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. "