Tuesday, May 31, 2011

woohoo! 3 E27s in LongPac right now

All in the Single-Handed division

Mirage, Taz! and Elise

Cool Cool

Update from LongPac

  • Booked Satellite Phone and data kit (for weather faxes and sailmail)
  • Uploaded all necessary paperwork
  • Registered Elise
  • Received email from race chair
"I congratulate you on your entry into the race and your journey to 126.4 degrees West.  We currently have 26 boats entered with a wonderful mix of veterans and rookies."

Spin Cup Pressure Drop Mini-Movie Screenshot

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Single-Handed Farallones 2011 Results

08 - Express 27 Time on Time 700/(520+PHRF)
Start Time: 05/21/11 at 08:55:00 Course: 1   Distance: 56.00 Fleet: 5
Started: 5
Sail # Skipper Boat Name Rating Finish Time Elpased Time Corrected Time Place Club Make
18178    Steve Carroll    Tule Fog    129    17:42:48    08:47:48    09:29:17    1    RYC    Express 27   
70    Phil Krasner    Wetsu    129    18:39:54    09:44:54    10:30:52    2    Richmond    Express 27   
8100    George Lythcott    Taz!!    129    19:18:45    10:23:45    11:12:46    3    Island YC    Express-27   
101    Nathaniel Bossett    Elise    129    19:30:55    10:35:55    11:25:53    4       Express 27   
18355    Joe Balderrama    Archimedes    129    19:42:48    10:47:48    11:38:42    5    SSS    Express 27

Pressure Drop note re: Spinnaker Cup



Nathan Bossett on "Elise" win the single handed division

 

From: http://www.pressure-drop.us/forums/content.php?1471-Big-Fun-At-Spinnaker-Cup

Spinnaker Cup 2011 - Nathan and his trophy

Elise_005

Holding his well-deserved trophy

Elise_004

Returning to the Club

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Spinnaker Cup - Temerity Return Trip

Serge and David onboard - Photos courtesy from Serge. Like Nathan, they turned around and ended up back in Santa Cruz.

Spinnaker_cup_2011_055
Nav table, seats and lee-cloths for ocean navigation.
Spinnaker_cup_2011_054
Galley and bed + lee-cloth for ocean navigation...
Spinnaker_cup_2011_049
Night time and a wet deck.
Spinnaker_cup_2011_046
Rainbow over the waves!
Spinnaker_cup_2011_042
Serge driving and looking pretty cold :)
Spinnaker_cup_2011_030
Serge driving and looking warmer
Spinnaker_cup_2011_028
Ahead
Spinnaker_cup_2011_022
The stern and the boat driving itself
Spinnaker_cup_2011_021
Heading in or out of a harbor??

Spinnaker Cup 2011 Trophy

1st Place Single-Handed division for Nathan and Elise

Spinnaker_cup_2011_006

Photo courtesy of Serge

Spinnaker Cup 2011 - Pressure Drop Video

Saturday, May 28, 2011

An offshore state of mind

I absolutely love long-distance offshore sailing - whether it be a day-trip, a multi-day trip, day or night. I have said it many many times, but there is something very wonderful out there, that makes you feel so relevant and so deeply human that it is an experience that I would have a hard time giving up. I feel so so lucky to be able to partake in it from time to time, and it is well worth the effort to get going. Even a one-day offshore trip is a little bit of an operation to get the boat ready...

A big part of it is mental and just takes self-confidence. Confidence is developed through practice and experience AND the belief that you can figure things out. Interestingly, everything 'bad' that happened to me while sailing was actually very good in that respect.

I was on a boat that sank offshore, fortunately with someone with a lot of blue water experience. This was a fabulous training as it taught me that there are many situations you can get out of on a boat, even if the boat disappears from under you. It taught me the importance of communication devices, and how things can work really well when you do not panic, etc...I will know freeze if I realize that I have to launch a liferaft - I know exactly what steps to take.

We have broken poles, vangs, masts, forestay and loads of other parts of the rig: I also now know about what to do in these situations.

We have broached, rounded up and down many times on Elise and I know how to recover from these situations (they are super slow, and particularly round downs can lead to broken poles so I don't recommend them, but they are not scary)

I had to go aloft many times (including once at sea) to fix up things at the top of the mast - so not a big deal, and a professional rigger will help me figure out a system that allows me to hoist myself up with minimum energy (I have a self-belay device from my years as a rock climber to absail down the mast)

I caused a short-circuit (at the dock) and had the right reflex to switch off current sources - I could find land somehow with a compass setting if I were to get lost - I bring a lot of redundant equipment so I can reach out for help. I sailed with a broken autopilot (you may not be super competitive on a multi-day race with a broken autopilot if you are single-handed and going downwind but it is very feasible, you can heave-to to take a rest, or stabilize the boat in other ways. Erik Tabarly did the OSTAR with a broken autopilot and won it!)

We had an engine that didn't work when sailing the boat back double-handed from spin cup last year, or a couple of years ago, so we also learned to deal with that. We had an engine failure close to shore at a HMB race after finishing on Elise and had to throw in an emergency anchor, so we also figured out how to deal with this. We sailed in fog and had to use horn and GPS to figure out where we are, so we have experience with this. We sailed in heavy rain or unforgiving sun so we have experience with that. We sailed in 45+ knots of wind and in zero, so we have experience with that...

I have seen Elise's bow buried under a wave while surfing down at 15 knots during a Coastal Cup and come right back up within seconds, barely slowing the boat down thus protecting the rig - I have seen Elise fall down from steep 10-12 ft waves and land with a big bang, yet continue unscathed onto the next wave so I know she can take that. I have seen waves break over the deck, flood pretty much everything, yet Elise would continue proudly toward her destination.

+ I have to say that I get now pretty bored if I sail in less than 25 knots of wind downwind...and I feel pretty comfortable with a kite up in 40 knots of wind surfing down wave, more than this, it is completely exhilarating and something I am getting addicted to - and sailing on the boat in San Francisco Bay means that we pretty much have these conditions all summer...so I know how the boat reacts, what it can take, what I can take which helps me stay safe and not overdo it.

When you read about pro sailors that will sail short-handed, they like to do at least a long delivery on the boat that they will race on so they can get used to the boat - that is also important. Know thyself if you will...it does increase your level of confidence. Knowing where things are, how the boat reacts to any given condition, how things work on a particular boats just puts your mind at ease.

and my motto is: if I can beat alien, I should be able to sail a boat...it puts me in a pretty relaxed state of mind about a lot of things. It would be hard to imagine something worse :)

Training for LongPac

Nat is starting her training for LongPac - one of the things that's important is to be in good shape. It gets very physical on a boat, particularly short-handed as you need to wrestle sails down to the deck, you might have to recover one that fell overboard and that gets very heavy because it is full of water and being dragged behind the boat by the sheer speed of the boat, you might have to actively trim your main sail in heavy winds, you may get a very uncomfortable ride because of heavy seas and being banged around all the time is very tiring on your body - so you need to be in great physical shape.

Nat now talking in first person...

Getting some upper body strength is also really important, particularly for me and in race situations as it gives me speed: I can trim the sails on my own without the use of a winch handle in a wider range of conditions.

Obviously, the choice of an Express 27 was also because the boat is extremely well-suited for rough ocean seas and pretty heavy winds while offering light loads (as far as boats go, there are still thousands of pounds of load on the boat!) and equipment that I can actually lift up myself. Not an innocent choice :)

So item #1 training is getting in shape, particularly after a while with no activity because of the eye problem (which is actually NOT healed up yet and still giving me trouble, but I'll just be careful and maybe double-check with a doc...) - so my program includes:

  • Pull-ups: I have installed El Cheapo bar on my closet door and I do pull-ups morning and evening. I can manage about 8 in one go and I do roughly 32 per day right now in series of 8s. Mostly working on biceps.
  • Push-ups: I double-up with the same number of push-ups. Mostly working on triceps
  • Abdominal sit-ups: doing anything between 100 to 200 a day is ideal
  • Biking: this is endurance training. I don't actually have a formal program, I just use my bike mostly everywhere I go when the distance is manageable and I don't need to dress up for the occasion. If I can't bike, I'll job around Bernal Height parks to enjoy the views. Since I live at the top of a hill, biking up this hill on a near daily basis both strengthen my legs and trains up by heart and lungs. And when I neither bike nor jog (I can't do long distance running anymore, I have damaged some tendons in my knee doing that and it becomes very painful very quickly which would then prevent me from doing the biking ;-)), I walk, at least 30 min in a given day usually to run some errands so I double that up with something useful I need to do anything.

This + some healthy eating habits (loads of fiber, veggies, fruits for vitamins and now daily glasses of milk to increase calcium levels in my bones) is starting to make a difference. The trick is not to do too much. These exercises really do not take much time during my day and are very compatible with my lifestyle. At weekends, I mostly sail, so this is during the week only. That way I can do them every day.

I have also two additional problems I need to deal with:

  1. because of cancer surgery some hormone making devices have been removed from my body: I have hormone-replacement therapy but it looks like it is actually not enough to produce enough hormone to strengthen my bones enough...so I need to add more calcium and vitamin D to my lifestyle, otherwise, my bones get more brittle than the average bone. This could be why when I fell on the winch, I had a fracture? Maybe with healthier bones, it wouldn't have been the case? Anyhow, fractures are nasty and if I hit something I'd rather have a bruise, at least they are decorative and they don't prevent you from sailing your boat :)  I need to drink at least 3 glasses of milk and go out every day for a few minutes to get enough sun exposure without sunblock to get my vitamin D fix. I prefer the natural thing that getting supplements. So that's what I am doing!
  2. because of cancer treatment side effects, I have a weakened immune system, which means that I am more likely to develop cold, catch viruses and end up sick than the average person, or than the pre-cancer Nat. This fitness training is also helping for that. The more energy your body has, the more able it is to fight infection. The less tired you get with a similar intake of calories (if your body has a high metabolism which can be developed with exercise, it is more efficient at utilizing the calories you give it), the better able you are to use some of this energy to fight bacteria and cold. This would actually be helpful even if I didn't go sailing long-distance, it's just another element that increases my safety level!

Clearly, none of this has any impact on the likelihoos of getting hit by a whale...for this, I just need to get a good liferaft and keep my satphone handy :)

My energy level goes up and I am a better sailor on the boat. Good long-distance and short-handed sailors are in great shape...particularly on small boats and I want to be no exception :) Competitive and safe sailing comes with practice and good preparation. And preparation goes for both the boat and the sailor - they tag team, so they can't let the other down ;)

Elise 1st in Division, Spinnaker Cup

and also

  • Elise is 1st in division in both elapsed and corrected time, so Elise beats its competitors over the line, as well as on handicap
  • Elise 1st of all short-handlers (included double-handed crews)
  • Elise 1st of all Express 27 over the line (eg elapsed time, not corrected time) - all of these boats were fully crewed
  • Elise 16th overall, out of 42nd finishers (and the first 15th boats were all crewed boats if you remembr correctly)

Congratulations Nathan, this is an awesome job, and a well deserved victory!!! Go team Elise!!

(Nat was supposed to race - but did not at the last minute as she had to support RidePal with a launch effort and BeatSarcoma with some long overdue tasks - instead of finding a replacement, felt that Nathan would enjoy the race single-handed)

 

SFYC & MPYC
Class: Overall. PHRF (Time on time)
SpinnakerCup
Start Time: Friday, May 27, 2011 11:05:00

Pos Sail Boat Skipper PHRF Type Finish Elapsed Corrected Score Division
1 28469 For Pete's Sake Cook,Peter 111 Ultimate 24 22:52:35 11:40:35 12:21:55 1 B
2 USA-93204 Double Trouble Costello,Andy -30 J125 20:19:29 09:14:29 12:26:25 2 A
3 USA-002 War Pony Howe,Mark -18 Farr 36 OD 20:39:39 09:34:39 12:36:07 3 A
4 11104 Invisible Hand Slootman,Frank 21 J-111 21:38:18 10:18:18 12:37:59 4 C
5 18495 Eclipse Dowdy,Mark 72 Express 37 22:34:21 11:14:21 12:38:55 5 C
6 28538 Serena Kuettel,David -21 Custom 38 20:40:55 09:35:55 12:42:05 6 A
7 18151 Bloom County James/Stewart 57 Custom Mancebo 31 22:13:01 11:01:01 12:42:18 7 B
8 USA-2245 Criminal Mischief Megeath,Chip -72 R/P 45 19:47:45 08:42:45 12:45:32 8 A
9 38044 BustinLoose Pulford,Jeff 30 Sydney 38 21:56:29 10:36:29 12:48:10 9 C
10 US-28900 Scorpio Siegel,John 15 Custom Wylie 42 21:41:01 10:21:01 12:49:24 10 C
11 28669 Quiver McCord,Jeffrey 27 N/M 36 Mod 22:01:17 10:41:17 12:57:59 11 C
12 USA-5 Wicked Courcier,Richard -18 Farr 36 OD 20:56:20 09:51:20 12:58:04 12 A
13 38042 Tiburon Stroub,Steve 6 SC 37 21:41:38 10:21:38 13:02:38 13 C
14 97263 Deception Helvestine,Bill -33 Santa Cruz 50 20:44:59 09:39:59 13:05:17 14 A
15 18 Ragtime! Johnson,Bob 81 J/92 23:08:29 11:48:29 13:05:57 15 C
16 101 Elise Bossett,Nathan 108 Express 27 23:58:59 12:23:59 13:11:28 16 E|Single Handed
17 18410 Loca Motion Chaffey,Mark 72 Express 37 23:07:53 11:47:53 13:16:39 17 C
18 USA-6 Racer X Redelberger,Gary -18 Farr 36 OD 21:14:09 10:09:09 13:21:31 18 A
19 43533 Brainwaves Brainard,Jim 96 J35C 1|00:00:10 12:25:10 13:27:27 19 Double Handed|E
20 67702 Roller Coster Gordon,Jack -33 SC50 21:06:29 10:01:29 13:34:23 20 A
21 38011 Escapade Sands,Nicholas 84 402 23:50:21 12:22:21 13:39:38 21 D
22 40780 Exy Sears,Chris 72 Express 27 23:35:43 12:15:43 13:47:59 22 C
23 692 Irish Lady Mahoney,Mike/Pat 72 Catalina 42 23:47:54 12:19:54 13:52:41 23 D
24 33007 Rhum Boogie Lamprey,Wayne 51 Quest 33 23:24:46 12:04:46 14:04:09 24 C
25 18903 Camelot Blackburn,John 27 SC40 23:00:04 11:40:04 14:09:18 25 C
26 18983 Spellbound Gardiner,Bob 27 Olson 40 22:53:21 11:41:21 14:10:51 26 B
27 48 Great White Fogel,Rachel 96 Express 27 1|00:29:24 13:09:24 14:15:23 27 C
28 49211 Emily Carr Minehan,Raymond -36 Santa Cruz 50 21:35:35 10:30:35 14:18:46 28 A
29 60245 Lucky Duck MacEwen,Dave 33 Centurian 23:16:35 11:56:35 14:20:23 29 C
30 35024 Alpha Puppy Farell,Alex 30 1D35 23:14:15 11:54:15 14:22:02 30 C
31 43728 Maggie Douglas,David 69 C&C37/40R 1|00:15:35 12:47:35 14:28:02 31 D
32 38009 Low Speed Chase Bradford,James 30 Sydney 38 23:21:30 12:01:30 14:30:47 32 C
33 97707 Plus Sixteen Disario,Paul 129 Olson 911 1|01:42:50 14:07:50 14:34:03 33 Double Handed|E
34 28638 Roach Coach Roach,Jason 63 Newland 368 23:58:02 12:46:02 14:34:45 34 B
35 69011 Akela Turpin,Bill -174 R/P 78 18:55:48 07:50:48 14:36:29 35 A
36 44 Rocinante Pelz,Warren 102 SC27 1|00:59:15 13:39:15 14:39:34 36 C
37 28390 Pegasus Sykes,Marc 75 J-35 1|00:41:29 13:06:29 14:40:52 37 Double Handed|E
38 150 S'Moore Crutcher,Wayne 135 Moore 24 1|01:57:46 14:22:46 14:41:40 38 E|Single Handed
39 59 Morpheus Srigley,Rick 123 Moore 24 1|01:35:11 14:23:11 14:57:49 39 B
40 107 Darwind Watson,Thomas 249 Triton 1|05:02:52 17:34:52 15:24:10 40 D
41 28134 Temerity Nabors,David 114 Olson 34 1|02:21:26 14:46:26 15:34:30 41 E|Single Handed
42 28743 Galaxsea Wiley,Daniel 102 Nauticat 1|03:21:12 15:46:12 16:55:52 42 E|Single Handed
DNS 7817 Redhead Smith,Walter 102 Cal 40


45 D
DNF USA-678 Pegasus-MotionX Kahn,Philippe -99 Wakiki 70


45

A

 

 

SFYC & MPYC
Class: Overall. PHRF (Time on time)
SpinnakerCup: Division: Single Handed
Start Time: Friday, May 27, 2011 11:05:00

Pos Sail Boat Skipper PHRF Type Finish Elapsed Corrected Score
1 101 Elise Bossett,Nathan 108 Express 27 23:58:59 12:23:59 13:11:28 1
2 150 S'Moore Crutcher,Wayne 135 Moore 24 1|01:57:46 14:22:46 14:41:40 2
3 28134 Temerity Nabors,David 114 Olson 34 1|02:21:26 14:46:26 15:34:30 3
4 28743 Galaxsea Wiley,Daniel 102 Nauticat 1|03:21:12 15:46:12 16:55:52 4

 

 















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































 

 

 

 

 

 

Elise 1st in Division, Spinnaker Cup

and also

  • Elise is 1st in division in both elapsed and corrected time, so Elise beats its competitors over the line, as well as on handicap
  • Elise 1st of all short-handlers (included double-handed crews)
  • Elise 1st of all Express 27 over the line (eg elapsed time, not corrected time) - all of these boats were fully crewed
  • Elise 16th overall, out of 42nd finishers (and the first 15th boats were all crewed boats if you remembr correctly)

Congratulations Nathan, this is an awesome job, and a well deserved victory!!! Go team Elise!!

 

SFYC & MPYC
File: SpinnakerCup.rcw
Class: Overall. PHRF (Time on time)
SpinnakerCup
Start Time: Friday, May 27, 2011 11:05:00

Pos Sail Boat Skipper PHRF Type Finish Elapsed Corrected Score Division
1 28469 For Pete's Sake Cook,Peter 111 Ultimate 24 22:52:35 11:40:35 12:21:55 1 B
2 USA-93204 Double Trouble Costello,Andy -30 J125 20:19:29 09:14:29 12:26:25 2 A
3 USA-002 War Pony Howe,Mark -18 Farr 36 OD 20:39:39 09:34:39 12:36:07 3 A
4 11104 Invisible Hand Slootman,Frank 21 J-111 21:38:18 10:18:18 12:37:59 4 C
5 18495 Eclipse Dowdy,Mark 72 Express 37 22:34:21 11:14:21 12:38:55 5 C
6 28538 Serena Kuettel,David -21 Custom 38 20:40:55 09:35:55 12:42:05 6 A
7 18151 Bloom County James/Stewart 57 Custom Mancebo 31 22:13:01 11:01:01 12:42:18 7 B
8 USA-2245 Criminal Mischief Megeath,Chip -72 R/P 45 19:47:45 08:42:45 12:45:32 8 A
9 38044 BustinLoose Pulford,Jeff 30 Sydney 38 21:56:29 10:36:29 12:48:10 9 C
10 US-28900 Scorpio Siegel,John 15 Custom Wylie 42 21:41:01 10:21:01 12:49:24 10 C
11 28669 Quiver McCord,Jeffrey 27 N/M 36 Mod 22:01:17 10:41:17 12:57:59 11 C
12 USA-5 Wicked Courcier,Richard -18 Farr 36 OD 20:56:20 09:51:20 12:58:04 12 A
13 38042 Tiburon Stroub,Steve 6 SC 37 21:41:38 10:21:38 13:02:38 13 C
14 97263 Deception Helvestine,Bill -33 Santa Cruz 50 20:44:59 09:39:59 13:05:17 14 A
15 18 Ragtime! Johnson,Bob 81 J/92 23:08:29 11:48:29 13:05:57 15 C
16 101 Elise Bossett,Nathan 108 Express 27 23:58:59 12:23:59 13:11:28 16 E|Single Handed
17 18410 Loca Motion Chaffey,Mark 72 Express 37 23:07:53 11:47:53 13:16:39 17 C
18 USA-6 Racer X Redelberger,Gary -18 Farr 36 OD 21:14:09 10:09:09 13:21:31 18 A
19 43533 Brainwaves Brainard,Jim 96 J35C 1|00:00:10 12:25:10 13:27:27 19 Double Handed|E
20 67702 Roller Coster Gordon,Jack -33 SC50 21:06:29 10:01:29 13:34:23 20 A
21 38011 Escapade Sands,Nicholas 84 402 23:50:21 12:22:21 13:39:38 21 D
22 40780 Exy Sears,Chris 72 Express 27 23:35:43 12:15:43 13:47:59 22 C
23 692 Irish Lady Mahoney,Mike/Pat 72 Catalina 42 23:47:54 12:19:54 13:52:41 23 D
24 33007 Rhum Boogie Lamprey,Wayne 51 Quest 33 23:24:46 12:04:46 14:04:09 24 C
25 18903 Camelot Blackburn,John 27 SC40 23:00:04 11:40:04 14:09:18 25 C
26 18983 Spellbound Gardiner,Bob 27 Olson 40 22:53:21 11:41:21 14:10:51 26 B
27 48 Great White Fogel,Rachel 96 Express 27 1|00:29:24 13:09:24 14:15:23 27 C
28 49211 Emily Carr Minehan,Raymond -36 Santa Cruz 50 21:35:35 10:30:35 14:18:46 28 A
29 60245 Lucky Duck MacEwen,Dave 33 Centurian 23:16:35 11:56:35 14:20:23 29 C
30 35024 Alpha Puppy Farell,Alex 30 1D35 23:14:15 11:54:15 14:22:02 30 C
31 43728 Maggie Douglas,David 69 C&C37/40R 1|00:15:35 12:47:35 14:28:02 31 D
32 38009 Low Speed Chase Bradford,James 30 Sydney 38 23:21:30 12:01:30 14:30:47 32 C
33 97707 Plus Sixteen Disario,Paul 129 Olson 911 1|01:42:50 14:07:50 14:34:03 33 Double Handed|E
34 28638 Roach Coach Roach,Jason 63 Newland 368 23:58:02 12:46:02 14:34:45 34 B
35 69011 Akela Turpin,Bill -174 R/P 78 18:55:48 07:50:48 14:36:29 35 A
36 44 Rocinante Pelz,Warren 102 SC27 1|00:59:15 13:39:15 14:39:34 36 C
37 28390 Pegasus Sykes,Marc 75 J-35 1|00:41:29 13:06:29 14:40:52 37 Double Handed|E
38 150 S'Moore Crutcher,Wayne 135 Moore 24 1|01:57:46 14:22:46 14:41:40 38 E|Single Handed
39 59 Morpheus Srigley,Rick 123 Moore 24 1|01:35:11 14:23:11 14:57:49 39 B
40 107 Darwind Watson,Thomas 249 Triton 1|05:02:52 17:34:52 15:24:10 40 D
41 28134 Temerity Nabors,David 114 Olson 34 1|02:21:26 14:46:26 15:34:30 41 E|Single Handed
42 28743 Galaxsea Wiley,Daniel 102 Nauticat 1|03:21:12 15:46:12 16:55:52 42 E|Single Handed
DNS 7817 Redhead Smith,Walter 102 Cal 40 45 D
DNF USA-678 Pegasus-MotionX Kahn,Philippe -99 Wakiki 70 45

A

 

 

SFYC & MPYC
File: SpinnakerCup.rcw
Class: Overall. PHRF (Time on time)
SpinnakerCup: Division: Single Handed
Start Time: Friday, May 27, 2011 11:05:00

Pos Sail Boat Skipper PHRF Type Finish Elapsed Corrected Score
1 101 Elise Bossett,Nathan 108 Express 27 23:58:59 12:23:59 13:11:28 1
2 150 S'Moore Crutcher,Wayne 135 Moore 24 1|01:57:46 14:22:46 14:41:40 2
3 28134 Temerity Nabors,David 114 Olson 34 1|02:21:26 14:46:26 15:34:30 3
4 28743 Galaxsea Wiley,Daniel 102 Nauticat 1|03:21:12 15:46:12 16:55:52 4