Ocean Race Drone from Leg 3

I love the reaction of the crew when they see how cool the boat looks from above sailing along at just under 30 knots of boat speed.

J Class Crash

This happened in Antigua a few years ago. Apperently the skipper on the boat that got hit swung the stern around towards the other boat and they collided. Had he stayed on course, there may not hve been a collision. These boats are so big and their rudders are small and don't respond very well. The racer that went overboard suffered some broken ribs and survived.

Sailboat Sinks in South Pacific after Encounter with Whale

Ealier this week a sail boat was 13 days into a 20 day passage to the Islands. They encountered a whale and the boat sunk. Mayday was announced and within 10 hours another sailboat resuced them from their life raft. Read the full account here: https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/2023/03/15/#sailboat-sinks-rammed-by-whale-pacific

My New Favorite Song!

I am not a musician however I am a music lover, also know as a melomaniac. I found this song on a cool station on SirusXM called Coffee House Classics, acoustic songs from the 90's and 2000's. The song is 47 years in the making. It was recorded after a near death accident by Bob Dylan and members of The Band. Here is the history of the song: Bob Dylan is universally regarded as one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed songwriters, musicians and performers, having sold more than 125 million albums and performed literally thousands of shows around the world spanning six decades. His influence and impact on our culture is unparalleled, and his artistic output of recordings and songs are both cultural landmarks and the genesis of countless great songwriters and musicians that have emerged in the decades since Dylan exploded onto the global stage. Among Dylan’s many cultural milestones, the legendary Basement Tapes – dozens of songs written and recorded by Dylan in 1967, backed by members of his touring ensemble who would later achieve their own fame as The Band – have long fascinated and enticed successive generations of musicians, fans and cultural critics alike. Having transformed music and culture during the preceding five years, Dylan had reached unparalleled heights by 1966 through the release of three historic albums, the groundbreaking single, “Like A Rolling Stone,” a controversial and legendary ‘electric’ performance at the Newport Folk Festival and wildly polarizing tours of the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. Dylan’s mercurial rise and prodigious body of work in that decade came to an abrupt end in July, 1966 when he was reported to be nearly killed in a motorcycle accident in upstate New York. Recovering from his injuries and away from the public eye for the first time in years, Dylan ensconced himself, along with Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson (and later, Levon Helm), in the basement of a small house in West Saugerties, New York – dubbed “Big Pink” by the group. This collective recorded more than a hundred songs over the next several months – traditional covers, wry and humorous ditties, off-the cuff performances and, most important, dozens of newly-written Bob Dylan songs, including future classics “I Shall Be Released,” “The Mighty Quinn” and “You Ain’t Going Nowhere. When rumors and rare acetates of some of these recordings began surfacing, it created a curiosity strong enough to fuel an entirely new segment of the music business: the bootleg record. In 1969 an album mysteriously titled Great White Wonder began showing up in record shops around the country, and the music from that summer of 1967 started seeping into the fabric of our culture and penetrating the souls of music lovers everywhere. With each passing year, more and more fans sought out this rare contraband, desperate to hear new music from the legendary Bob Dylan. The actual recordings, however, remained commercially unavailable until 1975, when Columbia Records released a scant 16 of them on The Basement Tapes album. Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes is a music event 47 years in the making. The album celebrates the discovery of never-seen Bob Dylan lyrics from that legendary 1967 period and marks a creative highpoint for the album’s participants – Burnett, Costello, Giddens, Goldsmith, James and Mumford – who have brought them to life nearly 50 years later. As Burnett explains, “What transpired during those two weeks was amazing for all of us. There was a deep well of generosity and support in the studio at all times, which reflected the tremendous trust and generosity shown by Bob in sharing these lyrics with us in the first place.” Marcus Mumford is the vocalist on this song.

Inside the latest IMOCA60

The Ocean Race is well underway and these boat are flying around the planet at 25 knots and more. Take a tour of the latest technologies and design with Team Malizia. Here is an look at racing these boats from the inside. They are capable of 600 miles in 24 hours! This is Team 11th Hour.

Out the Gate with Hana

We took off about 2pm with a 10 knot breeze from the south. As storms approach the Bay Area, the wind always comes from the south. This is a pefect set up for going out the Gate. The tide was flooding so that conditions were ideal, as if you get in trouble out there, the tide will push you back into the bay and not the ocean. Within a couple hours, we were sailing out towards the Pacific. Good tunes, lots of gusts to over 20 and a very memorable sail. Did I mention I was the only boat out on a Monday? For us in Northern Califonia, summer begins with Daylight Savings and what a great start to my favorite season!

Been Gone and Now Back in Action

A few vacations stacked up that were very fun indeed. Two weeks ago we got caught in that monster storm in Lake Tahoe. Hana and her two siblings, along with our best friends headed up to Tahoe just before the storm hit. We got snowed in for three days and 50 inches of snow. The roads were all closed for very good reason. We got a break in the storm and the roads opend and we took off for home. We made the best of it and the dogs loved the snow. Then it was off to Arizona with the boys for a little spring traing games with the Giants and the A's in Scottsdale. We rented a house and attended three games in 70 degree weather. More storms at home and no sailing so it was a perfect time to get away. In Lake Tahoe, we are passing all records for snow at this time of year. Several ski resorts are reporting over 600 inches of snow. That's 50 feet! This bodes well for our water supply in California. Another big storm is due to arrive on Tuesday. The hits just keep on coming with the storm door wide open and much more wet stuff on its way.

SailGP in Sydney

The races were close and exciting. Then the freak storm came and one of the wings took off in the storm causing lots of damage. Never thought I would ever see something like this!

Netflix Sailing Movie: True Spirit

I followed her voyage around the world back in 2009/10 pretty closely. I did not know about that last storm. I enjoyed the movie and thought the lead did a great job. Check it out

Unreal Video: The Death Zone, Mt. Everest

I have a friend who is thinking about climbing this 29,000 foot mountain. After watching this video he had second thoughts about the summit. Would you attempt such a climb? Here is some info to digest: It costs about $50k - $60k to hire guides and sherpas to help you summit. It takes about 6-8 weeks on the mountain to get to the top. Most folks take a year to get in the best shape of their life for the climb. About 6,000 folks have made to the top. About 350 people have died making the attempt. Most die on the way down. Most of their bodies are still on the mountain. On summit day, there can be long lines of people trying to get to the top. A traffic jam on top of Everest! About 700-800 people attempt the climb each year. Only 50% will summit. There is alot of suffering on this climb due to length of time at high elevation and lack of proper rest. The brain won't sleep when it does not have enough oxygen. Full screen only!

Amazzzing Sail

Hana and I took off with a favorable tide and light winds on Wednesday. Winds were 8-10kt which is perfect for a winter sail. Boat speed was 3-5k and the water surface was smooth. Heading towards the city we spotted 2 whales near Angel Island in about 40 feet of water. That's rare, however after 40 years of sailing, I have seen about a dozen. Three sailboats were around me, they tacked towards the city and I took off in great winds towards Red Rock and the only boat for miles. Another tack towards Angel and we hit the beach for some fun. I am loving the 10kt days on the bay and there have been many. This week I will sail 5 out of 7 days (wife out of town!). Cowabunga!

Bonehead Move of the Week

Up in Oregon, a man stole a motor yacht and tried to head to sea. The boat ran into trouble at the river bar and the Coast Guard was called. As a rescue swimmer attempted to get to the boat, a huge wave hit the boat with the man standing near the aft of the boat. Both rescuer and man were rescued and the man on the boat later arrested.

Growndswell - the movie

Celebrating 40 years of Sailing the Bay!

Way back in 1983, I started sailing the SF bay. My friend Jeff would rent boats and invite friends to go sailing. I had no idea back then it would become my passion later in life. In 84, I moved in with my girlfriend into an apartment overlooking a big lagoon. A friend let me borrow his windsurfer for the summer and I was hooked. Eventually I purchased my own board and started sailing the bay and delta. I loved the speed and freedom. In 2000, I purchased my first keel boat. The "Addiction" (what an appropriate name!) was a 30 foot sloop that would take us all over the bay as well as the Napa and Petaluma Rivers. I sailed her hard for 17 years and she was a joy even in the big winds of the bay. My dream was to sail to Australia after retirement. It would take a year to get to Sydney. My best friend Tex was game and we sailed together weekly for many years. I sold the Addiction in August of 2017 and purchased a beautiful 40 foot sloop for the voyage. In the midst of refitting her and upgrading the electronics on "Aquarius", my wife asks that I shorten the trip to 7 months. I agree and we target an adventure deep into Mexico and then back to SF. We take off a few days into retirement in September 2018 and head down the California coast. The Channel Islands, Santa Barbara and San Diego held many highlights for us. We spent several weeks in each location with friends visiting along the way. We arrived in Mexico in November and hit our southern most point in March 2020. Zihuantenejo is a beautiful harbor and all of the locals were friendly and warm the entire trip. We headed north in early March and arrived under the Golden Gate in mid April after a most successful voyage. The boat and crew did an awesome job and I could not have been happier. Fast forward to today and boat lives up near Berekely and she is sailed weekly. I found my passion and my life is full of sunshine and seagulls. The SF Bay is one of the greatest sailing venues in the world. With 25 knot winds all summer and a bit mellower in the winter, I am one happy sailor!! Here is some nice drone footage of the bay. This is not my boat but "Wild Card" is looking good in the vid.

MLK Day with 10@10

Our local rock station used to honor MLK day with a musical tribute on 10@10. KFOG is long gone but another DJ picked up the 10@10 show and even got the original host, Dave Morey involved. The tag line was "10 great songs from one great year." Here is a show from Soundwaves copying the 10@10 formula and featuring MLK. Listen and learn! There are about 400 other 10@10's on Soundwaves for you to enjoy. https://www.mixcloud.com/soundwavesFM/soundwaves-1010-108-mlk/

Massive Waves Slam California

Having lived near the ocean in the Bay Area for 40 years, I have seen my share of storms and waves. The storms started rolling in New Year's Eve and have not stopped since. And this is after many years of drought. Our biggest reservoirs have been storing less than 45% of their capacity. Trees and forests are dying due to the drought. Fires are raging in the summer and causing our skies to darken at mid day. California is struggling to say the least. Now with the onslaught of these storms, we struggle more. Yes we need the water but this has been too much. Towns being wiped out by waves, flooding, homes inundated with water, thousands of trees down due to satuated soil, rivers surging over their banks, people found dead in their cars when they drove in water that got too deep, and the list goes on. Today is Friday the 13th and it is still raining with 3 more storms on the way. They say it will be clear in a week or so and that will be none too soon. Lastly, the good news, the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada, which provides our drinking water, is over 200% at the moment. We are expecing another 8 feet in the coming days. Mammouth Mountain ski resort closed earlier this week due to too much snow. 440 inches have fallen, which is twice as much as all season last year. We still have 2.5 more months of snow to go! ve

The Ocean Race Begins in 3 Days

Since 1973, The Ocean Race has provided the ultimate test of a team and a human adventure like no other. Over four decades it has kept an almost mythical hold over some of the greatest sailors and been the proving ground for the legends of our sport. 

 The Ocean Race is often described as the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world, sailing’s toughest team challenge and one of the sport’s Big Three events, alongside the Olympic Games and America’s Cup. To truly understand the race, though, it’s better to think of it in a way the athletes who take part will recognise immediately. Put simply, The Ocean Race is an obsession, and many of the world's best sailors have dedicated years, even decades of their lives trying to win it. Take Sir Peter Blake, who competed in the first edition of what was then the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973-74 and came back again and again until he finally conquered his Everest, securing an overwhelming victory with Steinlager 2 in 1989-90. Only then was he able to fully turn his attention to other projects. The race sits, just as it always has, at the intersection of human adventure, and world-class competition. Thanks to the work of the Onboard Reporters embedded with every team, fans are given a unique insight into just what it takes to win a race that is relentless in its demands – as teams give everything they have, 24 hours a day, in pursuit of the tiny advantages that can make all the difference. The race’s concept is simple: it’s a round-the-clock pursuit of competitive edge and the ultimate ocean marathon, pitting the sport’s best sailors against each other across the world’s toughest waters. It’s relentless: the importance of winning, the adventure of life on board, the transformative effect on the sailors — all of these combine to give the race its power and depth. The last edition of the race was the closest in history, with three teams virtually tied, approaching the finish line. After 126 days of racing spread across 11 legs, the winning margin for Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team was only 16 minutes. The top three teams were separated by just four points. A total of 2.5 million people visited the Race Villages during the 2017-18 event, getting a first-hand taste of the action. Millions more followed the action on our digital platforms, television and via the news as the race set new high-marks for international coverage. Now we enter a new era as the event continues to evolve. Two classes will compete in the 2022-23 edition of the race with the addition of the high-tech, foiling IMOCA 60 class adding a design and technical element. The one-design VO65 fleet will race on its third lap of the planet in 2022, with an emphasis on competition, youth and crew diversity. Following the success of our ground-breaking and award-winning sustainability efforts in the last race, sustainability will continue to be a core value of the race as we go forward, as we redouble our efforts to restore ocean health and lead, inspire and engage on this critical issue. The next edition of The Ocean Race will start from Alicante, Spain on 15 January 2023.

Best Sail of the Year!

Welcome to 2023! New Year’s Day turned out to be a spectacular sailing day! Winds were forecasted to be 10-15 with gusts to 30. We got the 10-15 but otherwise sunny and mild. The winds move to the north in the winter and make some very long tacks towards Red Rock. We had a huge rainstorm the day before and so I was on the lookout for debris but found little in my way. Hana and I set out at 11:30 just as the wind was coming up. No ferries, tankers or barges all day! We had a fabulous run up to Paradise Cove and Scott’s House. Hana was itching for the beach so I threw a stick overboard, she fetched it and was on the beach in no time. I soon followed in the kayak. After a nice lunch in the cockpit we headed back under motor. As we got to the Berkeley Pier, the wind picked up and we sailed her in as the sun set. What a way to begin another fine sailing season on the SF Bay. 2023 will mark my 40th year of sailing the Bay!!!!

2022 - A look back at our amazing year!

2022 was off the hook! We had a bunch of travel that had been postponed due to restrictions and it all came to fruition this year. Also, in my 4th year of retirement, my sailing days increased as did the pleasure of being out there both solo and with friends. It may have been the best year of my life! New motto: At 64...there is so much more! My family is doing great and my wife is happy too. Here are some of the highlights: Finished up 2021 with a trip to the Galapagos. We took 8 friends with us for a voyage to the islands of Darwin.  Our ship was an old whaling vessel that had been converted into a luxury cruiser.  30 guests and 20 crew made the trip memorable.  The guides that took out exploring each day were awesome.  They loved showing off their islands and passing on their intimate knowledge of the flora and fauna.  The weather was great as was the food and drink.  Next up was a sailboat charter out of La Paz, MX.  5 guy friends and a 40 foot cat took us to some incredible islands for snorkeling and kayaking.  We had a breath taking first night with an amazing sunset and conversation.  More fun ensued until we were ready to depart.  Three of us tested positive for Covid and had to quarantine at a Cabo hotel for 5 days.  Next it was on to the BVI's for a 60' cat charter with 3 other couples.  These are friends of 35 years and we let the good times roll.  With a chef and captain, the only orders I was giving was for more boat drinks!  The Baths and Soggy Dollar were the highlights.  Our last big adventure was 12 days of safari in the Serengeti of Africa.  I must say the animals seem to be thriving and we saw it all.  4 camps with great guides to show us the best that Africa has to offer.   Beside the two sail charters,  I had lots of time to hit the SF Bay for some rip roaring good times.  Our 40' Jeanneau is doing well and sailing like a champ.  I took out loads of friends and dogs as well as lots of solo sails on the Bay.  We also sailed to a few Giants games where we park the boat in a slip next to the ballpark and head in for some fun.  Most sails include a stop at the beach for a swim with our golden Hana.  She loves to swim to the beach and romp around.  Our Bluetooth anchoring system is a dream and makes it very easy to anchor from the cockpit.  I am loving retirement and keeping very busy.  Here is to another fantastic year in 2023!  Cheers. 

McCovey Cove at the Giants ballpark on a good day to catch a homer into the water!

How Much Do The Top Sailing Channels Earn?