This week the Transat Bakerly is winding up. The majority of the pro offshore sailors are out for this race.
Line honours went to the Francois Gabart aboard the Ultimate trimaran "Macif"
Here is a good article about an english class 40 racer.
http://www.thetransat.com/news/view/phil-sharp-to-hell-and-back-in-the-transat-bakerly
The website is here:
http://www.thetransat.com/
Now the majority of the fleet is getting ready to race back to Vendee, France.
There are several interesting english speaking sailors in the event. Most well funded is Alex Thompson on board Hugo Boss:
Conrad Colman will be racing his boat "100% natural endergy"
http://www.conradcolman.com/
and the Open 60 "O Canada" is getting ready for the Vendee as well.
http://www.canadianoceanracing.com/
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Saturday, May 21, 2016
English Speaking Vende Skippers
There are now 6 months to the start of the Vende Globe. Competitors race around the word single handed in high performance open 60's.
There are a couple of english speaking sailors in the race this year. One interesting campaign is run by Conrad Colman. He is a very low budget, living the dream kind of campaign. He is running a boat with an electric motor and solar and wind power. Also, you can donate to his campaign to help him live his dream.
Check out the CNN Main sail piece here:
And his website here:
http://www.conradcolman.com/
There are a couple of english speaking sailors in the race this year. One interesting campaign is run by Conrad Colman. He is a very low budget, living the dream kind of campaign. He is running a boat with an electric motor and solar and wind power. Also, you can donate to his campaign to help him live his dream.
Check out the CNN Main sail piece here:
And his website here:
http://www.conradcolman.com/
Monday, May 16, 2016
Van to Port McNeil Delivery
Earlier I posted about the delivery I had planned from Van to Port Mc Neil. The trip turned into a bit of a marathon.
According to Navionics, between April 4th at 1300 and April 7th at 1730 we traveled 243.6 Miles. 76 Hours including our stop in Port McNeil for engine repairs.
The trip started off quite slowly with a through boat check. This turned up a couple of things, which we got sorted and then got moving. This was the theme of the trip as we constantly had somebody playing around with the boat getting it set up and prepared for its offshore leg.
Lots of motoring for most of the first day, and then the engine quit with a blocked fuel line. Got towed into Comox to make repairs and then off again. The unscheduled stop totally destroyed my nav plan so I had to come up with a new one one the fly. Ended up with a nice route up through Calm Channel and staying in shelter as much as possible. We went through a couple of places with names like "Whirl Pool Rapids" and "Green Point Rapids" with lots of current behind us.
We got up to the Johnston Straight quite a long way ahead of schedule. The current should have been against us, but we found that there was 6 knots against us on the south side, but if we hugged the north shore we had null current or about 1 kn with us. The forecast had been saying 40+ knot squalls due in the afternoon so we moved along from shelter to shelter and kept evaluating the weather. About mid afternoon we saw visibility reducing and lowering layer clouds. We prepped for rough weather and headed for a little nook for shelter. By the time we got there there were signs that it was already passing after some gusts above 20 kn. Visibility was going up, the barometer was rising and when we called the air port at Port McNeil they said the squall had passed them without any terribly high winds. Onward we went and arrived in Port McNeil to clean up the boat and have a nice dinner. Next day we handed the boat over to the instructor and crew and headed back home. Quite a challenging trip, but I am very glad I did it.
Here's a bit of GoPro footage from our departure from Comox and entrance to the Broughtons.
According to Navionics, between April 4th at 1300 and April 7th at 1730 we traveled 243.6 Miles. 76 Hours including our stop in Port McNeil for engine repairs.
The trip started off quite slowly with a through boat check. This turned up a couple of things, which we got sorted and then got moving. This was the theme of the trip as we constantly had somebody playing around with the boat getting it set up and prepared for its offshore leg.
Lots of motoring for most of the first day, and then the engine quit with a blocked fuel line. Got towed into Comox to make repairs and then off again. The unscheduled stop totally destroyed my nav plan so I had to come up with a new one one the fly. Ended up with a nice route up through Calm Channel and staying in shelter as much as possible. We went through a couple of places with names like "Whirl Pool Rapids" and "Green Point Rapids" with lots of current behind us.
We got up to the Johnston Straight quite a long way ahead of schedule. The current should have been against us, but we found that there was 6 knots against us on the south side, but if we hugged the north shore we had null current or about 1 kn with us. The forecast had been saying 40+ knot squalls due in the afternoon so we moved along from shelter to shelter and kept evaluating the weather. About mid afternoon we saw visibility reducing and lowering layer clouds. We prepped for rough weather and headed for a little nook for shelter. By the time we got there there were signs that it was already passing after some gusts above 20 kn. Visibility was going up, the barometer was rising and when we called the air port at Port McNeil they said the squall had passed them without any terribly high winds. Onward we went and arrived in Port McNeil to clean up the boat and have a nice dinner. Next day we handed the boat over to the instructor and crew and headed back home. Quite a challenging trip, but I am very glad I did it.
Here's a bit of GoPro footage from our departure from Comox and entrance to the Broughtons.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Crew overboard recovery
Earlier this spring I was part of a crew overboard recovery exercise with the Simply Sailing team of instructors.
We worked on the end but, after you have returned back to your friend who fell into the ocean, you have to get them back on board.
We used a 100 something lb dummy, which made for some interesting complications. We tried several variations on getting a halyard around the COB and hauling them up. We tried working from the dingy alongside, then hoist up on a Halyard and loop a line around the COB from on deck and then haul them up. The biggest problem seemed to be getting the line looped around the person.
It seems that I need to rethink my plan for retrieving a COB with the gear that is typically aboard a small boat. I thank that the plan used for the Vancouver Sailing School's boats has some good merits, but I haven't got to try it yet. They have a dedicated line that lives on the stern of each boat. You reach down and loop the line under the COB, and then tie it in a long bowline. This is then hauled up via a halyard or something else.
The thought for improvements on board the Simply Sailing cruising boats is to purchase a COB recovery sling. This device makes it much easier to get the person into the sling and then get them back on board. I will report further when I have more to tell on this topic.
Here is video I took and have shared with Chris at Simply Sailing:
We worked on the end but, after you have returned back to your friend who fell into the ocean, you have to get them back on board.
We used a 100 something lb dummy, which made for some interesting complications. We tried several variations on getting a halyard around the COB and hauling them up. We tried working from the dingy alongside, then hoist up on a Halyard and loop a line around the COB from on deck and then haul them up. The biggest problem seemed to be getting the line looped around the person.
It seems that I need to rethink my plan for retrieving a COB with the gear that is typically aboard a small boat. I thank that the plan used for the Vancouver Sailing School's boats has some good merits, but I haven't got to try it yet. They have a dedicated line that lives on the stern of each boat. You reach down and loop the line under the COB, and then tie it in a long bowline. This is then hauled up via a halyard or something else.
The thought for improvements on board the Simply Sailing cruising boats is to purchase a COB recovery sling. This device makes it much easier to get the person into the sling and then get them back on board. I will report further when I have more to tell on this topic.
Here is video I took and have shared with Chris at Simply Sailing:
Friday, May 6, 2016
Delivery to Port McNeil
The first trip of my little busy spell is the delivery of "It's Magic" from Vancouver to Port McNeil. We leave the morning of May 4th and sail through the night to arrive in Rebecca Spit marine park early in the morning. Then we have a short motor up to Bezley Passage and Surge Narrows. Get through there at the low slack. We are getting into lots of skinny little passages at that point, so we will have current to deal with for most of the trip.
We get through Bezley passage and then stop at Octopus Marine park. To much current in a spot called the Upper Rapids a bit further on. We are on the move again at 0330 the next day to catch the next time the current is with us. We ride the current as far as we can that morning, hopefully as far as Chatam Point. Some time after that we will need to stop when the wind blowing against the current starts to create some rough water.
Another little rest in some little nook along the way and then we go through Current Passage as soon as the current is going with us again. We might get through there on the afternoon of the 6th, but we might wait until the morning of the 6th. After that we have an easy run into Port McNeil. We go hove by car and ferry.
The crew and the instructor for the advanced course takes over from there and heads out around the north end of the island, out to sea for 150 miles and then back in to the Mainland. A short over night sail back to Victoria and that's will be the end for them.
Here's a link to the tracker for the boat:
https://share.delorme.com/simplysailing
We get through Bezley passage and then stop at Octopus Marine park. To much current in a spot called the Upper Rapids a bit further on. We are on the move again at 0330 the next day to catch the next time the current is with us. We ride the current as far as we can that morning, hopefully as far as Chatam Point. Some time after that we will need to stop when the wind blowing against the current starts to create some rough water.
Another little rest in some little nook along the way and then we go through Current Passage as soon as the current is going with us again. We might get through there on the afternoon of the 6th, but we might wait until the morning of the 6th. After that we have an easy run into Port McNeil. We go hove by car and ferry.
The crew and the instructor for the advanced course takes over from there and heads out around the north end of the island, out to sea for 150 miles and then back in to the Mainland. A short over night sail back to Victoria and that's will be the end for them.
Here's a link to the tracker for the boat:
https://share.delorme.com/simplysailing
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Busy Month
This year I am trying something different. I have not taken a contract for an extended period from one school, I am trying to patch together enough work to keep me busy from multiple schools.
If the rest of the season goes as well as this month its going to work out fine. This week I leave on the 4th to deliver a boat to Port McNeil with the Simply Sailing crew, and come right back and go again working for Simply Sailing teaching a basic course. After that I have a couple of days off and a private client then I sail accross the straight with the Vancouver Sailing School's Beneteau 36.7. Oh and I also am doing some sailing for fun on the Vancouver Sailing School's J24 "Josephine"
I am feeling pretty positive about this month. I am really enjoying teaching on some lovely boats. Here's some pics:
If the rest of the season goes as well as this month its going to work out fine. This week I leave on the 4th to deliver a boat to Port McNeil with the Simply Sailing crew, and come right back and go again working for Simply Sailing teaching a basic course. After that I have a couple of days off and a private client then I sail accross the straight with the Vancouver Sailing School's Beneteau 36.7. Oh and I also am doing some sailing for fun on the Vancouver Sailing School's J24 "Josephine"
I am feeling pretty positive about this month. I am really enjoying teaching on some lovely boats. Here's some pics:
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