Pics of the Year

Here's to a great, happy and healthy New Year!

Here is a look back at the sailing highlights of the year from Pressure Drop.

Start Planning Your Adventures for Next Year

We are pulling together a week long charter out of La Paz, Mexico with some friends for next March. Should be a ton of fun in the sun. Start dreaming and get your 2011 adventures on the cal. This vid will get you excited about your next tropical vacation!

Bonehead Move of the Year! The Whale Wins

The only reason the boat survives...she has a steel hull. Looking forward to more bonehead moves in 2011. Happy New Year to all!

New Cruising Boat with a "twist"

This boat has a very cool feature. The wole galley can be shifted to the high side when more ballast is required. Check the vid!

How cool is that?

Look Up - Lunar Eclipse Tonight

A rare event not seen in 372 years will occur early Tuesday morning, when a total lunar eclipse coincides with the winter solstice. While you can't see the solstice, the eclipse promises to be an amazing spectacle.

And if that's not enough, a minor meteor shower is expected to send a few shooting stars through the darkened sky during the height of the eclipse.

Weather permitting, viewers in North and South America, as well as the northern and western parts of Europe, and a small area of northeast Asia should get a great view of the total eclipse of the moon.

On the East Coast of North America, the lunar eclipse begins half an hour after midnight on Tuesday; on the West Coast, it begins around 9:30 p.m. PST Monday. In all cases, the lunar eclipse will be observable before the moon sets in the west just as the sun is rising in the east. Maximum eclipse – the really cool part when the moon is totally in shadow – is at 3:17 a.m. EST/12:17 a.m. PST. [Complete Lunar Eclipse Guide]

How it works

During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth gets between the full moon and the sun, blocking the sun's light from bouncing off the lunar surface. A lunar eclipse can only occur at full moon, but since the three objects are not all exactly in the same plane in space, not every full moon produces an eclipse.

Monday's eclipse is particularly special because it also aligns with solstice – the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Winter solstice marks the official beginning of winter. The sun is at its lowest in our sky because the North Pole of our tilted planet is pointing away from it.

Winter solstice is also the shortest day of the year, with the longest night. That means that it should be darker Monday night than any other night this year in the Northern Hemisphere. And because of the lunar eclipse, the moon's light will be dimmed as well, meaning this night will be even darker.

Winter solstice has not coincided with a total lunar eclipse since 1638, according to NASA.

2010 - A Look Back at my Sailing Highlights

Another amazing year of sailing the SF bay and beyond! Here are some of the highlights:

Sailing down the coast of Baja Sur on the 36' cat Rainbow and having the time of my life. If you are thinking about joining the Ha Ha next year, I highly recommend it

Sailing to the Farallon Islands for the first time

A three day sail up the Petaluma River with my best bud Tex and Kona

Full moon night sails

Kaboom with a great crew and the night sail home

Boat Improvements: A spinnaker sock!

A sail in the rain to the Giants game and then over to Angel for dinner and an overnight with Andy

Sailing out the Gate

Michael Franti with Dave and then a sail to SF to pick up my sis and her fam for a day sail to Angel

Sailing to Jack London for the boat show and the Baja Haha reunion. The night sail home was memorable as well

A warm wind sail with some of the Baja crew and then dinner at the SF yacht club coupled with a great night sail home

Blue Angel sail with some great friends

Sailing to the Giants games and a World Series Crown

Sailing with my Dad on Lake Sunapee, NH

Over night sail on Rainbow outside the gate and feeding the fish for the very first time

My friend Ryan and his home brew kegs for some great sailing off Tiburon

Swimming with Kona

Sailing with Kendell up to Paradise Cove and a beach picnic with his girls

Our boat performed flawlessly this year. We are heading into the next decade of ownership of our Newport 30 and look forward to another great year in 2011. Some of the thoughts for next year are: La Paz Cruise on a 41' Morgan with friends, Baja Haha II, a saill adventure to Tomales Bay, Cruising with Olivier on his brand new Hunter 41 and many day sails with friends. Should be another spectacular year!

Sailing with the Sock

Took some friends out for a mid December sail on the bay yesterday. I have been aching for a spinnaker sock for many months and we finally found a used one for $200. I was excited to try it out so we set sail for Tiburon with our 5 person crew and Kona. The wind was light to begin with but quickly built to 12 knots as we reached past Angel and towards Sausalito. It was an overcast day with the sun breaking thru only momentarily here and there. We stopped at Sam's for a stroll and a shot of Don Julio. Soon we were heading home and the sock was raised. Raisa was on the sock halyard and I was in the cockpit on the sheets. The sock was raised and the chute was a little twisted but she went up perfectly and what a lovely sight. My friend Dave raised his eye brow a bit when I mentioned putting the chute up. We have had more than a few misadventures on previous sails. As we headed towards Berkeley she was pulling us along at 5+ knots in about 10 knots of wind. I was loving it! We went thru the cut of the pier and the sock dropped perfectly again over the chute and it was time for a sunset drift. It was glorious. I am sooo happy with our new sock!!! An important tool for any cruising boat.

Origins of Pirate Words and Expressions

[Source: Today I Found Out]

Giants Chapionship Run Back on the Airwaves

I missed the World Series due to my Haha trip in Mexico. CSNBA will be replaying some of the best games on cable TV. If you missed any, here is the schedule:

Schedule of Giants Playoff Games Re-Aired on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area with KNBR Audio

REPLAY DATE -- GAME

Dec. 9 at 8 PM -- NLDS Game 1
*Tim Lincecum strikes out 14 Braves

Dec. 11 at 7 PM -- NLCS Game 4
*Juan Uribe hits walk-off sac fly

Dec. 15 at 7 PM -- NLCS Game 6
*Juan Uribe hits go ahead HR in 8th, Giants win NL pennant

Dec. 17 at 7 PM -- World Series Game 1
*Freddy Sanchez, Giants rip Cliff Lee

Dec. 23 at 7:30 PM -- World Series Game 4
*Madison Bumgarner eight shutout innings

Dec. 24 at 8 PM -- World Series Game 5
*Giants win first World Series since 1954


Read more: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area Presents “Giants Orange October: The Authentic Edition” Chronicling the Team's World Championship Run with Audio from the KNBR Broadcasts
Tune to SportsNet Central at 6, 10:30 and midnight on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area for more on this story

Pic of the Day

Windsurf Trailer

The Windsurfing Movie II Official Trailer from Poor Boyz Productions on Vimeo.

Extreme

The Lights

Boneheads of the Month

What were they thinking and who is that crazy hanging on the boom. Glad they made it..barely!

Crash Test Dummies

Pics of the Week

Be sure to click on the pic for a dramatic view of this epic picture.

A Very Cool California Concert

Coachelletta from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Go to full screen as this is hi-def madness!

Bonehead Move of the Week

Via SF Chronical - What appeared to be a harrowing story of survival emerged from Suisun Bay on Monday - that of a wayward rafter who spent five days stranded on a deserted island nibbling on vitamins and native plants and fashioning a crude "SOS" sign until the U.S. Coast Guard rescued him.

But after returning to shore, Brian "Goat Man" Hopper added a twist to the tale. He admitted that he failed to make use of a key piece of equipment during his stay on Roe Island north of Concord: a cellular telephone.

"I was embarrassed to be stranded on an island," Hopper, a 54-year-old artist from Encino (Los Angeles County), told The Chronicle. "I thought I could fix my boat and make it to land. ... I didn't want to spend the taxpayers' money to have the Coast Guard come rescue some stupid guy."

But on Monday morning, the Coast Guard did collect Hopper on a 25-foot boat after receiving a call from one of his friends - a man Hopper had telephoned directly.

Rescuers pieced together clues from Hopper - that he could see Naval vessels and could hear reveille, a military bugle call, every morning - and determined he must be near the Concord Naval Weapons Station. The Coast Guard also worked with Hopper's cell phone provider to triangulate his signal.

After finding him waving a red flag, the Coast Guard learned that the victim had gotten stranded after an unusual adventure.

Hopper, nicknamed Goat Man for his ability to scale mountainsides, said he started out Wednesday morning on the Sacramento River, where he loaded a $300 inflatable raft with camping supplies, two burritos, a bag of vitamins, a Bible and a mannequin of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"This trip was a campaign," Hopper explained. "I wanted to bring more attention to social diseases."

Hopper hoped to make it to the Golden Gate Bridge, but disaster struck when his raft sprang a leak in Suisun Bay, east of the Benicia Bridge. He said he managed to guide the sinking vessel to shore, then figured he'd make camp on the island until he fixed the raft.

"He was lucky to make it to shore," said Lt. j.g. Laura Williams, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. "In those weather conditions, it's cold, the water is very cold, and it can be really dangerous."

Hopper said he tried to scout the island for life, but high winds pushed him around, making walking difficult. He slept the first night in a tent and spent the next morning gathering chunks of Styrofoam to plug his raft's leak. The Contra Costa County shoreline was about a mile away.

"I couldn't fix it the first day so I just figured I'd spend another night, even though I was out of food," Hopper said, referring to his burritos. "Thought I'd go to work and try it again in the morning."

The next night the island was pounded with driving rain and thunderstorms.

"The weather," Hopper said, "was not working with my needs."

By the fourth day, Hopper said, he began to worry that his energy was decreasing too quickly. He had picked mustard flowers, eaten the last of his vitamins and used duct tape to write "SOS" on a red tablecloth that he hung in a tree.

Still, his cell phone remained idle. He hoped a passing boat would scoop him up, making a 911 call unnecessary.

As he saw white clouds billow from refineries in the distance, he thought to fan his own smoky fire, hoping an overhead plane would take notice.

At night, to calm himself, Hopper read his Bible. In the mornings, there was the bugle call to wake him - a sound he assumed was coming from battleships he could see to the west.

"I did all the things I saw on TV," Hopper said. "I did everything I could to ensure my safety."

On Monday morning, Hopper finally used his cell phone - to call a cousin in Northridge.

Shawn Reeves, 51, said in an interview that Hopper didn't ask him to call authorities but described his worsening situation. Reeves got a sinking feeling that his relative was in real trouble.

"I could hear it in his voice," Reeves said. "This was a guy I grew up with: If he said he was hungry and needed help, he really needed it."

Reeves said Hopper once lived in a cave in Nevada for three months, had walked through Death Valley and had made a Northern California forest his home for an entire year. "When we found him," Reeves said, "he was naked and fishing in a stream ... He's been living off the land for at least 20 years."

After scarfing down a burrito he bought at the Martinez Marina on Monday in a bid to regain his strength, Hopper said was glad his cousin called in the Coast Guard. And, looking back, Hopper said he should have called 911.

"It was," he said, "the right thing to do."

Beatles Rooftop Concert

The Beatles finally made it to iTunes this week. So why did it take this long for the powers that be in charge to finally say yes to legal digital downloads? Me thinks it was the almighty dollar and that Apple (the computer folks not the record folks) wanted a little too big piece of the pie. The good news is, if your a fan, now is the time to dive back into the music. Just before the band broke up, they recorded their last live performance on a rooftop in central London on their Savile Row Apple headquarters. The date was January 30, 1969. Now let's head to said rooftop for the show!!

Skiffs!

Home Made Spacecraft Goes Miles into Space

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

Hammock Heaven

Shark Whisperer

Go to the two minute mark to see the amazing climax!

Awesomeness Abounds!

Clipper Race 2011-2012

The next race starts in August with 450 participants.
Go here if you would like to get more info.

From the Archives: Over the Top!

I woke up on Sunday morning about 5:30 and took a look at the wind online. It was over 30 and gusting to almost 50 at Angel. I headed up to the boat and fixed a nice french toast breakfast. At around 8am, I headed out with all my foulies on after taking a good look at the south wind. It looked like an above average summer day as far as wind speed. As I entered the channel, I put out a little bit of jib to help me out. As I hit the end of the channel it was already at 30 knots. We (me and the boat) blasted straight out and the speedo was hitting 6.5 to 7 with just a sliver of a jib. Gusts were in the 40 range easy. About half way out, I noticed that with the wind direction and the current, we were in a lee shore with the Berkeley Pier. I needed to keep an eye on that. I let out a little more jib to give me a little more power. As I reached the end of the pier, the winds were easily topping 50 in the gusts. The boat was handling it well. It was only getting wilder so it was time to tack. Getting the boat to turn into the wind is no easy task with this much pressure on the boat. I got her around and needed to trim in the sheets and make sure the boat got going back into the wind. No easy task and I was huffing and puffing as I finished the tack. This was the windiest day I have ever been out on!! And I was loving it. Knowing that we had recently refreshed all the standing rigging gave me confidence that the rig could take the pounding. Going back in, I didn't have to worry about the pier as I was headed away from it on this tack. Hey what's this, blue sky to the south and the rain is letting up a little. The wind keep building with each tack and each tack became more difficult. I did about eight tacks out and back to the end of the pier and then to the channel makers. About 1.5 miles each way. At 9:30 I felt as if I had accomplished my mission and headed back to the slip. I was motoring into the wind and just praying our little 14 horse diesel would get me back in. She did of course and I am happy to say it was a great feeling to know our little boat could handle the monster winds of this storm! I would say the winds were 30-40 with gusts to 50 in the area I was sailing. It was an awesome feeling to be out there in that weather!

We are gonna need a crane for that crane!

Icing on the Cake - Our last day in Cabo

We met up with our crew on Friday morn, our last full day in Cabo. At 10 we were picked up by a driver who would take us Cabo's finest resort, Palmilla. My crew mate Dave had some friends who owned a seaside villa and the margs are waiting for us. We head out about 15 miles and arrive at this gated heaven. Once inside we are welcomed with drinks and food on the patio. It's a perfect day as we see the wide expanse of Costa Azul. After a few rounds of drinks and lots of guacamole, we head down to the beach for a dip and some bocce. Then we take a tour of this open air home and it is lovely. Owned by a former DA in SF, we are humbled by the set up and views. Awesome. Soon we are off to a side trip to San Jose del Cabo. Very cute town and we visit the Tropicana Hotel. Classic place with great margs! We stumble thru town and find a fine tequila distributor with some almond flavored anejo. Very fine indeed. At the appointed time we head back to the house. The chef has prepared a fine fresh tuna dinner and the owners have arrived. We sit down to a splendid dinner and enjoy the conversation. It has been a magnificent way to wrap up our journey down the coast of Baja. We head back to the hotel and head to bed as we depart early for the airport and back to the city by the bay.

My adventure on the Baja Haha 17 was one of excitement, joy, discovery and happiness. This was my first ocean passage and what an amazing adventure we had. I want to thank the skipper and crew of our boat for the safe, fun, and fast passage we had. And to all the folks on the trip that made it so much fun. Maybe I'll see you on the next Haha??

If you would like to see a nice slide show of the trip, go here.

Santa Maria Beach Party

We spent a very nice night in the anchorage and then about 0800 the crew starts looking for coffee and food. At 1000, I am headed to the beach for the day's festivities. The locals are preparing a feast for us. A band from La Paz (4 hours away) will provide the music. I catch a panga and head to the beach to meet the volleyball folks. It's another beautiful day with a light breeze. We get the net up and play a few rounds. There is some great taunting going on from both sides of the net. We win one and lose one. Soon it's lunch time and we are first in line for the food. Shrimp, fish, rice, beans and fresh tortillas. Very nice. I catch up with a few folks and then spend the rest of the afternoon playing volleyball. Our team did not lose another game the rest of the afternoon. We played until the tide came in and knocked down the net at 5pm. It was one of the funnest afternoons of volleyball I have ever played. I had brought a top of the line beach net and everyone had a great time. At the end of the day, I donated the net so future Hahaers could enjoy this great game. Headed over to some friends boat for some spaghetti and wine. Back to Rainbow at 9 and everyone is asleep or resting. I decide to go for a night swim. I jump in and the water lights up with bioluminescence. My whole body is glowing. I push off the boat and it is amazing. The tiny plankton get excited with movement and light up a bright green. It is so cool! I decide to swim over to boat about 400 yards away. Its a gorgeous, still night and an amazing swim. As far as land based activities, today was the best day of the trip! Can you tell I am having too much fun???

We are up early at 0500 to prepare the boat for Leg 3 and our destination of Cabo San Lucas. It's about 180 miles. There is a bit of a breeze as 170 boats head out for the start. The wind dies and we start motoring. We are near Magdelana Bay and there are lots of whale sightings. We have not seen a whale on this trip. I go off watch at 1100 and take a nice nap. During my nap, one of the boats catches and releases a 180 lbs. Marlin! Grilled pork loin for dinner that featured another green flash and a whale sighting! The wind has died and it looks like we will be motoring thru the night. Up at 0700 and we are nearing the Cape! There are reports of a strange, strong wind in Cabo. It is coming from the south east and is something Cabo never sees. It is causing alot of problems inside the marina. There were plans to have alot of boats raft together inside the marina, but due to the wind and waves, this will not happen. A bunch of boats lose their spots and will have to anchor in the bay. At 10am we approach Cabo Falso. This is about 2 miles from Lands End. The wind is in the low 20's and the waves are huge. We are down to our last couple miles and all hell has broken loose. The boat is rocking and for the first time, water is coming over the bow and into the cockpit. We are soaking but the water is 80 and the sun is warm. We cross the finish line and a cheer goes out. We finally make it around the corner and Cabo San Lucas spreads out before us. My first visit was a surfing safari back in October 1982, almost 30 years ago. Back then it was a sleepy fishing village with one disco. Now the town has grown into a major tourist mecca that sells mostly t-shirts and trinkets...and a ton of hotels, bars and restaurants. We make it in and start the process of refueling the boat and filling up the 5 gallon fuel jugs. I don't have any plans, so I tell the skipper that I will stick around and help him get settled. The other two crew head to the hotel for a nice shower and a marg! We are hoping for a slip but with the winds taking away alot of them, it doesn't look good. We call the organizer once more and it is not good news. He tells us to anchor in the bay. We are about to head out and one of the boats hails us and asks us to bring beer to them in the anchorage. I am sure racking up the karma points! I grab some beer from the store and we head out. The boat is a brand new 57' boat called "Perfect Wave". The crew is waiting for us with a fishing net. The seas are wild and I am not sure we can pull this off without some damage to both boats. We make one approach and nearly take them out! On the next pass, we make a perfect hand off and there is a $20 pinned to the net that I grab as we make the hand off. They thank us for our trouble and we head down the beach. We try to anchor near them but it does not work out so I pull up the 100 feet of chain and we move on. Ground tackle on a big boat is heavy and I am nearly spent after a long trip. I tell the skipper we need to get it right the next time. We head way down the beach and there is the Cal 29 bouncing in the surf. We find a spot and drop the anchor again. She holds and I jump in the water for a nice swim. I have an hour before I need to get off the boat, however the wind is so high, they have closed the harbor so no pangas are running. My only option is to swim. I lay down to rest and recover from the last few hours. We get a call from the docks saying there is a slip available. My eyes roll at the thought of pulling up the anchor for a second time. The skipper says yes to the slip and up to the bow I go. The wind is 18 knots by now and this is going to a nightmare! I start pulling and after a while I switch with the skipper and now he is pulling and I am driving. We had over 200' out and we are both exhausted. Finally we get it back on the roller and pull away. That was difficult!! We head in and there is a question if our 22' beam is going to fit. We are going to need a shoe horn to get in. We tie up and make it by inches. We have to raft up to another boat and they give us a hand. They warn us not to make any sudden moves as they have German Shepards on board. This is the same dog that bit another cruiser at Santa Maria. I can't wait to get off the boat. I grab my backpack and I am off and safe. I head over to meet up with the crew and tell them about our ordeal and then head to the hotel. I need a beer! I head to the pool and there is a restaurant and bar. I order some beer and fish tacos and think about our amazing journey down the coast. Head to the room for a shower and some email. The it's over to Squid Row for some dancing with the fleet members. My crew is there as well as some of the friends I have made. By 9, the place is rocking and we are having a blast on the dance floor. Everybody is buying me beer and shots! What a cool thing to know most of the folks on the dance floor! At about 11pm I head back and hit the hay. What an ending to the trip...but wait, we still have one more highlight that I can't wait to tell you about! Please come back!

Night Time Approach of Bahia Santa Maria

Surfing on our cat at almost 18 knots! 10-31-10

Had a nice nap during my off watch and upon stepping on deck for my 1500 watch, the crew informs me we had caught a large yellow tail tuna. The filet's were in the cooler and waiting to be marinated. Fresh fish is always a treat. Winds were in the mid teens and we are cruising right along. I took the helm for a good long while as we neared the finish line of leg 2. I calculated our 24 hour run and it was just shy of 200 miles! Our second one of the trip. We had an awesome dinner at sunset and I mentioned to the crew that the conditions were perfect for a green flash. Five minutes later were had a brief green flash over the wave tops. Our VHF is on 24/7 and many of the other boats in the fleet chimed in that they had seen it as well. It can happen at sunset and sunrise and is caused by the refraction of the light over the horizon. I estimate that I see it about once every 100 sunsets that I watch, so it does not happen very often and is very cool so keep an eye out if you are looking at a sunset over the ocean. Dinner was rice pilaf, broccoli and fresh tuna. The skippers wife had put together goodie bags for the crew for Halloween and we got our chocolate fix. Nice. As I type we are sailing into the anchorage and getting ready for three nights on the hook at Santa Maria. There is nothing here but a beautiful bay, a small fishing camp and 600 Haha'ers and their boats. Let's have some fun!

Our first morning in Santa Maria was filled with shock and disbelief. A solo cruiser from San Francisco had run his boat up on the beach on the other side of the point. We heard he had fallen asleep at the helm and his auto pilot steered him into the surf. How very sad. Word went out that we needed to help him and volunteers were needed. The crew on Rainbow was up for the adventure and in short order were on our way to the rescue. We jumped into the dingy and headed up the Santa Maria River about a mile or so. From there it was over land and a 5-6 mile hike to the beach. We arrived at the stricken vessel named Tachyon and 30 or so Hahaers were stripping the boat of all the supplies, hardware and equipment. It was a sad sight indeed. The owner was there and had given the word to salvage as much as possible. With so many folks already on the scene, there was not much we could do. We stayed for about an hour and then headed back. There is a small chance that the boat could be pulled out on an extreme high tide on Thursday. We got back to the boat and Sea Chaser was headed in to the bay after the crossing from Turtle Bay. The father/daughter crew had been beat up pretty bad in the tiny Cal 2-27. Even though is was a difficult sail for them, they still had a smile and made us laugh with their stories and insights. We invited them to stay for dinner and we talked about their adventure all the down the the coast from Coos Bay, Oregon. We gave them a special treat of ice cream and carrot cake for dessert and we all enjoyed that a bunch. After dinner, three of the larger boats hosted a party. A great time was had by all and I got to met some more of the fleet. The main boat was 47 foot cat that was sailed by a crew of five. The skipper, Bill, had it down. He had 4 ladies as crew. They sailed the boat and he worked the radio and relaxed while his crew sail the boat. He did not stand one watch during the trip. How cool is that? Will get some rest for the beach party tomorrow.

The Cup Will Come To SF

The SF Board of Supervisors has made a bold move to host the cup on the Bay! Read about the latest developments here..

Extreme is my Middle Name

Down the Line to Bahia Santa Maria

Day 6 - The Rainbow crew was up early for the 8am departure for Santa Maria. There was a bit of wind as we weighed anchor at 0730. The fleet is heading for a rolling start as the wind is light. We are allowed to motor until the predicted 10-15 knot winds fill in. The sky is overcast but the sun is out to the north. We bid a fond ado to Turtle Bay as we head to the mouth of the bay. Lots of spinnakers are already up but there is little wind. The decision is made that the fleet can motor without penalty. The winds donot fill in until about 1545 and at that time it's blowing about 10-12 knots (we have been motoring for 8 hours). The rolling start ends at 1600 and the chute goes up. The wind slowly increases to 15 knots and starts touching 20 before sunset at 1800. Now we are cooking. Lots of boats are catching fish but we only catch some kelp on our line. It was a pretty big piece of kelp, however. Lots of whale sightings too. We have a nice sunset during the end of my watch and it looks to be a very nice night for star gazing as the moon won't be up till after midnight. We are hoping for some good winds to move us down the course towards our next stop.

I have had two amazing watches over the last 12 hours. My night watch starts at 2300 each day. I come on deck and the stars are brilliant . The moon will come up later and in the meantime, the Milky Way is above us. The wind is in the high teens and we are moving along at 7 knots. The seas are pretty flat and the spinnaker is driving us down the course towards Santa Maria Bay. Having a nice chat with Dave and talking about his previous two Haha's. He is a seasoned sailor and this is his first voyage on a cat. He is loving the speed and the down wind capabilities of the boat. And did I mention the speed? He goes off watch and and the skipper comes on deck. He makes a few adjustments and the wheel becomes lite as a feather. We are having a beautiful ride as the red half moon rises slowly in the east. With the moon light shining on the water we are having one of the smoothest runs yet. A dream sail for sure. Off the port stern, I hear the sound of dolphins breathing. Soon they are jumping around the boat and splashing in the moon light. This is the moment I was hoping for. This is magic! Soon I see three shooting stars across the sky. The boat is moving like we are on rails. The skipper agrees that this is a peak moment on the trip. I savor my time on watch and finally at 0300 my watch ends and I go below for a sound sleep. There is a big difference on the sleep side of things on a cat, compared to a mono hull. The cat is flat and you can really get some great sleep. Even at 10-11 knots. On a mono hull you are constantly being pushed from side to side in these conditions. It's easy to become sleep deprived on a mono. I am back on deck at 0700 and the wind is in the low 20's and the seas are lumpy. The sky is clear and it's going to be an awesome watch. The boat is averaging 8 knots with the speedo hitting 10 and 11 on some of the surfs. We are passing mono hulls left and right and the spinnaker has been up for 15 hours. We are flying! I take the helm and it is really getting comfortable for me, even at these speeds. Dave is talking about his perfect boat that he hopes to take around some day. I soak it in as he is the voice of experience. Morning roll call for the fleet is at 0800 and one of the boats has had a wrapped spinnaker for the last 10 hours. Ouch! The skipper mentions that one way to solve the issue is to take a flare and burn the sucker. That will clear up the problem quick! Another boat hit something and is having trouble with vibrations from the prop shaft. All others are fine. We continue on thru a gybe of the chute and the average speed jumps up to 10 knots. What a run. We are about 60 miles from our finish line and on to the next round of beach events!! Need I say we are having a blast as we rumble down the coast of Baja Sur!!

Turtle Bay - First Stop on Baja Haha 17

Sleeping great on our cat as I have my own stateroom. My berth is 6'5' in length which is perfect for me as that is also my height. After we finish straightening up the boat, we head off for shore. We jump onto the pier and waiting just off the beach is an ambulance. One of our fleet members has dislocated his hip and is being ferried into the beach for transport to the hospital. We head up to the beach side bar overlooking the harbor and order Pacificos all around. We are joined by two other cruisers and we introduce ourselves. These guys are not having fun. They joined a boat in Santa Cruz, CA and the skipper has not been the peach they were hoping for. He has a C & C 34 and they have had to trouble shoot the boat all they way down the coast. The owner/skipper thinks he has a grasp on how to sail his boat but according to them, he would not have made it much past Monterey if not for them. They are about to jump ship. They vented and told many stories about his incompetence. Many were very funny. We thanked our lucky stars we have a great skipper and a rock solid boat. Let's hope it continues. After a few cold cervezes, we headed into town for a shower. Then over to the baseball game that Latitude 38 had put together. The teens from Turtle Bay played an inning and then the Cabo Pee Wee team and then all the cruisers. It was a great turn out and every one had a blast. Then it was off to the real deal and the World Series in a local bar. We met up with a father/ daughter crew on a Cal 29 and they barley made it down the coast. Big winds and big seas had unnerved them and they were not in very good spirits. We bought them a beer and tried to give them some moral support. Then it was onto the game and a 7 run 8th inning by the Giants finished of the Rangers and the Giants are up 2-0 as the series moves on to Texas. Finished up the night talking with a new friend from Vancouver, Doug and then headed back to the boat. Really looking forward to the beach party on Friday.

The sun comes up bright in Mexico. The day looks perfect and the 12noon start for the beach party is looking good. I cook up some eggs and toast for the crew and we are off to the the beach. It is about a 10 minute ride by panga and it's way down past the anchorage. We arrive an hour early to set up the volleyball and clean the beach. There is lots of plastic and garbage so we take our time and do the right thing. The net goes up, the beers are chilled and the reggae music is playing by the 12 noon start. Some of the locals are supplying the musica and the cervezas. The cruisers are supplying the potluck. It is a blue sky, bright sun day and the temps are in the mid seventies. Soon, lots of folks have arrived and the party is in full swing. We figure a good 300 folks showed up for a grand old time. The food was amazing and I was lucky enough to try some yellow tail that was caught the day before. Along with samples of many more yummy foods. The volleyball game was hot and there was some real talent on the court. We played about 8 games and had some great times. I was the last to leave and what a great day at the beach it was. Back to the boat for some rest and an 0600 wake up for a 0800 departure to Bahia Santa Maria. Can't wait!!

Blue Angels Sail

Just received a vid of a sail we did a month ago with some great friends to see the Blue Angels fly the bay. We did it all that day and had way too much fun!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Leg 1 of the Baja Haha - We Anchor in Turtle Bay

Here is a little compilation vid of the dolphins.


Day 3, Midnight watch was uneventful except for a broken boat. A Corsair 31 tri had lost their bowsprit, their headsail was in the water and they needed tools. One of the bigger cats, Moon Tide went out 40 or so miles to get them the tools they needed. It would be 20 hour diversion for Moon Tide. But that's what we do as mariners. The winds had built to the low twenties and the seas were huge when I went out on deck. We were loving it! We hit a bunch of 12's and a few 13's on the knot meter. The wind was 12-15 most of the night. On the 0700-1100 watch we had 500-600 hundred dolphins feeding all around us. We did a sail change and you could see a dozen under the boat. This was one of the highlights I was looking forward to. I fetched my video cam and went to the bow. What an amazing treat as this was my first time seeing them on a bow wave. That was so cool. Tex, you would have loved it!! I hope to post the vid on h2uh0. We should reach Turtle bay late this evening. That first beer is going to taste great.


The day continues to get nicer and nice. We throw up the chute and we can see Cedros Island in the distance. We are getting close to the finish line of leg 1 and our destination of Turtle bay. After my watch, I head to the trampoline and read and nap in the warm sun. It's starting to feel like Mexico! We are staring to see lots of boats in the area as we head to the finish line. At about 1300 we cross it and celebrate with some Juice Squeeze. I come back on for my last watch at 3 and we are in 10 knots of wind and 3-4 knots of boat speed. It's still 20 miles to the anchorage and we are determined to get there by sail. During the watch I cook up some Thai Chicken, veggie salad and cous cous. I finish my watch at 1900 and head down for a nap. The motor wakes me as we head in to Bahia de Tourtugas! We anchor about 2230 and head for bed. We will have some boat chores in the morning and then a day to explore. But first I will prepare some blueberry/banana pancakes for the crew!

We Have Arrived At The Cape

We have just sailed in from an extraordinary trip! I kept a daily log on board and it will blow you out of the water!! I am in the process of some wrap up events in Cabo (huge parties). I will be posting the logs a day at a time and let the story unfold. Our boat, crew and fleet were all amazing. There was also a bit of bad news as a boat ran up on the beach. Owner is OK. All in all the trip exceeded all my expectations and they were huge. I can't wait to share this amazing journey down the Baja coast with you all.

Here is the log from Day One:

Rally Start -The day started out dreary and wet. There was was lots of activity around the dock as boats were preparing for a parade and a 1100 rally start. We got off the dock 0945. The parade was just off our bow and the wind was in the low teens with partly cloudy skies. We joined the 170-180 or so boats and headed towards the sea and the starting line. The line is between Pt. Loma Lighthouse and the good ship Profligate. We are just about over the line and we tack with 2 minutes to go before the start. We don't make the tack and have to reset and get some speed. The gun sounds and we are headed north instead of with the fleet heading south. Once we have boat speed again, we tack and are off with the fleet. It's amazing to see this many boats going south. The sun is out and we are making 7 knots over the ground and the wind is holding steady at 14. We head offshore about 5 miles and the wind slowly goes down to about 10 later in the day. We decide to throw on the chute around 4pm and try to increase our speed. Once set, we are doing fine when a herd of dolphins surfaces around the boat. In 5 minutes, I see 150 dolphins. What a thrill! As the sun sets, we hear a report of whales ahead. It's dark now, so we just have to hope we don't encounter any. Just in case we do hit a whale, we sleep feet forward. I am now getting ready to get some rest before my next watch at 2300. More soon....

I was on the midnight watch on my first night time ocean passage. What a thrill it was to come out to the cockpit and have the moon and Jupiter shinning bright in the clear sky. The wind was 15 - 20 on a perfect run down the coast. We have the chute up all night and we were on auto pilot. There are always two of us on deck and my watch mate was Dave on this fine evening. We talked a bit and I spent time starring at Jupiter and thinking about the 63 moons that surround this huge planet. I went off watch at 0300 and went right to sleep for 4 hours. Up at 0700 and the wind is up to 20-22 and we are surfing to almost 13 knots. We are about 15 miles off the coast and not many other boats. After some oatmeal and coffee, we get a huge wrap with the chute on the forestay. We finally sort it out and 45 minutes later we throw her up again. I look behind the boat and a tuna is on the fishing line. We are in the middle of sorting some things out and buy the time I get to the line, he is off the hook. I head down below for some reading and relaxing on day 2!

Preparing to Depart for Baja

Pics from the Kick Off Party!

The Baja Haha begins with a bang in a few hours. All the boats have loaded the additional fuel, emptied the holding tanks, stocked their boat with an array of food and beverage, and topped off their water tanks. The Rally begins at 11am today! Our cat is located at the police dock on Shelter Island. There must be 40 Haha boats here. The 30' cat behind has been in work mode since we arrived. The skipper seems tireless as he prepares his vessel for the voyage. Up the mast, installing solar panels, cleaning and scrubbing. He is behind the 8 ball but says he will cast off no matter what. In the meantime, our boat is ready to go. We have a meticulous skipper who has prepared his vessel well. We had a few chores and then my nephew came down from LA to meet up with us. We have been checking out the best in San Diego. The Mission, La Jolla, Mission Bay and finally Balboa Park. What an amazing park! Lots going on with museums, fairs and festivals. Plus the amazing historical buildings and the trees! After lunch, we headed over to the Kick Off Party for the Haha at West Marine. Lots of happy folks eating and drinking and looking forward to the trip. Several costume contests and lots of prizes to the winners. After, we made our last trip to the store to pick up the fruit and veggies for the trip. We are stocked and ready for the 750 mile journey down the Baja coast. The forecast is for morning showers and 15-20 knot winds. Perfect for a run down the coast! The crew is looking forward to a great trip and so am I!!

Bon Voyage! My First Ocean Passage

As I put the final touches on the departure for my trip to San Diego and on to meeting the boat that will take me down the coast of Mexico, I think about all the water adventures I have had that have lead me to this point. My love for the water started when I learned to swim at 3, joined the swim team at 4, water skiing and boating on the Chesapeake as a boy, learning to surf at 10, swimming on scholarship at UNLV, moving to Carmel, CA at 21, surfing the Pacific coast, moving to the bay area and sailing with friends on a rented sailboat, learning to windsurf in Foster City and then the bay and delta, houseboat trips to Shasta, Don Pedro and Oroville, receiving a Sunfish from my future wife for my birthday, moving up to a wooden dory in 1999, and finally buying a 30' sailboat for bay adventures ten years ago this month, and sailing that boat once a week or more for the last ten years! It has been an amazing adventure indeed. The Baja Ha Ha sailing rally starts in 5 days and I will be on a 36' cat with a crew of four. 200 boats and 600 sunshine seeking sailors will set sail for Cabo San Lucas on Monday, October 25 at 11am. The journey will take us 750 miles down the Baja coast. The first 330 mile leg will take us to Turtle Bay for a two day stopover to rest, relax, fix broken parts and have a beach party. Then it's off for a 220 mile leg to Bahia Santa Maria for another beach potluck and fun. I am bringing the volleyball net and bocce. Our last leg will be 180 miles to Cabo for another round of beach events. We will have a car there and will spend a day at Palmia and San Jose del Cabo. I return on the 6th of November to celebrate my 17th wedding anniversary. I will be blogging down the coast but will not be able to upload our adventures until we get to Cabo due to the remoteness of our route. I am looking forward to seeing the stars and planets in a very dark setting, watching dolphins dance in our bow wave, drinking that first beer in Turtle Bay, meeting 600 friendly folks, and seeing the arch at the end of the Cape as we round the corner into Cabo. Please check back and take a look at the fun and the laughs we plan to share on this beautiful sail down the coast of Baja Sur!

Believe In Yourself And You Will Do Great Things!

iPhone Band

Atomic Tom on a NY subway rocks out on their phones after their instruments were stolen. Pretty amazing! Like the song too.

Pics of the Day

Toad Rock, Java. The only two guys in the water all day.

The jump at Steamer's Lane, Santa Cruz, CA
Click the pic for a larger view.

New Porsche Ad Campaign

Click the pic!

Picture Show: Northern Lights

I have seen the northern lights once in British Columbia. It was an awe inspiring moment in my life. This solar energy occurrence is one of the most amazing phenomena I have ever seen. Here is what causes the spectacular light shows: The Sun's magnetic field throws charged particles from its atmosphere out into space. As these particles near the Earth they are pulled in by its magnetic field, which pulls them down to the magnetic poles. Before they can reach the Earth, the charged particles hit the Earth's atmosphere and collide with the gases found there. The reaction between those particles and the gases creates energy, and the energy is given off as light - the Northern Lights. Here is a link to a site with some breath taking
photos.

New Sailing Speed Record 54.10k

Speed sail records falls like domino brick in the Luderitz Speed Challenge 2010. Alex Caizergues has set a new World Speed Sailing Record at 54.10 knots on a 500 meter run. That’s over 100 km/h an a board with a kite.

Most of the speed junkies in the sailing world are gathered in Namibia for the Luderitz Speed Challenge 2010. This is the place where records have fallen before, and this week amazing things have happened again.

Last year French Alexandre Caizergues became the fastest kiteboarder in the planet with an average speed of 50.98 knots in 501 meters. The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) ratified the new World Record.

Tuesday October 12th he did it again with his kite. He averaged 54.10 knot over a 500 meter course. The record has to be ratified by the WSSRC before it’s final.

Hot to Trot

Something Wild

We headed out to see the Blue Angels yesterday and it was fab! Seven intrepid souls on a vast bay with these precision flyers. We had an nice sail out towards Angel and then tacked toward the city at the start of the show. The tack lasted the entire show and it was breath taking. We headed back and it was time to spread my father in laws ashes. Dick had passed in a freak fall earlier this year. We had some nice words about him and some tears. He loved sailing the bay aboard the Addiction. So long my friend. It was a great day to be on the water with my friends.

Bone Move of the Week

Tri

They don't make these anymore but boy it looks like fun!

You and Your Johnson

Boat Name FAIL - watch more funny videos

Cool Promo

Fast is Fun!

After the boat was lost during a record attempt in 2008, they rebuilt it an came back to claim the world speed record for a vessel under sail in 2009. Wonder what they are up to this year?

Two Weeks and Counting

We depart for the Baja Haha in less than two weeks! Boat Count: 190 People Count: 600
Fun Meter: Off the charts! The trip will take 11 days as we have several stops on the way down the coast. The distance from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas is about 750 miles. Here is a breakdown of what our trip looks like if we have some decent winds for our 36' cat:

San Diego to Turtle Bay
382mi @ 8kts = 48 hrs
We will most likely make a noon approach.
We will swing on the hook Wed & Thur night

Turtle Bay to Santa Maria
224mi @ 8kts = 28 hrs
We will again make a noon approach
We will swing on the hook Sun/Mon/Tue night

Santa Maria to Cabo
194mi @ 8 kts = 24 hrs
This will be a mid-morning approach

8 knots is optimistic but we have a fast boat. Once we get to Cabo, the party continues at Squid Row and a bunch of beach parties. Getting excited for our two week journey down the coast!!

Weekend Pics

Let's Go Boating!

Have a Better Weekend Than These Guys!

Pic of the Week

Sailing Maniacs!

Hold Fast from Moxie Marlinspike on Vimeo.

The story of a man with a dream. Long but well done! He buys a piece of rotting fiberglass, fixes it up and sails it to the Caribbean. Enjoy!

Dolphin Bubble Rings

Cool Time Lapse

Full Moon Sails

Had a couple great late afternoon sails over the weekend that segwayed into moon rise sails as I was coming in. Nice sunsets too. The bay area has been hit by a heat wave that has taken temps into triple digits. The good news is that the wind is still blowing on the bay and I was out there to enjoy it. My golden Kona came with and we had some great times. The heat will last one more day and then the fog makes it's way back into the bay and that means even more wind!

Here's a clip from last weekends race on the bay.

Vendee Globe Race

The next race is still 2 years away. This vid shows how extreme it is and the stress the sailors have to deal with. Check it out.

Never Fart in a Dry Suit

Pics of the Week

Jaws Chaos

Talk Like A Pirate Day

Join the fun!

On The Beach

Lucky!

Sex with a Whale

Received this note from a fellow Haha'er on his way to San Diego via San Francisco.

"Well after thirty years of sailing I had my first close encounter with a whale and lived to tell the story. We were sailing across Monterey Bay about 30 NM west of Moss Landing.

We started seeing Blue Whales, Ocras and dolphins. The Orcas apparently hunt the Blue Whale Calfs in this areas and there was a lot of activity and we steered to avoid the whales.

I was sitting in the cockpit daydreaming when I saw something on the port side of the boat. It took a second and then I realised that it was a whale. The creature had rolled on its back and I swear was humping my boat.

I yelled to my crewman to turn right and the whale touched or kinda slapped the port quarter. Then whale drifted by the boat and just off the transom lifted it's tail in the air and disappeared. The tail was as wide as my dinghy is long (10.5').

No damage or injuries, but I am wondering if my boat lost her virginity to a whale."

Tom Jeremiason
S/V Camelot
C470-145
Home Port: San Francisco, CA
Curretly located: Santa Barbara, CA
www.sailingcamelot.us

Aquarium Perfection

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

Go full screen!

Pic of the Day

Have a great weekend and go sailing!

AIS App for the iPhone

Sailors are rejoicing at the number of apps available for mariners. From charts to currents and tides, GPS and now AIS. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System. All large ship are required to have a transponder and broadcast important info about their origin, destination, speed, etc. With Ship Finder, you can have all the vital info about a passing ship at your fingertips. When on the bay during the day, I can use it to determine which course the ship will head when coming thru the Gate. At night, it can keep me informed of ships headed my direction. A detailed map appears on screen with all the ships in the local area. When I touch the ship I want info on, a detailed report comes up instantly. It won't help you with small boats on the bay as most donot yet have this device or if they do, they are only receiving info and not transmitting. There is a free version available as well as a $5 version which I recommend if you plan to use it on the water. It is worth it and can be an amazing tool for the serious mariner.