Video: Oralcle's Pitchpole and Aftermath

Gettting Ready to Depart for the Baja Haha

We depart on Friday to meet our Cabo bound boat for a 750 mile sail down Baja coast from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas.  This will be my 3rd trip in a row.  We have almost 150 boats going and 500 folks.  The itinerary has sailing for three days to Turtle Bay, a small fishing village.  We stay for 2 days and end with a huge beach party.  Then another 3 days of sailing to Santa Maria Bay.  This beautiful bay is huge and only a few fisherman live on a nearby river.  The families of these fisherman throw us another beach party with a band and great food.  Our last sail is about 24 hours to Cabo where we have a few more events and then my friend John (who is also crewing with me on the same boat) and I will fly back home.  Our boat will continue around the planet on a 5 year lap.  I will be keeping a log and will post upon my return to this blog.  The trip takes 2 weeks so look for it mid November.  I leave you with a few vids that will knock your socks off.  Wish me a bon voyage.

Video: Oracle AC boat badly damaged in pitchpole

Oracle's 72' AC boat pitchpoled in the SF bay and was badly damaged.  Raw video here.

AC boat floats off, Rescuer wants $200k

The French 45' AC cat broke it's mooring and floated to a nearby island in the SF bay.  A local boater saw it on the rocks and towed it in on his Whaler.  Now he wants lots of money for his salvage rights.  The French say $25k is the reward for their "outdated" cat.  Interesting story.  Read the full account here.

Busiest Weekend of the Year for Bay Area

Just returning from a family trip to France and Spain.  Great weather, fantastic food and drink and fun for all.  Thanks Cyn and Ray!  We will be sailing on the bay today to kick off Fleet Week activities that include the Blue Angels Air Show, bookended by fleet racing with the America's Cup 45's.  The show and racing continue through the weekend.  We also have two play off games between the Giants and Reds, SF 49'ers play Buffalo on Sunday, the hugely popular and free Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass Fest, a Madonna Show in San Jose, Castro Street Fair, and the Italian Heritage Parade in North Beach.  The weather looks seasonable for this time of year and no rain is forecast.  It's going to be crazy...and fun!

The Importance of Having a Dream

A while back I was telling a friend about my dream to one day sail to New Zealand.  I am very passionate about my dream and how I am going to go about it.  I then asked my friend if he had any dreams?  He said he had never thought about it.  I was a little taken aback at his response.  I mentioned that dreams and goals are very important and that he should take some time to think about what is important to him and think about what he wants to accomplish in the future.  My sailing dream is so important to me.  It inspires me to learn everything I can about the proper care and feeding of a boat.  It gives me a reason to seek new knowledge about the sailing world which encompasses such a wide spectrum of knowledge and experience.  Have you thought about your dreams lately?  Get crazy and think about the one or two things that will make your life complete.  I have been dreaming about this for about 10 or more years.  It will take another 6 to complete the as I am not departing until 2018.  In the meantime, I am taking baby steps by sailing the Baja Haha, chartering in different locations, reading and planning and lastly, getting out on the Addiction for all sorts of adventures.  I hope I can inspire you to start making a plan to make your dreams come true.  Cowabunga!

Sailing is Awesome!

What a great vid.  Now get out there and do some sailing.  We are heading out on Thursday to celebrate a birthday or two.

Two Sails are better than One

Headed up to the boat Thursday night with hope that our fuel delivery issues were over.  She started but died so I tried to bleed the engine and she started right up.  Still having issues I guess.  The previous week I had taken a part the fuel system to figure out the problem.  Thought I had cleared things up but maybe not.  The engine struggled to get me out the channel for a night sail but we made it.  As I headed out the 2 miles to the end of the Berkeley Pier,  the wind continued to build to 25 knots at 10pm.  Got about halfway to Angel and decided not to push my luck as the waves were pretty big.  Got back towards the channel and the wind was dying.  Tried the engine but no go.  Another sail her into the slip.  Hope I can make it.  As I rounded the corner and into the harbor, I had both sails up to give me the horsepower to get back to the slip.  Getting closer I dropped the main so now I can furl the jib from the cockpit.  There is but a whisper of wind pushing me down the fairway to my slip.  I furl the jib at just the right moment and drop into the slip no problem.  That's the second time in a month I have had to sail her in w/o the engine.  Glad I made it and I will attack the problem in the morning.

After a walk with Kona and some breakfast, I decide I need to replace the fuel filter/water separator.  I pull it and head to Sven's for the replacement.  Not an easy job but I get her in there, prime the lines and she starts right up.  Let's go sailing.  We need to test the new system.  We head to Angel again and as I round the corner to head over to Treasure, I see L'Hydroptere mid bay ripping by at 35 knots.  Amazing boat!  Over to Clipper Cove in about 20 knots of wind and a beautiful sail.  Kona and I go for a nice end of the summer swim and he is loving it.  We make it back around 7pm and I drift off into a 3 hour nap in the v-berth.  What a great couple of sails and I think we are good to go with the new filter.

Barely Legal

Cool Vids

The first one is about a seal who falls in love with a lady on the beach.  The second is talking about the universe and how were are all made of stars.  Both are worth a look.

Birthday week next week and I am planning a sail with friends to celebrate.  54 and there is SO much more!

Hunky Dory to a New Home

I purchased this 16 foot dory in January of 1999.  She was my first real sailboat and man could she sail.  Perfect for the lakes and sloughs in the area.  Once I got comfortable, I started taking her on the bay many times.  I would drop her in at San Leandro and had some amazing runs.  My first golden retriever Sierra and I would head out for some great times and fun sailing on this classic dory with a 505 sloop rig.  I had not sailed her in a year as I have been focusing on our 30' Newport and having a ball sailing her.  So I figured, if I did not sail her this past summer I would pass her on to someone else.  I put an ad in the local CL boat section and within an hour had 3-4 bites.  Nick contacted me and said his daughter was really getting into sailing and he wanted to see the boat.  He showed up at my door and I instantly recognized him.  We had met on the 2010 Baja Haha.  He had his family on a small cat and we were in the same division of the rally to Cabo.  What a small world.  We prepared the boat for travel and off he went.  It was sad as Kona and I watched her drive away.  Some of the adventures I had with her include Lake Del Valle (my fav!), Newark sloughs, Quarry Lakes, Tahoe, Shoreline, Redwood Shores, Redwood City sloughs, San Leandro, Lake Elizabeth, Oakland Estuary, and several others.  The last time I took her out, I almost got arrested for naked sailing.  A fisherman called the cops as I was au natural and the cops showed up.  I think they laughed at the guy for calling them out for my major crimes against humanity, cause they drove away as quick as they got there.  I will miss the Hunky and cherish the time that Sierra and I were sailing in the sloughs and a local newspaper took two pics of us that ended up on the cover.  So cool that I had it framed.  Loved that Hunky Dory.  Good news is she is just 20 minutes away and at a friends house!

Baja Haha 19 Here I Come!!!

I attended the crew list party for the Haha on Wednesday.  I spoke to a few skippers and gave out my resume.  I received a call this morning from Ken on Odyssey this morning that I had been selected as crew.  Their boat is a Islander 41 ketch that will take them around the planet over the next 5 years.  I will join them in San Diego for the 750 mile run down the coast to Cabo with 500 like minded individuals on 180 other boats, at the end of October.  My friend John from the 2010 Haha will round out the crew of 4.  This will be my third Haha in a row.  I am looking forward to another exciting adventure down the Baja coast!

San Francisco: Center of the Sailing Universe

Lately all the cool sailing happenings have been taking place in SF.  Between the America's Cup, L'Hydroptere, the skiff racing and my own amazing sail on Sunday, SF seems to be the center of the sailing universe.  On Friday the St Francis YC hosted the 14th annual Bridge to Bridge run.  All the fastest boats, skiffs,  cats, kites and boarders get together for a 4 mile race from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge.  An all out downwind sprint.  L'Hydroptere did the course before everyone else and the crew was disappointed they only hit 37 in 20 knots of wind.  The kiters won the actual race and good on them.  See the race in the vid below.

On Sunday we were hitting 7 knots on our speedo and humming along thru the fog and it was amazing.  We had a nice run up to Tiburon and lunch there.  After, we tore up Raccoon and then headed home.  Another beautiful day on our wonderful bay!

About Last Week...

Not sure why I have not written this report earlier but here goes: Made it over to pick up John at Sam's in Tiburon.  It was a gorgeous day and the wind was in the 20's.  We sailed to the city front and there were the America's Cup boats racing away.  There were lots of spectator boats so we sailed just outside them and took in what we could of the racing.  As we were heading north along the course I saw something I never thought I would see with my own eyes...cruising by in a cloud of spray was the fastest boat in the world, l’Hydroptère DCNS (check out their site http://hydroptere.com/).  It was a blogger/sailors dream come true.  The boat is waiting for a weather window to break the LA to Honolulu record of 4 days and change.  They got tired of windless LA so they shot up the coast for some good old SF blastings.  It was amazing to watch this boat top out at 35 knots right in front of us.  I heard that with some stronger winds on Saturday, they hit 45 without a problem.  Surely they did not men to upstage the AC but in fact, they blew them out of the water!!!  We sailed back to Sam's for dinner and then I headed to Angel Island for the night.

After getting situated on the moorings, not easy if you are alone with a front and end tie off, I slipped into a deep slumber.  As I was the only boat in the anchorage, I felt a little bit that the famous explorer Juan de Ayala, he being the first to sail a ship into the SF Bay back in August of 1775.  He spent his first night in this cove.  How cool.  Woke up in the morning to get ready for the event I was hosting for a local company.  I was supplying the drinks and fun for a group of 20.  Lunch was being catered by the cafe on the island.  Another glorious day and the group took the ferry over for the 11am arrival from Palo Alto.  We had a ton of fun playing Frisbee golf and bocce after lunch.  The group went for a hike and my buddy John showed up with a couple ladies and they had a picnic too.  After the hike it was on to volleyball for the group and I departed.  The engine was not receiving fuel so after some trouble shooting I decided to slip the lines and sail her home without the engine.  Off the dock with out a problem, I sailed out the strait and into a huge lee behind Angel.  I got stuck for an hour trying to get to the wind.  Finally it filled in and I took off like a rocket on a perfect reach for the end of the pier.  I was heading in about 7 and the wind was way down in the low teens.  I needed that wind to get me into the slip.  I made it into the harbor and there was just enough to get me down the fairway and into the slip without the engine.  It was a thing of beauty!  Exhausted, I cleaned up and then headed home.  It was an adventure to remember and cherish!  Thank you, Addiction!!!

Heading to the America's Cup Today

My buddy John and I are sailing out to the course today.  Winds will be in the mid twenties for the 2:05 start.  Eleven boats will be racing and it should be a great day.  Tonight I plan to moor in Ayala Cove at Angel Island.  On Friday, I have an event I am hosting fora local company on Angel Island.  Lunch, games and fun with about 20 folks.  Should be a great way to start the weekend.

Partnership Available on our Newport 30

Please contact me if you are interested.  Here is the CL ad:

We have owned Addiction for 12 years and are offering an equity share at $3000. We have a total of 5 partners and one is leaving the partnership. We offer low cost sailing on a proven bay boat from 1981. Monthly costs are $100 per person or $3 a day to sail in the most beautiful bay in the world. You should have bay sailing experience and know that when the wind is blowing 30-35 in the slot, you know how to handle it. This is a great opportunity to get out on the bay for all the America's Cup action. The boat features a jib roller furler, spinnaker, legal head, sleeps 3-4, wheel steering, a fin keel and a spade rudder. Good ground tackle, speed and depth meters, and has taken anything the bay has thrown out at her. Please contact me if you are interested in seeing the boat and taking her for a spin. She is an amazing boat. Minimum 1 year commitment. For pictures and more info, please visit: http://addiction30.tripod.com/

You can contact me via email at fungod at gmail.com

Delta was a Blast!

Been back over a week and still thinking about the delta. My boat partner Arnie and a friend sailed up from the bay and had some wild spinnaker runs getting up to Sugar Barge Resort.  I met them there and we had some big fun in the sloughs in and around the San Joaquin  River.

Two sets of friends also joined us.  Mark and Diane for Sunday and most of Monday.  And my Baja Buddy John for Wednesday and Thursday.  The nice thing about joining the Delt Doo Dah Rally is that a good part of the time, you are at the resorts, your food for breakfast and dinner is prepared by the restaurants and you do not have to cook and clean up after every meal.  So we had more time to hang and meet our fellow boaters.  Met another owner of a Newport 30 and he said he bought his boat based on my blog and recommendation on the build quality of these affordable boats.

Highlights - Beach party with the group off of Sugar Barge.  The Malibu Breezes were excellent.  Meeting some of the families that joined the group.  Potato Slough hang time.  Salmon dinner on the slough.  Full moon rise over the delta.  Being on the boat for a good three days.

The low point was getting stuck for 3 hours outside King Island.  Arnie decided to take a side slough and we ended up in 3 feet of water.  We draw 5.  We used the old kedging trick but with all the weeds it was tough to get a good hold on the bottom.  This made us 2 hours late in picking up John.

I departed on Thursday and Arnie sailed her home with some help from another boat partner, Paul.

It was a great couple days in the delta with a big thanks to Latitude 38 for throwing a great rally!

Delta Bound 2012

The Addiction crew is gearing up for a week long trip up to the delta with the 4th Annual Delta Doo Dah.  The event is organized by Latitude 38 Magazine.  50 boats and over 200 folks will head north east up the bay and into the San Joaquin River.  There will be beach parties, themed dinner parties and plenty of free time to explore the area.  This will be our 5th trip to the delta, however it has been 4 years since we have had the boat up in that area.  There are 1000 miles of waterway up there, along with warm fresh water coming down out of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  And there is great wind at times.  We have also had many adventures getting stuck and using the kedging technique to get us out of trouble.  When you get stuck in the shallow mud, we get in the kayak with the anchor and take it back to the deep water and winch ourselves out of trouble.  Hopefully, we will not have to worry about that.  You can check out our itinerary here.

Puma: 70' Sled

World Record Attempt: LA - HI

l’Hydroptère DCNS is looking for a weather window in an attempt the break the 4 day and 19 hour record from LA to Oahu record.  This boat does not sail...it flies!  They will need to average 20 knots per hour to break the record.  The boat can do 40 in the right conditions.  Check out their website and be sure to hit the British flag for the english version.