Best of H2uh0 - Pics of the Week

Just a small sampling of some of the 1000's of pics featured on H2uh0.  It's been a fantastic 10 years of sailing the SF Bay on our Newport 30.  I have been lucky enough to charter or just get out for a day sail in sublime sailing hot spots such as:  Mexico, Belize, BVI's, Bahamas, Croatia and Hawaii.  I still have a long ways to go to realize my biggest dream.  An 18 month cruise from California to New Zealand and Australia. I plan to purchase a Beneteau 423 and head down the coast of California in the fall of 2018.  Our first big destination will be the Channel Islands.  In late October, we will join the 25th annual running of the Baja Haha from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas.  150 boats and 450 friendly folks.  Many of them we will see again and again as this is a popular westward route.   My crew will be friends and family and most likely a few kind strangers.  My best bud Tex is planning on joining me for the entire trip.  We will sail Mexico for 3 months and then jump down to Central America and Costa Rica. In April, we will join the Pacific Puddle Jump and head to the Galapagos for a spell.  We then depart on our longest passage of about 2100 nautical miles.  This sail will take anywhere from 18-25 days depending on the winds.  Our destination is the Marquesas Islands.  Some of the most awe inspiring islands in the world.  Another 800 mile passage with take us to Tahiti and the plethora of islands in the South Pacific.  Our three month visas in French Polynesia run out in August and we will head towards Fiji and Vanuatu.  Cyclone season arrives in October and we plan to head down to New Zealand for 3 months.   Then the last leg up to Tasmania & Australia with some diving on the Great Barrier Reef.  Every sailor worth his salt looks forward to sailing into Sydney Harbor, and we will too.  Lastly, we will finish up with a short sail to Brisbane and sell the boat, then fly home.  We will be taking school supplies and Frisbees with us to share with children in need.  Along the way, we will kite board, surf, scuba, hike, swim, laugh, meet some fascinating people and sail 10,000+ miles.  I have been thinking about this trip for 20 years and it is coming together.  My wife Bridget will join me along the way at some of the garden spots.  She is not a sailor.  Her motto is: Nothing goes to weather like a 747! 

 We will arrive home in the spring of 2020.  18 months later.  I will be 61 and changing careers from event planning (been doing that for 25 years, loved it, but time for something different) and getting into retirement mode with a sailing venture of sorts.  Maybe charter on the Bay, teach sailing lessons, something to do with boats.  We shall see!  It's going to be a grand adventure and it will be everything I have been dreaming about for so many years.  I have been blessed in so many ways and this will be the culmination of all my time spent on the water.  From growing up on the Chesapeake, to moving West on a swimming scholarship, to my glory days of surfing the West Coast, mastering windsurfing on the Bay and ocean and finally getting into sailing in a big way on keel boats.  For me, sailing brings together everything I love in my life.  Friends, music, nature, the ocean, great food, wine, wild animals, sea creatures, and a floating home.

14 years ago, I started focusing on keeping in shape.  I started running, biking and swimming.  Most days I make time for two workouts.  Usually a morning 10 mile bike ride in the hills overlooking the bay.  And then in the late afternoon, a run in those same hills with Kona, my trusty golden retriever.  I try to throw in some swimming 2-3 times a week.  It has certainly paid off and I will continue this routine until we depart.

If you have read this far, I would like you to consider your own dreams.  What would you like to do that will stretch you as a person, inspire others, and make your life complete?  What is your dream?!?  Take your time and think about this.  This is not a bucket list thing, this is bigger.  This is something you look forward to for many years and work towards a good part of your life.  I have asked several friends what their dream is and very few have any idea or have never thought about it.   I think they should start thinking about it and so should you!  Dream big and aim high!  Bon voyage!

Sailing Scenes From A Movie, Pt. 7 (last one)

If you have not seen this one please do!

Bummer!

Earlier this week we featured the G4 foiling cat.  Sailing circles around all the other boats in Caribbean bliss.  Billed as a screamin' family cruiser, this boat seemed to have it all if you got a mil or two sitting around.  Now this from yesterday.



Might want to rip up that contract you signed last week with Gun Boat and get a fast lead leaner instead.  When you are on the cutting edge, prepare to get cut.

From Pieterjan Dwarshuis
"Fantastic day of sailing ended with a dumb capsize.
Ticked that box of the test program too. Everything fine, mainsail only some broken battens, and my iphone didn't survive..
Need a quicker main dump valve on the hydraulics that's what we learned !
Only way to develop a great product even better is to test it ...."
R&D at it's best.

The Heaviest Wave on the Planet

Nicknamed "The End of the Road," Teahupoo carries that distinction for more than one reason. The obvious being that the small town is essentially the last stop on the road that partially rings both Tahiti Nui ("big Tahiti") and Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti"). The less-obvious reason is the one that's become clearly understood by the surf community in the past decade: If you lose your concentration out there, the expression "the end of the road" could be referring to your life.

Located half a kilometer off the coast of the fishing village of Teahupoo, this monster left-hand reef pass has become synonymous with waves of consequence. Surf journalist Gary Taylor wrote about it in 2000: "Teahupoo isn't a wave, it's a war zone. A freak of nature that some bastard decided to call a surf spot." Though it rarely grows taller than Hawaii's marquee spots, the marked feature of the wave is that it seems to have no back, appearing more like a tidal surge. Because Tahiti has neither a continental shelf nor an outer reef to diffuse the power of Southern Hemisphere swells, the backless beasts hit like sledgehammers, and head-high waves at Chopes have the power of double- or even triple-overhead waves elsewhere. Over twelve feet, the wave becomes too hard to paddle into, and that's when the event goes on hold and the tow boards come out.

Full Screen Only Vid!

There is something magical about large yachts sailing in the French West Indies.  And when you see these amazing yachts from above, it gets even better.  This is one of my favorites!  It comes from the St. Barths Bucket Race of 2014.  Sit back and enjoy...full screen please!  If you can throw it up on your TV, even better.

My Favorite Bay Cruise - Napa!

If someone told me 10 years ago, that I could sail up the Napa River and bike to some of the greatest wineries on the planet, I would have said you are nuts!  And if someone said you can sail the 12 mile river all the way without tacking, I would have said that's unbelievable!  Here is the blog post from our second trip up the river from 2012.

Tex, my golden Kona and I have just returned from a glorious trip up the Napa River to downtown Napa.  We started the trip with a spinnaker run up San Pablo Bay to Vallejo.  We hit the Napa River and the wind was perfect for sailing up the river.  The wind direction and river orientation allow us to sail the river without tacking.  It's amazing to be sailing so fast on such a narrow river.  We reached our destination of the Napa Valley Yacht Club at 5:30.  We headed up to the bocce court for a spirited best out of three.  Then it was on to dinner on the boat along with some nice wine.  Monday we were up early for some wine country appointments.  William Hill, Luna, and Reynolds.  It was about a 30 minute bike ride to the wineries.  We had a great time riding in a mist like rain.  Monday night it rained so we hung out at the boat with a nice dinner and some Saturday Night Live.  Tuesday we had to fix some flats but not too worry we made it out about 11am for our next round of wineries.  My niece Julie showed up at one of the wineries and joined us for a few days.  She is on a road trip from the east coast.  That evening we had a nice time hanging on the boat with some more great food and fun.  On Wednesday we moved the boat to the Carneros region for more wine tasting.  Julie met us and we headed off to Mueller winery and had a great time chatting with Julius as he poured us some tasty tidbits.  He mentioned that we could ride our bikes thru the winery for a nice short cute to Etude.  That was cool.  We had a very nice taste at Etude and then got hit by a huge rain storm.  We retreated to the boat for lunch and then headed out by car to Artesa Winery.  One of the most beautiful wineries in the area, and the wine was good too.  The next morning we headed back to the bay with a nice motor down river.  We hit San Pablo Bay and there was a big storm off the starboard beam.  We heard thunder at one point.  It was heading south and soon it found us and hit us with a 30 minute downpour.  We had the proper clothing and no problems.  Once we got to the Richmond Bridge, the wind piped up and we sailed out to Angel Island.  The Blue Angles were practicing and we saw some nice flyovers.  We headed to Sausalito after a beautiful sunset and tied up at Schoonmaker Marina.  Spent the night there and it was a quiet one.  Up early as they were working on the dock.  We headed out for breakfast floating off the GG Bridge.  Beautiful.  The breeze came up from the east and we headed to a beach on Angel so Kona could get a run.  He loved it and so did I.  Around noon the wind came up for real and we headed out to the Pacific for some wave riding fun.  On our way back, a fishing boat passed and slowed.  We caught up with them and they asked if we would like a salmon.  We said sure.  Tex went on deck and made a great catch of a big fish!  That was classic!  Then it was back on the bay for the Blue Angels show.  We sailed and watched their intricate display of acrobatics.  Back to our slip in Emeryville after the show, we took a quick nap and then cleaned up the boat.  It was another great trip up the Napa River!

Bonehead Move of the Year 2010

Here is an all time classic H2uh0 and one of my favorite Bonehead Moves.

History of Windsurfing

My introduction into sailing started when I fell head over heals for windsurfing in 84.  A friend gave me a board to enjoy on the lagoon in Foster City.  Pretty soon I was sailing on the bay and soon the ocean.  From there, a couple small boats and eventually keel boats over the last 15 years.  This spring I plan to take kite boarding lessons so I can have access to the lagoons of the South Pacific during our trans Pacific crossing in 2018.  Wind surfing showed me the freedom you can experience on the water.  It has only gotten better since purchasing our 30' Newport.



This is a great little documentary on one of my favorite sports!

Sailing Scenes From A Movie, Pt. 6

You may have forgotten this one?



I am a big Robin Wright fan.  She does a great job in this movie.  If memory serves, there is a Newport sailboat towards the end of the movie.  Guess I will have to watch it again.

Best of H2uh0 - Sailing to The Wall (May 2012)

Friday was a special day.  Roger Waters was performing The Wall at AT&T Park.  The Wall was released over 30 years ago and is considered a rock and roll masterpiece.  I have listened to many of the songs hundreds of times yet never understood the meaning of the album.  I searched the web and found a site that breaks down each song.  If you enjoy Pink Floyd, you should check it out.  The album is about Roger's life: the loss of his father in WW2, teachers bullying him, rock and roll super stardom, a cheating spouse and much more.  All these aspects lead him to build a wall around himself and then he finally breaks the wall down.

I had invited my best bud Frank to join me for the show.  Since the show was at the ball park, I decided the only way to do this was to sail to the show and use the boat as our celebration platform.  I had planned a leisurely sail to the park with a departure around 1pm but fate would have none of it.  I was at an appointment when my wife called to say their was a rattle snake in the house.  She discovered it when Kona started barking at it in the kitchen.  Animal control was called and they came and took it away.  The problem was, had Kona been bit?  A call to the vet told us that he would need to be under supervision for the next 12 hours.  My wife had an appointment that could not be missed so I was pressed into action to watch him while she went to the appointment.  That delayed me by 3 hours, but you do what you gotta do!  Kona was fine and I made it to the boat by 4pm.  I had planned to meet Frank about 5:45 so off I went.  The wind was blowing 25 as I exited the channel.  Our little 13 horse Yanmar barely got me out to the end of the channel and then a bit of jib went out and I was off to the races.  I had to tack a few times to line myself up to get under the Bay Bridge.  Once under, the wind and waves calmed down and I had a nice sail to the park.  I tied off the boat to look up and see Frank walking down the pier.  Perfect timing.  We motor over to McCovey Cove and set the hook.  I had hoped to get a slip at South Beach but this is a popular thing to do and there were no slips available.  I broke out some nice French Champagne and we chatted as the boat swung in the wind.  The stadium is off to starboard.  After a nice hour or so, I pull out the double kayak and off we go to the show.  We arrive, find our seats and admire the WALL!  It is gigantic!  We are facing the out field and the wall stretches from outfield foul pole to outfield foul poll.  This is also the length of the stage.  Amazing.  It's 2/3's built with the middle of it not yet finished.  The show begins and the sold out stadium erupts with thunderous applause and fireworks from the stage.  The wild part is that the wall is the largest video screen ever made.  It comes alive with images, movies, the band, everything.  I really cannot do justice in describing this part because it is so awesome.  As the concert goes along, so does the building of the wall.  During the second half the wall explodes into many pieces and is gone.  This is done thru video images and the wall is still there and the amazing images continue.  This was the best concert of my life.  And I am a true concert fan having attended over 500 shows over the years.  State of the art masterpiece!!!  If this show comes to your town, don't miss it.

Frank heads home and I head to the boat.  By this time, there are a dozen boats in the cove.  They are hanging out getting the echoes of the music from afar.  I get back on board, put some music on and settle in for a night on the hook.  In the morning, I am up early and the wind is still in the 20's.  Don't you love these wind patterns of the bay area?  I head out with jib again and in a short while we are sailing towards the fog shrouded Angel Island.  My boat partners are heading out today for a sail, so I don't have all day to get back.  We are on a nice beam reach and I pullout the Coleman for some tea and blue berry pancakes in the cockpit.  I am mostly in the lee of Angel so the wind is light and the food is great.  Just as I hit the wind line to head back, I take everything below and sail home.  Back in the sun, I have a perfect reach to the harbor.  What an amazing experience.  Even though sailing there is alot of work and time, it is always worth it.  Wish you were here! ; ~}



This is from the Sandy Relief Show, no Wall this time.

Lastly, the band name Pink Floyd, Where did it come from?  Well, they had a bunch of names prior to PF.  Mega Death, Tea Set, and more.  They were over at Syd's flat trying to come up with a name.  Frustrated, Syd says, "I am going to grab two albums from my collection and we are going to come up with a name".  The first was an obscure blues guy named Floyd Council.  The second was Pink Anderson, a  blues guy from the 30's.    Now they could have called themselves the Council Anderson Band but history would not let them.  Pretty cool trivia, me thinks.

Sailing Scenes from a Movie, Pt 6

Hot Cat Goes Foiling

The Gun Boat is one of the coolest cats in town.  Now they have made it even better and faster with foils.  This boat is gonna cost you a close to a mill, but it will be worth it!  I saw one with a pizza oven and a huge wine cellar.  Who do I make the check out to? This is a 40' cat.

Sailing Scenes from a Movie, Pt. 5

Dead Calm is a great thriller with Nicole Kidman and Sam Shepard.  The couple are out for a cruise when a mysterious ship along with one of the crew appears nearby.  I won't give away the rest but implore to watch this great movie.  If you download Time4popcorn, you can watch it (as well as a boat load of other movies) for free.

The Perfect Husband

A blast from the past.  Had a great sunset sail last night after a wonderful weekend in Carmel with friends and Kona's sister.  Headed out about 6 into 20 knots and sunny.  Put out the jib for some sweet no hands on the wheel sailing.  Nobody out so I had the east bay to myself.  It was a nice night to be out and the sunset was perfect.  Back about 9 to button up the boat.  Had a couple hoots and hollers it was sooo sublime.

Sail Scenes from a Movie, Pt. 4

Actually this is the full movie.  Starring Kevin Costner, the planet has been covered by water and the remaining human race is water bound.  The trimaran is so tricked out.  It's worth it just see how he can single hand this monster as well as the cool tricks he has up his sleeve.  Check it out!

BVI Trip Highlights

Looking back over the last 10 years of H2uh0, my favorite charter so far has been our trip to the BVI's.  A 57 foot cat (brand spanking new at the time) for a week of fun was the call.  My sisters and their husbands joined us for the 2008 charter.  Here are the highlights:

1. Having a captain and chef aboard was wonderful. The food was always a treat and always topnotch. Having a captain allowed us to do and see twice as much, as he new where to go and what to skip. I know if I had been doing his job, it could have been more stress than I wanted.
2. Our Red Stripe Regatta at Bitter End Yacht Club was a blast and a lot of laughs. A beautiful spot as well.
3. Everyone on the cat got along and had fun. Our whole crew and boat crew were a great match. It may have been the best trip ever taken in the BVI. I am checking the records and will let you know.
4. Sailing to and from Anegada. Both days we started off with low winds in the forecast. Both days we had fabulous sails with great weather.
5. The boat! What an amazing yacht. The sound system was Bose and there was a nice set of speakers under the first spreader. My favorite spot was laying on the hammock in the bow with the remote in my hand. We had a great selection of music and I could control the volume from the hammock. Our state room had a very large bed that allowed me to stretch out (I am 6'6"). We ate in the stern deck area at a table that accommodated us all.
6. The three dives we did were awesome. The highlight of course was the wreck of the Rhone and diving thru the hull of this famous sunken ship.

We truly had a trip that exceeded all my expectations. Everything came together and we are very thankful for such an epic adventure in the BVI's. We highly recommend Voyage Yacht Charters for assisting in the planning phase and for providing an outstanding boat and crew. Special thanks goes to Denis an Rita for all their hard work and for all the fun and great days on the azure waters of this very special place. Now go visit, ya'all!!!

Sailing Scenes From A Movie, Pt. 3

Wind was one of the first full length movie based on sailing.  If you haven't seen Wind, we highly recommend it.

Bonehead Move of the Year - 2011

Best of H2uh0



Top Captions Contest:

"So what part of 'starboard' don't you understand, you big red behemoth?" — Walter Conner.
"Tanker Foils Yachts Attempt to Steal Ships Anchor." — Jak Ayres
"And now our top nominee for the Sailor's Darwin Award is. . ." or "Sailor's cure for constipation" — Dan Begonia
"Diagnosis: Crew suffers from acute case of SFB (shit for brains)." — Patrick Okey
"In the immortal words of Jim Kilroy, 'Mass times velocity equals right-of-way.'" — Chris Ericksen
"Vessel limited in her ability to maneuver runs down vessel limited in her ability to think." — Tim Schaaf
"Captain to crew, “hold my beer, watch this!" — Jim Van Cleve
"Does insurance cover new underwear?" — Bob C.
"Sometimes it sucks to be the frontrunner! — Ken Fouts
And our favorite: "Artist Cristo attempts to wrap a supertanker in pink," submitted by Paul Clausen.

Where Does the Term Knot Come From?

Looking back at 10 years of H2uh0...

As you know, sailors have been doing their thing for thousands of years. From the primitive animal skin that may have been used to propel a man on a log to modern day yachts that can approach 40 knots on the open sea, we have some very archaic sailing terms that have been with us for a long time. How did they originate? Simple terms like cockpit, shroud and cunningham. Let's take a look at a term we all use when we go sailing. "How fast is the boat moving thru the water?" "7 knots", comes the reply. Knots refers to nautical miles. It corresponds approximately to one minute of latitude along any meridian. For our discussion today, we are looking for the origin of the word "knots". The term knot and log originally are derived from the practice of using a "log" tied to a knotted rope as a method of gauging speed of a ship. The log would be thrown into the water and the rope trailed behind the ship. The number of knots that passed off the ship and into the water in a given time (from an hourglass) would determine the speed in "knots". Is that cool or what? It's fun to tell your sailing friends this story when out sailing. They will be amazed at your in depth knowledge of the sailing world!



How many knots is this yacht going?

Great Sailing Scenes from a Movie, Pt 2

Wild Things, one of my favorites!

Join Us for a Sail on the Addiction!

In celebration of 10 years of H2uh0, we are offering a sail aboard our very fine sailing vessel Addiction.   We will do a day sail out to Angel Island with lunch and if you are brave enough, a swim to the beach.  Our boat is such a sweet ride so please don't pass up this opportunity.  No experience needed!  Just a big smile and a sense of wonder.  The wind is free and so is this sojourn.  RSVP by sending me a note in the comment section.  Kona will be joining as well.  Heck, if no one responds, I will still go sailing and enjoy this amazing bay and boat. 

Yesterday I was busy signing up a new partner on our boat.  One of our partners enjoyed bay sailing so much, he decided to buy his own, a Pearson 33 in fine shape.  Good luck Tom.

Here is a candidate for Bonehead Move of the Month!  Not the boat owner but the bridge tender.

Celebrating Ten Years of H2uh0

This is kind of a big deal.  There are not many bloggers that last a year!  They say a blogger's year is equal to a dog year so in this case we are turning 70!  Feels like it.  Other sailing bloggers that have been going this long include the Tillerman at Proper Course and the Horse's Mouth, Joe.  Congrats to them!  Heck, they gave me some motovation to get started.  What really inspired me was a couple accidents on the bay.  The most famous of the two was the Santana 22 that got caught at the south tower of the GGB.  Their boat got caught in a huge breaking wave and they were rescued but the boat was at the bottom.  It was all caught on film by a surf photo guy.  I thought, why not do a blog about people making mistakes on the water so we can learn from them.  Bonehead Moves on the Water was born.  The site has evolved over the years, but we still are running with the main theme.

To celebrate this momentous occaision, we will be looking back at some of the top posts.  There have been well over 2000!  It going to be fun and I hope you will stick around.  On Friday, I will have a big announcement to make!  Keep sailing and stay safe!

So here we go with a blast from the past.

Preparing for My First Ocean Passage (October 2010)

As I put the final touches on the departure for my trip to San Diego and on to meeting the boat that will take me down the coast of Mexico, I think about all the water adventures I have had that have lead me to this point. My love for the water started when I learned to swim at 3, joined the swim team at 4, water skiing and boating on the Chesapeake as a boy, learning to surf at 10, swimming on scholarship at UNLV, moving to Carmel, CA at 21, surfing the Pacific coast, moving to the bay area and sailing with friends on a rented sailboat, learning to windsurf in Foster City and then the bay and delta, houseboat trips to Shasta, Don Pedro and Oroville, receiving a Sunfish from my future wife for my birthday, moving up to a wooden dory in 1999, and finally buying a 30' sailboat for bay adventures ten years ago this month, and sailing that boat once a week or more for the last ten years! It has been an amazing adventure indeed. The Baja Ha Ha sailing rally starts in 5 days and I will be on a 36' cat with a crew of four. 200 boats and 600 sunshine seeking sailors will set sail for Cabo San Lucas on Monday, October 25 at 11am. The journey will take us 750 miles down the Baja coast. The first 330 mile leg will take us to Turtle Bay for a two day stopover to rest, relax, fix broken parts and have a beach party. Then it's off for a 220 mile leg to Bahia Santa Maria for another beach potluck and fun. I am bringing the volleyball net and bocce. Our last leg will be 180 miles to Cabo for another round of beach events. We will have a car there and will spend a day at Palmia and San Jose del Cabo. I return on the 6th of November to celebrate my 17th wedding anniversary. I will be blogging down the coast but will not be able to upload our adventures until we get to Cabo due to the remoteness of our route. I am looking forward to seeing the stars and planets in a very dark setting, watching dolphins dance in our bow wave, drinking that first beer in Turtle Bay, meeting 600 friendly folks, and seeing the arch at the end of the Cape as we round the corner into Cabo. Please check back and take a look at the fun and the laughs we plan to share on this beautiful sail down the coast of Baja Sur!

Great Sailing Scenes From a Movie, Pt. 1

Go full screen!

Here is the first in our series of sailing scenes in famous movies.  Thomas Crown Affair is a classic movie with great acting and adventure.  In the movie, Pierce Bronson plays a rich playboy who steals art for fun.  This is a remake of a 1968 film of the same name.  More movies coming your way in April.

The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful

Oh what a lovely weekend in Norcal.  70's sunny and windy.  Went out to Craig's Cove a couple times for swimming and beach time.  I had been there a week ago and lost a kayak paddle.  Long story but  when I swam up to the beach a week later, there was the paddle.  My lucky day!  The beach is next to a steep cliff on Angel.  No way to get there except a swim or kayak.  The highest wind we saw over the weekend was 22 knots off of Pt. Blunt on Angel.  Did you know that all the points and top of Angel are named after a military ship's officers?  The British ship, called HMS Raccoon, was sinking in the early 1800's and they beached on Angel Island for repairs.  The water way also bears their name: Racoon Strait.  Be sure to share that when someone asks, "Why do they call it Raccoon Strait?"

Have a great week!  We at H2uh0 are gearing up for a big month in April.  We are celebrating 10 years of H2uh0 with a look back at our most popular posts as well as the new stuff.  Hope you will stick around for the party!  We will also be offering a ride on our sweet boat Addiction to a few lucky readers.  So come on, let's party like it's 1999!

Under The Bridge

Fog and and drizzle this am.  Wind on its way!

Hurricane Marie vs. The Wedge

August 2014

The winds are back on the bay!  We go through a lull in winter as the winds mellow out to 5-10 from December to March.  The spring winds can be some of the biggest of the year.  We are getting close to that time, however Sunday was just perfect with 10-15 knots and some good friends on board.  We hit the channel shortly after 11 and started our cruise to Angel Island.  A bocce challenge would take us to Ayala Cove and the beautiful picnic grounds.  We hit the course and a highly contested game commenced.  On the run home, we hoisted the kite and were off on a 6 knot run to the barn.  What a memorable day.  The boat is in great shape for the big winds of summer!   Thanks to Mike, Ryan, Hannah, John and Summer.

Our two main repairs are complete and the Addiction is in race ready condition.  We had a wire banging inside the mast that was like having a guy with a hammer banging on the mast during a  sail.   Not a very peaceful setting when you are trying to be one with the boat.  Then the traveler car was not in the best of shape.  With a 30 year old boat, sometimes you run into parts that have not been removed in all that time.  In this case, it was the end of the traveler track.  It seemed the screws were cemented to the end piece and would not budge.  We drilled the screws out and removed the car from the track.  From there, Murray took the car home and rebuilt it.  Now its strong again and ready to do it's job.  Halaluya brother.  I am a happy sailor now that the repairs are complete.

This our 30 year old spinnaker still pushing us along at fast speeds.  Mostly used to get us home quick at the end of the day.  And what a great way to end the day.

Promote Our Sport Of Sailing (or let it die a slow death)

Beginning with the transformation from wood to fiberglass boats, our sport of sailing went through a tremendous growth period in the early 70's.  At that time, some 12 million folks went sailing at least once a year in the US.  The building of boats became big business and the west coast was a hot bed for manufactures.  There was a downturn in the 80's when a luxury tax of 10% was included on boats selling for $100k or more.  Hundreds of boat builders had a stake driven into the hull of their business and sank as a result.  Towards the the turn of the century, boating has taken a huge hit due to the computer revolution and the Internet as well as economic realities.  Now only 4 million folks have sailed one time per year and just over a million have sailed more than 7 times per year.  That's a huge drop.  Is sailing dying?  Well, the numbers speak for themselves.  In 2001, a gentleman from Northern California and Latitude 38 started a sailing campaign that has sparked a small resurgence in sailing.  It's called Summer Sailstice and it happens right around the official start of summer.  Marinas, yacht clubs and sailing organizations throw huge events that revolve around getting on the water.   I went to one a few years ago on Treasure Island.   We had a blast walking the grounds, bumping into a few friends and making some new ones.  One of the cool events was the boat building contest.  Teams were given the raw materials and they were charged with building a boat that could go from A to B without sinking.  And they did it in a few hours.  Brilliant!
Check out this years sailstice site here.

Another way to increase participation is to take a friend sailing.  Over the last 14 years since we have owned our 30' sailboat,  I estimate I have taken close to 1000 folks out in those years.  That's about 70 per year.  This weekend I have a crew of 6 heading out into the wild blue yonder.  Another way to get involved is to join a Meetup group in your area.  In the Bay Area, we have Got Wind and Water of which I am a member.  In January, I posted a note on the site on a Wednesday.  On Sunday, I had a crew of 8 happy sailors heading out.  We had a ball.  There are over 1000 folks that want to go sailing in this group.  It's a great way to hit the water and when I sail with this group, there is no charge to the crew.  If you want to sail the bay and donot own a boat, this is a great way to find out if this is the sport for you.
Check it out here.

Next month, and in honor of my 10th year with this blog, I will offer my readers a chance to join me for a sail on the Addiction.  Kona will be joining as well.  So get out there and invite family and friends to join you for a sail.  Or join a local group and hit the high seas.  Let's grow the sport and show folks that getting on the water does not have to break the bank.  We have 6 partners on our humble yacht.  I like to tell people that I sail the worlds most beautiful bay for $3 per day ( that's right, we each pay only $3 per day at $100 per month per partner).

When I ask folks what it is they like about sailing, most tell me it's being on the water that floats their boat.  Some talk about the beauty of the wild life and nature.  For me, I connect to my spiritual side with all the beauty the bay has to offer.  The sun, the wind, the water all dance before my eyes.  The mental ballet of working the boat and the wind.  The freedom of escaping the 7 million people that make up the Bay Area.  Plus, I can have a beer while I am doing it!

The Addiction heading up river to the Delta in 2012.  We had 50 boats and 150 folks join us for the week long Delta Doo Dah.

Super Solar Storm

 We are in the midst of what is being touted as the strongest Geomagnetic Storm of the 11-year solar cycle! Folks from all over the world sent in their pics from a terrific night of northern light watching.  Check the pics here.

My only experience with these light shows was in BC in 85.  It was a life changing experience!

Pics of the Week

Must See: Physics of Sailing

This is one of my favorite vids that I have featured on this blog.  Check it out!



Had a great sail on my friends 41' yesterday.  The winds were 15 or so when we departed Tiburon and hit 20 when we rounded Angel.  John brought his girlfriend Tina and we had a blast as we sailed to the Bay Bridge and back.  The yacht is a 41' Islander Ketch from 1974.  Another awesome day on our lovely bay.  Kona had a good time too.

Volvo Ocean Race - Extreme Round the Planet Update

This week, the fleet is battling across the South China Sea, leaving the sailors wet and exhausted. Two teams take a gamble heading north, hoping for stronger winds and a tactical gain.
Meanwhile, Team Vestas Wind are finally getting their boat on its way to Europe to start the repairs.



Back east this week visiting family.  Hope you are on the water...somewhere.

Download the Latest L38 Mag

Get the mag here.

Cowabunga!

The Wedge in Socal.

A Most Ecellent Sail!

Headed out for windy day sail on Sunday.  Sy, Luanne, Ceilia, Jason and John joined me for the sail of the year (so far).  The wind had a very northerly component and we started sailing as soon as we hit the end of the harbor.  It was a straight shot for the Gate which is very unusual.  Winds were in the high teens as we headed into the shadows of the Gate.  I called for a lunch stop at Horseshoe Cove.  Beautiful.  We headed out the gate and we could see some amazing detail in the hills and valleys due to the winds.  We made to the end of Golden Gate Strait for a look up and down the coast.  Always a pretty sight.  There were some small swells from the ocean that were very nice.  We tacked and headed back, blasting across the bay at 7+ knots.  What a day for the record books.  Like I say, after 1000+ sails on this boat, it just keeps getting better!

Ten Years of YouTube!

Happy birthday big guy!  Enjoy this look back at the very best of your favorite tube!

Beautiful, With a Chance of Fog

The fog has returned to the bay area.  This is what generates all the consistent winds we have for 9 months out of the year.  The winds at Angel Island are gusting to 30 as I type.  Predictions for the day were 5 knots of wind.  We have a very cold ocean and a very warm inland valley to the east.  The warm air mixes with the cold water and creates condensation in the form of of fog.  Think of your cold glass of beer in the summer.  The water on the outside of the glass is the same condensation from the mixture of hot and cold.  Then we have a very warm valley that heats up and the air starts rising from the valley floor.  The cool air near the ocean rushes to replace the rising air.  The trifecta happens when all that air gets compressed running in thru the Golden Gate Strait.  Viola, we have twice as much wind because of the pressure.  I have been sailing outside the Gate in winds of 10-to 12.  Once inside, its blowing 25!

Heading out on Sunday with a few Burning Man friends and it should be a spectacular day!

Bonehead Move of the Month

By now you have read about the father/son duo that was rescued in the Atlantic.  The bought a boat on eBay for $10k and fixed it up and loaded the boat for a cruise to Australia.  They decided to depart during a blizzard from the Boston area.  Hours later they had no engine and no sails and called a Mayday.  The Coast Guard steps up in the teeth of the storm and rescues them.   They may have had some visa issues but no one goes to sea in the height of a storm in the middle of winter.  That would be like going to Starbucks in the middle of a tornado.  I am surprised that the folks around them let them take off.  Please folks, we need to use weather windows.  It's not that hard.  What is really upsetting is that they put the resue folks in harms way.  Kudos to the the swimmer on the chopper for jumping in that frigid water to save them.  Stuff like this should not happen with all the weather resources we have.  Or maybe its just them, with no clue what so ever.
Read the story here.

Insane Mt. Bike Rider

I started riding a mt bike in 87, shortly after the revolution started on Mt Tam in Marin.  We have some amazing rides in the bay area.  I have a bunch of friends who love to ride and for 10 years we ht the hills when ever we could.  I still ride in the hills near my house with great regularity.  I'll be coming down a hill a roust a few birds and we fly together down the hill.  I like that part.  Also, getting off the roads and away from distracted drivers in cars is a great thing.

Had a memorable sail on Friday with John and boat partner Rob.  The wind was from the north so we tacked 20 miles north in 10-15 knot winds.  Once we hit the Richmond Bridge, we turned around for a glorious spin run down the channel.  Just before our turn, Artimus racing showed up with their 45' cat foiling all the way.  It was great to see an AC boat cooking across the bay!  We had a ton of laughs and good times.  I was feeling groovy!



Heading out today with some more good friends and one buddy Dan who I have known since 5th grade.  Sunny, warm, mid 70's in SF.  Meanwhile in Boston...

JFK AC Speech 1962

ABC archival footage of US president John F Kennedy speaking about Sir Frank Packer's America's Cup challenger Gretel at the 1962 America's Cup dinner given by the Australian Ambassador. Gretel became the first Australian challenger for the America's Cup.

Here is a great article about one man's love for sailing.  Check it here.

Pics of the Week

This April marks my 10th year in the sailing blogoshpere.  That is truly amazing.

Charter Skipper Gets Lucky!

Sometimes it pays to be a charter skipper.  A fellow in SF took out a young gal on charter who wanted to sail the world, they hooked up and are currently cruising in the South Pacific.   On a whim, she contacted Playboy and she graced the cover of their December mag and was the Playmate of the Month.  Check our her amazing sailing skills here.

10 Affordable Used Yachts for Cruising

Did you know that Beneteau sailboats have crossed more oceans than any other boat?  I bring this up only because I plan to sail one across the Pacific in a few years.  However, there are many other ocean tested cruisers for you to consider.  With a little love and hard work, you can find a great deal and cross that ocean you have been thinking about.  Check out some great cruisers here.

 Hans Christian 43

Norseman 447

Constructing a 60' Yacht in Less Than 5 Mins.

The boat costs a bit less than $1.5M out the door.  Pretty cool how the 2 halves come together.  When you think about all that goes into a production boat, it's amazing.  And I bet she sails as fast as she is beautiful.  Meaning: very!

Tales From the Dark Side (of the Moon)

Over the years, I have studied the moon.  How it was formed, it's orbit, and many more interesting tidbits.  Because of it rotation, we never see the dark side from earth.  Not many folks talk about the dark side ( except for the album).  I found a cool article in the Washington Post about new pictures from the dark side.  Here is a portion of the article:

Although it doesn't appear to spin from Earth's perspective, the moon does rotate, once about every 27 days. That's also approximately the same amount of time it takes the moon to orbit the Earth, once. The phenomenon is called synchronous rotation. In all, about 59 percent of the moon is visible from Earth over the course of an orbit. We never ever see 41 percent of the moon - the side that many call "dark."

But the "dark" side of the moon has always, from its perspective, gotten plenty of light. When Earth sees a waning crescent, the far side is nearing fullness. And it's light in another sense, too: the dark side has few of the distinctive dark spots that mark the Earth-facing side of the moon. Those spots are called maria, from the Latin word for sea, because early astronomers mistakenly thought they were lunar seas (they're actually volcanic plains). The smooth and dark maria cover 17 percent of the surface of the moon. Almost all of them are visible from Earth.

The mystery of the "dark" side's lighter surface has long been a difficult question for scientists. Although the going theory has been that the maria were the result of a huge asteroid impact, recent research suggests that the dark surface of the Earth-side moon is the result of ancient magma flooding.

Here is a great photo of the dark side.

Had some great storm sails over the weekend.  Thursday night it was blowing 20 and I took off for a solo night sail.  When storms are approaching, the wind shifts from a north west flow to a from the south flow.  Its nice because normally we have to tack several times to make it to the central bay.  With a south wind, we shoot out the harbor and start sailing towards Alcatraz on a port tack.  With just about 50% of the jib out, I took an hour long tack out towards the Gate.  Awesome sailing.

Sunday we had rain in the morning and then about noon it started to clear.  I headed up and was in the south wind about 2pm.  It was about 18-20 and I had a few nice reaches towards the City.  Only a handful of boats out and no ship traffic.  Then it really picked up and was 25+.  Made it in and thanked my lucky stars for this wonderful boat we have owned for 14+ years (average boat ownership is 2.5 years before selling).

Here is a look at the wind speeds at the Gate during my sail.  Gusts are on the right.

Singlehanding to Kauai and Back

Not as easy as it looks!

Top 10 Super Bowl Commercials

What a great game to end the season with.  I missed most of the commercials as we were having too much fun.  Here is a look back.  I really liked the "Blue Pill" Fiat spot.  Not featured here.  Enjoy.

My Life is a Disaster!!

This Hawaiian is No Longer Flyin'

COAST GUARD RESCUES 5 PEOPLE FROM SINKING SAILING VESSEL OFF THE COAST OF MONTEREY
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Coast Guard rescued five people from a sinking 65-foot sailing vessel approximately 120 miles off the Monterey coast, Saturday.
At approximately 8 a.m. Saturday, the 11th Coast Guard District Command Center received a distress signal from a personal locator beacon. A C17 transport aircraft under Oakland Center Control, flying at approximately 5,000 feet, visually identified the sailing vessel in the vicinity of the alert location and confirmed that the sailing vessel Flyin’ Hawaiian was taking on water.
The Coast Guard responded with one Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento HC-130H Hercules aircrew. The crew was able to contact and divert the Aqualeader, a tank ship that was 24 miles from the sailing vessel's location. Though unable to remove anyone off the vessel, the Aqualeader assisted by blocking seas and wind for the Flyin’ Hawaiian.
The Coast Guard launched one Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco MH-65 helicopter rescue crew and one MH-65 helicopter rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles.
Both helicopter crews successfully rescued the five people from the sinking sailing vessel.
All five people were transported to shore with no reported injuries.
The parking lot built, 65 catamaran made of Home Depot lumber and connectors was ridiculed from the start and the actions of owner,
"Hot Rod" drew a lot of attention world wide, for all the wrong reasons.

The dream, to build his own boat and sail to Hawaii and live off the sea has sadly failed miserably, but thankfully with no lives lost.

The saga of the Flyin Hawaiian has mercifully come to an end. 

via Pressure Drop