The Hamachi team is on the way to Hawaii. And they’re allowing us an occasional peek when possible. We already showed some drone video of their passage down the coast and shared some start footage on Facebook. Below, they’re off the west end of Catalina with lots of company (for now).
Hamachi off Catalina in TransPac 2019. Thanks to Jason Andrews!
Our friends on Longboardhad an interesting delivery and we here at Sailish are big fans of the Peter Salsbury owned & skippered, and Bieker designed 35-footer. They’ve made several changes to the already scary-fast boat, so we’re anticipating great things.
I was hoping to also be writing about Atalanta and her 120,000 lbs. charging toward Hawaii, but alas they decided to pull the plug and not race. We’ll be keeping an eye on the TP The Shadow II from Vancouver, which is in a very competitive class.
Stay tuned, because we’ll be hearing more from Hamachi, and Bruce Hedrick won’t be able to stay away from the tracker for the next few days. The big boys, including odds-on lines favorite Comanche and the other 100-footer Rio, have yet to start.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
If you haven’t heard, we in the PNW get some claim on one of the world’s most exciting examples for women and the not-so-young, Jeanne Socrates. She’s 76, a grandma and circumnavigating the world nonstop singlehanded. Yes, you read right. And her Najad 372 Nereida just suffered a serious knockdown. She announced it on her blog (see below for a first-hand account. She’s okay.)
She’s already the oldest woman to circumnavigate. When she finishes this voyage she’ll be the oldest person to circumnavigate non-stop. Man, woman, whatever. She’ll be the oldest sailor to circumnavigate. Just imagine any 76-year-olds you know tackling a dragging jib in the Roaring 40s.
There are plenty of places to read about Socrates, and of course when she finishes her circumnavigation in (probably sometime in July) in Victoria, her starting and ending point, there will be many more. I wrote this article for the March issue of 48 North. I even talked with her via satphone while she was just south of South Africa. I’m honored she emailed me a few days ago to make sure I knew of her knockdown, saying “Can’t wait to leave the Southern Ocean and head N to warmer climes and the completion of my solo nonstop attempt – a mere two months longer than expected…! “
Nereida
I recommend not waiting for all those pieces to come out. She’s a great communicator, and her blog and Facebook page are telling the story as it happens. You can crawl to the foredeck with her in big seas and wrestle with the genoa, or put the interior back together after a knockdown. It must be a mess.
She’s also very observant about the environment. There’s always a mention of what kind of birds she sees.
Sure, she’s exceptional, but her achievements point to the fact age and gender don’t have to stop someone from doing what they want. She’s real, she’s committed and she’s tough.
I understand that a flotilla to accompany her is being planned for her arrival. I’ll post that information when I see it. Wouldn’t it be cool to accompany her back to Victoria?
In the meantime, those of you who need something to cheer about, reinvigorate your belief in the human spirit, or want a peek into Jeanne’s world, read Jeanne’s blog post following the knockdown :
Tuesday 6am LT (Mon 1900 GMT) Wind still just under 30kt from WNW with occasional lulls to 23kt. Seas big and conditions quite rough - being thrown around a lot. Adjusted course to keep well-furled genoa filled as wind has backed more towards W - will gybe onto starboard and get back on course.
9:30am Rain clouds are clearing away to give some blue sky but no sunshine yet. Seas still 6m or so and wind often 30kt - from WSW now - but frequently drops to 22-25 kt.
Changed over from genoa to staysail earlier, ready for expected stronger winds but might need to put out some genoa if wind drops much - would be nice to keep up a fair speed so as to round Stewart Island in daylight if at all possible.
A wave just crashed onto our beam - makes quite a noise and we lurch sideways all of a sudden.
Feeling quite chilly at 15C/59F sea and air temperature - weaaring plenty of fleece layers ... and my warm hat.
10:40am Sun has got out nicely, although quite a lot of cloud around - but white, not rain clouds. Pressure has risen to 1004hPa.
Having problem posting yesterday's blog via the Iridium connection - so sending now via my reliable SSB/HF radio! System keeps not getting a connection, no matter how often I re-boot it...
1:30pm Sun has disappeared behind a big grey rain cloud. Wind has remained down since earlier this morning- around 23-27kt.
Looks as though wind will be very strong (35-40kt or more, and gusting higher) from tonight and through tomorrow - so I'm getting some sleep now to make sure I don't get overtired when those conditions arrive.
Hoping to arrive at Stewart Island in between two strong systems - would be better to be near land in lighter winds and seas.
4:20pm Had a good nap. Sun getting low and a lot of cloud now. Being thrown around a lot by the big sea and wind is around 30kt.
Prions are swoopng around and saw an albatross land in the water nearby earlier for a rest - they often do so.
7pm Wind over 30kt now - will shortly furl in the small amount of genoa that's presently flying. Wind is forecast to increase to 40kt overnight so no need for anything but the staysail and will furl that in a touch, also.
Later: Not only furled in the genoa completely, but also furled in quite a lot of the staysail. With 40kt winds, gusting higher, expected soon, don't need much sail, especially if speed is to be kept down, as I'd like.
10:20pm Finished radio sched on 7163 - we usually move, as we did tonight, to another frequency, to lose the data noise there - was nice to make contact with Yves in Noumea, capital of New Caledonia, to the North.
In very strong conditions now - wind 40kt, often higher... The seas are constantly throwing the boat around and we're often surfing for a very short while as the waves pass by and take us with them.
Wedesday 5:45am LT (Tues 2245 GMT) Running under small staysail in very rough conditions all through the night - winds around 40kt, often up to 47kt or more, and big seas at 7-8m, often surfing on a wave at around 12kt, as it overtakes us - for only a very short time, fortunately! Winds have backed to W now, from WNW overnight and are likely soon to be from WSW. Frequently hear a thump on the hull as a wave hits the boat.....
(Wed 7pm) ........at which point, I got very wet becaue we were knocked down by a wave crashing into and over the boat - violently.
Fortunately, I was completely unhurt , although soaking wet from head to feet. Couldn't figure that out at the time but in daylight, later, realised it was because the overhead dorade had been completely taken away by the water action, leaving quite a big hole above me, in the coach roof. The cabin was in wet chaos with a lot of papers, noteboooks etc joining lots of tubes of cream, etc from the head shelves and locker - one locker door had come off completely and the inside contents thrown across to the galley. I coudn't move for wet stuff littering the floor
What a disaster...!
I was relieved to see the autopilot was still working fine, as were the instruments - except for the wind display - gone completely again - damn! But there was a weird vibration in the boat I couldn't understand... and not long afterwards, the autopilot began to have a problem keeping us on course - in fact, it simply could not and we were now heading NE instead of SE, at 3kt or less, instead of our previous 5-6kt or more.
By now it was getting light so I was able to go up to see what damage there was on deck. Staysail intact, as was all rigging, but one solar panel was missimg (so solar power gone from that point on) and the wind generator was vibratng madly, making the steel stern arch do the same...
Even worse, the two bags holding the JSD (series drogue) were missing - I soon realised we were, in fact, lyig to the drogue ih big seas and wind still - so not such a bad thing except I wasn't sure it was all deployed properly. It had clearly gone out from between the arch port side supports and I worried it might take the arch with it.. I went aft and managed to get the line around the nearby cleat. I saw a line of cones in the water but no bridle in use - so at least some of it was out OK. The staysail needed to be furled in ... and the wheel centred. Seas and wind were impressively high.
I left the wind generator rotating, thinking it was giving power - but then realised that was not happening - so stopped it - and the awful vibrations stopped. Later, I saw that one of the blades was completely missing - vibrations explained...
Soon after that, the second solar panel came free in the strong wind and began swinging around loose as it tried to leave ship - but was held by two securing lines I'd rigged. It was threatening to damage the radar and other equipment, so I had to go aft and release the lines so it could break free - another gift to Neptune.
In between all this, I was trying to clear up the wet mess in the cabin while wondering if i would be able to continue on or have to pull in somewhere for repairs. I contacted Taupo Maritime Radio with a 'Pan Pan' call to inform them of my situation and we agreed a regular radio 'sched' to keep them updated with my status. I had a radio sched with Peter, ZL1PWM, so told him and asked him to keep a sched on 7150 for me later on to let ham radio friends know what had happened.
Power will now be a problem - radio takes a lot, as does the autopilot, and I'll be dependent on the small generator alone for battery charging from now on. I'll be checking my diesel stored on board to see how much is left and calulate usage likely for the next two or more months.. I'll probsbly have to hand steer quite a bit now, in order to conserve fuel and radio use will need to be a lot less - maybe just brief emails with very little voice - i'll have to see how that works out.
As a result of Colin's help yesterday, I now know what to try to get the Aurora/Redport wi-fi terminal working when it goes down - so spent a time this afternoon trying to get it working (It had been disconnected, and so stopped, in the knockdown). I finally succeeded when I found a corroded terminal pin needing cleaninhg. Spoke to both MRCC New Zealand and Taupo Maritime Radio to confirm their telephone numbers, in case needed - and agreed a less time-consuming sched with Taupo Radio - by phone, as needing less power use than radio.
Got out a dry duvet and pillow from the aft cabin - the port bunk is sodden and unuseable but, luckily, the starboard bunk is relatively dry.
Checked the PC - not water-damaged, as feared, so useable -
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While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter. They are all volunteers with normal day-jobs who respond immediately to a call and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.
It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!
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1900GMT (= 6 a.m. LT) - end of Day 223. We made 115 n.ml. DMG, over the 24 hr period, measured in a straight line between the two 1900 GMT positions.
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 223 (by daily DMGs):19,292 n.ml.
Distances (at 1900GMT): SW Cape, NZ: approx 150 n.ml ESE
Position & weather report for 1900 GMT just after knockdown, posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/05/14 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 46-43.00S LONGITUDE: 163-25.00E
COURSE: 106T SPEE WIND_SPEED: 44kt
WIND_DIR: WSW SWELL_DIR: W SWELL_HT: 8.0m CLOUDS: 100%
BARO: 998hPa TREND: -2 AIR_TEMP: 15.0C SEA_TEMP: 15.0C
COMMENT: Soon after knockdown, early on 15th May LT
And for those of you who’d like to see a video, This Old Boat provided one:
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Dieter Creitz has arrived in Chile for the South American Optimist Championship and is enjoying the pre-race camaraderie that goes with an international regatta. You can see from the photos what this kind of event means to kids. You can also see how serious and competitive the teams are with the measuring in process and keeping the team focused. Here’s the report from Dieter’s dad Nate (who got to race on a Soto 40!):
We are having a great time In Chile. Team USA just headed out for their final practice. Dieter is truly enjoying himself and making new friends. It’s been great to see our friends from around the globe and his teammates from Bermuda who helped him get here. We haven’t spent much time with him as he is with his team and coaches staying together.
Racing begins tomorrow and opening ceremonies are tonight with a parade through town which will be quite a show. It’s very impressive how IODA operates and the infrastructure in place for this event. Big tents, food everywhere and lots of sponsors showcasing products. Lots of flags & banners blowing in the wind. The measurement process yesterday was long and grueling. The team sat down with the committee and were briefed on the process. Dieter’s sail numbers were incorrect and had to be redone and his daggerboard was too heavy and had to be sanded down. It was surprising the deviation of equipment manufactured here in South America and how many items did not measure correctly. Boats & foils we use back home are manufactured much more consistently.
Beginning tomorrow parents are not allowed into the sailors boatyard. Parents are also not allowed access to the cabins where our team is housed.
Yesterday I sailed three races on a Soto 40 with a Chilean crew who spoke Spanish the entire race! There are feral dogs everywhere who are well fed, friendly & happy.
Thanks to Nate we’ll keep track of this one. Young sailors out there – get inspired!
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Our young PNW sailing hero Dieter Creitz is spending 22 hours traveling to Algerobbo Chile today, along with his parents (and amazing support crew) Nate and Wanda. Creitz is one of 15 US sailors competing in the South American Championships.
Dieter Creitz finishing at the Canadian Opti Nationals last year.
Ponder this: Creitz just came back from a National Team training session in LA where they spent four days refining Opti techniques. To say he’s fraying the sheets at two ends is an understatement. The night before last he had a 103-degree fever plus vomiting. Nonetheless, he’s “VERY excited” to be going and after a few days training at the regatta site he should be ready to go.
For those who judge the boxy, underpowered and distinctly old school Opti as somehow “hurting” sailing, I’ll just say that there are 170 kids racing in this event from all over the world. They have support from parents, coaches and national authorities, and some (like Dieter) bring along their own gear (less hull) to get every last 100th of a knot out of the boat. They are as competitive as any adult, yet there are lifelong friendships and memories being made along the way.
As Craig Leweck said in yesterday’s Scuttlebutt newsletter, it’s not about the boat. He wrote, “I do tire of hearing people compare boats and then using that as a basis for judging what is the better one design class. To me that is short-sighted chest-pounding. The purpose of a one design class is to bring together like-minded people to enjoy camaraderie and competition in a boat they enjoy and feel competent sailing. When everyone is doing the same thing for the same reason, the beer tastes better at the end of the day.” Leweck was commenting about the Laser, but I submit that it applies to the Opti as well, as long as you supplant “beer” with “juice.”
I’ll be following Dieter as he takes on the South Americans. Knowing Dieter, his attitude will ensure a good finish and, more importantly, a fun time with some new friends. In Chile! If you want to check in on the regatta for yourself, here’s the site.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Kate Shaner and Charlotte Mack sent out an update after their World Cup Miami regatta last month (as part of their 29er campaign), and I’ve borrowed some of it here to update those who might not be on their mailing list. It turns out it was a challenge just getting to the starting line. But in keeping with their positive attitude, they just keep on keepin’ on. You can visit their website (and donate to their cause) here.
Kate and Charlotte trained hard this winter to prepare for World Cup Miami. In January, they sailed in the first Olympic Development Clinic of the year, and got to work with top coaches from around the country. Unfortunately, on the third day of the camp Charlotte was diagnosed with pneumonia.
After going unnoticed for several months, the illness spread throughout Charlotte’s lungs. Doctors put her on bed rest and multiple courses of antibiotics. For three weeks, Charlotte slept and healed and Kate spent time on the water, watching from the coach boat or sailing with younger teammates. Three days before World Cup Miami, Doctors cleared Charlotte to sail.
After leaving the x-ray table to come to practice, Charlotte made a heroic effort to prepare for the event. In those three days of training the team made a checklist of priorities and each day ticked off boxes to get as much done as possible.
With a fantastic turnout of 36 FX teams World Cup Miami proved tightly competitive. Light, unstable breeze kept sailors on their toes. Close racing made for excellent practice for Kate and Charlotte as they work towards their peak event at the World Championships in New Zealand next winter.
Over the next several months the team will continue to train in Miami, focusing on fitness and race course decision making.
To improve her knowledge of racing strategy and management, Kate will cross train in other areas of the sport. She will race with the Melges 24 team Blind Squirrel, take a Navigation class from John Jourdane, and race offshore in Southern California
“Sailing is a lifelong sport and I want to learn from those who’ve spent a lifetime improving.”
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
“We spent a little extra time on the safety briefing, but that was about it.” That was how Fujin owner/skipper Greg Slyngstad’s start to the Caribbean 600 (C600) began. That attitude was telling. There wasn’t any hand-wringing or conscious worrying about the race coming up, despite last year’s scary capsize the first night out in the same race.
The crew, a mixture of pros and amateurs, was a lot more interested in finishing what started out as a great race last year but ended in disaster. Finishing what they started was just what they did this year. They didn’t “win” this year, either on elapsed or corrected time, but there probably wasn’t a sailor in Antigua that wasn’t impressed with the semi-foiling 53-footer’s performance.
Slyngstad, known locally for the Hamachi and Wasabi programs, turned to Paul Bieker several years ago to design a racer/cruiser catamaran. In Bieker style, he came up with several innovations that made Fujin dramatically different. “I remember the first time sailing it after launch. It was so balanced, and the horizontal foils on the rudders kept the bows up.” The unique chiseled, reverse sheer bows give the boat a vaguely Polynesian yet completely unique look.
Even more importantly than the performance, perhaps, Fujin has proven structurally sound. Despite the capsize and spending several days upside down, Fujin’s original structure has remained sound. Not terribly surprising, since one of Bieker’s primary roles in the Oracle America’s Cup programs was structural engineering.
Fujin required five months of rebuild. The electrical and electronics systems were completely replaced, as well as all the interior cruising components, engine and rig. However, basically, Fujin returned to the C600 course as she was configured in 2018. “There was some pressure from the crew to go with a bigger rig,” Slyngstad says, “But we chose to stay with the same size. Paul (Bieker) has always been balancing it between a cruiser and a racer.” Some roach was added to the main, which has apparently provided a speed boost.
Fujin started this year’s C600 fast and just kept going. The C600 brings together one of the more eclectic collections of racers with large multihulls, Maxi monohulls, planing speedsters and old racing warhorses. The two Mod 70 trimarans, Maserati and Argo, set a scorching paced and easily set new elapsed time records. Fujin was fighting for third on elapsed time with Wizard, a “turboed” Volvo 70. (Somebody is going to have to explain to me how one turbos a V70) Ultimately, Wizard got past Fujin to finish 22 minutes ahead.
Fujin at the dock.
In addition to Slyngstad, the crew included Jonathan McKee, Scott Smith, Mike Leslie, Fritz Lanzinger, Fritz Johnston and Gina and Andrew McCorquodale who managed Fujin’s refit. Stepping in for Brad Baker as navigator was Peter Isler. “These are all people I’ve sailed with,” Slyngstad says.
It was certainly a fast ride. Fujin’s speed over the course averaged 13+ knots, and her speed through the water averaged 17+ knots. The crew only had to reef once with the winds in the 20s. Slyngstad and his team have certainly climbed the learning curve and definitely feel comfortable pushing the boat hard. Some of the tricks they’re utilizing are changing the board height and counter-rotating the mast to depower. The week before the C600 they won the Caribbean Multihull Challenge.
Wizard
While the Mod 70s were flying ahead and Fujin was dueling it out with Wizard, six hours (!) behind was the Gunboat 62 Chim Chim which ultimately won the class on corrected time. But Slyngstad doesn’t seem to care that much about handicap honors. “I was kind of surprised we corrected on the Mod 70s,” he says. At the docks, Fujin attracts a lot of attention, especially from the French multihull sailors.
The cruisy side of Fujin.
Will we ever see Fujin here in the Pacific Northwest? It turns out we almost did. A couple of years ago the plan was for Fujin to transit the Panama Canal, sail the Transpac and then visit the Northwest. The wait was too long at the Canal, so the grand plan never materialized. “We’d probably have to have everybody in drysuits,” Slyngstad explains while contemplating bringing Fujin here. “It’s a pretty wet ride.” I guess that’s the price to pay for going so fast
Fujin will return to East Coast for summer racing, where she saw success a couple years ago. And after this year’s C600, no doubt there will be more than a few looky-loos.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Over this past President’s day weekend, the Seattle Yacht
Club Women’s team went down to sunny southern California to race in San Diego
Yacht Club’s 2nd Women’s Winter Invitational. Lindsay Bergen, Regan
Edwards, Naomi Medley, and myself, Sheridan Ferguson raced J22s against some of
the top sailors from the US and Mexico. 20 teams competed all told, in fleets
of five in the beautiful La Playa Bay.
We arrived on Friday and were welcomed with a lovely potluck
dinner on the dock, reconnecting with friends from last year and finding new
ones along the way! Saturday dawned sunny and beautiful, with a nice breeze in
the morning filling to solid wind by mid-afternoon. The locals couldn’t stop
apologizing for the slightly cooler weather, with the temperature sitting
around 60°, but we Seattle girls were thrilled to escape the snow.
Before the skipper’s meeting we attended a very
sailing-focused yoga class for the racers, getting us in the perfect mindset
for competition! For the first day of racing we took on all the teams, sailing
a total of seven races, and securing a spot in silver fleet for day 2. Our
learning curve through the first few races was extreme, as we got accustomed to
reach other and the odd race course. A small craft advisory had brought many
boats into the bay to anchor, providing a minefield through the course. Laylines
were determined less by wind angle and more by an ability to dodge the
powerboats swinging on their anchors.
Masseuses on the dock provided some much needed relaxation between our energy-filled but quick races. A successful first day of racing completed, we were treated to a wonderful meal at the San Diego yacht club, with more opportunity to connect with competitors from all around the country. We called it a night early and were rearing to go after another yoga session Sunday morning, with the first few hours of racing determining who would be going to the finals!
After three races, we progressed to the petite finals (for
silver fleet) and competed through the afternoon alongside the finals (for gold
fleet). More wind had filled in for day 2, with gusts to 17 knots, occasionally
dropping all the way down to 4 or 5. Much to our luck in the last race of the
finals the rain came through, and our southern California competition was
entirely thrown off! In (literally) our
element, we pulled out a win to finish off the day, ending up with a 3rd
place in silver fleet.
Sharing a last few drinks with our friends at the awards
ceremony we closed out the weekend by watching rainsqualls roll through the
packed SDYC marina. A few of the team flew home that night, and Naomi and I
begrudgingly hopped a plane to Seattle bright and early Monday morning. All
told it was a most successful weekend, many thanks to SDYC for hosting us and
for our own Seattle Yacht Club’s endless support of our endeavors! The SYC
Women are looking forward to many more regattas in beautiful San Diego!
Update: Chim Chim had a great closing leg and corrected on Fujin by 27 minutes. Congratulations all.
After a great start, Fujin continued tearing it up in the Caribbean 600. I was hoping to say definitively she won the multihull class, but there’s still the Gunboat Chim Chim out there with an outside chance of correcting on her.
If you want to check the final results, they’re here.
What I can say is that she was the third multihull to finish, with the only two ahead of her the two Mod 70s, Argo and Maserati, which Fujin corrected over easily. Only one monohull finished ahead, the Volvo 70 Wizard, and that was only by 22 minutes.
It’s a great result for Greg Slyngstad’s team and for Paul Bieker. I hope that in the hours that Fujin was tied up at the dock and Chim Chim was still on the course there were a few people trying to track down Bieker’s phone number.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Fujin shortly after the start of the Caribbean 600.
Greg Slyngstad’s mighty Paul Bieker designed 53-footer Fujin catamaran tearing it up on this year’s Caribbean 600 race.
The 600-mile race is a gathering for some of the coolest boats on the planet winding their way in a complex course around the islands at Antigua. With stiff tradewinds and warm waters, it’s an epic race.
Last year Fujin, with a crew of hotshot Seattle sailors onboard, capsized in dramatic fashion on the first night. The boat has been put back together and is certainly at least as fast as it ever was.
That was last year. This year after the first night they’re in third place on the water with only the two Mod 70 trimarans ahead. Fujin’s leading on the multihulls on corrected time. Just behind Fujin is a Volvo 70 monohull skippered by Charlie Enright.
As we did last year, we’ll followup Fujin’s exploits. In the meantime, check out the Caribbean 600 website. There’s a Facebook feed that shows updates from some of the boats, including audio. (I just listened to Pip Hare describing her race on Class 40 Hydra. The website is caribbean600.rorc.org where you’ll find the tracker and FB feed.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
If you ever wonder why Kiwis are so damn good in virtually all kinds of sailing including foiling, Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympics, look no further than the just-concluded OK Dinghy Worlds.
Close racing at the OK Dinghy Worlds.
This design predates the Laser by a lot, and was originally supposed to be a training boat for the Finn. It’s a great boat, and there’s substantial freedom in the setup so in a lot of ways the boat is constantly upgraded and improved and very modern. Many of the hulls are quite old and wood. See the article by Noj Henderson in February edition of 48 North for a lot more about the class including its history in the Pacific Northwest.
You don’t see the Kiwis wringing their hands about whether or not it’s the fastest or best singlehander out there, or if it’s going to be the Olympic boat or not, they just get out there and race at a high level. 110 of them! The PNW can claim two of the competitors, Noj and my old shipmate Eric Rone. And they both sailed under the NZL, not the USA, flag. Makes sense. They just got out there and raced!
The other thing, the Kiwis as a whole value sailing. The regatta had videos, photos and all kinds of coverage daily. The video shows the 100+ boat starts, something that’s not seen very much any more. And the mark roundings, which appeared epic but orderly. Check it out, especially the offhand humility of the leaders interview. “Yeah, well, I really didn’t have that great a speed….” OK….sure.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
