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

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

Holding his well-deserved trophy

Returning to the Club

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.

Nav table, seats and lee-cloths for ocean navigation.

Galley and bed + lee-cloth for ocean navigation...

Night time and a wet deck.

Rainbow over the waves!

Serge driving and looking pretty cold :)

Serge driving and looking warmer

Ahead

The stern and the boat driving itself

Heading in or out of a harbor??

Spinnaker Cup 2011 Trophy

1st Place Single-Handed division for Nathan and Elise

Photo courtesy of Serge

Spinnaker Cup 2011 - Pressure Drop Video

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