Author: Kurt Hoehne

Sailish Life Support

Kurt Hoehne sailish.com 0 Comment
Sailish Life Support

Dear Sailish Readers,

I’ll make this short. This site needs your financial support. Without that support the site cannot continue as it has been. I’m trying to maintain it with a combination of broad-based corporate and reader donations. An advertising model would completely change the character of the site (think many flashing ads and mostly regurgitated national stories), and a subscription model doesn’t seem feasible.

Please log into my Patreon account (click onto the big “Support Sailish” block to your right) and sign up for a monthly donation of 3, 5 or $7. Perhaps it will also motivate the marine industry to follow suit with more meaningful sponsorship.

I’d like Sailish.com to continue providing regional sailing coverage and support for our youth and community sailing programs. Thanks to those who have already stepped up.

A School District and Community that Understand the Value of Waterfront Skills

Kurt Hoehne Community, Youth Sailing , 0 Comment
A School District and Community that Understand the Value of Waterfront Skills

On a recent visit to the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, Executive Director (and R2AK Guru) Jake Beattie told me about an exciting partnership of the Center with the local schools. When my own son recites the familiar refrain, “when am I ever going to use math in real life?!” as he faces homework, I think of this program. I hope to take a more in-depth look at the initiative, but in the meantime here’s a short description and some introductory videos. Be sure to share with your children’s educators! -KH

MARITIME DISCOVERY SCHOOLS INITIATIVE

Imagine a school day where students’ minds and senses are fully engaged, where subjects jump off the page in the context of the real world around them—learning to swim as part of kindergarten PE, watching math come alive through sail-making, studying salmon habitat restoration for science, or biology through growing an oyster. This is what is meant by place-based education, where the unique resources of our community are used systematically throughout a student’s academic career.

The impact on our school system is positive and profound.

Working with teachers, parents, and area business and non-profit partners, Port Townsend Schools have a 5-year plan to implement a central Maritime Framework throughout K-12 education and anchor all subjects and grade levels in experiences of our maritime community.

 

Grand Prix Grand Finale for 2018

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Grand Prix Grand Finale for 2018

Seattle YC’s Grand Prix marks the unofficial end to the year’s Puget Sound racing, and this year did it with a big blow. (We’re counting Winter Vashon as part of 2019…) And while this event has lost some of its luster as the numbers participating has declined – 35 boats this year–, it’s still a great opportunity for boats that qualified to lock horns. For some, locking horns with with the breezy conditions was the biggest challenge. There was one race in big winds on Friday, sailed to various courses for the different classes. On Saturday, between the big blows, there wasn’t enough wind to even get a race off. On Sunday two races were sailed, again in big breeze.

SYC Sailing Director Brian Ledbetter called the racing “epic,” citing battles between Wicked Wahine and Absolutely in Class 2, and Different Drummer and Poke & Destroy in Class 3. Then there’s the three-way amongst the J/105s, ultimately won by Jaded. In the ORC class, John Buchan’s Glory once again proved that she’s in charge around the buoys. There were a number of DNFs and DNSs dotted around the fleet.

ORC Results. PHRF Results.

We have  a gallery of photos by Catie Plourde (her B&W gallery is here).

 

We also have a story by Ed Snyders, who with his wife Julie Renick race Overtime. Snyders also manages the  crew list for SYC race committee.

The 42nd Annual SYC Grand Prix lived up to it’s reputation as as the finest test of seamanship, sailing and race management in the northwest.  The three day format allowed for two great days of sailing with Saturday being flat calm and frankly a better day for fishing.

Friday afternoon gave us blustery conditions and for the crew of Overtime a test on how to react to breakdowns under pressure, the gear in question being the boom vang.  As we settled in for the pre-start for the race the lashing for one of the blocks parted making the mainsail almost uncontrollable while reaching.  A brief period of mayhem ensued as the problem was diagnosed and a solution found. Fortunately, we had a small piece of line near at hand and were able to lash the block back onto the boom and resume our pre-start maneuvers.  I’d love to blame our poor start on this disruption but the sad fact is that I missed an easterly shift at the start and ended up late to the western end of the start line, mistake #1.  Mistake #2, came as we approached Eagle Harbor and decided to tack back in the middle where it was windier rather than shake our reef and continue to the western shore of the sound with the rest of our fleet.  This choice send us to the back of the pack in short order but we did get great views of the fleet rounding Blakely Rock ahead of us.  In the failing breeze the rich would get richer in this race but it was a lovely day for the run back to Meadow Point.  In the waves and breeze the temporary lashing failed on the vang sending the boat into another brief period of mayhem. Somehow we didn’t broach and once order was somewhat restored we took advantage of a very open main to sail low and stay clear of a freighter turning into Elliot bay.  With some stronger line found we pieced the vang back together and enjoyed a much more controlled run north.  In a fleet that includes the finest sailors in the northwest this sort of drama keeps you well off the podium.

Sunday and another breezy day.  Race 2 of the regatta found us in the middle of the fleet at the first leeward mark but headed up wind into rapidly freshening conditions with far too much sail up.  After putting in a reef and continuing under our largest jib we managed to beat back to the weather mark and stay within striking distance of the fleet.  With very fresh conditions we elected to play it safe and not hoist a spinnaker but rather change jibs to something smaller and more appropriate for the conditions.  Sadly this choice led to another breakdown and a lesson on the cost of deferred maintenance.  The jib halyard in use was tied to the deck with a pad-eye I have been meaning to replace for about a year. It parted, costing us any sort of a reasonable finish as going bare headed upwind is very slow.

Race 3 found the crew feeling gun shy but after a quick safely meeting we decided to continue but to play it safe.  again with the quality of competition this sent us to the back of the pack but we finished the race and regatta without any further breakdowns.  I’m happy with that result and with the weekend.

The awards dinner Sunday night in the SYC Fireside Room was a beautiful event. The historic perpetual trophies, the beautiful flowers, enthusiastic skippers and crews made for a full room of energy. The SYC staff was outstanding,  delivering great service, the dinner was delicious and we were honored to have Commodore Van Duzor present to help congratulate each winning team.

Hat’s off to the race committee who braved winds into the 30’s while at anchor in a nasty wave state in order to provide us with a great weekend for sailing.  Thank you so very munch on behalf of the Overtime crew and the fleet as a whole.  We have no sport without you.  You are the very best!

–Ed Snyders, SYC Race Committee Chair and skipper of Overtime

 

Rick Donohue of Crossfire kindly sent along Crossfire’s track, and I found a couple of photos on Facebook you might not have seen.

Finally, here’s a video taken from Glory of Crossfire desperately seeking a passing lane on Friday, courtesy of Patrick Doran.

 

Giving Chase in Grand Prix

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Giving Chase in Grand Prix

There was breeze yesterday for the Seattle Yacht Club Grand Prix regatta. Here’s a video from Patrick Doran taken from Glory as Crossfire looked for a passing lane. Eventually they found one and took the ORC class on corrected time. Borrowed from Patrick’s Facebook page. Racing continues tomorrow.

Are Harbor Porpoises Hurting Orcas?

Kurt Hoehne Environment and Wildlife 0 Comment
Are Harbor Porpoises Hurting Orcas?

The plight of the declining orca population is more than just keeping boats away. Most experts agree it’s about the food supply. Chinook salmon are pretty tasty to a lot of animals; orcas, people, seals and another quietly increasing group – harbor porpoises. Those cute little guys that cruise around giving our kids something to spot while we’re sailing – They may be another factor in the challenges for orcas according to Christopher Dunagan..

Here’s the first few paragraphs of Dunagan’s piece in his Watching Our Waterways blog:

Most of us have heard that harbor seals eat Chinook salmon, which are the preferred food for our beloved Southern Resident killer whales, an endangered species whose long-term survival could hinge on getting enough Chinook.

The number of harbor seals in the inland waters of Washington state now totals somewhere around 10,000 or slightly higher, according to the latest estimates by Steve Jeffries, a marine mammal biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Harbor porpoise surfing in a boat wake in Burrows Pass, off Fidalgo Island.
Photo: ©Cindy R. Elliser, Pacific Mammal Research

But did you know that harbor porpoises, which eat many of the same things as harbor seals, now number around 11,000 in the same general area? That’s according to a recent study for the Navy led by research consultant Tom Jefferson.

I have to say that those numbers came as a major surprise to me, and I began to ask questions about what all these porpoises in Puget Sound might be doing to the food web, which involves complex interactions between salmon, seals, porpoises, orcas and many other species.

The result of my inquiry is a story published this week in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.

Read on in the blog

Pink Boat Regatta Results

Kurt Hoehne Community 0 Comment

Who cares about the Pink Boat regatta winner? That’s easy – anyone who cares about researching cures and treatments for breast cancer. That’s the race here.  In addition to the wildly silly costumes donned at the three Pink Boat Regattas around the Northwest this year, real money was raised for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Jennifer Mathis of the Pink Boat Regatta shared the good news:

Following-up with you from your original email with how the 2018 Pink Boat Regattas did this year! To sum it up — AMAZING! Here are the breakdowns:

Seattle Regatta raised: $45,188
Tacoma Regatta raised: $29,248
Bellingham Regatta raised: $6,763

While we are still finalizing our total dollar amount that we will be writing our check to “The Breast Cancer Research Foundation”, I wanted to share this exciting news with you. As you may be aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and we are still receiving donations. We hope to do our check presentation in New York sometime next month.

The Racing Season is Just Starting for Frostbiters

Kurt Hoehne Laser Sailing, Racing , , 0 Comment
The Racing Season is Just Starting for Frostbiters

For some Northwest sailors, it’s time to get the skis and boards in for a tuneup and make sure last year’s skiing gear still fits. For Laser and RS Aero sailors in Seattle, it’s just beginning.

Well, not exactly, since we’ve been sailing all year. But it IS the start of the fall and winter frostbiting season. Last Sunday was the first event of the year, with 17 Aeros, 5 Lasers and even three intrepid Optimist sailors. The conditions weren’t great, with a dying northerly. However, it wasn’t cold and with the fleet tucked in close to Meadow Point, approximately 6 races were sailed. Afterward, most of the racers gathered in the Corithian YC clubhouse and enjoyed a simple, but ample feast.

The Seattle Laser Fleet follows a successful formula of short races in quick succession, with a race committee of fellow Laser and Aero sailors and borrowing small powerboat from one of its members for race committee work and safety. Racing is always followed by a social and eating time, with the food provided by one of the fleet volunteers. It’s low key, and results are not recorded. National and Olympic champions dot the fleet and the wide ranging conversations afterward circle back often to what makes these little boats sail their best.

The RS Aero fleet continues to grow dramatically and the Laser fleet is planning for it’s District Champs, which should draw a number of sailors from all over the Northwest to the CYC Turkey Bowl.

Sunday’s was the first of six events. Loaner boats are available on a first come, first served basis.  Visit the SLF website for details.. To register for frostbiting, follow this link.

If your fleet has frostbiting planned, share the info here (email me). There’s room for sailing and snow sports around here!

To provide a little flavor, here’s the post race reports provided by the Seattle Laser Fleet captain Mark Ross and the race committee Mike Johnson.

Mark Ross:

A very good start to the 2018-2019 Frostbite season as 17 RS Aeros, 5 Lasers and a 3 Optis hit the water for a noon-time start.
     Races began in a light fog, slowly turning to sunny skies and light but very sailable wind. To many of us the tricky current and a big flood was challenging and frustrating but by and large the boats stayed fairly close together, keeping the sailing competitive from start to finish. A perfect starting line made for great practice as boats were gunnel to gunnel with no space to spare, then splitting to opposite sides of the course and vying for room at the marks. Thanks to Race Committee volunteers Jacques Garrigues, Mike Johnson and Naomi Medley for setting a great course, and in-keeping with frostbite style we completed five or six solid races, each about 20 minutes long before the wind died off, finishing the day a little early but still rewarding. Thanks Mike for the pictures. Keep an eye out for the sailish.com blog with a more detailed review of the sailing.
     Almost everyone hung out after racing for an excellent meal put together by food & beverage volunteer Glen Wisegarver. Choice of chili or vegetarian soup, salad and pumpkin pie were plentiful and of course well received. And good conversation ensued as we got to know a bunch of participants new to the program this year and catch up with those we hadn’t seen much of since last season.
 
Frostbite #2 is on November 11, 2018: 
Volunteers for RC and for Food & Beverage are needed.
     The RC Driver will be Doug Stumberger. We need a second volunteer to be RC Assist with Doug.
     We need someone to volunteer for Food & Beverage. 
Volunteer here. Or directly contact Jacques Garrigues (RC Coordinator) and Glenn Wisegarver (F&B Coordinator) if you’re unsure of what to do as they know how to make it simple.
      If you cannot volunteer for Frostbite #2 please go to this link and sign-up for a subsequent frostbite event.

To participate in a Frostbite Event register on-line here.  If you are unable to register on-line bring cash or check.

Fee options: 

(1)  All 6 race days for one low price of $70
(2)  Single race day fees are $20 
(3)  Students thru college fees $5 per race day.
Note: Seattle Laser Fleet membership is NOT required in order to participate. Drop-ins are welcome

Mike Johnson:

     Starting lines were all very close with absolutely no sag in the middle and no second row.  It was almost as through we were starting in an ebb. Boats were evenly distributed down the line, so we did not see a need to adjust the angle.  We did lengthen the line after R2 due to a perception that things were a little too tight. The massive flood was tricky with the weather mark set in 40 ft of water just off Meadow Point requiring sailing around the shifting back eddy.
     I did not get to watch the upwind legs much due to starting the Opti’s in sequence. We watched downwind and did not see one side pay predictably.  There always seemed to be a big East-West split. Downwind it seemed conventional wisdom was to head West to ride the flood, but several times more wind made East pay. Feedback from the fleet was welcomed and most feedback was to keep racing till about 3. We were planning on running two more races to finish up the day, however the wind altered that decision for us and we shortened the last race.
     Our target was 15 to 20 minute races and for the most part that is what we got.  In most races the first boat was to the weather mark in 6 to 8 minutes. For the benefit of future RC teams, it would be good to get a consensus from the fleets if this is ok.

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Images

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment
Mirabaud Yacht Racing Images

The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image competition attempts to define the very best in sailboat racing photography. All the images entered are spectacular, but I guess there has to be one winner, and it was Ricardo Pinto’s shot of Scallywag. Here it is:

28/10/2017 – Lisboa (POR) – Volvo Ocean Race – SHK Scallywag

As spectacular as that photo is, my favorite is the following shot. This one, by Melandri Mauro, is of a father-daughter celebratory dive after a J/70 victory. It’s a fine shot, but more importantly it tells a great story. My heart just warms up when I think of how happy those two were in that moment.

The gallery clearly shows why our sport is such a great one. There are classic boats, ultra modern foilers, old sailors, young sailors and lots of action. For the other 78 images, click here and feast your eyes! It’d be a good link to refer back to during the winter months.

Safety at Sea Course – Save a Spot for February

Kurt Hoehne Community, Sailing Education, Seamanship 0 Comment

Margaret Pommert of The Sailing Foundation wants to make sure that those who want to get into the Safety at Sea course this February are able to. Classes fill up, and rightly so. Also, there’s early bird pricing. Here’s a little video on the program, followed by the press release. By the way, if anyone who takes the course wants to do a review for sailish.com, I’d love it! – KH

Press Release for the US Sailing Safety at Sea Course

Headline: U.S. Sailing Safety at Sea Course®; Feb 9&10 2019 in Vancouver, WA

The Sailing Foundation, with local boating clubs, will be offering the U.S. Sailing two-day International Offshore Safety at Sea Course with Hands-on Training® on February 9 and 10, 2019 at the Marshall Leupke Center in Vancouver, Washington.

This complies with World Sailing Offshore Personal Survival Course guidelines. Offshore races such as the Oregon Offshore, Vic-Maui, Van Isle 360, and Pacific Cup have requirements for this training. If you hope to participate in these races, understand the requirements and don’t miss the chance to take this class! This class typically fills up a month or 2 in advance very year, leaving would-be racers and others who are “slow off the line”…. left behind. Don’t let that happen to you!

As an added incentive to sign up now, “Early Bird” pricing is available until Nov 1.

This informative and entertaining course is endorsed by Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. It includes classroom, in the pool, and hands on training, and is designed to enhance your sailing skills as a crewmember. Whether you are a racer or a cruisier it will make you, your boat and crew safer. Moderator Bruce Brown, and local boating safety experts have tailored their presentations to give you as much relevant information as possible in the two-day experience. Days are long, but you’ll come out of each with a better understanding of the many topics covered.

Day one (Saturday) will be in a classroom setting where instructors discuss topics including heavy weather sail selection and use, man overboard and safety gear, offering assistance to other vessels, safety communication devices and EPIRBs, personal safety gear, heavy weather techniques, abandon ship and life raft procedures, medical emergencies, and weather forecasting. There will also be a discussion on what lessons U.S. Sailing has learned from studying recent and relevant emergencies at sea.

Day two (Sunday) will take participants through hands-on scenarios in pyrotechnics and fire-fighting, and then into the pool for life jacket inflation and practice, life raft deployment and entry training. Classroom sessions that day delve into remote-boating medical scenarios and kits, weather routing, sail repair and maintenance, and Lifesling® crew overboard rescue training.

By participating in and completing the seminar, attendees will earn a certificate from U.S. Sailing that can be used when racing offshore and internationally.

For pricing, registration, and more information: https://thesailingfoundation.org/what-we-do/safety-at-sea/

 

 

 

Pumpkin Bowl – the West Vancouver YC Youth Regatta Template

Kurt Hoehne Youth Sailing , 2 Comments
Pumpkin Bowl – the West Vancouver YC Youth Regatta Template

Judging by the photos and reports coming in, the Pumpkin Bowl was much more about the kids and adults having a glorious good time than nail biting racing. A quick scan of the numbers tell a nearly 1-1 ratio of young competitors to adult supporters (volunteers, coaches) We at Sailish.com got to play a minor role with Bruce drumming up a pre-regatta weather report. The title sponsors were Harken and Pro-Tech Yacht Services.

Basically, it was the kind of youth regatta that can act as a template for the growing youth scene here in the PNW. To use that well worn phrase from Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” Yes, it’s a lot of work. But if you want your kids with spray in their faces instead of screens, this is the best way to do it.

On the racing side, the unstoppable Dieter Creitz from Seattle won the 55-boat Opti fleet with four out of six race wins. Maura Dewey won the 35-boat Laser Radial fleet winning five of seven races. There were also two 420 fleets, a 29er fleet, Laser 4.7s and and RS Feva fleet. Laser District 6 held its District Champs which allowed a few adults to sneak on the course. Results.

We have two reports, first from Opti Mom Jill Avery and then from the Mount Baker Rowing & Sailing Center (Seattle) coach Kaitlyn van Nostrand. Photos from various sources including Alyson Sydor and Doug Wardrop.

 

The Pumpkin Bowl Regatta held at the West Vancouver Yacht Club this past weekend is the largest on the BC Sailing circuit. The club hosted 165 boats, and over 200 competitors aged 7-20 from 2 provinces and 2 states. 54 dinghy and double-handed races were run on 4 courses in Howe Sound and boat classes included Optis, Lasers, Radials, 4.7’s,  420s, 29ers and Fevas. The Regatta was made possible by the dedication of over 130 volunteers (of which over 80 were on the water) and RCM/SAR 1 out of Horseshoe Bay watched over the action all weekend long. Much fun was had as witches handed out candy and painted faces of the youngest sailors, prizes were awarded and the athletes rigged their boats while getting inspired by a dedicated regatta playlist developed by West Vancouver’s own North Shore Sailing Team. –Jill Avery

Click a photo to enlarge.

Pumpkin Bowl was our first regatta as a team in Canada and my first time coaching an event in BC. I was left nothing short of inspired. Arriving late on Friday night, we unloaded an Opti in one of the neatly set up rows and dropped off our coach boat at the neighboring Thunderbird Marina. Saturday morning, we were welcomed with open arms by regatta volunteers and beautiful sunny weather. WVYC runs the regatta like a well oiled machine! A information table, volunteers at the hoist, a packet for coaches. This year we brought three Opti sailors, who had two exceptional days of sailing by a professional race committee and mark set boats that worked so hard in the conditions. This event is larger than any youth regatta in Seattle! We had an amazing experience and can’t wait to bring more sailors back next year. Thank you to WVYC! –Kaitlyn van Nostrand