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

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.

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!

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/?

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.

Pipeline Comes to Mexico!

This place is south of Alcapulco.

$1 Boat Takes 7 Years to Rebuild

Fastest 100 footer on the Planet!

Think About It

Solo Sailor Falls Off Boat in Shark Infested Waters

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.

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!!

MLB Home Run McCovey Cove

One in a million hit out of the park!

New Cruisers Recount a Bunch of Bonehead Moves During the 1st Year Cruising

Hurricanes, groundings, collisions, oh my!

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.

Hate my neighbors!

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.

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.

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).

How Fast Can You Sail Solo Around the Planet?

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.

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:

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.

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/

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.

All Alone!

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!!

Solo Race Around the Planet on Foiled Tri's (may break the 42 day mark!)

Sailing: A Year in Review - 2023

Pro Crew Hits the Rocks

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.

Made Me Smile

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/