Direct from Barcelona

“Probably the most frustrating part of the day was just the wind limit, but we did get the race off and from there, the boys just bounced back brilliantly, especially after that unfortunate issue with the mainsail,” LRRP helmsman Jimmy Spithill said. “It was an awesome race, just a full-on street fight and we love that sort of stuff, it was a lot of fun. It’s just great for the team to be under that sort of pressure that sort of stress and load, because you need to be able to go through that as a team,” Spithill continued. “Once again, the guys just didn’t falter, just kept their heads up and executed, but also full credit to INEOS Britannia. They just kept coming, but ultimately that’s a good one for the team to take away.”

A Bonehead Move of My Own

A few years back I was doing a bit of night sailing which I loved. I was out one windy night and as I approached the channel to my marina the wind was in the high 20's. I decided to sail her in and bring the jib in once I was inside the marina. I made my way to the turn into the marina after the last channel marker. A huge gust hit and the boat started to round up...into the channel marker. I turned the wheel as hard as I could to avoid disaster and the possibility of the shrouds getting caught on the marker. The tide was just right and I ended up hitting the lifeline post (stantion) and it was bent but no other damage that I could see in the dark. That was until the next day when I saw the channel marker. Bonehead!

Great winds and beautiful islands - Seven Day Greek Charter

Flying from SF to Athens takes about 16 hours with layovers. Its a lomg ways but doable. My sailing bud Arnie and I met in Athens and jump on a very fast ferry to Naxos. About 100 miles off the coast. Our friends had chartered a 50' monohull and had been on the water a couple weeks. We met them about noon and took off for lunch. Cute little port town that was busy, especially in the evening. We took off the next day about 3 after awaiting the arrival of a outboard from the charter company (the other had been stolen). We had light winds as we headed to our first anchorage. We anchored at Apollonas Bay on Cyclades Island. Had a nice dinner in a local restaurant and noted that the pricing was very inexpensive. A carafe of wine was $5. The next morning the winds were up! This was the start of the meltemi that would be with us for the entire voyage. Meltemis are strong dry winds that blow from May to September and are formed by high and low pressure systems in the area. The winds ranged from 20-30 knots every day! Our next stop was a beatiful cove with a nude beach and taverna. The water was delighful as we swam to and from the beach. After dinner we did a night swim back to the boat with bioluminesence. The winds were way up for our sail to Amorgos. As we pulled into the bay it was a task to get the sails down. The piers were busy and we needed to med moor. On our first atempt we got tangled with a huge anchor. It tooks us about 30 minutes and the help of a fellow boater to untangle the mess. We headed to another pier and dropped anchor again and slide into our spot. Not easy and lots of shouting from land but we made it in safely on our second try. The winds contributed to making this the most difficult moor of the trip. What a cute town and its my birthday. Arnie and I head a few steps down the way and propmptly order some champagne and food. I take it easy that night as the crew heads off about 9:30 for dinner. I watch a movie and try to sleep with jet lag heavy on my mind. The next morning Arnie and I rent scooters for a tour of the island. The lady tells us there is only one road on the island so we won't be getting lost. We head to huge cliffs on the otherside that are magnificent. We push off about 1:30 for Nisos Skhorousa and a nice anchorage. Our boat neighbors insist we anchored too close so we move away. Late that night the skipper and his girlfriend get in a fight and she takes of in the dingy. The motor won't start and she is being blown away in a strong wind. A fellow boater went a got her and brought her back safely. Note to self...never take off in a dingy without starting the engine first. The drama continues but I go to bed. In the morning we head to the islands only port for breakfast. We set off in the afternoon for a beautiful sail to Nisos Koufonision. I hit town alone and find a nice spot for dinner and the sunset. The next day is a beach day after breakfast in town. I find a tree near the beach and set up the hammock and nap until depature. About 2pm we take off for Paros. We find a nice spot off town and do our last anchor off a cute town. Dinner with our feet in the sand with some great food. Next morning up for breakfast and then a cab ride to the port to pick up our ferry back to Athens. We stayed in a beachside hotel that night for a mid day departure. We noted that the area we were sailing is the same latitude as SF. Hence we had weather in the 70's each day and as I mentioned we got so lucky with the winds. It was a epic trip to a place I have been reading about for decades. Here is a link to our course thru the islands: https://share.garmin.com/rallik

Bonehead Move on the Bay!

No one in the cockpit is looking!

Worst Surfing Wipeouts

Let's Haha!

I attended the crew party on Wednesday in Sausalito in an attempt to find a boat and a ride down the Baja coast in November. I met Byron and Lisa and they agreed to accept me as crew for the 10 day voyage. Great news! They own a Catalina Morgan 44 and I will assist in helping them sail down to Cabo San Lucas. The Baja Haha is a cruiser rally in it's 30th year. The 750 mile sojourn is attended by about 125 boats and 450 sailors. The voyage starts in San Diego on November 4th and ends on November 14th in Cabo. Along the way we have two stops with huge beach parties. The party really starts when we get to Cabo! The will be my 8th Haha!! My first was in 2010. But before that, I head to Greece for a 7 day charter. It looks like a great fall sail season awaits!

Best of Burning Man

I attended BM three times over the last few years. My last visit was 2016. We had an amazing art car, camp and folks to have fun with. So glad I got to experience this amazing event.