Took the boat up to the yard on 12-19 to add some cruising gear and make improvements.  Finally getting her back this weekend.  Solar panels and AIS were the last items.  Winds are forecast for 15-25 on Saturday and away we go!

Crush of the Week - Tina Louise as Ginger

Way back in the mid 60's, Gilligan's Island premiered on TV.  Seven castaways stranded on a remote island in the Pacific.  I was about 7 at the time and I experienced my first TV crush: Ginger.  She played a Marilyn Monroe/Jane Mansfield role and stole the show.  She actually thought the show was about her as she had been promised a starring role.  Well as a young lad, I was smitten.  She seemed very tall to me, she was curvy and so so sexy.  The show ran from 64 to 67 and I think I saw every one of those shows.  Tina claimed that the show ruined her acting career because she was typecasted into that character.  Did you have a crush on Ginger or was it Mary Ann?

Brilliant

Here is a trick from the old school.  Imagine you are in an anchorage and the wind and swell are coming from different directions.   A boat will naturally point into the wind and make sleep very comfortable...as long as the swell is from the same direction.   If the boat is pointing into the wind but the swell is more than 45 degrees different,  the swell will rock you out of bed!  Here is a great solution to this issue so you won't lose any sleep.

More here: https://www.jmpeltier.com/2015/05/19/sleep-tight-swell-bridle/

Not many folks know about this little trick so next time you are out there and can't sleep due to a rocking boat, whip this one out!

Puerto Vallarta Stopover

We will be in Puerto Vallarta from January 16-23, 2019 for any family and friends who want to join us for sails and visiting the hot spots on the bay. If we get a big response we can extend for another week.

Playa Caballo

Making your sailing dreams come true!

I written many times how my dream was to sail across the Pacific.  Yes that dream is hold until I retire, but the good news is that dream sprang to life 31 years ago.  It will one day come true.  Currently, we are set to depart in September for a 7 month adventure to Mexico and back.  The bottom line is that we are moving forward with the dream! 

I followed a couple online that was sailing the world on a beautiful boat, some may remember Alex and Taru.  She was stunning and he was a kite surfer.  I was looking for their blog and found that it seems she and he have split and she is now with a small child living a simple life.  She had some cool things to say about achieving your dreams:

What if life was just a dream. There's nothing that can prove that it is not. So potentially, this all may be a very advanced, very realistic and extraordinarily vivid dream that we live within. A lucid dream in which you are awake and conscious. Where you have been given the magic wand to create all the worlds and wishes of your desire. It's just that you have forgotten your power. Forgotten that you are the God and the creator of your life.

Whatever life is, what is stopping you, right now, from doing what you really want? Living the life you dream of?

Are you blocking the perfect flow of life energy with limiting beliefs about yourself? Is there a twisted side to yourself thinking that you are not worth happiness? Or do you let other people or rules of society write the story of your life?

And how do you even come to an understanding of what you really want in life? When there are so many options. When life pulls you this way and that. And aren't there so many things we should do, in order to be respected/loved/acknowledged. And what about fitting in? Moving too wildly outside of the frames that your peers move within just seems way too risky. Or?

If you take a quiet moment to yourself and reflect upon it, you do know that none of that is really important. You do know in your heart that you are here for a purpose, just like everyone else. Looking at the lives of other people, it may seem that everyone's got it all worked out. That they all seem to have found their path to happiness.

Read more here.

Taru on a sailing/beach adventure!

History Lesson: Slocum

Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844 - November 14, 1909) was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wrote a book about his journey Sailing Alone Around the World, which became an international best-seller. He disappeared in November 1909 while aboard his boat, the Spray.
Any sailor worth his salt knows the story of how Slocum spread thumb tacks on his decks at night to keep the bad guys away from his boat. What a great way to keep them at bay!

Back in Action...

Muscle-Up from Robert McIntosh on Vimeo.

Back east last week as my Dad passed away on Friday with his family by his bedside.  He was almost 93 and had a great life.  We will miss him and cherish him always.  He is now riding the big bike in the sky.  Love You, Dad!

RIP Warren Miller - Ski Film Maker

America's Cup for Dirt Bags

I love this race!

Pics!

Have a great weekend and head down to the water (or ice).

Black Pearl - Bigger and Badder

Similar to the Maltese Falcon in that she has a Dynarig (when the boat tacks, the masts rotate to adjust the sail angle).  The sails have solar panels on them and the prop spins to regenerate enrgy to the batts.  Pretty cool.  Only 12 guest berths for this massive beauty so it's quality of friends not quantity.  She was a steal at $150m!

Headed out for a short sail yesterday in mixed weather.  Lots of clouds and some sun with a 12 knot breeze.  The water turned white as some engery was moving in.  Was not sure what it was.  It hit the boat and turned out to be a dump of hail.  The cockpit was full of hail and I am in bare feet.  I headed for home and put away the boat.  As soon as I got to the car, the skies had cleared and it was amazing out there.  Always happens.

Pics of the Week

Aquarius is back in her slip.  She was in the yard for a month getting some paint and upgrades.  Still have a few more things on my list.  Have some sails coming up between rain storms here in the Bay Area.  The future is so bright, we gotta wear shades.

Be Careful Out There!

Power boater allegedly distracted by his cell phone.  Fisherman are suing for damages.  Gotta be looking!  This could have been a lot worse.

MLK Set to Music

My fav radio program was 10@10 on KFOG radio.  It is no longer on the radio but has been resurrected on the web.  There are some great speeches and songs that reflect on the legacy of this amazing man.  Please listen and enjoy!  If you enjoy this show there are almost 300 other ten great songs from one great year on mixcloud.

Best sail of the year!

Well it is is only the second sail, but this one was fantastic!  The boat has been in the yard getting painted, adding batteries, stereo and 4 speakers, new head, solar, and more.  She has been in the yard for over 3 weeks.  I headed up and first thing I did was fire up the Sony and checked the audio.  Sounds great!  Speakers in the cockpit are mounted on the dodger for excellent sound.  Took off with a forecast of 10-15.  Hit the bay and the wind was up.  I don't sail in this area alot so it was nice to be north of my home waters and near the Richmond Bridge.  The wind was mostly 15 with a couple 18-19's and the boat hitting 8.2 SOG.  Not bad for a 40 footer with a 38' waterline.  Had a marvelous day with Kona (my golden) and relishing some fine sun and nice temps (t-shirt weather!).  I am really enjoying this sexy, beautiful boat.  We depart for Mexico in 7 months!

Only Non Pirates Need Apply

Found this on Craigslist:

“This is a chance of a lifetime! My best girlfriend and I are planning to come into some money soon. We plan on living the dream, buying a large sailboat and just traveling around the world. Although quite adventurous, we are only two small young girls, thus quite defenseless. Well, we could theoretically defend ourselves, but we will most likely be drunk most of the time and thus not in the right state to be on the lookout for pirates or rapists. I’m not sure I would be very good shooting a pirate with double vision. I tried going to the gun range, while hammered, to practice, but for some reason they would not rent me a gun. I tried explaining my fear of pirates, but that just got me physically carried out. Apparently yelling, 'But how will I fight the pirates? They could come at any moment!' caused some sort of distrust between me the gun range man. Personally, I think he must have been on some sort of power trip. Anyway, all we need is one strong, fearless man to kill any pirates we come across. If you have killed a man before, that could be a plus. If you have any pirate-killing experience, you are a definite shoo-in. You may be the luckiest man you know and the envy of all your friends. You will be able to travel the world, lie in the sun all day with two hot girls, and explore a different city every week without a care in the world — except pirates. I cannot stress this enough. We may from time to time ask you to help fish or man the sails, but your main concern and number one enemy is pirates. Also, if you are anything like Kurt Russell in Captain Ron, we encourage you to apply.”

Maverick's Contest May Go Monday?

They have contacted the 10 men and 2 women to let them know the contest may fly next week.  Some of the biggest waves on the planet break at a point just off our beautiful Cali coastline.  But what makes these waves so big and powerful?  Here is an in depth look at the reasons for the gnarly yet beautiful waves.

Bonehead Move of the Week

My boat is still in the yard for a few more days as we add some cruising gear and hope to get her out next weekend. 

The Have Knots

Meanwhile in New Hampshire...

50 below in parts if you consider windchill.

Top 100 Vids of the Year!

Bonus Vid: Top Wedge Wipeouts

Trip Outline - Sail California

Here is a look at our itinerary for our September sail down the coast to Mexico.  I will post the Mexican portion of the trip next week.

Download Me!

Here is the latest from L38.  Click here for the mag.  We recommend the PDF version.

Titanic - The ship that never sank!

This video will open your eyes as to what really happened with the Titanic. 

My Favorite Race R2AK

I love the spirit that this race brings out in the competitors.  Also the beauty that they encounter, as well as the reality that this may be one of the toughest races in North America.  Check it out!

2017 - Year in Review

A crazy year was it not?  Let's take a look and some of the highs and lows.







Looking forward to 2018 and our year to cut the cord and go cruising for 7 months!  Happy New Year everyone!

Bonus Vid - 200 boats launched in one minute!

Sail Goals 2018

Every year I write down some goals for the year.  It's fun to look back and see how I did.  Here we go!

Last year:
Sailing goals 2017!
x = completed

x We are departing for Australia in September of 2018.  I plan to begin searching for the perfect boat in September of 2017.  Result: I found her in Sausalito and completed the purchase on Oct. 1
x More night sails
x Finish Itinerary for our trip to OZ
x Research locations for our journey
x Sail on other friends boats  
x Charter BVI's.  Result: We did the West Indies (St. Barts, San Martin and Angullia) on a 60' cat with our best friends!!!
x Find the perfect boat!  Result: Found her, 2001 40' Jeanneau!!

I think that is the first time I completed them all!!

Here are some additional highlights:
My last nine months on Addiction - our 30' Newport that we owned for 17 years
Buying my dream boat in September
My last weekend on Addiction, Tex and I sailed to Sausalito for an overnight that was spectacular
My swimming buddy visiting from Vegas for a weekend on the water
Afternoon sail to Sam's
Sailabration sails aboard Aquarius including Fleet Week

It was another great year!  I left a partnership I had started in 2000 on our boat Addiction.  I purchased Aquarius and have sailed her about 15 times since October. She is sweet!

Here is my list for 2018:

Outfit the boat for offshore sailing
Sail the ocean to Half Moon Bay and Drakes Bay
Get all the equipment I will need for the journey
Stay safe and keep the boat in great shape
Practice man overboard drills
Reefing lessons for the crew
Sail to the Farallones and back
Depart for the Channel Islands in September

It's going to be a spectacular 2018!  Our trip to Mexico and back is on the horizon.  Lots of work to be done in the next 8 months.  The boat is currently in the yard for maintenance, upgrades and cruising gear.  Should be back in the slip mid January.  Looking forward to a smashing bon voyage!

Aja - The Greatest Album of the 70's (an audiophile masterpiece)

Here is a critical review of the album.  One of my favorites!

As Michael Phalen famously comments in the liner notes of Steely Dan’s sixth studio album, “Aja signals the onset of a new maturity and a kind of solid professionalism that is the hallmark of an artist that has arrived.” Phalen, of course, was simply another illusion crafted by the ironic and somewhat bitter imaginations of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, the two masterminds behind the enigmatic “non-band” who were gaining a reputation as some of the most difficult yet brilliant musicians of the 1970s. In late 1977 the pair had revealed Aja, an album which would come to define their legacy as a stubborn yet accomplished musical powerhouse, as they staked their territory in an increasingly fragmented and contradictory musical landscape. The album was a sumptuous and expansive collection of music; one that has rightly earned it’s reverence as an audiophile masterpiece.

Steely Dan had gotten off to a promising start with their debut album, 1972’s Can’t Buy A Thrill, from which the two hit singles “Do it Again” and “Reelin’ In The Years” Billboard charted at number six and eleven respectively. Guest vocalist David Palmer was often drafted into live performances to compensate for Fagen’s persistent stage fright, but the latter’s voice was clearly preferred by his band-mates, leading to Palmer’s exit during their first tour. This initial boom was followed by a notable downturn, as the group’s second album Countdown To Ecstasy, released a year later, failed to breakthrough commercially, with Becker and Fagen blaming a hectic touring schedule for its rushed and under-baked content.

Bouncing back with their most successful single “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, which peaked at Number 4 on the Billboard chart, Becker and Fagen found renewed energy in their eagerness to recruit new and exciting session players. Their 1974 album Pretzel Logic followed a period of touring with keyboard player/vocalist Michael McDonald, vocalist/percussionist Royce Jones and session drummer Jeff Porcaro (who would eventually go on to form Toto with Katy Lied Pianist David Paich.) Porcaro proved a reliable and consistent collaborator over the years, but joined the group as a creative fissure between Becker/Fagen and the rest of the band was widening. Echoing Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, the pair were disillusioned by the obligations and restrictions of live performance, gravitating towards the creative reclusiveness enabled by the recording studio and it’s increasingly powerful tools. As the band’s creative directors they became harder and harder to please, often demanding that musicians perform around forty takes of the same recording.

Guitarist Jeff Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder, who remained particularly keen to tour, and felt insulted by their increasing redundancy for session players, eventually left the group along with the other core band-members, excluding Denny Dias who remained a member until 1980. Left to their own devices the pair revelled in their ability to assemble a rotating cast of musicians, each of whom they could draft in for minor or major contributions as they saw fit. As such, they began to decentralise the notion of Steely Dan as a solid group of musicians into something amorphous and indefinable, thus commencing the period of uninhibited creativity that birthed Aja.
Having cultivated a reputation as stubborn yet masterful songwriters, the pair now possessed a certain magnetism which allowed them to assemble a dream-team of jazz, r&b and rock virtuosos, who could actualise their sonic fantasies. Included on this list was legendary saxophonist and Miles Davis alumni Wayne Shorter (who rips through a solo on the album’s title track), drummer Bernard Perdie (responsible for the groove of “Home At Last”) and Steve Gadd, amongst many others. Far from assured by the proven talents of these musicians however, Becker and Fagen took their hairsplitting scrutiny to new and extreme levels, famously sifting through dozens of separate recordings of the same guitar solo for “Peg”, before landing on Jay Graydon’s pitch-perfect performance.

Considering the somewhat pressurised atmosphere surrounding these sessions, it’s easy to see how this ethos carried over into the album’s pristine sound quality. A truly lush and all encompassing audio experience, each instrument boasts a rich glossy veneer, penetrating and tessellating with an almost surgical precision. Far from clinical however, this exceptional clarity maintains the minuscule, if calculated, nuances of each musicians contribution, and ultimately serves as testament to their tight and disciplined performances.

Released in 1977, the year that both the lighting force of punk and the carefree abandon of disco were enjoying cultural hegemony, Aja found itself strangely out of time and place; an irregular jigsaw piece in an often polemic commercial environment. It was around this time that predominantly white rock fans where denouncing the perceived superficiality of repetitive black dance music. But Steely Dan had also been the subject of their ire. As Michael Duffy’s review in The Rolling Stone noted: “Aja will continue to fuel the argument by rock purists that Steely Dan’s music is soulless, and by its calculated nature antithetical to what rock should be.” Far from immune to this criticism, Becker and Fagen reportedly remixed the album around 13 times in the months prior to its release.
Listening to Aja, It’s hard not to see the album’s musical complexity as a riposte to the conservative rock sensibility. Becker and Fagen’s deeply intuitive use of chordal changes is central to the record’s shape-shifting character, as the pair eschew pleasantly resolved sequences and modulate to entirely new keys between sections. This imbues the album’s songs with a certain uneasiness which rubs against the polished surface of its smooth instrumentation – even music theory experts were left puzzled as to the direction a chord sequence was taking or why a specific harmony so strangely worked.

Rhythmically the pair had also dove deeper into the locked grooves of American r&b and soul. Their hiring of musicians who had worked with the likes of James Brown, Quincy Jones and Aretha Franklin provide some insight into their desires to maintain pop music’s infectious percussive drive.  It was in-fact the most rhythmically focused songs, such as “Peg”, “Josie” and “I Got The News”, which proved most time-consuming in the recording process, as Becker and Fagen, of course, pursued the perfect backbeat with an almost maniacal attention to detail.

After a long year-and-a-half of production, Aja would become Steely Dan’s definitive commercial success-story, selling over a million copies (their only record to do so) and sustaining its presence in the charts for well over a year after peaking at number 3. It was perhaps a record that could only have existed in 1977 – one of the first platinum albums in a brief period of unbridled sales and incredibly generous recording budgets – which enabled the band’s expenses to run into the hundreds of thousands with no obligation to recoup the costs through live performance. As an audiophile masterpiece, it deservedly picked up a Grammy award for “Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical.” The group’s subsequent disbandment after 1980’s troubled Gaucho is perhaps testament to the insurmountable heights Becker and Fagen had reached – how could they possibly push further?

Aja is the remarkable product of an uncompromising decade spent by a pair of musical masterminds forging a path both at odds and in love with the pop establishment of 1970s America. To this day, the album’s lasting appeal across cultural and musical barriers serves as the true legacy of a deeply complex yet ultimately irresistible record.

And despite the numerous advances in studio technology of the last forty years, it still stands as one of the finest commercial recordings ever made – a holy grail for audiophile’s around the world. Its inherent and infectious smoothness coupled with its remarkable intricacy transcends the boundaries of taste and trends, shining as an example of uncompromising creative ambition, which nevertheless remains thoroughly grounded in the pleasure principle. Aja is truly Steely Dan’s monument to the joy of listening.

This review comes from classicalbumsundays.com

Head to Spotify to listen to this celebrated classic album.

Sydney Hobart Race Start

There has been a protest between Comanche and Wild Oats so we will have to see who takes home the prize.  Racing starts after the 28min mark and the protest is at the 1:21 mark.  Love this amazing race!

Update: Comanche wins after a successful protest.  Wild Oats finished first but was given a 1 hour penalty.  Congrats to the C-team, they had just purchased the boat this month from Jim Clark.

Boneheads on the Boat Ramp!

10 Great Tunes From One Great Year

Hello Music Lovers!

If you have been a reader of this blog, you know I am a music lover, DJ, and music aficionado.  In the 80's, a station called KFOG formed in SF.  It was my go to and I loved their World Class Rock format.  They had a show called 10 at 10, that played 10 great songs from one great year.  It was hosted by Dave Morey and ran for a good 25 years.  The show featured great music from that year as well as numerous samples of political, historical and pop culture happenings.  I ended up recording over 500 shows on tape and then digitally over the internet.  I still listen to those recording today and sometimes all day!  The show continued after his retirement in 2008, but it was never the same.  Fast forward 10 years and I just discovered a new generation of 10@10.  Dave is not at the helm but he has given his blessing to Dennis Willis to produce the new era of 10@10.  Dave provides some sound bites (like Don Pardo did on the original program).  To date they have produced over 250 shows!  I wanted to share my favorite radio program with you and hope you will become a fan.  The music spans from the mid 60's to the early 2000's.  Some of the music played will bring back some memories for you and you may hear a song or two that you have not heard since that very year.  I love the show and hope you will too!  The show below is from 1971.  Here is a link to all the shows that you can listen to anytime.  Click here. There is an app for Mixcloud as well.  Rock on!!

End of the year pics!

Have a great holiday and a happy new year!

Nightmare on La Vagabond

With their brand new cat almost going on the rocks, this lucky couple dodged a bullet.  Happy they are safe.

Took Aquarius over to the boat yard for some upgrades, paint the bottom and some maintenance work.  She will be in the yard for 3-4 weeks.  We have also made the decision not sail to Australia.  We want to retire in 3 years and if I took off for a year it would set us back a couple years financially.  At this time, I will have 7 months to head down the Cali coast and deep into Mexico.  My hope is that we can get the boat back to Cabo by April 2019.  In July, we hope to sail her back to her home port in SF.  We will save the Australia trip for retirement.  It's a step back but it will allow me to keep the boat and once we return, get some partners involved and reduce our costs dramatically.  It is still going to be an amazing adventure for my crew and I and they are both on board with the new plan.  Merry Christmas everyone.  

More Pics

Hauling out the new boat to add some cruising gear.  Should be on the hard for a month or so.

The Big Ugly

Went out on a big wind day on Monday and got caught in some 40 knot gusts.  Pretty scary but we survived.  Our jib furler got jammed and we could not get all of the jib down.  After an hour we tore a bit of the jib and she will need repairs.  The boat did just fine in those conditions.

Surfing's Biggest Waves

Charter Boat Caught in 70 knot winds

Pics of the Week

Had an amazing solo sail today.  Winds were 8 or so when I hit the bay.  Had a few tacks to get out in the central bay.  Wind was building to 10 and I thought about going out the Gate if things got better.  Wind changed dirction and more westerly so I head north abit.  The wind speed is hitting 14 as we bash back towards Treasure Island.  Once behind the island the waves calm down and we are on a beam reach.  As I head towards the barn, the wind continues to build and almost hits 20.  We tack and head out once more hitting 7.5 knots on the GPS. Very little pressure on the wheel so I lock it and off she goes.  It's truely amazing how good this boat feels.  We tack one last time for a sunset ride to the channel.  The forecast had been 5 and we got 20!