Spinnaker up and we’re heading for Monterey!

OK, We’re offshore now, approaching Pacifica. The wind is about 15 kts from the NW and the seas quite comfortable.
The race start-time was delayed for about an hour due to very light winds. It took us a few tries to make it across the starting line, and the strong flood current kept pushing us back. We stayed close to the north side of the bay as we clawed our way under the bridge, and I think we were the last boat to clear Land’s End.
We had a very successful Radio Check net, and are now concentrating on reeling in the rest of the fleet. I see a spinnaker in our future!

Watch this space for Spinnaker Cup news!
Motoring out to the bay — where’s the wind???

Mark Missed, Mean Mouse, Much Mayhem

That was our Three Bridge Fiasco in a nutshell.  This is the biggest race of the year on San Francisco Bay — Saturday, January 30, doublehanded or singlehanded, 311 boats entered, 282 boats started, and 242 boats finished. 

The rules are unique: three marks — Blackaller buoy (near the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge), Red Rock (near the Richmond end of the Richmond / San Rafael Bridge), and Treasure / Yerba Buena Island (in the middle of the Bay Bridge).  The start/finish line is off the Golden Gate Yacht Club, on the San Francisco Marina district waterfront.  The starting line can be crossed in any direction, the three marks can be rounded in any order, and the finish can be crossed from left to right, or vice versa.

In this race, a boat’s handicap (rating) determines its start time, so the order in which you finish determines your finish position.  This is called a “Pursuit” race, in which the late-starting fast boats are chasing the early-starting slow boats around the course.  The slowest boats started at 9:30 AM, and VALIS, which rates at 126, started at 10:18:18 AM.  The fastest boat started at 11:38:16 AM.

Well, 10:18:18 was when Edward and I were supposed to start, but as we approached the line we were greeted by an impenetrable mass of hulls and rigging.  It looked like the entire fleet was trying to start:

We were worried about the wind, or lack of it, and very concerned about the strong currents, and as you can see the wind was definitely light that morning.  We slowly barged into the pileup, were forced out, tried again, and were driven back again.  We weren’t getting any closer to the mark, and with every near-miss the yellow buoy was looking smaller and smaller.  After about forty minutes of bumper-boats, we finally had our shot at the starting line — and missed!  The light wind, the current, and the fact that Edward was used to steering his own boat (one that actually points and maneuvers in light air) forced us to go around one more time.  OK, this time for sure!  We had a good line, were getting closer, but the current continued to sweep us down onto the buoy.  We couldn’t turn to port, or we would definitely nail the mark, but we couldn’t turn to starboard either because of the wind direction, and going straight would also have us going over the top of the buoy.  Finally, with a little steering finesse and a lot of luck, we cleared by mere inches with the windvane hardware on our stern passing over the heavy steel ball.

But we cleared it!  Our race had started. Forty-five minutes late.

OK, enough for tactics, now it’s time for some strategy.  Clockwise or counterclockwise, that is the question.  Last year we went clockwise: Blackaller, Red Rock, Yerba Buena.  This year, the currents were favoring a reverse route, and since the wind was light we felt that would be the best approach for us.  We could see about half the fleet congregating around Blackaller and going very slowly(last year Rich and I ended up anchoring there and having lunch while waiting for the breeze to fill in), so this reinforced our decision.  We headed towards Alcatraz, and prepared to tack towards the Bay Bridge.

But the wind was good, we were finally sailing fast, and Red Rock looked so inviting.  It would mean sailing a few more miles, but it’s hard to argue with a favorable wind and current, so we sailed between Alcatraz and Angel Islands, with the Richmond Bridge in our crosshairs.  Clearing Angel Island’s Point Blunt, I went forward to prepare for our spinnaker hoist.  Pole and guys ready, pulling the spinnaker out of the bag I reached in and grabbed this:

Crap!  This is what happens when I store the sails in the barn!  Mice!  Some rodent had decided that Air-X nylon was the perfect nest-building material.  And why not?  It’s light, fluffy when properly shredded, and there’s lots of it.  Of course this also means that there are now holes in the spinnaker, and I hadn’t brought a spare.  What to do?  Red Rock was now just about dead downwind now, and we were being outsailed by a Catalina 26!  I didn’t want to do it, but it was time for the secret weapon:

We’re doing this old-school!  Drop the spin pole, put up the whisker pole, and go wing and wing!

As we had so carefully predicted, the current at Red Rock was essentially slack when we got there.  We took the island to starboard, being sure to not get too close (last year we watched a racer stop dead when he hit a submerged rock near the island), and not too far (last year the strong flood current sucked us under the bridge — and it wasn’t easy clawing our way back).  This time the rounding was uneventful.  Now we get to go upwind again, off toward the Bay Bridge.

The current is starting to ebb, which gives us a nice boost as we sail away from Red Rock.  We have to tack several times, avoiding the restricted area around the Richmond Long Wharf, and staying in the favorable wind and current.  At this point we begin to see the boats that had been parked at Blackaller, and those that had gone around Yerba Buena first.  We slalomed through the fleet of colorful spinnakers heading for Red Rock, and the wind gradually lifted us until we could point directly at Treasure Island.

It looked like the ebbing current under East span of the bridge (the Berkeley side) wasn’t too bad, and the wind appeared good if we stayed away from the island (and there’s another restricted zone there), so we sailed mid-channel under the bridge, and turned to starboard.  With the wind forward of the beam, we headed for the swiftest current we could find, which swept us out under the West span (the San Francisco side), and out into the central bay in just a few tacks.  Now, Blackaller.

The current was ebbing fiercely, and a brisk wind was blowing from the Golden Gate, so we sailed to the far side of Alcatraz and let the current work for us for the time being.  We rounded the buoy without incident, and turned towards the finish line.  We had about nine knots of wind at our back, and over four knots of current trying to sweep us under the bridge, but we slowly crawled towards our destination.  We headed in close to shore for some relief from the current, and averaged about 2-1/2 knots to the finish line:

Finish Time: 16:53:23

Our preliminary ranking is #11 in our division of 36 (34 starters), and #127 in the fleet of 311 (282 starters).  Not too shabby for a heavy cruiser in a light-air race!  Of course the most significant factor is that we didn’t try to round Blackaller first.  Some years either direction can work, but this time if you didn’t go to the Bay Bridge or Richmond bridge first you were lucky to finish at all.

For an extremely well-written report about VALIS and the Three Bridge Fiasco, look here: http://evk4.blogspot.com/2010/01/initial-report-three-bridge-fiasco-2010.html 

Here is our track:

Here’s another look at the VALIS 2010 Pacific Cup Team, this time from the bridge of VALIS as we sail to a home-port regatta (VALIS is a member of the Mars Yacht Club).

(L-R: Edward Killeen, Rich Jones, Jack Thomas, Paul Elliott, John Clinton, Paul Carson)

Unfortunately, wives and sweethearts (may they never meet) will not be able to sail with us during the Pac Cup race.

Part of winning a trans-ocean race is having the proper gear.  Slippery shoes, leaky foulies, fogged glasses, inadequate sun protection — any of these things can make the difference between a podium finish and being a LOSER.  The VALIS research and development team has been diligently working behind the scenes to ensure that our crew apparel is optimized for utility, racing efficiency, comfort, and not least, style.  After many months of rigorous lab-testing and field evaluation, I am proud to release a first-look at the Official VALIS Pacific Cup Uniform, here modeled by the lovely Paul Carson:

Note the smooth lines, the easy-on-the-eyes color coordination (including red/port – green/starboard sleeves for the dyslexics among us), the easily-accessible hand-warming pockets, and the attractive but quite “grippy” custom Figawi footwear.

I’m sure you’s agree with me that the other teams will never figure out what hit them!  Excellent work, VALIS R&D!

As you may know, VALIS has entered the 2010 Pacific Cup, and has again volunteered to be the communications boat for the race.  This will be our third Pac Cup, and extrapolating from the improvement in our ranking from 2006 to 2008, we should do very well indeed in 2010!

A big part of the race is putting together a team that not only knows how to sail, but knows how to get along with each other for over 2000 miles on a tiny boat.  On VALIS, the race will probably take thirteen days or more, so crew compatability is a big deal.  In the previous races we have been fortunate in this regard, and it looks like the 2010 team will be another great one.  There are six of us, and we are: Paul Carson, John Clinton, Rich Jones, Edward Killeen, Jack Thomas, and me, Paul Elliott. 

Here’s the lowdown on the VALIS team:

First the specs: 

• 42 years old
• Married to my one and only wife Lydia for 18 years.
• Daughter Jesse is 9, Son Chris is 7
• Other than sailing and coaching kids in every sport imaginable, I fish, ride bikes, trail run, take pictures, and generally enjoy anything outdoors.

I am an office equipment dealer in Arkansas by trade, an occupation so dull that it was used as the Governator’s cover for being a spy in “True Lies”.  But when asked “what do you do” I answer “Father of two, coach of whatever is in season, and sailor when the schedule allows”.  The vast majority of my sailing has been inland racing in boats from 14’-40’ and I currently own and race the 26’ Jesse James.  But with really active kids, I must confess to spending more time lately helping 7 year old boys develop bat speed and 9 year old girls work on their dribbling skills.   

A few years ago, about the time the mid-life crisis set in, I came to the realization that nobody in the big sailing centers from which ocean races originate had any idea that there was a lifelong sailor and competitive racer sitting in Arkansas just dieing to do an ocean race.  So, I made a few calls, emails, etc. to see if I could get some exposure with these guys in hopes of getting to do the race that I’ve always wanted to.  Since this epiphany, I’ve raced to Mackinac and Key West Race Week a few times.  I’ve also done a few deliveries and a good bit of chartering in the Caribbean. 

The highlight in terms of offshore was definitely bringing VALIS back from Hawaii in ’08 (thanks to Paul E. for the chance and Rich for the hookup).  Since that trip, I sometimes dream that I am clinging to the bed in an effort to avoid ejection from a poorly chosen bunk, only to be disappointed when I wake to discover it’s only a dream.  Now that the race is getting closer, the disappointment is tempered with the knowledge that it’s less than a year till we do it again with a crew of friends that I don’t get to see often enough.  I can’t wait!   

With a crew like Paul E. has assembled, I can’t honestly say that I add a whole lot except above-average resistance to complications from seasickness and fish guts, and a general determination to enjoy myself.   I should be able to take up the slack in enthusiasm, should Edward have a stronger reaction to low bandwidth than we anticipate, I suppose. 

My good friend John has been a VALIS crewmember since 2004, and helped us prepare for the ‘06 Pac Cup. He crewed on the ‘06 Oahu-to-San Francisco return passage, and in 2007 joined Daniel Terhune and me on a trip to Fiji, where we helped our friend Jim Marco sail his Crealock 37 “Intention” from Lautoka, Fiji to Port Vila, Vanuatu. John was a valued member of VALIS team in the 2008 Pacific Cup, where he occasionally found himself standing watch for 21 hours a day (at least according to the watch schedule).

John is a systems engineer for a telecom startup in Petaluma, and we were colleagues at my last company.  I am confident that his 2008 Pac Cup experience has taught him not to annoy the person responsible for handing out the watch assignments.

Returning from the wilds of the Pacific Northwest as a member of VALIS’ Pac Cup crew, Rich lives in Tigard Oregon and spends a lot of time sailing on the Columbia River, and up’n’down the Oregon/Washington/BC coast.  Rich and his sailing sweetheart Edie are very involved in the Portland sailing scene including stints as ’09 commodore of the Small Yacht Sailing Club of OR (Rich) and ’08 commodore of the OR Women’s Sailing Assn. (Edie). Rich has many offshore miles to his credit, including he and Edie double-handing last year’s Pac Cup winner, Rain Drop, back home to Portland for Joby and Bill.

Rich and I became acquainted after he crewed with Davey Glander on the homeward delivery of the Cal 40 “California Girl” after the 2007 TransPac. As you may know, Davey had helped me bring VALIS back home in 2006. Sadly, Davey passed away in late 2007, and in the aftermath of this Rich and I got to know each other. Rich was a key member of the VALIS 2008 Pac Cup team, and I look forward to his contributions in 2010.  Rich brings onboard a positive attitude, experience, cooking skills, and a dogged determination to keep at least two-thirds of the Pac Cup fleet north of VALIS on the way to Hawaii.

Edward says this about himself:
Edward is a lifelong sailor who makes up for what he lacks in skill with enthusiasm and willingness to do anything and everything on a boat.  Edward has crossed one ocean and made it about halfway through another (stopping at Hawaii seemed like a good idea).  Edward’s main reason for sailing in the Pacific Cup is to show his kids that adventure is a good thing and if you do it right you end up at a really nice island.

We first met Edward during the 2008 Pacific Cup, when he was preparing to crew on “Oceanaire” (here is Edward’s blog report on the Oceanaire campaign: http://evk4.blogspot.com/2008/07/before-start.html).  During that race Edward and I had a friendly competition to see who could catch the biggest fish, but we were having so much fun that we forgot to keep score.  I’m pretty sure that our fish was bigger.  With the two of us, I expect VALIS to dominate the 2010 Pac Cup Fishing Derby!

COMMANDER JACK THOMAS
UNITED STATES NAVY

Commander Jack Thomas is a native of San Diego, California.  He was commissioned in the United States Navy upon graduation with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1991.  After completing flight training at NAS Pensacola, Florida and Mather AFB, California, Commander Thomas was designated a Naval Flight Officer and reported to VP-31 at NAS Moffett Field, California for initial training in the P-3 Orion aircraft.

Commander Thomas is currently Commanding Officer of the “Skinny Dragons” Orion P-3 squadron based at Kaneohe Bay, Oahu.  For the rest of Jack’s very impressive resume, and for more about the Skinny Dragons, go here: http://www.vp4.navy.mil/co/CO.htm

I came to know Jack on the internet, where we were corresponding about preparations for sailing his trimaran from San Diego to Oahu.  As it turned out, the U.S. Navy had other plans for Jack, so his boat was shipped to Hawaii while the Skinny Dragons deployed to the Mideast.  During our 2008 Pac Cup visit to Kaneohe Bay, Jack treated the entire VALIS team to an incredible tour of the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, where we got meet the rest of his squadron.  Since then we have remained in touch with Jack and his family, and are proud to have him on the VALIS 2010 team!

I have been sailing since perhaps the age of six, with significant gaps from time to time. Prior to VALIS I had never sailed further than from Long Beach to Catalina, but I have found that I truly enjoy the long sea passages. I am a retired electronics engineer, and am able to indulge my continuing enthusiasm for hardware and software by puttering around with the systems aboard VALIS. My time at sea includes the three Hawaii voyages, and a trip down to Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands, all on VALIS. I have also sailed on other boats, including a delivery from Santa Barbara to Berkeley, sailing among the Marquesas Islands (South Pacific), and a Fiji-Vanuatu trip.

My other interests include music — I am involved in the nonprofit Phoenix Theater, a youth-oriented Petaluma venue for the performing arts: http://www.thephoenixtheater.com/ . Here I am, playing bass at a Phoenix Theater fundraiser: http://www.sailvalis.com/misc/ColdSweat.wmv

I also serve on the Board of Trustees for the SETI Institute – http://www.seti.org/ — an organization dedicated to research in the areas of astronomy and planetary sciences, origin of life, chemical, biological and cultural evolution, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. I am particularly involved in the Allan Telescope Array, an installation of multiple radio-telescopes located near Mt. Lassen, used for both SETI listening and advanced radio-astronomy. This is definitely not a crackpot organization, but rather a serious group of legitimate scientists, engineers, educators, and other professionals.

I am a founding member of the Mars Yacht Club: http://marsyc.org/, which definitely is a crackpot organization!

You may recall that as VALIS was sailing home from our recent northbound attempt, we discovered that we were entering the Golden Gate at the same time as No Ka Oi, returning from Oahu.  No Ka Oi had raced in the 2008 Pacific Cup, and as a result of our radio contact out by the Farallons, Phil Mummah, No Ka Oi’s owner, invited me to race with his crew on the “Windjammer’s ” race from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.  Of course I jumped at the chance!

No Ka Oi picked me up at the Gashouse Marina fuel dock on the morning of the Friday Sept 5th race, and we had a glorious time sailing in a variety of conditions down to Santa Cruz.  We crossed the finish line around 5:14AM Saturday morning, and I am happy to report that No Ka Oi won second place in her division.  Way to go Phil!

On Sunday morning No Ka Oi began sailing back home, with an overnight stop in Half Moon Bay.  We arrived in San Francisco late afternoon Monday.

As an experiment, I brought my little snapshot camera and a fixed-mount clamp bracket I had cobbled together from bits and pieces.  During the race, I would set the camera to snap photos at fifteen-second intervals, and then position the bracket in what I hoped would be an interesting position.  The camera would run for 1000 shots (a little over four hours), then shut off.  I occasionally remembered to re-start it, and sometimes repositioned it while it was shooting, with no specific plan in mind.  It would appear that other than a few night shots, I stopped taking these photos before we put up the spinnaker.  Once back home, I dumped all these photos into a video editing program, setting the transition speed to four frames per photo.  The result is a 2-1/2 minute time-lapse video of a portion of the race.  I kind of like it!

Here is the file: No Ka Oi Video

Yesterday Mary, Edward Killeen, and I took VALIS out for a sail on the bay.  At first it looked like the fog was going to be hanging around, but as we left the slip the sky began to clear and we had nice warm day.  The wind started out light, but once we got out of Sausalito it picked up to around 20 kts.  We sailed around Angel Island, then after completing our circumnavigation we headed out to the City waterfront, reefed down a bit, sailed under the Bay Bridge, unreefed, and finally to Pac Bell Park.  Turning around, we had lunch while we were ghosting back under the Bay Bridge into the central bay.  We sailed between Alcatraz and Angel Island, reefing again, then as we were entering the Sausalito channel the wind died completely.  We furled sails and motored back to our slip, washed down the boat, then went out for dinner.

It was a very enjoyable day on the bay.  Good weather, not crowded, good conversation, and a nice range of conditions.

Here is a short video clip of us sailing towards San Francisco: VALIS Aug 26

The “Great Pacific Longitude Race” (LongPac), which started on July 29,  is a 400 mile race from San Francisco to any point on Longitude 126°40′ West and return, open to singlehanded and doublehanded yachts.  No, VALIS isn’t racing in it, but some friends are.  Steve Hill, who was a great crewmember during the VALIS 2008 Pacific Cup race is singlehanding his Beneteau First 42 “Coyote” and is doing great.   Good Luck Steve!

The LongPac is used by many participants as a qualifying run for the Singlehanded Transpac, which requires a certain amount of previous singlehanded sailing before you can enter.

As I type this, about half the boats have reached Longitude 126°40′ West, and are now heading for the finish line.  This year the boats have beacons, and you can watch the action here: http://onltr.magnatrax.net/no.php?fid=10349

Coyote Starting the LongPac

Here is the LongPac website, which contains a list of the participants as well as race rules, the communications plan, etc: http://sfbaysss.org/Longpac_2009.html

There are race discussions, and some racer’s logs here: http://www.sfbaysss.net/forumdisplay.php?f=3 , and here: http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=93797