him walk the plank......and.....and..... then we'll kill him too.
                      I'm not swarthy, I don't have any tots (I know for sure, because I didn't get any Father's Day cards), I rarely drink, and my plank is bigger than your plank.

                      A classic!, beautiful from any angle.
                      Thanks. Kudos to Robert Perry. His design of the Polaris cutters was a modification of a discontinued Westsail series.
                      I'm sure you noticed that I'd installed a liferaft just forward of the dodger. Also the several jerry jugs lashed on deck amidship, for extra fuel and water. All new North sails, including a full-batten main with 3 reefs. And note the top of the trim tab attached to the rudder. Also all four cowl vents (two ahead of the dodger and two ahead of the mast) are oversized and are mounted correctly (each pair has one facing forward and one aft) for improved ventilation.
                      I designed custom canvas for her. The dodger is pretty stock, though I added permanent handholds on both sides for safety reasons. I also had some 'eyebrows' made for the side decks -- they went from the handrail along the cabin top over the portholes and angled down to the lower lifeline; this let me keep the portholes wide open at anchor or in the slip and allowed fabulous ventilation while keeping rain out, and also gave some privacy from the prying eyes of folks walking by at the dock. I had a cockpit cover/sunshade built; it extended about a foot outside the hull on each side, again to keep rain off, and it had a roll-down rear flap that blocked late-afternoon sun and could also be used as a screen on which to show slides or movies. The sunshade forward of the mast also extended a foot outside the hull on both sides and was also multi-purpose; it was built strong enough to serve as a double hammock, and there was a hole in the middle so it could act as raincatcher and refill my water tanks via a hose from the bottom of the hole to the water tanks. I was pretty proud of the design, as it was featured in a boating magazine. Got a copy of the article and photos here.

                      That is the prudent thing to do if coastal cruising. If in the open ocean, the minimum a single hander should do while sleeping is heave to.
                      Agreed. For the most part. If I'm racing I'd shorten sail but wouldn't heave to.

                      Another way to put it is to hang them in the "catch rain" position.
                      Good description. Some people might get confused between X and +.

                      Also the radar transmitter should be AT LEAST 6 feet above any standing person!
                      Unless they don't want to have children.

                      Nice tatoo, looks like Bitchin' Bob in the Sabot!
                      What tattoo? I've never had one. (Looks at photo again) Okay, it looks like something on my left forearm between my watch and the bottom of my sleeve. Not a tattoo. Maybe a flying fish or something. Besides that, Bob is 4 or 5 inches taller than my 6'0" and he's a lot heavier.
                      I imagine you know that Bob did have his name legally changed to Bob Bitchen. Awesome guy. You know he founded and published (and sold) the biker Easy Rider magazaine, yeah? I hope his new mag "Lattitudes & Attitudes" is still doing well. Bob's a nice guy. Looks like your worst nightmare of a Hell's Angel but an absolute softie at heart. Helluva good nautical jewelry designer too.

                      And when single handing?
                      Flossing is trickier but doable, as I said. Secure a whisker pole, spinnaker pole or the boom off to one side with a snatch block on the outer end... run the fixed end of the flossing line through that... and it can swing from front to back as you walk down the other side.
                      That's the fun thing about singlehanding -- you figure out all kinds of ways to use leverage and angles to do things.

                      Lika, you know that I'm just giving you some ribbing above.
                      Whew. Glad you explained. You made me cry, you mean old man.


                      Hopefully other sailors will dive into this thread too. The whole idea of my long posts is to try to get feedback and discussions going. Mahalo to you and to MM!
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                      That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                        I own the DVD "Around the World with Jean-du-Sud" by Yves Gelinas.
                        A self-made movie of a man solo-sailing aboard an Alberg 30.
                        It's very good, enjoyable, and encouraging...
                        I'll loan it to anyone on Oahu for short periods.

                        Here's the TRAILER.
                        Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                          Very nice. Thanks for sharing that, MM!
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                          That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                            Okay we did it folks! Safe and sound from San Diego to Hilo.
                            3 days of sea trials, then 4th day off across the ocean.
                            We cast off at 6:40am 2/24.
                            headed south along baja mexico, got walloped by a gale (35+ winds, 18-25' seas) for two days.
                            into the edge of the high, sunshine, sunburned bum.
                            sailed west, following seas and down wind

                            broke reaching pole(12 days to go) and self-steering(5 days to go)

                            2,776 nautical miles
                            26 days, 15 hours at sea
                            Tied on in hilo at 9:35pm 3/22

                            Hopefully will blog and post photos when I can!!!
                            An incredible experience, glad I did it, now off the 'bucket list', will stick to day sails off Waikiki or Kaneohe from now on... HaHa!

                            [IMG] this was fun by Menehune Man, on Flickr[/IMG]
                            Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Sailing-Hawaii connection?

                              Wow, what an adventure which means you're doin' life right!

                              Comment

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