Berkeley Midwinters January 2013

Photos courtesy of Serge and Nat

Was a day in the doldrums so getting the engine ready, as we couldn't make the start line under sail.

Just happy to be on the water again!

Ella and Nat getting the main ready

and off we go

 

Start was delayed quite a bit 

 

we had to anchor right past the windward mark not to drift too far away from the course

 

Engine stopped working on the way back

A kind soul from a Moore 24 who knows about engines offered to help

No luck on the engine but rum abounds

Wine, beer and rum - it was a fun fun trip back :)

Slowly gliding on water with just enough wind to make it back to the dock.

The Dove

Around the world in a Ranger 23. I hated the kitty scenes...

1974PG1hr 44m

 

Rate 5 stars

Sven Nykvist's dazzling cinematography highlights this compelling biography of 16-year-old Robin Lee Graham (Joseph Bottoms), who aims to become the youngest person to sail around the world. During his arduous quest, Graham sees the world and matures to manhood. Over the course of five years, Graham is tested by perilous weather, loneliness and encounters with other vessels, but finds love with intrepid American Patti Ratteree (Deborah Raffin).

Close to the Wind

 

I wish that Pete spent more time writing about the actual sailing (gripping) than his fundraising and commercial prep which accounts for the majority of the book unfortunately and reads like a catalog of facts. The sailing bits are good though!

Italian boats

Riding Again

 in the cold :)

Heritage

Over the holidays, I have learned that my Dad's family used to own FIVE boats. 4 dinghies and a keel cruising boats. At least one dinghy was a 420 and one was a 470. Another one seemed to be a laser-looking thing and I don't know what the last dinghy was.

My grandfather was a Briton, the sailing mecca in France just like everyone born in the Alps has a pair of ski attached to their feet.

Apparently, he and one of his sister would sneak out in the morning before school in one of the dinghies, play for an hour and come back - as well as go out in the evening and race every weekend, sometimes solo and sometimes as a team.

They sailed every day for 5 full years apparently.

Oh, and sailing was one of the things that connected my parents (both were sailing in weekend regattas). My mom owned (and still does) a 420 and raced it in Marseille. They met in Marseille...guess what kind of sporting event that was...

Might be where I picked up some kind of bug.

Sailing and Diving combined

you can combine upwind and downcurrent

We washed Elise

and she's shrunk a bit...

 

Skyfall

A voir...

Ride Yesterday

I went to Mount Tamalpais - another brilliant idea of mine. The ride up was tough for me. I made the mistake of starting from home so by the time I started the climb I was already 20 miles into a 43 mile-ride and I am not sure that I got the nutrition aspect right. I had a light-ish breakfast and ate a couple of power bars before my way up.

I wasn't cold on the way up but the minute I turned around, I became really really cold - it had started to rain and getting increasingly wet didn't help as my hands became cold and wet. The rain started when I was only 4 miles from the top so I decided to keep going. I wasn't dressed with fewer layers than whatever I had seen the other cyclist wear - and there were quite a few cyclists on that route. A synthetic base layer, a bike jersey, arm warms, bike shorts, leg warmers and full-fingered gloves - and a jacket that is technically water-proof.  I stopped at the Pan Toll station as there was a hair blower to try to dry off my cold fingers and gloves.

I hooked up with a couple of Englishmen, one of them living here and we cycled down to the first Inn we saw on the way down to swallow down a bowl of hot soup and a hot chocolate. I also emailed Serge as I wasn't looking forward to riding all the way through the city in rain that wasn't stopping, and shivering. Serge picked me up at Mike's Bike in Sausalito and drove me home.

First thing I did on Sunday morning is to get a better waterproof and windproof jacket which I used for my quick ride on Sunday! That one seemed to work :)

Total mileage for this week was a little over 100 miles.

Optimizing Space

voted best sailing picture of the year

Amazing shot

Party time

Best of 2012 in pics!

Erik Simonson posted a gallery of his faves for the year

 

 

You can find it at: http://h2oshots.smugmug.com/Sailing/The-Best-of-2012-Horizontals/26963849_C9ssr7

 

There are some truly amazing shots in there.

Berkeley Midwinters December 2012

Bad start and it took us forever to get up to speed on the first upwind - after that, things were significantly better with good boat speed and we picked up boats.

Good douses, we did gybe sets and improved from the first to the second. We need to have everyone focused on their one job - this means that accepting that the others may not do a fantastic job because you will not control it.

There was too much talking to the driver, not enough looking at telltales only from the driver standpoint, and too many cooks in the kitchen for tactics.

We have agreed that we need at least one practice in-between each midwinters - all of this is just practice.

Ella

Serge feeding the birds and the scientists that were just coming back from 11 weeks on the Farallones island, studying birds...

Mark and Mike

Cleat Work

All photos courtesy of Serge - cleaned, rinsed and put together the mast cleat. If that doesn't solve the problem, we can look at replacing the cleat.

Soaking wet...

Before breakfast, sports ride.

After breakfast (w/ Serge today...), commute ride.

Both in the rain...

enough said

go sailing

huh oh...

The Boys from Brazil

young Nazi hunter Barry Kohler stumbles on the trail of the infamous "Angel of Death," Dr. Josef Mengele, who is planning to resurrect Hitler's vision in South America.

Ride Today

I really wanted to race at the Golden Gate Midwinters but didn't get a ride, so I decided to go for a bike ride instead. 

 Went to Belvedere, Tiburon and around the Tiburon peninsula. About 50 miles from the house. A bit of rain initially and a bit of rain as I got home. Nothing too exciting to report. I stopped for a little bit to watch the race from the bridge.