Pics of the Week

Heading out for a sailing sojurn to Sausalito over the holiday weekend.  My buddy Tex and I will be livin' large up at Clipper.  We will do a day sail on Sunday and invite a few friends.  Full report next week.

Fear of Flying

The stop in New York on the World Series Tour was both good and bad.  The course laid out in lower Manhattan was trouble from the start.  Too many tall building cut the winds in large portions of the course.  Some boats were under 5 knots for portions of the race.  It did, however, generate a lot of interest and exposed many New Yorkers to the high tech world of the AC.  I just hope they have good winds once they get back to Bermuda for the LVC and the finals in 2017.  It will be tough to top 2013 in SF where the winds were strong and the boats flew around the course at 40+ knots.



Race begins just after the 13:30 min. mark.

Kona to the Rescue

I have owned my event planning company for almost 25 years. We recently did an event in Sf for a local company.  My client gave me a very special table cloth with their logo on it for the registration table.  My client's instructions were to not loose this tablecloth.  We had the event and it was very successful.  At the end of the event, my client said goodby and a few minutes later, I went to retrieve the cloth.  It was gone and I suspected that my client took it with her.  Monday morning, I get a call from her asking me for the cloth.  Oh boy.  I called the caterer and the venue and no one had seen it.  I head up to the venue with Kona (golden retriever) tagging along.  We search high and low and came up empty.  I asked the manager where the event folks have their office, maybe it was there.  I look around the desks but see nothing.  Then Kona starts pulling me across the room.  He picked my scent on the table cloth and there it was under a desk in the corner.  Wow, thanks boy!  I returned it to my client and she hugged me three times.  Kona got a big treat and I was so happy I brought him along that day.  Good boy!

Pics Of the Week

Had a nice sail Sunday with a group from Got Wind and Water, a local Meet Up Group.  We had a bit of southerly wind that got us out to the end of the pier.  Then more of a NW wind got us to our lunch spot at Angel, Craig's Cove.  Kona and I got to romp around the beach and then a lazy rounding of Angel got us slowly back into the wind for a run to the barn.  Great sail and lots of fun.

Look At That!

Very Cool

Heading out today with some folks from Got Wind and Water, a local Meet-Up group.  For folks that want to go sailing but don't want the expense and time of ownership, this is a great way to go.  Owners offer rides on their boats for a small fee or free.  Check your local area for a sailing meet up group and go sailing.  Here is info on our local group with over 1000 members.  Click here.

My Own Bonehead Move

I was coming in late one night about 11pm.  The wind was driving me towards the last channel marker before a hard turn to starboard and into the harbor.  I was flying the jib only downwind.  When I turned the wheel to starboard, a huge gust hit the boat.  I turned the wheel hard the other way as I knew I was close to the marker.  She is all the way over but I am heading towards the cement marker.  Luckily I hit the mark sign and not the post.  Two stantions hit the sign and bent the stantions and sign pretty good.  My biggest worry was hitting the shrouds and pulling the mast down.  I got lucky.  I am reminded of the incident every time I go out.  It cost me about $20 to replace two stantions.  Could have been so much worse!

Your Favorite Gadget of all Time?

Time Mag has put togehter their list of the most influential gadgets of all time.  From the Wii to the Walkman, you will find all your fav's here.  Some of the one's I smiled at were the transistor radio from 1954.  That changed my life.  Now I could take the music with me!  Granted I did not start carrying my music until about 1966 at about age 8 or so.  The Walkman was a big hit in the 80's.  And who can forget the first Mac in 1984?  My first laptop was an early Mac in 1999. The iPod changed my life again in 2002!  Music is the theme here.  And the number one gadget...the iPhone.  Read the whole list here.

Download the Rag

You can download it or read online.  Go here.

Pics of the Week

Had a couple great sails over the weekend with David, Ryan, Drew, Mike, Jilli and Diane.  Plenty of wind and lots o' laughs.  Plus an awesome wine taste in Napa!

Flyboard!

Head to the 1 minute mark for take off.  More info here.

The Solitude of Solo Sailing

For Brett Suwyn, solo sailing offers an opportunity for adventure and a way to get away from the ruckus of city life. A relative newcomer to the sport, as he learns the ways of the sea his adventures are getting bigger and bigger, from a 77-day trip to Alaska last summer, to his first race this summer—the Single-Handed Transpac.

Read his story here

Wipe Outs of The Year

Tonight in Anaheim they will be presenting the awards for Biggest Wave, Worst Wipe Out, Best Paddle In and many more.  Check out all the nominees and their amazing waves, here.

Weekend Pics

Lucky Dude.  I was out on my daily mountain bike ride thru the hills the other day.  I was on a single track when a lizard appeared running below my bike.  I went right to avoid him and hit a rock that stopped me cold.  In less than a second, I went over the handle bars and face planted with all my body weight on my face.  I was stunned and in shock and bleeding from multiple cuts on my face.  I have a nice road rash under my nose that makes me look a bit like Hitler.  I got up and rode home slowly bleeding the whole way.  Today, my face is looking better but it will be a week or so before healing.  I realized I could have been killed or paralyzed very easily.  I am very grateful that it was not worse.  It's amazing to think how our lives can turn on a dime.  As I get older, I realize how cautious I have become.  Injuries can devastate and take so long to heal.  This accident made me think how lucky I am and that I need to be even more careful out there.  And you should too!

Sunset Soul Sail

Took off around 5pm the other day for a perfect sunset sail.  I hit the end of the Emeryville Channel and put up both sails for a leisurely sail in about 12-14 knots.  After two tacks, I was free of the Berkeley Pier and heading towards Sausalito.  The wind shifted to a south wind just past Treasure Island.  Nice and strong so I reduced the jib a good 35%.  Now we are comfy.  Kona is enjoying the cool breeze.  I grab my sweat shirt.  We head back around 6:30 and at one point I get in the lee of Treasure and the wind dies.  I gybe towards the pier and it slowly builds to push me back to the harbor.  I stop by Tex's boat for a quick glass of vino and then I am off to put away the boat.  We have successfully reconfigured our electric engine battery bank and are now ready to embark on a fantastic 2016 season!  Opening Day on the Bay is this Sunday.

Roku Streaming Stick

I recently received a Roku Streaming Stick.  I have an Apple TV, so who knew I also needed a Stick?  There is SO much more on the Stick!  I recently returned from a trip to the Sandwich Islands and plugged her into a huge TV in the room and had access to an amazing amount of content (not that I was there to watch TV!).  Making the connection to wifi is simple and straight forward.  One of the cool apps I have discovered is Radio Paradise.  This listener supported (and commercial free), online radio station became a massive hit when they were introduced in 2000, all the way from Paradise, CA, (hence the name).  The coolest part about the site on Roku is the pictures.  Fire her up and the gorgeous slide show they have put together is fantastic!   The music is an eclectic collection of pop and rock with a dose of jazz, classical and world music.  Their hook is setting a mood without regard to genre.  Recent artists played include Eric Clapton, Weezer, Tom McRae, Third World, The Dream Academy and Al Stewart.  I highly recommend a purchase of this compact, cool streamer.  $50 bucks at your favorite electronics supplier.  This would be a great addition to your flat panel on your boat.  A fast wifi connection is required.

The stick is a little bigger than a thumb drive but it's quad core makes it a powerful media tool.  On most TV's, you will need to plug her into power (adapter included).  There is one little quirk, the only way to turn it off is to unplug it.  I checked online and most folks just leave it on 24/7.  Power consumption is very low.  Kona says two paws up!

The Dreaded Chinese Gybe

Don't try this at home!

XXL Ride of the Year Nominies

The awards are handed out later this month.

Over in Maui and had a great sunset sail on a Santa Cruz 50 last night with my sis and her husband.  After, had dinner at the Lahina Yacht Club with the Commodore and his wife.   What fun!

Red Dot on The Ocean - Trailer

Full documentary available on Amazon.

In case you missed it!

Take the Quiz

Here is a fun quiz to brush you up on your sailing knowledge.  Go here.

Awesome Time Lapse

Weekend Pics

It's going to be a great weekend weather wise.  Get out there and make some waves.