The Solitude of Solo Sailing

For Brett Suwyn, solo sailing offers an opportunity for adventure and a way to get away from the ruckus of city life. A relative newcomer to the sport, as he learns the ways of the sea his adventures are getting bigger and bigger, from a 77-day trip to Alaska last summer, to his first race this summer—the Single-Handed Transpac.

Read his story here

Wipe Outs of The Year

Tonight in Anaheim they will be presenting the awards for Biggest Wave, Worst Wipe Out, Best Paddle In and many more.  Check out all the nominees and their amazing waves, here.

Weekend Pics

Lucky Dude.  I was out on my daily mountain bike ride thru the hills the other day.  I was on a single track when a lizard appeared running below my bike.  I went right to avoid him and hit a rock that stopped me cold.  In less than a second, I went over the handle bars and face planted with all my body weight on my face.  I was stunned and in shock and bleeding from multiple cuts on my face.  I have a nice road rash under my nose that makes me look a bit like Hitler.  I got up and rode home slowly bleeding the whole way.  Today, my face is looking better but it will be a week or so before healing.  I realized I could have been killed or paralyzed very easily.  I am very grateful that it was not worse.  It's amazing to think how our lives can turn on a dime.  As I get older, I realize how cautious I have become.  Injuries can devastate and take so long to heal.  This accident made me think how lucky I am and that I need to be even more careful out there.  And you should too!

Sunset Soul Sail

Took off around 5pm the other day for a perfect sunset sail.  I hit the end of the Emeryville Channel and put up both sails for a leisurely sail in about 12-14 knots.  After two tacks, I was free of the Berkeley Pier and heading towards Sausalito.  The wind shifted to a south wind just past Treasure Island.  Nice and strong so I reduced the jib a good 35%.  Now we are comfy.  Kona is enjoying the cool breeze.  I grab my sweat shirt.  We head back around 6:30 and at one point I get in the lee of Treasure and the wind dies.  I gybe towards the pier and it slowly builds to push me back to the harbor.  I stop by Tex's boat for a quick glass of vino and then I am off to put away the boat.  We have successfully reconfigured our electric engine battery bank and are now ready to embark on a fantastic 2016 season!  Opening Day on the Bay is this Sunday.

Roku Streaming Stick

I recently received a Roku Streaming Stick.  I have an Apple TV, so who knew I also needed a Stick?  There is SO much more on the Stick!  I recently returned from a trip to the Sandwich Islands and plugged her into a huge TV in the room and had access to an amazing amount of content (not that I was there to watch TV!).  Making the connection to wifi is simple and straight forward.  One of the cool apps I have discovered is Radio Paradise.  This listener supported (and commercial free), online radio station became a massive hit when they were introduced in 2000, all the way from Paradise, CA, (hence the name).  The coolest part about the site on Roku is the pictures.  Fire her up and the gorgeous slide show they have put together is fantastic!   The music is an eclectic collection of pop and rock with a dose of jazz, classical and world music.  Their hook is setting a mood without regard to genre.  Recent artists played include Eric Clapton, Weezer, Tom McRae, Third World, The Dream Academy and Al Stewart.  I highly recommend a purchase of this compact, cool streamer.  $50 bucks at your favorite electronics supplier.  This would be a great addition to your flat panel on your boat.  A fast wifi connection is required.

The stick is a little bigger than a thumb drive but it's quad core makes it a powerful media tool.  On most TV's, you will need to plug her into power (adapter included).  There is one little quirk, the only way to turn it off is to unplug it.  I checked online and most folks just leave it on 24/7.  Power consumption is very low.  Kona says two paws up!

The Dreaded Chinese Gybe

Don't try this at home!

XXL Ride of the Year Nominies

The awards are handed out later this month.

Over in Maui and had a great sunset sail on a Santa Cruz 50 last night with my sis and her husband.  After, had dinner at the Lahina Yacht Club with the Commodore and his wife.   What fun!

Red Dot on The Ocean - Trailer

Full documentary available on Amazon.

In case you missed it!

Take the Quiz

Here is a fun quiz to brush you up on your sailing knowledge.  Go here.

Awesome Time Lapse

Weekend Pics

It's going to be a great weekend weather wise.  Get out there and make some waves.

Fool'em All

Here's a quick and fun prank to play on your co-workers or friends for Fool's Day. When they go off to lunch, download this desktop photo and install it on their computer. When they return, apologize for the accident and say you have ordered them another.  Let me know if it works!

Green Flash Explained

I have been fortunate to see the GF about a dozen times.  Many sailors I have met have no idea what it is.  However, being on the water gives you ample opportunity to see it.  Here is a great explanation of the phenomenon: "The green flash is a type of mirage that occurs at sunrise or sunset only. And the best circumstances to view it are as you described: on the water or flat horizon, no fog, no clouds, no pollutants. The first ray of sunrise or last ray of sunset can be a brilliant green band. This is caused by refraction or bending of the rays of sunlight. At the horizon, sunlight - which is comprised of all colors - has to pass through a thicker atmosphere than if it were high in the sky. The sun is actually already below the horizon, but the refracted rays make it appear the sun has not yet set. The atmosphere prism bends blue wavelengths of sunlight the most, but since our atmosphere scatters blue light, the green appears visible in the sky. Close to the equator, the green flash is quick, lasting only a second or so. Near the poles, it can last longer."

So get out there and keep your eyes open!

That's me out for a very special flash with my boy Sierra.  Golden Gate in the background.

Weekend Pics

 Rio on a busy day.

Mt. Everest on a busy day.

St. Barth's Bucket Race

Last weekend, many of the super yachts from around the planet gathered on this tiny paradise in the Caribbean.  These 100'+ beauties raced around the island, some in excess of 20 knots.  Here is a vid from a few years ago to wet your whistle.  Go full screen!

Epic Self Rescue

AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico (AP) — David Thompson felt the smack of a wave and found himself hanging by a tether off the back of his sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean, the northern coast of Puerto Rico off in the distance.

No problem, Thompson thought. He was still tied to his boat, wearing his life jacket. All he had to do was hoist himself back onto his boat.

But conditions were rough: 20-knot winds and 10-foot swells. As he climbed back on board, another wave tossed him off. Then the surging water stripped away his life jacket, which had linked him to the boat, and he watched as the boat moved farther away by the second.

"My arms were so tired, I couldn't grab ahold of anything anymore," the 68-year-old said Wednesday from a hospital in Puerto Rico, where he is recovering from his ordeal. "So I was watching my boat sail away. I was thinking that was it."

Yet he kept himself going. He swam and floated on his back and swam — on and on for seven hours, finally crawling onto a Puerto Rico beach after dark, half naked and exhausted.

Thompson, a retired engineer from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who was sailing solo when he went overboard, is being treated for dehydration and expects to be hospitalized for at least four days.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Thompson said he had been with his wife, Donna, in St. Maarten. She flew home and he was taking their 49-foot boat, the Enthalpy II, to South Florida. It was about 1 p.m. Sunday when he was knocked overboard.

He recalled that the wave that took his life jacket also stripped off his clothes except for his shirt, leaving him almost naked as he floated in the water and considered his options.

Thompson made his way toward land, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away. He alternated between floating and swimming, thinking about his 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter to keep himself going.

"I wanted to see her and hug her again. And I have a wife and a nice life. I didn't want to die."

Thompson kept swimming. A sharp reef cut into his legs as he scrambled onto land. Aware that he was naked, Thompson took off his shirt, stepped into the arm holes to fashioned makeshift shorts before looking for help. He knocked on the door of several homes and called out for help, but none came.

"When they saw me, I was walking like I was drunk because I didn't have any strength left in my legs," which were bleeding. "I didn't look like someone you wanted to invite to dinner."

Finally, he arrived at Villas del Mar Hau, a seaside hotel in the north coastal town of Isabela. He stumbled into the restaurant and asked waiters for help. They gave him food, water and clothes that a previous guest had left behind.

"That man ate so much rice and beans that it seemed like he had not eaten for three days," said Sandra Villanueva, the hotel owner's assistant. "I truly admire him. He was so beat up. He had lost all his clothes. His head, his hands, his feet were all beat up."

The hotel called police and the U.S. Coast Guard, and Thompson was taken to the nearby hospital in Aguadilla. Officials at the private hospital would not allow an AP journalist inside, but Thompson said by phone that he was awaiting dialysis to get rid of the tremendous amount of protein built up in his body. He was too weak to hold a cup of coffee.

His wife said in a phone interview from Michigan that she was not surprised her husband survived.

"He is stubborn. He is determined. He is like one of the strongest people I've ever known. Once he sets his mind to something, you are not going to change him, which can be aggravating from a wife's point of view," she said with a laugh.

The Thompsons had planned to vacation in the Florida Keys or possibly the Bahamas next year in their sailboat, which the U.S. Coast Guard recovered, but those plans are on hold.

"Knowing that your husband is on a boat by himself, and getting a call from the Coast Guard is the worst call you can get," she said, choking up. "The fact that the boat came through and that he was able to come through, it's a miracle."

Pics For You

Keel Walk, Mast Walk and now Skywalk

Cowabunga Dude!

I can see Uranus from here!

Have you ever wondered where the the name Uranus comes from. Will I did and found a very cool article about the man who discovered the eighth planet and why the unusual name finally stuck.  The butt of many a joke, I give you our second largest (behind Jupiter) planet.

Happy Pi Day - 3-14.  One of the cool things about living in the Silicon Valley is how nerdy it can be.  I was out sailing a few Pi days ago on a sunny, blue sky afternoon.  As we approached the Golden Gate Bridge we noticed five planes flying high above us in perfect wing to wing formation.  They let out streams of white and created a string of numbers across the sky in a very large format.
They kept going from horizon to horizon. Here were some of the numbers:
83279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286 

These are a fraction of the numbers of Pi which has no decimal ending due to being an irrational number.  As we know, Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. 3.14 to infinity.  How cool.  Well they happen to call this display of numbers in the sky, "Pi in the Sky Day".  

Check it out.