New Pics

The Wonders of Digital Art

One of the amazing areas of current technology is the art form of digital artwork.  Every pixel is created on a computer.  The genre has evolved so fast that if you blink, you may have missed it.  Here are a few examples to set you on your journey.

2015 Baja Haha Log

And so begins the 22nd annual Baja Haha.  I was able to find a crew position on a 42' cat with a couple and their 2.5 year old girl.  I met the skipper at the captain's meeting and we agreed to meet on Monday before the start of the rally to Cabo San Lucas.  There are 130 boats and 500 folks joining us for a 750 mile sail to the cape.  The rally begins outside San Diego Bay at Point Loma.  The gun sounds at 1100 hours and the wind is light at 10 -12 and we are sailing.   Shortly after the start, a whale breaches just 30 yards from the boat. Wow!  The wind increases and decreases throughout the day.  Just before sunset, I mention the green flash.  Sure enough a big one sparks right before our eyes. That night, we are motor sailing down the coast.  I have the 0300-0600 shift.  After dinner, I head to bed and am on deck at the appointed time.  The full moon is out and Mars and Jupiter are looming large to the east.  It's a beautiful night.  We cross several other boats from the rally.  The wind is 10-14 most of the night.  Next day the coast is clear and the boat is moving at 4.5 knots with the main and some engine.  I spend a good chunk of the day on the trampoline reading and enjoying some great tunes in the headphones.  The couple I am with are heading for the Bahamas.  They will have tough going in the winter thru the Caribbean. She is French and he is from Bulgaria.  My watch is coming up so time to get some rest.  One of the things I am really enjoying on this adventure is that the couple and there daughter are in one hull and I am in the starboard hull with my own head.  The state room is huge with headroom in the bed.  There is also a door for privacy and it allows me to sleep in late after an early morning watch.
The next two days are uneventful.  We are motor sailing mostly.  At night, Mars and Jupiter are on the eastern horizon.  Our first stop is Turtle Bay and we arrive at 0730.  We get the anchor down and hit the hay.  Up about 10:30 and go for a swim.  The wind is picking up and the others are off to the beach.  We are dragging and I turn on the engine to avoid hitting a boat behind us.  This 42' cat has a width of about 23 feet.  It's big!  The wind is about 20-25 and I an worried.  I keep us in place and finally the skipper shows up and we move the boat to a more open space and re-anchor.  I tell him it is very important to back down and set the anchor.  He waves me off.  Huh?  His wife also tells him to back down on the anchor and he agrees.   We do that and have no more problems.  We head to the beach for lunch at a restaurant.  After, we head to the annual cruisers softball game.  See a couple folks I know and we have a blast.  Back to the beach and I run into Chris.  He had heard all my stories and decided to give it a go.  He got a last minute ride at the police dock the morning of the rally.  He jumped on a cool boat named Que Sera.  We have a few beers and head to his boat.  We hang for a while and take about the first leg.  He is loving it.  Jumping back on the tender, we are heading against the wind and I am soaked.  We get to our boat and the rest of our crew shows up for some drinks.  I end the night on the trampoline in the bow and enjoy some music, wine and the moon.
Today is the beach party.  We re-anchor over at the beach for the event.  I bring the volleyball net and the fun begins.  There are about 300 folks at the beach.  I met many of them at the net and see some old friends too.  It's a perfect day and we love every minute.  One of the gentleman I meet recommends a Pearson 424 for my adventure to Australia in three years.  Good advice!  We head back and Orale prepares a French onion soup. We solve most of the world's problems at dinner.
After a good nights sleep, we are up at 0600 for departure.  The wind builds during the day and we are seeing 20-25 knots on the altimeter.  It is one of the best days of sailing of the five Haha's I have participated in.  I spend most of the day in the cockpit as the skipper tries to resolve a charging problem.  At 1500, I head down for a nice nap.  After a lentil soup dinner, I take the helm for a couple hours.  It's a magnificent evening and the stars and milky way shine brightly.  Jupiter and Mars are also on the eastern horizon again.   My crew mate asks me where is the moon?  I mention to her that the moon comes up about 55 minutes later each day.  She was not aware of that fact. I begin my 0300 watch by heading to the trampoline in about 20 knots of wind.  I can duck down and get out of the wind.  It is glorious.  "Southside of the Sky" by Yes comes on the headphones and I am loving it.  One of my favorite songs.  Being in the bow with the moon and stars is a great way to enjoy this amazing passage.  We have great wind, heading on the correct course for our next destination, a beautiful, strong boat surfing the waves and some awesome tunes.  This was my favorite of all my Haha days!!  I finish it by doing the dinner dishes and head to bed at 0630.  Up around 1030, we are about 90 miles from Santa Maria.  It's a beautiful day with little wind so far.  Around noon, we stop the boat and go for a swim in the middle of no where.  The water is so inviting and blue.  Oralee trys a pull behind the boat on her paddleboard.  More motoring and then in the late afternoon, the sails go up and we are doing 5 knots in abut 12 knots of wind.  It's the perfect magic carpet ride.  Dinner is served with some nice wine and we enjoy the sun set.  And another green flash.  After dinner, Barnabas takes the wheel and I am off to bed.  I watch Mr. Brooks and fall off to a deep sleep.  Up about 0200 and I can see the lights of the Haha boats in Santa Maria Bay.  We drop anchor and I am ready to hit the town...alas, there is no town, so I head to the bow hammock and enjoy the stars and moon show.  Welcome to Bahia Santa Maria.

Bahia Santa Maria is a beautiful stop along the Baja pemisula.  The entrance to the bay is 5 miles wide and the bay is huge.  On the south side of the beach, there is a river with mangroves.  We decide to take a tour.  Five of us and two paddlers entered the river on a dingy.  It was beautifully tranquil and quiet.  We went way back till we could go no further.  We had some laughs and headed back.   At 1800, we head over to the raft up.  There must have been 80 or more dingies all tied up on the leaders 63' cat.  They had some games and dance contests and I was able to meet a few more cruisers.  We ended up over at my cat with Chris and my crew.  We played an interesting variation on liars dice and then called it a night.  As I dropped Chris back to his boat, he reached over to shake my hand as he stepped aboard his boat and very nearly fell over board.  After a restful sleep, I headed in for the beach party the next day.  They had an awesome band with a great female vocalist.  Meet more friends and made some new ones.  At the end of the bash, I put on a dance mix of oldies and the dance floor filled for the next 30 minutes with some great old tunes.  Too much fun.  We ended up on another boat for an after party.    We get there and there and their dingy is missing.  Three of the crew headout into the night to search.  After and hour, they return with no luck.  I find out the next day, one of the other boats had taken it as a joke.  I would have been so pissed if someone had done that to me.  This skipper just shrugged his shoulders. Back to our boat for some hammock time in the bow.  My favorite place!

We were up early for the start of our last leg and the winds were in the 20's and we were cooking.  They kept building and hit 30 by the evening.  It was pretty exciting and I am a little nervous.  The boat was moving along in the 10-12 knot range most of the day (our highest speed of the trip was 15.6 down a big wave).  At around 0200, the wind started to settle down into the upper teens and it became very comfortable.  Made it thru two watches.  Once the moon came out around 0100, everything got better.  We made it into Cabo about 1330 and promptly headed to a restaurant for lunch and some margs.  All is right with the world.  I had a great time on this trip and alot was due to my skipper Barnabas and his wife Oralee.  This was my favorite Haha out of the five I have done!  A few more parties to go and I will head home on Saturday.  Adios amigos.

Here is a quick list of the highlights:
Great crew with awesome meals prepared by Oralee
Nice big boat with my own hull and stateroom
The trampoline and hammock in the bow
Awesome winds and weather
Great beach parties with the fleet (3)
Hanging with my buddy Chris
The stars, planets and full moon are always way better on the ocean and away from the city lights
The band at Santa Maria!
Swimming to the other boats for a morning hello in Santa Maria
Surfing the waves on A Volante (boat name)

Thanks to Richard and the folks at Latitude 38 for another fun run to Cabo!!!  See you in 2016!

2105 Baja Haha - Best Ever!

Hola from Cabo San Lucas!  I have just completed the 22nd annual Baja Haha.  I was able to jump on a 42' cat with a couple and their 2 year old daughter.  We had excellent winds and exciting sails down the 750 mile stretch of the Baja coastline.  We have one last beach party today and then I head home on Saturday.  I will have a full report on Sunday, so check back for all the details of our amazing adventure. 

Haha Bound

I arrived in San Diego on Friday to begin my Baja Haha Adventure.  Checked in and immediately hit the docks to start knocking on hulls.  This will be my 5th trip down the coast to Cabo with the Haha fleet.  I head down to the marina and there are at least 1000 boats in front of me.  Each Haha boat displays a red burgee so the boats should be easy to find.  The first thing I notice is there are not many Haha boats here.  In years past, this is where there were 30-40 boats.  I asked around and it seems there is a bit of a boating boom going on and there is very little slip availability this year.  I hit all the boats I could find (about 20 boats), and no one needs crew.  On Saturday, I move around abit and find 20 more boats.  Again, no luck.  I hang with my buddy Chris that night, who is also down looking for a ride.  Sunday I am up early and at the skippers meeting to greet all the skippers on the rally.  Each one of the 130 skippers goes by me and my sign and again no bites.  Now I am getting worried.  After the meeting, a gentleman approaches asking about my availability.   He has a young wife and child and needs help.  I am his man!  We agree to meet on Monday morning and I have found a ride.  So happy.  My friend Chris does not get so lucky.  We depart Monday at 11am.  I will update the blog when I arrive in Cabo on about the 6th of November.  Haha here we come!

The cruise consists of three legs.  San Diego to Turtle Bay (about 300 miles) Turtle Bay to Santa Maria (another 300 miles) and finally Turtle Bay to Cabo (about 150 miles).  After each leg, there are beach parties and more.  The boat I am on this year is a 42' catamaran named Avalonte.  Bon voyage, indeed!!!

Hurricane Patricia Set to Pound Mexico

Later today, Hurricane Patricia will make landfall in the area of Puerto Vallarta as the strongest hurricane ever recorded.  With wind speeds at 180-200, this category 5 storm will cause much damage and destruction, as well as loss of life.  There is another hurricane east of Hawaii that is well out to sea but could turn towards the Mexican coast line. 

These storms could cause a delay to the Baja Haha.  The rally starts on Monday.  It is the largest organized migration of boats on the west coast.  I plan to head to San Diego today and try and get on a boat.  We will see what happens.  The good news is we will not depart if there is any potential of a storm hitting the fleet.  Pray for our neighbors to the south and fair seas to all Haha bound boats.

It ain't Frisco!

Here is a look at the finale of the America's Cup World Series in Bermuda.  It includes a crash with a judges boat.

Bermuda - The ReviewFor anyone who missed the action this weekend, here is Matt Cornwell with a summary of all the action from Super Sunday at America's Cup World Series - Bermuda
Posted by Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing on Monday, October 19, 2015

The crash...

 The judges boat is under the bow.  This was a two day regatta that got shortened to one day due to lack of wind.

Baja Haha Bound

Heading to San Diego to hopefully join a boat bound for Cabo San Lucas this weekend.  This will be my 5th 750 mile trip down the Baja Peninsula.  This will be my 4th time trying to find a ride on the weekend of departure.  Crossing my fingers.  The voyage consists of three legs, San Diego to Turtle Bay (300 miles approx.), Turtle Bay to Santa Maria (300 miles again) and Santa Maria to Cabo (about 150 miles).  At our stops we have some great parties and fun.  This year, there are about 130 boats and 450 fun loving folk.  Last year we hit the topside of a hurricane and had some of the best and fastest sailing ever! I am looking forward to the adventure.  I will post a blow by blow of the trip upon my return on November 7.  Wish me a bon voyage!



This vid is from a fellow Haha'er coming into Cabo.

Pics You Like

Music Map

Found a cool site you should check out.  It's called Music Map.  It helps you discover new artists that are similar to the ones you know and love.  I typed in Tom Petty and you can see the results below.  Pick an new artist or two and head to Spotify and discover the related artists and enjoy the show.  You can also use this site for movies and lit.  Now go have some fun here.

Heading to Charter - Grenadines

Just booked a 43' monohull for an adventure in the Grenadines.  We will pick the boat up in San Lucia and sail to Grenada.  In between, we will encounter some of the most beautiful islands on the planet.  Five lucky sailors will be joining the crew for our sojourn in early February.  This will be my fourth charter (BVI, Sea of Cortez and Belize).  I can't wait to hit the high seas with friends.  Wish me a bon voyage!

Meanwhile, in Poland...

Today is the biggest boating day of the year in San Francisco!  Each year, the Navy pulls out all the stops and showcases the pride and professionalism of our armed forces.  Ship parades, stunt flying, air races and the grand finale...the Blue Angels.  This precision flying team is truly amazing.  They do flyovers over the bay and the boating community jams the water ways in appreciation.  I have been to a dozen or so of these shows and I am looking forward to today's show.  We have 7 crew heading out for a day fun in the sun.  Winds should be in the high teens and gorgeous.  Watch out for the other guy on the water!



Head to the 12:30 mark for the start of the show.

Air Show
12:30 PM – 4:00 PM

12:30 PM
U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team
12:45 PM
U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Demo
1:00 PM
Ace Maker T-33
1:15 PM
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Extra-330 flown by Matt ChaPMan
1:30 PM
Red Star Pilots Formation Team
1:45 PM
Michael Wiskus and the Lucas Oil Air Show
2:00 PM
Patriots Jet Team Formation Demo
2:30 PM
United Airlines 747 Demo
2:45 PM
Sean Tucker’s Team Oracle Pitts Special
3:00 PM
United States Navy Blue Angels

25 Biggest Moments of our Watery Planet

Found this cool site from the BBC that breaks down the biggest moments in the history of our planet.  Fascinating stuff.  Check it out
here.

Foils are the Future

Down in Cancun soaking up some rays.  We swam with a few dolphins and one tidbit came out of the info we received, dolphins evolved from a wolf that lived in a swampy area ions ago.  Over a long time period they evolved into the water mammal we know and love.
Getting ready for a sail to see the Blue Angels with some fellow water lovers back in SF.

New Pics

Below is a waterfall in Yosemite that when the sun hits it as it is setting, turns the waterfall "on fire".

Below is a picture of Pangea (300 million years ago) before the tectonic plates started shifting the continents to where they are today.  Pretty cool.  it was surrounded by a world-spanning ocean called Panthalassa.  Plates can move as much as one inch per year.  When you realize that California and Australia are 7,500 miles apart today...that is a long time period!  Also, take a look at where Brazil is and to the right is Nigeria.  When looking at a world map, those continents are 4000 miles apart today.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Bad Day on the River

Boater/Beater/Bitch from Brian McPherson on Vimeo.

Hope you all  had a great summer!  Mine was awesome.

Just Cuz I'm Happy

Had to share this one from SA!  Full screen and volume recommended.

Cool Navigation Tool

My Haha buddy John and I headed to the ballpark with a very pleasurable sail across the bay.  After the game, the winds were up a bit so we sailed under the Bay Bridge on a reach towards Angel.  We put up both sails for the sail home and it was a nice off the wind run to the barn.  Great day and very clear with lots of cotton ball clouds to the east.  Our last sail to the game of the year.

Kite Fails

New Pics

 The Golden Gate had it's 50th in 1987 and they closed it for a few hours early on Saturday.  They were expecting 40k to walk and got 400k.  I was there and it was chaos.  In the middle, no one could move either way.  It was a little scary. The bridge stayed closed for most of the day causing a traffic nightmare.

Classic 80's Ski Show

I used to head to Redwood City's Marine World Africa USA for some fun.  The lagoon they are skiing on is now the lagoon for Oracle.  Good times.

Super Lunar On Sunday

7:15 -9:15pm West Coast Time