Health Bulletin

Elise's jib track is extended so the #3 should be trimmed really nicely now -and Elise got a new tiller!

She's ready for prime time :-)

Elise's new mast maiden voyage

Belle, Suzanne, Pete and his mom and I took Elise out for her new mast's maiden voyage. Picked up a couple of things that still need to be fixed, but overall, looking pretty good!

Mast is up and new clutch is available. We put up the new mainsail which goes up and down like a charm (better than the old one which incurred a lot of friction) - the new mast stayed up which is a relief obviously.

The boat was static tuned for light air and as the breeze was becoming heavier and heavier, we decided to head back to the Club. Backstay felt really tight and I wonder if there is enough play in it. Will discuss with the rigger. We also noticed that the cam cleat on the side of the mast which we use to cleat off the spinnaker halyard when we race around the Bay was missing.

A couple of other minor things were discovered - and this week, the following will get done:

• dynamic tune the boat (incl. for heavier/stormy weather)
• add cam cleat (otherwise, no biggy, we can run the halyard back)
• replace tiller (the current one is starting to crack itself loose...)
• extend jib car track forward by a couple of inches
• connect tri-color to the connector box

and she'll be all ready to sail!!!

Then a couple more projects on the list -

• fix emergency nav light (deck level, for some reason, they don't light up anymore. Either a bulb change, or a loose/corroded connection somewhere probably)
• Change a flush Harken block used by the Vang line
• add stereo system (it will be nice to have this for Vallejo)
• re-paint deck (it's becoming very see-through)

Photo of Elise's new main courtesy of Belle!

Elise Update

Elise couldn't do the 3-bridge. A block was missing for the backstay...Bummer as there were 27 E27s on the line!!!!!!!!! AND wind!!! AND sun. Triple bummer...

At least, we did get a good day's work today (and this week with professional help)

Pro help

• Elise mast is up and lines are run through the mast, also got new chainplates
• New halyards/topping lift delivered
• Fiber glass dent is patched up
• New mast already has autopilot windvane + masthead fly + VHF antenna rigged up + ocean tri-color
• New mast also has a steaming light to be perfectly legal...

Beethovens' help [thank you Heather, Pete, Nicolas, Andy and Nathan]

• Boom is up and new pin was purchased
• Lifeline swapped so now it's Bay height
• Teak oiled settees
• Changed 2 base corners for the cooler
• Ran halyards/vang/lines, etc....back + added shackles
• Changed bungees at the bow
• Removed clutch and poured epoxy (ready for a drill/change to new clutch)
• Cleaned bilge
• Swapped battery (to a charged one)
• Took picture of old cruising main => coat room for repair
• Picked up and loaded new cruising main
• Checked and flaked racing #3
• Changed lines for boat cover
• Fixed cup holder
• Added storage solutions (2 mesh bags) + 1 gear hammock + a cool gear bag
• Removed a lot of crap from the boat that needs to dry out
• Serviced port winch (keeps freezing up with salt, might have to replace it soon)
• New emergency VHF is on
• Found fitting power cord for the stereo

What needs to be done this week

• Backstay
• Static tune rig
• Connect electrical wires from mast
• Permanently fix fiber glass
• Extend forward jib car track by a couple of inches

Then next personal project is to add the stereo...

Another cool photo from the Sarcoma Cup '09

Three Bridge Fiasco Forecasted Currents

http://www.examiner.com/x-3070-SF-Sailing-Examiner~y2010m1d28-Three-Bridge-Fiasco-forecasted-currents

Photos from the Sarcoma Cup '09

Sorry! A little late - I wasn't on the water, so I will let Nathan comment. Nice job guys!

Photos of the Sarcoma Cup on the Water are available for only $6 each (low-res download) at:

http://photo.beatsarcoma.org/Events/Sarcoma-Cup-Sunday-On-The/9400515_gdpxV#632484052_y6Jb5

They are also in the BeatSarcoma and Sarcoma Cup '09 calendars:

http://www.cafepress.com/BeatSarcomaPlus?s=BeatSarcomaPlus&type=75

oopsie - the spinnaker tore at that time! Thank God for the overnight service North Sails provided!
Great photo - you can see the tear in the spinnaker. Top left corner

Duel!
August sailing on San Francisco Bay - no, not Greenland.

Photos purchased from Photo.beatsarcoma.org. 100% of the proceeds will go to sarcoma research.

Photos were taken by Lyons Imaging, h20shots and norcalsailing.com

Guest Post - Benoit

Re: Sail with Benoit post

What a day! I'd arrived on Tuesday and had dinner with Nathalie, worked 3 days with my colleagues in the Bay area, and before taking the red-eye home to Indiana I was to sail on Elise that Saturday afternoon. I spent the morning at Alcatraz, chatting with a Quebecois in our native language, checking out the famous hole in the prison cell, and admiring the rugged sights and cityscape outside. That was one sunny day, I was lucky.

We were to meet around 3 pm at the boat, so I did not have much time when I landed from the Alcatraz ferry. Before flying to SFO, I'd splurged and taken T-Mobile's offer for their free trial of the data plan, so there I was with a phone in my hand and Google maps running on it, and since it did not have a GPS I still had to locate my exact position on the map and work from there. Nonetheless this was a great help when it came to finding a grocery store to buy a portable dinner for this evening on the boat. Walking to the Marina, I took in all the sights - Fort Mason, then all the richly decorated, impeccably maintained homes and buildings on Cervantes Blvd and Marina Blvd. As I was walking on the latter and looking at the homes facing the Bay, I had this strange feeling - this really, really reminds me of somewhere, but where? Was that Belgium, or was that... right here 20 years ago? After a few minutes of superimposing my memories and the scenery, I came to the conclusion that yes I had walked this exact same path 20 years earlier with the person I now called my wife, on our way to crossing the bridge by foot one way, and in the back of a police car the other way.

After an hour I was in the vicinity of Elise but there's really several Marinas and buildings there so I had to call Nathalie and describe to her what I was seeing so that she could let me know that no, the Harbor Office on Marina Green Dr was not the right place, and I had to continue walking for another 20 minutes... which I did until finally Nathalie arrived and showed me the boat. It was already in the water, a cute light boat about the same size as that of the one I'd sailed on for the first and last time until then about 15 years earlier. Preparations began, I put all my gear in the cabin, hoping that no sea water would reach it, and tried to imitate on the port side what she was doing on the starboard side (I'm showing off here, I'm really thinking left and right). I used to windsurf 25 years ago so I know what a sail is and the principles of wind, but with a boat I was a noob so I asked that Nathalie please check what I did - we don't want anything bad to happen exiting the port or en route. I even got to do some of the heavy lifting but same thing here, how much force was I supposed to apply? Well nothing broke or snapped that day so I suppose that the job was appropriate. In retrospect, maybe I set things up for the mast to break a couple months later in a race? Shh, don't tell Nathalie... In any case the boat was ready and we started the outing.

The wind came in quickly out of the port, and the boat tilted more than I expected it to - but that was fun, that's the kind of action that you want when you have to go from A to B. And all the while, Nathalie was tweaking that boat - pulling on a rope here, loosening that one, and even changing the angle of the mast itself. Now with the speed of the boat, the incline, and all the activity, I knew why she insisted - but still leaving me the choice - that I wear a life vest back at the port. Hey, like I keep telling my kids, the 1st thing to think about is safety, so I had taken the vest and strapped it on tight. At some point Nathalie told me to look forward and up. There was the Golden Gate Bridge, with all the thinking and the activity I had not seen it coming! In no time we were passing it and technically we were on the Pacific and out of the Bay. In my book it was a windy day, so the boat kept going and we made a turn then another one and we were racing back to the bridge.

That's when Nathalie pulled all the stops and got the spinnaker out. That colored sail gave great beauty to the boat. This time I was not going to let the bridge catch me by surprise. We were at just the right angle, and the sun was hitting it from behind us so going underneath it I took it all in. That was truly an emotional passage - that is one big piece of engineering, so high up there, glowing so red in the low rays of the setting sun. You could hear the traffic above us. I had no idea 20 years earlier that one day I'd be crossing the bridge that way! My first experience sailing was between Golfe du Morbihan and the island of Houat, and in that Golfe you have to account for tidal currents, because they're so strong that you can't sail against them. Also this very morning at Alcatraz I'd learned that the most likely outcome for the successful prison break out is that the men had drifted to the Pacific and disappeared. So at port I'd asked Nathalie about tide schedule and current forces, and she told me not to worry about this. Now under the bridge we were at ground zero and clearly, Elise was doing her job of taking us where we wanted. Just overshoot a little and you'd be fine.

I was driving and loving it. Nathalie was probably a little nervous because she'd engaged the auto-pilot and that's an expensive piece of equipment. Steering too briskly or too far could break it. I knew I was going to be fine with it but of course she could not read my mind. Last time we'd met was 3 days ago for 3 hours, and before then was 9 years earlier in a work environment! The plan now was to go around Angel Island, check out Alcatraz, and return to port. The sun set while we started going around the island and soon enough we were in pitch dark. The moon was a thin crescent at a low elevation, and the wind disappeared behind the island, measuring at 0.1 knot.

The only recourse was the engine to get us out of that spot. There was some confusion there - Nathalie first tried to start it and I relayed her quickly. We wondered how much gasoline was in the tank so I tried to open the cap but... all I could find was a hole with no cap, and not even a thread! Did I break something trying to start that engine? After some looking and touching we determined that the plastic case had come loose so Nat snapped it back in place, put some gas in, and I was back at the rope pulling and sweating but not swearing on account of a lady being present. After a while the engine started to sputter. It took several more determined pulls to start it in earnest. I think that this engine has a mind of its own and just used me to warm it up before it would start the fire in its belly.

With the engine running and Nathalie driving I looked at the island. We were close to it, and I could see the dark shapes of pine trees on the steep, tall slopes, and the stars above. Very soon we were behind the wind-shadow of the island and could resume sail navigation. At this point, we needed to return if I was going to catch my flight. So we just munched on some veggies, and left the rest of the goodies in the cabin, including the Coppola wine that Nat had confirmed we could open: this was a french boat and of course she had a corkscrew. Where that bottle is today I don't know, I hope that she shared it with good friends one evening of laughter and companionship.

We were heading straight for the port and noticed with amusement and curiosity that the entrance was marked by a single light - the red one - when we were expecting two. At least the color told us what side to shoot for. Wind was good and no other boat was around. The absence of man-made noise was surprising given that we were getting quite close to civilization now, but it was welcome. Soon we were entering the port, the wind was weak at 2 knots and facing us too. The surface of the water was like a mirror, yet the boat driven by Nathalie was very much moving forward. This looked impossible, not just to me, but also to a man standing at the end of a pier watching us who asked incredulously whether we were using a motor. Sailing upwind with no noise, alone in the dark, on still water - that was a magical moment. It was also a good exercise in trust, like when we were kids and we would fall backwards into the arms of a friend: Nathalie steered the boat and came so close to moored boats before turning that I had to look at her and read her face and see that she was in control.

In the end Nathalie used the rudder to help the boat move and we finally wedged ourselves between 2 boats after Nathalie persuaded an owner to moor their ship a little further. At that point I wish that I could have helped her put stuff away but it was really late and I was trying to find ways to connect to the internet with my phone, or my laptop, or her phone in order to postpone my flight. When that did not work Nathalie rushed me to the airport. Since the traffic was light we made it and I returned home where I could enjoy the rest of the Indian summer. Nathalie - thanks for the outing, it is a great memory and I won't wait another 9 years before I pay you a visit again!

Courtesy of Benoit

Some pretty cool photos of Elise (and other boats)

on the BeatSarcoma 2010 calendars (Sarcoma Cup and generic one)

http://www.beatsarcoma.org/Online_store.html

Elise News

Thought I'd give some news...for the benefit of Elise's fan club...

Rigging:

• new mast made it to the Bay Area
• old and new masts are at the Rigger's
• old mast is getting stripped of its clothes so that new mast will look like old mast

Lines

• spin and jib halyards are ready
• topping lift is ready
• we had a new (spare) main halyard
• Not all the halyards are broken but we decided that their integrity was compromised...
• Planned delivery of the new lines: Jan 19. The new mast has tag lines installed in the mast so it should be very easy to install the halyards

Fiber Glass work

• Weather permitting: this week or next
• Now that the mast is out of the way, it will be easier to do that

It looks like 3-bridge is doable. Fingers crossed!

Great coverage of the Berkeley Midwinters by norcal sailing

http://www.norcalsailing.com/archives/Entries/2009/12/14_Wild_and_Wet_Berkeley_Midwinters.html

Berkeley Midwinters - Race 2

Let's go back to the story after the unfortunate encounter of Elise's backstay and the 'spinnaker eater' according to the BYC PRO (usually, this day marker is a downwind mark, under more normal wind conditions)

1) First order of business: regain control of the boat and steer away from the hazardous situation

• Tightening the aft lowers (shrouds) + taking in the main sheet and placing the boom under the lifeline would prevent the mast from falling forward. We used dock lines tied to the tack fitting/foredeck padeye to prevent the mast from falling back (halyards were also folded...) - this was a good move as the topping lift chafed and was cut by the broken section of the mast. It was the only other line that was keeping the mast from falling back.
• Having someone at the help to control the angle the boat compared to the mark (the hull never touched the mark) while reducing power/pull on the mast. The tide (ebbing) helped us stay away from the mark at that point
• This then enabled us to disconnect the backstay from the boat, thus freed the boat from the mast and immediate danger
• Given the wind conditions, we had steerage and control of the boat with half a main sail

2) Second order of business: tend to crew members in need

• We made sure that no one was hurt, now that there was no more immediate danger - since the mast effectively folded, it did not fall onto anyone
• We also reassured the nearby Expresses, basically telling them that there was no injuries and that we had the situation under control. It was important to enable them to continue to race
• We radio'ed the race committee to convey the same message, and indicate that given our suddenly reduced sail area and slight instability of our standing rigging, we were dropping out of the race. Unfortunately the race committee did not pick up our call at that time. We radio'ed them again as we sailed past them with a weird looking rig

3) Third order of business: mitigate further damage

• Given the weather conditions, take the boat to a nearby port so everything can be secured: mast can be dropped and main sailed can be folded
• In order to gain more control over the boat (especially maneuvring in close quarter in a harbor) we deployed the engine
• Once we satisfied ourselves that the engine was running and giving us a reliable alternate means of propulsion, we wrapped the main around the mast and motored to RYC.
• This was also the most comfortable point of sail as it was downwind. We were also able to secure the mast with more lines, including mechanical aids (through turning blocks) to provide support when it would be time to drop the mast.

Steve is keeping an eye on the mast -

Back at the dock, we 'Lego'ed' the mast back together in order to be able to drop the main. We disconnected the shrouds, assessed a bit better the damage and tied the two halves of the mast (well, the 1/3 and 2/3 of it) to the port lifeline, letting it rest on cushions on deck.

Of course, it did not spot raining while we were fiddling about lines and rig...We enjoyed a quick rainbow moment to mark the end of our tidying effort!

Last order of business was to take the boat home, under engine, so it can be examined by an insurance expert, and later repaired.

Interestingly, despite the very long day (we were back at the dock after dark and mostly drenched!), most everyone on board found the experience very educational. It is by going through these little mishaps than we learn about seamanship. We hadn't planned on the incident but we can make the most of it and learning is a big part of that.

We also figured that the likelihood of us getting hit by lightning was much reduced by the beheading of the mast.

On the plus side, I am hoping that a lot of people are reading this post. Consider pitching in $10 for sarcoma research, or selecting a gift on our online store ;-) www.beatsarcoma.org...

Elise got a haircut

This Saturday 12 December, Elise and her intrepid crew signed up for the Berkeley Midwinters Series. This typically is a no to light wind event, usually on a cold, cool or warm dry winter day. The forecast this time was a bit more interesting according to NOAA.

"

SAT S WINDS 10 TO 20 KT...INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. SAT NIGHT SW WINDS 15 TO 25 KT. SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS"

We were certainly determined to make the most of the day. First, we had a full crew signed up and a lot of weight on the rail. This clearly would have made a light air day interesting. Looking at the forecast, we figured we should swap David and Mark for lighter weight crew w/ at least one Elf (Heather) * to make heavy weather sailing more interesting.

[* David actually had a fever and Mark a sore back ]

We sailed to the start line, trying the compute the likelihood of getting hit by lightning on San Francisco Bay, in a sea of masts and tall buildings. We started the race on the late side but were creeping up the ranks on the first upwind leg. It was hard to see both a mark and the committee boat, or sometimes either one actually in the fog. We were navigating a la 'Blue Angel'. Just spot the tip of the sail of a neighboring boat and don't get too far away from it...

One thing we had forgotten is that the Berkeley races happen during the day marker mating season and Elise's natural beauty enhanced by the air of mystery the sombre and wet atmosphere did not go unnoticed. Among all of the other Expresses, she was The One.

Day Marker 'D', for decisiveness, made the first bold move, as Elise was elegantly dancing around it. As day markers are a fairly sedentary specie, it enlisted Aeolus' help to engineer a wind shift, and Poseidon's support to increase the current by 20% in a most sudden manner. Both Gods were already out and about as we have observed and were their usual responsive selves. [Zeus and his thunder were only now catching up] - in dating terms, this is called a 'setup', and given the limited visibility, it doubles as a 'blind date'.

Poor Elise was caught unaware and was at a loss as to what to respond. 'D' became insistent and seized Elise's pony tail (backstay). Elise was torn between the urge to continue the race and the attractiveness of a deeper conversation with 'D'. We all thought she was splitting hair frankly and told her so. Apparently, she took our remark literally. The top of her mast decided to stay with 'D' while the bottom opted to pursue the race.

A violent dispute ensued which caused havoc in Elise's hairdo. See for yourself...

It was out of the question for Elise to continue the race with such a hair emergency, so we had to fold up and motor back to the nearest HairdressClub - where we could finally put some order in her usually flamboyant mane.

Impressions from a first sail

About six months ago, I was living in Los Angeles and saw on Facebook pictures of my friends sailing in the San Francisco Bay. I told myself that one day I too would go sailing, as I loaded on my computer’s wallpaper a random sailing photo found on the internet.

A few months later, I quit my job in LA and moved to SF, then I met Nat through an old friend. In the moment we met, I thought Nat would be a great person to live with, plus I loved her place and her two cats. When she showed me her home’s garage, I saw sailing gear everywhere. I gasped and asked: “do you sail?”

Nat is a sailor, so she gave me confidence to get on a boat for the first time to deal with both my uncertainty of the wind and the trust in that we would react appropriately to it.

During my first time sailing, I felt liberated, cleansed, and renewed. Sitting on Elise’s (a 27-ft Express sailboat) deck allowed for active meditation – attentive to the external environment, but also focused inwardly.

In my humble opinion, sailing requires a lot of experience in being alert in a passive and active manner. Sailing seems like a hard skill to master, but this very fact keeps me engaged and challenged. I hope to continue living in this beautiful bay and keep logging miles...maybe one day I will participate in a race! So far, I have learned that there is only so much I can control, so I do not wish to be the sole captain of my destiny. I will let the wind help determine that.

Heidy

Thanksgiving Sunset Sail - Photos

Goodbyes


Beauty in its simplest form

Getting Elise ready. The blue of the trailer, the blue of the logo, the blue of the boat cover are NOT coincidences.

Strange - where did this coin come from?

No, we have not fast forwarded 25 years. This is not Nathan and Gary, this is Henry and Gary.

Your truly
I love the line composition of this picture. The spinnaker pole seems to be pointing at the South Tower

A glitter of gold in a sea of hope

Just reaching back and forth, waiting for the sun to set. We ran this like a race starting sequence (5 min warning, 4 min, 1 min and gun) - unfortunately, there was a postpone because the weather application I checked to get the actual sunset time got this wrong by a few minutes.

A bridge eclipse of the sun

Like mother like son

The demon of the South Tower is making an appearance.

Gary and Nathan - all smiles
"Ra"
Gorgeous Sunset...and it wasn't even cold.

Photos courtesy of Henry

Thanksgiving Sunset Sail - 2009

Nathan, his parents, Henry and Maggie and Gary (Phantom Mist) and I went out on a sunset sail last Sunday. We left the dock around 3:30PM, sailed out of the gate, then back into the Bay in time for the sunset - in a dying breeze, we sailed over to Sam's in Tiburon, docked and got a wonderful sailor's dinner, before heading back to the city under a full moon. The lights from the city and the bridges were breathtaking.

Here is Maggie's comment (even though technically, Elise was the hostess :-))

"I just couldn't say enough about the wonder of that evening sail on The Bay: wonderful company, gorgeous sunset, scrumptious dinner at Sam's, and a full moon for the way back. [...] The sailing crowd is generous and wonderful. We enjoyed two Sundays out on The Bay. The first pleasurable day was a tour of the sights with our delightful host Joy. The following Sunday was the evening sunset courtesy of our other delightful host, Nathalie. "

Martin's pictures - 'Argentina Sail'

Zen

the ladies

Nat: 'How's my hair?'

Pete/Justin/Josh in unisson: 'Just as fine as it was 30 seconds ago when you last asked'

Pairs

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