From the Archives: Why we love sailing!

by Matthew Fortune Reid How does one define a life of adventure, challenge, pleasure and pain? Especially that of a sailor? As JFK so appropriately said, “All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came.” No truer words have been spoken, especially for those of us who cannot let go of the ocean. Mistress, lover, soul-mate and guidance councilor, etc., the ocean is to many of us the beginning and the end. For myself, it represents freedom. Freedom from the mundane. The annoying. The box so many people live in. As we all know though, freedom can come with a heavy price. There are certain comforts and securities that are sacrificed. I have never been married. I have no children and have my possessions scattered from Hawaii to Newport RI, literally. My life aboard the last two years as Captain of Passion 4 C (Bill Tripp 56) has been that typical of any Captain live aboard…2 waterproof duffle bags of sea-worthy clothes, scads of sunscreen and hats. And I still think I am overpacked… Now let me give you all some background on this whole story. I am a child of northern California, Napa Valley to be exact. I lived the quintessential upper-middle-class childhood. Snow skiing in Tahoe, water skiing on the local lake and swim team from the age of five. My father was a commercial airline pilot, my mom an almost full-time volunteer with the school board, grand jury, etc. Having a dad who worked in the airlines, we got to travel…a lot. Hawaii was our go-to place and as a young boy, I imagined myself living there. I began surfing at about age seven on our holidays and before I knew it, I had moved there at the age of 24. I ended up at the University of Hawaii, Manoa and graduated with a degree in Finance at the age of 30. The interim years were spent surfing, diving and camping with my friends in ‘da islands’. My assimilation into the Hawaiian Island Culture was over a period of more than five years. I was fortunate enough to have a friend, Eric Phillips, help me along this path. ‘Bad-style’, was slowly weaned from my psyche and replaced with the spirit of Aloha. I finally achieved kama’aina status and was no longer a haole. Probably the biggest achievement of my life. The Aloha Spirit is an all-encompassing lifestyle based upon the various good things from all the asian-pacific cultures. Politeness, courtesy and a ready smile. Treating all individuals as equals. Paying it forward as a rule, not an exception. Helping those who crossed my path with no expectation. Sharing food, family and music—kanikapila, the old Hawaiian way. I worked in banks after Uni and then became a modest developer on my own. Having some success, I had free time. Sailing came into my life. Specifically, racing. Oddly enough, I was doing a project in Chicago of all places (another story all-together) and was missing the water. I saw boats on the lake with spinnakers and said to myself, “I am out there.” In 2002, I found myself on a Sydney 41 as rail meat. I immediately knew I was destine to be a bowman and over the next two years pursued my skill set with a laser-focused passion. Luck and personal dedication brought me over 100 days on the water every year since. I have raced in 23 offshore races (including Transpac, Sydney to Hobart, etc), countless regattas all over the world and just spent the last year crossing the Pacific Ocean from Newport Rhode Island to Sydney Australia. I love one-design racing and have been bowman on four different Farr 40s, a Swan 42, sailed Melges 32s, Etchells, Solings, Shields and the like. So now, we get to my story of What the Stars Have Taught Me. I have approximately 1,600 sea-days now and over 60,000 offshore miles. Not a whole lot, but not a little either. As well, I have garnered my miles in a very consistent fashion, having started the process late in life. My favorite time to sail is at night. I don’t like cooking my body in the sun and I love the solitude of night watches. Just me, the stars, and my thoughts. My thoughts. How many hours over the years have I had to sort out life? More than most, that is for sure. My conclusions are not earth-shattering epiphanies. Nay, they are only the affirmations of those things that we all know to be most important. Family, friends, heath and happiness are all that count. Status, possessions, opinions, etc., are all superfluous to what really matters. At night, during my musings, ego is lost and only the pure soul exists. I know sometimes, alone, out there a thousand miles from nowhere, that I am only the stuff of stars. The atoms of my body are stardust. The blood in my veins is like the water in the ocean. To live or die at that moment, that one instant of self-realization, is of no consequence. That moment, that clarity and purity of thought is what I have lived for, night after night, mile after mile. I cannot get enough of it. Any offshore sailor will tell you that it is almost impossible to articulate the ‘why’ we do it. ‘Why’ we love it. The discomfort. The exhaustion. The storms. The issues of breakdowns and the ever-constant problems of keeping a boat moving and functional. The nagging worry of hitting a container or whale or reef, etc. I have now sailed in some amazing venues. From Chicago to Fairhaven, transiting 4 great lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, up around Newfoundland and down across the Gulf of Maine, through the Cape Cod Canal to Fairhaven. The adventures include Porto Cervo, Sardegna. Antibes. Season after season in the Caribbean. Manhattan and the Long Island Sound. Maine. Nova Scotia. Key West. Panama Canal. Galapagos. Marquesas. Tuamotus. Society Islands. Tonga. Fiji. Vanuatu. New Caledonia. New Zealand. Australia. Tasmania. Hawaii. Mexico. And more. All in 12 years. I have seen the aurora borealis, sailed with the big dipper over my right shoulder and the southern cross over my left shoulder and seen the moonrise so bright that it is almost discomfiting. My nighttime companions and beacons of hope. I have made friends and companions on this whole journey of sailing from the first race on that first day in Chicago. Sailors, as a group, are a ready-made set of friends worldwide. I now have friends all over Europe, the south pacific, both coasts of the U.S., Mexico, Caribbean, Canada and beyond. Whether racing inshore or offshore or passage-making, I am surrounded by the people of like-mindedness. Always ready with a smile and a helping hand, sailors are good people. And sailing is the ultimate equalizer. Billionaires sharing good times with college students and tradesmen. And everything in-between. The boat and the ocean is the one place we can all be ourselves and peel away the veneer of that life which many of us must live on a day to day basis. Ultimately, this is a diatribe of gratitude. For I am most grateful for the stars, who have taught me that, to be yourself, to live your life as a true spirit with the only expectation of life is not that expectation of what you may think others have of you, but only the expectation of self-fulfillment and to live a life filled everyday with your best effort and best intentions. To greet each new sunrise with a deep breath of appreciation and the desire to live that day to its fullest. Whether in the office or on the ocean, to enjoy the moment and the people around you. To share the gift of life by the giving and sharing of your personal Aloha. I thank you, the stars, for this incredible insight into life you have taught me. In return, for I have learned that gratitude unexpressed is merely ingratitude, I am learning celestial navigation and continuing my Captain’s education as far as I can go.

Life of Kai

Red Bull has put together a video series about Kai Lenny and his plan to be the best big wave surfer on the planet. The episodes are about 15 minutes each and trace his quest to win big wave surf contests at Jaws and Nazere. It's great stuff and if you are into surfing at all you should check it out. Copy and paste this into your browser: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/life-of-kai-s1-e1

Amazing Day Sail

My college swimming buddy and best friend Dave and his wife joined me for a sail on Sunday. We had a cold front moving thru and the winds were forcast 20-25 with gusts to 30. We headed out and in the channel ran into my old boat Addiction heading into the bay. We gave them a shout and Theo recognized me and our boat. We put out a full genoa and took off towards the Golden Gate Bridge. The wind picked up near the city front and we needed to duck behind some piers to take in some sail. We headed towards our lunch spot at Angel Island. We made it in and set the anchor with 75' of chain just off Quarry Beach at Angel. Lunch and great convo about some of the best music and albums of the last 50 years. I looked across the bay and it seemed it was raining in the east bay. Soon there was a bit of a rainbow confirming my suspicion. As we looked further we could see it streaching across the sky. We hardly ever see rainbows on the bay! After lunch, we picked up the anchor with our trusty windlass and took off with a small jib rolled out. As we came out of the lee of the island the tempest hit! Winds in the 30's and it was raining hard. If I steered towards our harbor there was too much wind and the boat was broaching. I steered more downwind and towards the the west side of Yerba Buena. After hitting a high of 37 knots, the wind started to die off. We had been hit by an amazingly powerful squall! The boat did fine and I was lucky I only put out a small bit of the jib. We made back under motor as the wind was soon under 10. What a day! The wind and rainbow, as well as the crew, made the day unforgettable. Cowabunga my friend!

Check out those white caps!

On Stand By

Currently waiting for the weather window in France for a lap around the planet. Gitania's goal is to win the Jules Verne Trophy and get under the current record of 40 days and change. Also on Sunday, the Vendee will begin their own solo non stop challenge around the globe. Alex Thomson hopes to win after trying for the last 20 years. Expect records to fall as these flying boats are hella fast. 33 skippers will be on the starting line.

Kissed by God

Watched a very insightful surf flick about the late Andy Irons.   He is the only surfer to win king of the surfing world 3 times in a row.  He had some mental issues as well as drug issues that eventually killed him 10 years ago at 32.  His bipolar disorder gave him a laser focus and brought him many big wins.  It also tore him down into deep depression.  Pretty sad story but amazing as well.  It's free on Amazon with Prime.

California Summer Comes to an End

With our time and season changing, I thought I would jot down some highlights of the summer.  We are blessed with great weather into early November here in the SF Bay Area and this year has been spectacular.  The smoke has cleared, the days are bright and the wind continues to blow.  

Closing out the partnership of the boat with 2 new partners to make it a 4 partner boat.  July.

Getting my guy friends out for a sail over a long weekend along with the pups.

Getting our pup up to speed on being on the water.  Hana has been grreat and is turning into a good swimmer.

Saw a high wind speed of 38 knots near Angel in July with Andy and Tom.

A 5 day sojourn up to the Delta for the Delta Doo Dah.  We had a free slip for 3 nights and spent the days at Potato Slough.  I believe this was my 6th trip up there and it was great to have a chartplotter.

With the Bay Area on lock down, solo sailing was spectacular as many days I was the only boat on the bay.

A weekend trip with Andy to Aquatic Park and Angel.  We biked around the island for some amazing views of the Bay and the Mathew Turner schooner. 

Getting beach time with Hana every time we go out.

Bocce with Olivier and John at Angel.

Fixing the stove/oven!

Getting the boat varnished, waxed and buffed was huge.  Thanks Glenn!

Being the only boat at Clipper last week and romping on the beach with our new pup. 

A small Delaware reunion over Labor Day with a perfect sail.

An overnight on John's boat to China Camp with beach time and Hana.

*********

The low point of the summer was getting some water in the fuel tank.  It was expensive and time consuming to clear the tank and get the engine running again. I sure learned alot about our fuel system.

The winds die off in the winter, however, we still have some nice 10-15 knot winds from time to time.  And the bay is always crisp and clear.  I really enjoy the lighter winds as 20-30 knot winds every day in the summer gets to be a bit much...but we love it anyway!

 

Just in Time for Halloween

 So fun!

Greatest Baseball Comeback Ever!

If you missed the World Series game on Saturday, you missed a doozy! This is the last half of the bottom of the 9th.  Full screen baby!

 

Kekoa - An amazing story of a homebuilt boat lost twice!

 

Hana at Montara

 About 7 months old here.  She has been a treat and a nice addition to our family.  Love you girl!

Heading out for a weekend of summer sailing!

I recently put about $5k into the interior and exterior of the boat with the experts buffing, waxing, sanding and varnishing our 2001 Jeanneau.  She looks exceptional!   Heading out this weekend for a sojourn with my best childhood friend Andy.  Not a whole lot of wind but some fine weather is forecast.  Hana will be joining.  She turns 8 months this weekend.  She has been an excellent addition to our boat.

Checkout the legs in the air on the white boat.

A Row Across the Pond - Lia's Story SF - HI

 On Wednesday, June 17, I rowed out under the Golden Gate Bridge after midnight. Almost three months later, I made landfall in Hawaii before sunrise. In between, I found myself in every nightmarish situation you can imagine, including sharks circling my boat and capsizes that nearly drowned me.

A licensed captain, I have sailed the equivalent of eight laps around the globe. In 2010 I became the 53rd woman to row the Atlantic.

The row from San Francisco to Hawaii — alone in a 21-foot fiberglass craft with no support boat — was supposed to be training. I thought of it as a 2,500-mile “half marathon” before the “full marathon” I’m planning to do next year: rowing 5,500 miles from Japan to San Francisco.

Nineteen attempts have been made to row from Japan to San Francisco solo. Only two were successful — both men, both towed the last 20 and 50 miles to land, respectively. I am on a mission to claim this last great first, not as a woman but as the first person to row land to land across the North Pacific.

My reasons are complex, but the bottom line is I set out to empower myself. I wanted to rebuild my body, my mind and my self-esteem. “If I don’t meet someone and have a baby by 2015,” I told my friends, “I am going to row the North Pacific.”

Over time I realized that I wasn’t going to meet someone and have a baby because I needed to row the North Pacific.

I set out for Hawaii in June without any fanfare. The voyage was supposed to be a fast-blast sunshine cruise once I passed the continental shelf. But the wind pushed me south and made turning west extremely difficult for weeks.
Rower Lia Ditton sits by the shoreline on October 1, 2020 at her current residence in Lanikai, HI.

Then 300 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico, on day 21, I capsized. A 40-foot wave broke into a rumbling avalanche of white water. I was thrown into the sea and my boat rolled upside down.

The water was cold, the waves huge and the boat began to settle upside down. My chances of survival were slim. I knew I needed to act immediately to maintain the inertia of the boat and threw my body on the hull. Miraculously the boat started to move and I was plunged back underwater. When I resurfaced, I tried to haul myself on deck, but there was no strength left in my upper body. I was, again, a beat from drowning. A refusal to accept this end drew every core muscle to force my body up and onto that boat.

I rowed on.

My second capsize was 1,000 miles east of Hawaii on day 52. I was sleeping inside when a wave caught the stern and turtled the boat once again. The cabin hatch was ajar and water gushed in. “GET OUT! GET OUT!” screamed the voice in my head.

The boat did self-right, but I struggled to fall asleep during the remainder of the trip, 34 days.

“Right here, right now,” I would tell myself in moments when anxiety about the capsizes threatened to overwhelm me. I couldn’t control the future, and I couldn’t escape the environment of the past. I rowed 10 hours each day and wrote a blog for a growing audience of online followers every night. My writing became raw and vulnerable, but I never felt self-conscious. If I could verbalize what was going on in my head, I could purge some of the pressure.

I found comfort in the beauty of the ocean. On some of my toughest days, the sun shone through sheets of squally rain to draw rainbows so vivid and spectacular it was hard not to believe in something greater than myself. A troupe of 3- and 4-foot yellowtail tuna swam alongside my boat for days, while flying fish dive-bombed my boat’s deck at night.

I was alone but rarely lonely. My bird, fish and even shark visitors kept me fascinated, and I found joy in bringing these encounters alive for my followers through my blogs and videos. I travel somewhere most people will never go and see things most people will never see, and I take seriously my responsibility to share these wonders.

Having said that, I had no idea my journey was drawing an audience of tens of thousands across social media.

After 84 days, I saw land: first a Chernobyl-like mushroom cloud over the mountains, then the faint outline of a flattened potato. In the video of this moment, my voice cracks with emotion. My world had, quite literally, been turned upside down — twice — and the strain was there to see. But the voyage wasn’t over yet.

Twenty-three hours out from arriving, I realized I was going to have to row nonstop for land. As night fell, I entered the Molokai Channel a.k.a. the “Channel of Bones.” The waves were invisible in the dark and the current was driving me south, away from the island.

“THIS ISN’T HOW THIS ENDS!” I screamed.

For my team, my Believers and above all for myself, I drove through my legs and whaled on my right oar until my muscles were on fire. This was the final showdown, a battle of Lia versus the elements in the 11th hour.

At 6:08 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, I touched the dock of the Waikiki Yacht Club. I had smashed the world record by 13 days.

I wanted to arrive wearing a bikini top — attire befitting a Pacific island. Plus I had tanned completely through my clothes. But I knew if I raised my arms in celebration, my underarm hair would become the story.
Rower Lia Ditton gets into the water on October 1, 2020 in Lanikai Beach, Kailua, HI.

It is perfectly acceptable for men to emerge from these long-distance adventures with giant beards and scraggly hair, looking like they have been marooned on an island for a year. We might be disappointed if they didn’t.

But women with body hair? The horror of it!

Ultimately, I decided to arrive in a long-sleeved shirt. But I haven’t shaved my underarms to this day.

I still have a lot to process about my adventure, but one thing I am sure of: After three months battling the sea, I care less what people think of me.

Here next voyage will be Japan to SF, a sojourn of 5000 miles!  This was just a little shake down cruise.

Never Sail During a Hurricane (or Bonehead move of the week!)

 The sailors on Yes Dear were rescued twice in one week.  Hurricane Sally in the Gulf finally put an end to their ill fated odyssey with a container ship rescue.   Yes Dear is now for sale, to the lowest bidder.  Ripped sails and all.  Bene 423.

Coyote: The Mike Plant Story

I was always intrigued by this sailing legend and now I know why.  Here was a guy with very little resources who made a huge splash in the round the planet races.  He was always working by the seat of his pants but he made it happen.  He won some races and was becoming a rock star in the sailing world.  In his quest to get to a race start in France in his radical new boat, he failed to take care of some paperwork and it had disastrous results.  Check it out on Amazon.

Bonehead Move of the Weekend

 

If we rock her back and forth we might get off the damn rocks!

New Movie: The Race to Alaska

The brain trust that started the R2AK has now released their own documentary on the 700 mile race.  I just watched it from the Port Townsend Film Festival online.  It was a great film and one I highly recommend.  I love this race because of the challenge, danger and ingenuity that must be employed just to finish this race.  The first rule is no motors.  The second rule is that you are on your own if you get in trouble.  We have everything from Hobie 16's, paddle boards, rowers, cats, tris, and many others.  The race starts in Port Townsend, WA and finishes in Ketchikan, AK.  The racers can encounter currents of 15 knots in some areas, gale force winds, huge logs, and no wind at all.  I have no interest in doing a race like this, however, I love the spirit and the courage it takes to complete a race such as the R2AK.  This years race did not happen but hope is high for 2021.  Trailer below.

Go to the Port Townsend Film Festival website to watch, $12.  Worth every penny!

theracetoalaska.com

Poerty in Motion

Full Screen Please!

The Maxi is preparing to challenge the Jules Verne Around the Planet record of 40 days (23 hours and 30 minutes), is the exact time to beat if the crew
of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is to topple Francis Joyon and IDEC
Sport, the current record holders. It’s also the time that Gitana Team
has left before it officially commences stand-by for its first attempt
at the Jules Verne Trophy. Indeed, from 1 November, it will be all
systems go to take on the challenge of the round the world record under
sail, which the skippers of the latest addition to the Gitana fleet
describe simply as the outright round the world! However, this same date
will herald the start of a new ‘race’ to pinpoint the optimum weather
window to extract themselves as quickly as possible from the Breton
coast and, on a larger scale, the North Atlantic.

“A round the world is no mean feat and there’s a very strong human
dimension in this exercise. The fact that we’re one of the first of this
generation of flying boats to take on this record inevitably adds a
sense of adventure to our story”, admits Charles Caudrelier.

Well-versed in crewed round the worlds, notably with two victories to
his credit in the Volvo Ocean Race, the skipper will however be setting
sail on his very first Jules Verne Trophy, as is the case for Morgan
Lagravière and David Boileau. The first is known and acknowledged for
his incredible feel for the helm and his acumen with regards getting a
boat making fast headway. The second is one of the mainstays of the
Gitana Team, of which he has been a part for over ten years. The boat’s
strongman, crew and an extraordinary technician, David Boileau is the
boat captain on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. Though they hail from
very different backgrounds, the two sailors have a number of things in
common: they both share a passion for anything that flies, they’ll both
be on watch together in the round the world and they’ll be contesting
their very first Jules Verne Trophy. So here we have the boat’s rookies
presented to you via this quick profile comparison!  Good luck and God's speed to the crew!  

Lenny Rides Best Wave Of His Life

 

 

 Go full screen with this amazing wave.

Lia Arrives in HI after Rowing for 86 Days!

She departed SF in June and after several almost fatal capsizes, she has finally arrived in Honolulu.   This is an amazing accomplishment.  Some may ask Why?  Why put your life in danger for such a self indulgent act?  As a mater of fact, another rower died trying the same thing during her voyage.  Humans are born to experience hardship and isolation.  We have an unbelievable tolerance to endure.  I was just reading about 3 boys who tried to escape boring island life so they stole a boat and were found drifting and barely alive after 51 days at sea.   Wow!  Check out Lia's site for more updates.  Currently, she is asleep at a luxury beach front hotel.  After 86 days at sea, they did not require her to go in quarantine.  

rowliarow.com

Largest Wave Ever Surfed 73.5 Feet!!

 

 

 Full screen only!