Monday, September 30, 2024

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.”

Sunday, September 29, 2024

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!

Friday, September 27, 2024

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

Friday, September 06, 2024

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!

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

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.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Let the games begin!

Just back from a 5 day sojourn to the Delta. Just to the east of the bay is 1000 miles of waterway near Sacramento. Barry, Tex, Hana and I were looking to relax and enjoy this beautiful area and fresh water from the Sierra's. The weather was perfect and the waterways very quiet. We also had a full moon with some great moon rises. Back on the weekend and I was a tired boy! Good fun and Hana had a blast. Here is a look at the America's Cup from Barcelona.

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Fun Facts

1. In maritime law, a yacht is often classified as a pleasure vessel, and owners must comply with international regulations such as the MARPOL Convention to prevent pollution from ships, ensuring the protection of the marine environment. 2. If you walk the docks at any big marina in the late afternoon, it’s pretty clear yachts are pumping effluent overboard instead of into their holding tanks. (Why don’t I ever hear about enforcement on this issue?) 3. In recent history, the Coast Guard reported 84% of drowning victims were not wearing life jackets. 4. Since 2008, Sea Tow has provided over 100,000 life jackets to boaters as part of their Life Jacket Loaner Program. 5. Approximately one in six New England residents own a boat. 6. Approximately one in ten Americans own a boat. 7. Length Overall (LOA) and Length on the Waterline (LWL) are two measurements for a boat, but other ways to measure a boat include Length Over Deck (LOD), Length Over Spars (LOS), Length Extreme (LE) and Length Between Perpendiculars (LBP). 8. Many marinas and shipyards apply a Length Extreme measurement to calculate your dockage charge. 9. There is a federal regulation (40 C.F.R. Section 229.3) detailing how to go about getting permission to dispose of your vessel in the ocean. 10. In recent history, the Coast Guard reported approximately 4,000 to 8,000 recreational boats sink each year. 11. 55 C.F.R. Section 224.103 creates a 500 yard ‘security zone’ around right whales. 12. Seagulls get a respectful distance to avoid stress under the Migratory Bird Act. 13. Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will likely go into effect in December 2024 requiring more thorough documents descriptions in a party’s Privilege Log. (I’m including because this rule change will be helpful to us maritime plaintiff lawyers!) 14. Some yachts get the label “bad penny,” meaning something that’s unwanted but keeps appearing. 15. Foreign flagged yachts chartering in New England without government approvals (you know who you are!) can face fines of $15,000/passenger as well as seizure and forfeiture. (Why don’t I ever hear about enforcement on this issue?) 16. In my opinion, it wouldn’t take much effort for the CPB to identify foreign flagged yachts marketing charterers in New England waters that are “doing it dirty” with charter arrangements that don’t satisfy the law. 17. In recent history, the Coast Guard reported that kayaking incidents account for 15% of all reported boating incidents annually. 18. Iowa and Minnesota require non-motorized kayaks to be registered, which doesn’t appear to the case in New England waters. 19. Typically, a capacity plate on a boat will show the Maximum Weight Capacity (the total weight the boat can safely carry) and will show the Maximum Person Capacity. 20. A Hull Identification Number (HIN) is a 12-character code that every boat manufactured from 1972 onward is assigned. The first three characters refer to the manufacturer; the next five characters are the serial number for the hull; the ninth and tenth characters indicate the month and year of manufacture (with A being January, B being February, etc.) and the last two characters are the model year of the boat. 21. Sailors love to explain the difference between starboard and port; a halyard and a topping lift and the Genoa from the Code Zero, but could they tell you why their boat moves forward when the wind blows? When wind flows over a sail, it creates a pressure difference which creates lift that “pulls” the boat forward; throw a keel or centerboard into the mix and you’ve got yourself a sailboat that’ll take you places. 22. A sailboat can sail faster than the true wind speed especially if on a reach. How? As a sailboat moves forward it creates its own wind, which when combined with the true wind creates a stronger apparent wind. The sailboat’s shape and sails allow it to harness this apparent wind to sail faster than the true wind speed. 23. If your boat is less than about 66 feet, you typically don’t need to show an anchor light if anchored in a designated anchorage – but why wouldn’t you? via Tom Whitwell

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Sail GP Final Race in SF

This is the 13th location of the 2024 edition of Sail GP. And the site of the grand finale. The final race of the series starts at the 1 hour, 6 minute mark. Winner recieves $2,000,000.

Thursday, July 04, 2024

Drone Big Waves

Happy July 4! Heading up to Sausalito for the weekend and a sail on the Matthew Turner. This 132 foot brigintine is a classic. A replica of a boat from the 1800's that now plys the bay with students and learning the ways of the sea. Then some music and fireworks. June was a great month of sailing and friends. Hana has been loving her swims to the beach. I have a road trip to Oregon as well as a family reunion on a lake in New Hampshire this month. I have plans for a charter in Athens in September and the 30th annual Baja Haha in November. Its shaping up to be another amazing year! Be safe!

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Winners! R2AK

On the night of Day 6, the Fish House hosted the 8th edition of the only official finish line awards party possible for a race whose finishers stagger in over a three-week period. But tonight, for a fleeting moment, the top four finishers were in the same room before scattering to the winds in the coming days. Team Malolo was given their first-place winnings in the traditional form—100 crisp Benjamin Franklins nailed to a piece of firewood with an outlandishly large spike. Race Boss said onto the masses, “We shall nail $10,000 to a tree in Alaska and see who gettest it.” And lo, they did race. Racers could not come to the tree, for there was much difficulty, and it was brought to them. And so it is written, and so it shall be. Or something. Less holy and closer to true, someone thought it was funny and it stuck. Eight years in and there’s $80K in US currency floating around with an R2AK-sized hole in Franklin’s nose. In front of Ketchikan, god, and everyone, Team Malolo got the log and the money, Team Brio got the steak knives. Team Hullabaloo and Stranger Danger (the latter landed within minutes of the party starting) both held the impressive, empty honor of being the first teams to not win anything. To commemorate this, they were awarded with a bucket of nothing. An actual empty bucket. R2AK AF. Insult to injury, they had to give the bucket back at the end of the night. It was on loan from the Fish House. Malolo got to keep the firewood. To the victors go the spoils. It was a night of revelry between teams, families of teams finishing soon, local news, local fans, and at least a few members of the R2AK’s Tracker Nation who had flown in specifically to bask in Ketchikan’s finish line glory. And. It. Was. Glorious. Read the full report here:(copy this link and insert into browser) https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/06/19/r2ak-official-finish-line-awards-party/?

Friday, June 14, 2024

R2AK!

The Race to Alska movie was release a few years ago and is a great look at the race the beauty and the competitors. It is currently straming on Prime for free. Check it out.

Saturday, May 25, 2024

Race to Alaska Begins June 9

We here at H2uh0 love this race. No motors! Pedal power, sail, row, paddle and favorable tides are the only means of transport. 750 miles thru some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable from Victoria to Ketchikan, AK. And stiff tides that can exceed 14 knots...against you. No outside assistance either. Winner gets $10,000. Second place a set of steak knives. It's one of our favorite races due to the inginuity some teams put together to keep the boat moving forward. This video follows three brothers who are out to win on their second attempt. I also included the vid that inspired them to add steak knives as a prize. This is such a cool race! And an inspiring vid to boot.

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

20 second barrels!

What a spring travel season we are having! First we hit Norway for some fun on a cruise up the coast with 2 other couples in March. Dog sledding and ice hotels were the highlights. Norhtern lights too. We even did a night sail on a cat and hit some wind as well. Then a beautiful week on Kauai in Princeville. Kayaking and good food was the theme. We are currntly circumnavigating Iceland on a cruise ship with 200 guests as well as my two sisters on board. Whale watching today and we saw many. Lots more later this year with a sail boat charter in Greece plus the 30th annual Baja Haha and my 8th trip down the coast of Mexico on this rally of 100 boats and 400 sailors. A highlight year for sure. Plus my 28 year old son is getting married in December. Hang on for this wild ride!!

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Ronnie Simpson Podcast

Ronnie recently lost his boat after a rig failure off Argentina in a solo race around the world. Head to Sailing Arnachy to hear Ronnie talk about the rescue and his future in the racing world. I have been following Ronnie's sailing endevours since the beginning about 15 years ago. Over the years, he has lost a rudder, a keel, 2 rigs and more. Check it out.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Vital Bridge Hit By Tanker in MD

A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. The ship rammed into the major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse in a matter of seconds and creating a terrifying scene as several vehicles plunged into the chilly river below.

Monday, March 25, 2024

How Long Have Humans Been Sailing?

Sailing is the oldest of our recreations, with the exception of hunting and fishing. The history of our sport is not hundreds, nor thousands, but hundreds of thousands of years older than tennis, golf, biking, or skiing. The earliest undoubted evidence of human voyaging is the settling of Australia by the aboriginal discoverers. They could not have reached it without an ocean passage of twenty-five miles or more. Further back, there is trustworthy evidence of human habitation on Crete 130,000 years ago, before Homo sapiens were in Europe, which implies those explorers were Neanderthals. Crete has been an island sixty miles from the mainland for millions of years. But the most radical possibility for early voyagers is the case of Homo floresiensis, also known as the “hobbit people,” who inhabited the island of Flores in Indonesia a million years ago. As to the common theory that any of these folks were accidentally blown by storms to these destinations, this ignores the fact that in order to gain a sustained foothold, which is what they did, you need quite a number of fellow pioneers to start, including, obviously, females. It required repeated, planned trips in some kind of boat. Despite all the fluctuations in weather, sea level, and human interaction since those early times, the ocean waters you sail on now are the same as those faced by these early voyagers. Besides boats, another ancient technology is cordage. On my first day at Tradewinds as a beginner, I was struck by the fact that in the twentieth century, ropes were being used to control the boat. Ropes? We have servos and actuators and hydraulics. What is with this primitive gear? Like the first boats, ancient cordage, made of organic things like vines or sinew, doesn’t survive through the ages so we lack archaeological proof. The earliest hominid technology we have evidence of, over three million years ago, is stone tools. Knapping stone tools is not easy, and takes skill and foresight. It is much less difficult to strip leaves off a vine, creating a rope. Again, nameless people, who weren’t yet human, thought up a simple contrivance to help with their lives that we still use today. The connection to these earliest technological innovators is part of the heritage I became aware of through sailing.

Friday, March 22, 2024

Post 3000! A Fish Story

I have been looking forward to this post for some time. I started the blog almost 20 years ago on a different platform. Found Blogger and have been here ever since. In honor of this auspicious occasion, I give you my favorite fish story: After a 7 day passage from San Diego to Cabo, it's early morning and I am at the bow of my sloop looking at the sunrise. Thinking about how sailing has enhanced my life and all the people I have met. I am having a moment of clairity. Out of nowhere, a flying fish comes out of the water and hits me on the tip of my penis. I am shocked. God, are you talking to me? Anyway, it’s about 8 inches long (the fish not my penis). It’s flopping on the deck and so I pick it up and toss her into the ocean. They call that crotch and release! True story. Oh yeah, the blog has well over a million views!! I am pretty proud of both accomplishments. Took one hellava long time!
Flying fish are ray-finned fish with highly modified pectoral fins. Despite their name, flying fish aren’t capable of powered flight. Instead they propel themselves out of the water at speeds of more than 35 miles (56 kilometers) an hour. Once in the air, their rigid “wings” allow them to glide for up to 650 feet (200 meters). The winglike pectoral fins are primarily for gliding—the fish hold the fins flat at their sides when swimming. Their streamlined bodies reduce drag when the fish are “flying.” Another interesting characteristic of the flying fish is its unevenly forked tail, which has a top lobe that’s shorter than the bottom lobe. Flying fish can be up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) long, but average 7 to 12 inches (17 to 30 centimeters).

Friday, March 08, 2024

First American woman to circle the planet solo in a race

Big congrats!!! Brauer’s sailing and social posting have both been remarkably consistent and have inspired many to follow her closely below the great capes, across the Southern Ocean, and north through the Atlantic. She is looking to become the first American woman to complete a singlehanded, nonstop race around the world and is sitting in a very solid second place. At 5 feet 1 inch and 100 pounds, she’s demonstrated that physical size and power are not a requirement for success. The Class 40 is very popular in Europe as a high-performance shorthanded offshore race boat, with some growing popularity in the States. Local boats such as California Condor, Glass Slipper and Move are all about the scale and power that Cole Brauer has deftly maneuvered around the world while she also entertains everyone with the trials and tribulations she’s faced along the way. Perhaps no other singlehanded race has managed to be as closely experienced by such a large audience.

Tuesday, March 05, 2024

Waterman Movie @ Amazon

The story of an American Icon and Waterman, Duke Kahanamoku. The man who brought surfing to the world and Olympic gold winner.

My biggest bonehead move was truely boneheaded!

It was my senior year in high school in 1976 and if I won the 100 yard back stroke ( 4 laps) in the championship, I would receive the high point award for the meet. This was back of the 70’s and lane lines had small plastic markers to keep the lines a float. They were spaced about 8 feet apart. On your marks, Go! I hit the wall in first place and had a perfect turn. I took a few strokes and unbeknownst to me, I swam over the lane line and into the next lane. I hit the wall perfectly again and BAM! My head slammed into the swimmer in the next lane (he was approaching his second turn, I had completed mine). I stopped and was disqualified with a nice concussion. Needless to say I did not win the award and was very disappointed! I did however go on to have an amazing college career on a swimmming/water polo scholarship. Shorty after that, lane lines improved and that could never happen again. Here is the latest swimming controversy:

Monday, March 04, 2024

Caudrelier Sails the Planet in 50 Days for Win

Tuesday 27 February at 07:37:42 UTC, Charles Caudrelier crossed the finish line of the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest. At the helm of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, the skipper of Gitana Team, who yesterday celebrated his fiftieth birthday, wins this race of pioneers, completing his first solo circumnavigation of the globe in 50 days 19 hours 7 minutes, 42 seconds at an average speed of 23.74 knots over an actual distance of 28,938 miles. A victory that is shared with Ariane de Rothschild and all the team founded in 2000 by Benjamin de Rothschild. Below vid is from a race a few years ago. This is the boat Chuck used for his recent voyage.

Friday, March 01, 2024

Surfings Top 10 Rides of All Time

Here is the number 1 ride: Here is the complete list with vids: https://www.theinertia.com/features/surfings-top-10-rides-of-all-time/

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Simpson Dismasted

As of 9 p.m. EST on Feb. 11, Ronnie Simpson was set to finish third in the race, having rounded all three capes and beginning his trek up the eastern coast of South America toward the finish. Weather was not cooperating for Simpson, however, who passed Cape Horn on Feb. 2 fighting winds in the 50-60 knot range. While he was hoping to be out of the worst of it, unfortunately things did not get any better. In a Global Solo Challenge blog post dated Feb. 10, Ronnie wrote, “Even when rounding the Horn, I muted my celebrations because I knew I was going to be facing something that no one else in this race has faced; a huge 40+ knot northerly shortly afterwards. That blow has now become a general theme in my ascension of the Atlantic. Perhaps I will celebrate my Horn rounding when I finally reach the Trades and escape this cruel and dreadful place.” Simpson opted to hug the coastline as he made his way north, considering the low-pressure systems to the east. With the wind coming out of the north, the coastline did give him some respite from the worst of the wind, but the geography of the Andes Mountains made things shifty and unpredictable. Simpson began his move eastward toward the Tradewinds, hoping to keep the boat moving fast enough to avoid the worst of the weather patterns. Sunday night, as he was sailing at 9 knots under three reefs and a storm jib, the boat was launched off a wave and landed particularly violently in the trough. “I heard a bunch of big parts falling on the deck, and that was the mast,” he said in an Instagram live Monday morning. Simpson was hoping to salvage the mast and jury rig the boat to get him back to the Argentinian coast, but the volatile sea state was throttling the mast against the boat’s hull. Fearing that the mast could eventually puncture the hull, and unable to salvage the rig, he was forced to cut the mast free. Simpson has been successfully rescued by a passing ship. His dream of a circumnavigation shattered in as many pieces as his mast.

Thursday, February 08, 2024

A look back at 2023 via GoPro

Heading out to Norway for a cruise in the fjords. Our adventure includes the northern lights, dog sleds and an ice palace. Happy Febuary to all!!

Tuesday, January 09, 2024

Some of the biggest waves ever recorded at Mavericks

A huge swell hit the west coast on 12-28-23 and a very highly regarded surf videographer was there to capture all the action. Go to the 20:25 mark for some remarkable footage. Famous watermen from all over the planet flew in for the festivities.

Saturday, January 06, 2024

Gone But Not Forgotten

I was looking over a list of musicians we lost last year and three names really stood out: David Crosby, Tina Turner and Jimmy Buffett. Those are really big names and they are gone forever. A few more notable ones: David Lindly, Burt Bacharach, George Winston and Jeff Beck. To view a list of musicians who passed, copy this link. https://www.billboard.com/photos/musicians-who-died-2023-1235193415/115-02-alan-rankine-1980-billboard-1548/