PNW sailors around the world

Joy Ride Finish, WOXI Protest Tossed

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
The Joy Ride crew.

From the Joy Ride Facebook page:
“Rolex Sydney Hobart 2018 it’s a wrap! No words can express the feeling!! We are utterly exhausted and elated! Will share more info on the race in full later but first some well deserved beers!! 
Finish time December 29th at 10:29 Am PST.”

Such a great adventure!

I hope to talk to skipper John Murkowski or one of the crew and get some of the details. It sounds like a fun and not too treacherous Sydney-Hobart. Joy Ride‘s final position was 10th in ORCi and 12th in IRC 3, 60th over the finish line.

WOXI

Amid victory cries from Wild Oats XI (WOXI) skipper Mark Richards of “redemption” after a last year’s lost protest and having to drop out the prior year, the amazing super-Maxi beat three others and claimed the coveted first-to-finish. But wait, there’s more. Second place Black Jack skipper Peter Harburg told the press that the WOXI team turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder after the start for the duration of the race, which clearly contravened the rules.

But Harburg didn’t protest, leaving it to the race committee to do that. The protest committee, however, denied the protest because it was not filed by the affected competitor.

In the intervening time between Harburg’s claims and the protest being cited as invalid, it became clear that the AIS transponder was working before the start and not during the race. Richards apparently said at one point that it wasn’t required to be working (it was, and that was make quite clear through the sailing instructions and skippers’ meetings). Then it was claimed to be malfunctioning.

Of course, I don’t know the whole situation from this side of the world, but I know that trying to hide one’s position on the racecourse is a time-honored, rinky-dink tactic. From covering a stern light at night to misreporting a mid-race position, it’s been done as long as I can remember. And it’s always been the wrong thing to do. In today’s world and particularly in this race, knowing where all the boats are could save lives. And if it’s written into the rules, which it always is, position reporting is part of the race.

Harburg, the race committee and the protest committee should all be ashamed, taking the easy way out of this. If the AIS transponder was off (which seems to clear, and which surely EVERYBODY knew), it should be checked for malfunction. If it worked, they should be tossed. If it was malfunctioning, that should be made clear. Evading the issue with another time-honored tradition (“Oh, the protest wasn’t valid”) is perpetuating the problem.

There’s significant outrage in the racing community about this. Aussies are tough competitors, but pride themselves on playing games cleanly. I go back to the late Great Dane, Paul Elvstrom, for my take on this:

“You haven’t won the race, if in winning the race you have lost the respect of your competitors”.

Less Joy in Joy Ride

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world 1 Comment
Less Joy in Joy Ride
Comanche. Check out the sailor aloft.

So, as Joy Ride‘s Sydney Hobart comes to a conclusion, the results continue to be up in the air. As they make their way up the Derwent River to Hobart, their position is 10th in ORCi Division 4, a far cry from the first they held for a short time.

Leading their class are a couple of Cookson 12s, but the other J/122 is safely tucked behind them. For what it’s worth, a safe Hobart is a good Hobart. And it must be noted, the corrected times are all very close and there’s a lot of racing (80 or so miles) yet to go.

Also of note, while Wild Oats XI finished first, they’re under protest by the race committee for perhaps turning off their AIS transponder during the race. It would be out of turn to say anything judgmental before the protest hearing. But I’ll do it anyway. Really, guys? In the old days people did that when reporting in their position, and it was rinky dink then. But if you indeed thought you could do it without anybody noticing nowadays, that’s just (putting it politely) unsharp. It would be yet another lost first to finish by protest.

Hopefully Joy Ride will glide up the Derwent and finish in the money. Regardless, I’ll try to get some comments from the Joy Ride team. They have certainly done the PNW proud!

While we should all be rooting for Joy Ride, I definitely have a place in my heart for the old S&S One Tonner Mark Twain. Owner/Skipper Michael Spies has resurrected the old girl and is currently lying 6th in class. Let’s just say that an early-70s vintage One Tonner drags around a lot of the Tasman Sea while going downwind at hull speed. Anyway, here’s a nice interview by the charming Olivia Price.

Joy Ride Leading Sydney Hobart Class on Corrected Time

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
Joy Ride Leading Sydney Hobart Class on Corrected Time
There are a number of Studio Borlenghi photos of boats running hard to Tasmania on the Rolex Sydney Hobart website. This one is of the X50 Wax Lyrical.

Well well, it’s going to be an interesting last 300 miles of the Sydney Hobart Race for Joy Ride. As of 0700 (our time) John Murkowski’s boat is holding corrected time firsts in ORCi Division 4 and in IRC Division 3. She must have had a very good last few hours. Her position has her to the west of much of the fleet, closer to the rhumb line.

As for the super-maxis, it’s shaping up to be a great finish. With about 80 miles to go, Comanche holds a less than 4 mile lead on Black Jack, Wild Oats XI and Infotrack.

Joy Ride’s position report was pulled from the Rolex Sydney Hobart race tracker. Go Joy Ride!

Joy Riding Down the Australian Coast

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
Joy Riding Down the Australian Coast

The PNW’s Sydney Hobart hopeful Joy Ride appears to be having a solid race. According to the tracker John Murkowski’s J/122E is lying 11th in ORCi Division 4 and IRC Division 3. She’s 60th overall for line honors.

The Sydney Hobart three start line system allows the big boats to get away cleanly. A massive fleet of spectator boats (“the most I’ve ever seen” according to Jimmy Spithill) was on hand.

The ORC class leader is the Cookson 12 Grace O’Malley (sistership to the Northwest’s White Cloud). Jackpot, a near sisterhip J/122 to Joy Ride, is a mile or so behind Joy Ride.

Sailing’s definitely a spectator sport in Sydney.

Check out the Rolex Sydney Hobart website and tracker. The start coverage video is also captivating, with Jimmy Spihill doing some of the commentary. It’s easy to spend some hours checking out all the boats and current situation.

As predicted, it’s been a downwind race with the biggest northerlies coming during the day shortly after the start. In the evening the wind apparently dropped. It’s unclear whether the inshore or offshore route paid dividends.

WOXI had the most recent lead.

Of course most eyes are on the pointy end of the fleet. Black Jack led out of Sydney Heads, Comanche roared to a lead in the heavy running conditions and Wild Oats XI (“WOXI“) claimed the lead in the lighter nighttime winds. One of the elapsed time contenders, Scallywag, abandoned the race with a broken sprit.

Ready for Running to Hobart

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world 4 Comments
Ready for Running to Hobart

After a few Christmas festivities and a day-before-the-race sail, the Joy Ride team is ready for the start of the Sydney Hobart Race on Boxing Day (Aussie time) which will be tomorrow around 5 pm Salish Sea time.

The Joy Ride crew.

“There’s a lot of bigger faster boats in this fleet,” says owner John Murkowski, “a lot of TP 52s.” Joy Ride‘s 40 or so boat ORC class is made up of very similar size boats. “There’s a J/122 and a J/133 and a bunch of Beneteaus.” There are approximately 9 boats that Joy Ride rates close to, and certainly that will form the race within a race.

Crew member John Fox expects a beat of Sydney Harbor and past Sydney Heads, “then a building breeze with the chute up.” Sailish’s Bruce Hedrick has been chipping in with his thoughts via email, and he routing software predicts Joy Ride will sail the 628 mile course in 3 days, 10 hours. It should be mostly downwind for the race.

Over the 3-4 weeks Joy Ride has been in Sydney, severe weather has been rolling through, even throwing huge hailstones at times.

Testing the storm sails.

I asked about the dock chatter about the big boats, and the odds-makers have Comanche favored for elapsed time and Ichi Ban (again) favored for corrected time honors. Note the term “odds-makers.” Yes folk, there’s betting. And Murkowski bought some tickets (betting on Joy Ride) and distributed tickets to the crew. So, if they win, they win.

After I wrote an initial post on the event, Seattle rigger Chris Tutmark brought it to my attention that there was another U.S. entry, a Cookson 50 named Privateer. We’ll be watching that boat as well. It looks to be a formidable entry with Charlie Enright of Volvo Race fame on the crew. Thanks, Chris! If anybody else sees anything of note in the entry list, results or during the course of the race, please let me know.

Crew member Maaike Pen was photographed by Andrea Francolini who made a gallery of women participating in the race.

We’ll be watching closely tomorrow and during the race, and this time we can look past the eternal Comanche Vs Wild Oats XI struggle and tune in to one of our own!

Sailish along for the Joy Ride to Hobart

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
Sailish along for the Joy Ride to Hobart

Last time we checked in on Joy Ride, they were winning the Vic Maui corrected time honors over Firefly. It had been a good battle across the Pacific in some abnormal conditions. At the time, we learned Joy Ride wasn’t coming back to the Northwest, at least for a while. Instead, the boat was delivered (on her own bottom!) to Sydney, Australia for the start of the Sydney Hobart Race on Boxing Day. 

Joy Ride made it to Sydney and will be ready to go for one of the world’s great distance races. Owner John Murkowski reports that the Aussie reception has been eye-opening. “It looks like we’re the only US boat this year, and they have a ton of respect that we delivered the boat on her own bottom. They’ve been super accommodating – they said ‘we’ll kick someone out of a slip so you have a place as long as you need.'”

Ed. Note: Alert readers (and a helluva rigger) Chris Tutmark pointed out there’s another US entry. Click here. They don’t say much about it, except check out the crew list. Charlie Enright of Volvo Ocean Race fame is onboard. We’ll watch them too!

Click any photo to enlarge.

The on-her-own-bottom delivery, skippered by Murkowski’s college roommate Bron Miller, wasn’t without challenges. Joy Ride finished Vic-Maui without a backstay adjustor or workable boom vang. Those, and some other repairs, required a 3-week stay in Hawaii. A few more fixes were required in Fiji. Along the way the rudder bearings were replaced and, once in Sydney, the sails repaired under way received proper sailmaker repairs.

Murkowski has been undertaking this task with a lot of intention. He had the J/122E built in the J/Boats French factory to his own specifications after comparing hundreds of boats in a spreadsheet. All his crew have safety at sea certifications and he’s got a long range plan for attending races in various parts of the world.

Joy Ride won’t be sailing with any local knowledge aboard, however sailish.com weather guru Bruce Hedrick will be looking into his crystal ball for them ahead of the race. “For the last few years I’ve always looked at Bruce’s Briefs. I’m glad to be able to do it for Sydney-Hobart as well!”

So, while many of us are digesting our Christmas dinners on Boxing Day, and very likely looking at some dreary December Puget Sound skies, we can all do a vicarious Hobart Race. I’ll check in with the team before and after the race to see if the race brought the team any “joy.” (sorry) 

As for post-Hobart, there are big things afoot. First of all, Murkowski needs to hightail it back to the US to be home for the birth of his twins. Then Joy Ride may be headed to Europe for some of those iconic races.

If you want to check in directly with the team, you can check out the boat’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/joyridesailing.  The Sydney Hobart profile is here. 

Murkowski also put together these live stream options:

Live Helicopter stream:
Rolex Sydney Hobart or http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/:

Corinthian Yacht Club of Australia Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/user/CYCATV/featured

Chase boat streaming of the race start and race finish including lots of live interviews with skippers and crew.Adventures of a Sailor Girl – Nic Douglass:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCrMHFSFw-tMuU1mZ0o_TLw or https://www.facebook.com/sailorgirlHQ/ :

GPS Tracker:
http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/tracker/ (updated every 10 Minutes)

The Yachts:
http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/the-yachts/

Twitter Race Updates:
http://twitter.com/rshyr

Jeanne Socrates Circumnavigating Again at Age 76

Kurt Hoehne Adventure Sailing, Cruising, PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
Jeanne Socrates Circumnavigating Again at Age 76

She’s got nothing to prove, and I really don’t think that’s why Jeanne Socrates is sailing around the world solo, nonstop, again at age 76. I’ve had the good fortune to speak with and correspond with Jeanne, and while she’s proud of her accomplishments it’s pretty clear her offshore voyaging is much more organic than that. She likes to see the world, and she apparently loves being offshore, so it seems natural. If she succeeds, she’ll be the oldest person (any gender) to sail solo around the world. Currently she’s the oldest woman to have done it at age 70.

She left the dock at Victoria on October 3 on her Najad 380 Nereida.

Everyone from the youngest Opti sailor to the oldest offshore cruiser should take heart from her spirit. She’s optimistic and indefatigable, having had to turn back twice in 2016 because of extreme weather and having to cancel last year’s attempt due to broken bones. All healed and out of her neck brace, Socrates was ready for casting off last week.

There’s a good Times Colonist (Victoria) article here. I’ll check in on her progress periodically. You can check on her current position here. The keepers of her website have already increased capacity to keep up with the demand. It seems everyone’s pulling for her – and should!

Northwest Laser Sailors in Ireland – Symes Leads in Radials Brink in 6th in Standards

Kurt Hoehne Laser Sailing, PNW sailors around the world 0 Comment
Northwest Laser Sailors in Ireland – Symes Leads in Radials Brink in 6th in Standards

From Day 1. Photograph: David Branigan/Oceansport

There is no regatta quite like the Laser Master Worlds. With 301 entries ranging from “kids” of 35 to Legends of more than 75 years old, it’s a collection of some of the most dedicated and fit sailing athletes. The sense of camaraderie is amazing. And this year’s event, on Dublin Bay, is epic as usual. There are a number of outstanding Northwest Laser sailors attending, including Bill Symes, who’s dominating the Great Grand Master Radial rigs, to Mark Brink returning to Lasers in the Standard rig Grand Master (55-65 year old) class. I’m working on a full report on this regatta which ends on Sunday, but in the meantime after eight races here are how the Pacific Northwesterners stand:

Bill Symes – 1st in the Great Grand Masters Radial Rig

Mark Brink – 6th in the Grand Masters Standard Rig

Jay Winberg – 4th 75+yo Radial Rig

Bob Britten – 6th Grand Master Radial Rig

Jorge Suarez – 50th Masters Standard Rig

Peter Woytkowiak – 25th Grand Master Radial

Dave Jursik – 39th Grand Master Radial

If there are other masters participants you know about, please clue me in! And if there’s anything to contribute on this story (competitor’s tales, photos etc), send it my way.

 

 

 

Pacific Northwest Laser Sailors Enjoy Epic North Americans in California

Jay Leon Laser Sailing, PNW sailors around the world, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
Pacific Northwest Laser Sailors Enjoy Epic North Americans in California

Tight racing is good racing.

One of the great things about racing dinghies is going to international events to make new friends, learn a few new sailing tricks and see how you stack up. And the Laser class is one of the best for that. With 22 (by my count) Pacific Northwest sailors attending the Laser North Americans at Alamitos YC, a few of those tricks are sure to make it back into our fleets. While it’s clear that the PNW contingent was made up mostly strapping young lasses and lads, the “grown ups” have just as much fun. Maybe even more. My friend and fellow Laser Seattle Laser Fleet competitor Jay Leon didn’t quite win on the water, but his appreciation for the event should make anybody who wasn’t there jealous. That, plus these photos courtesy of the Tom Walker gallery, certainly did for me. Check out that gallery – even if you’re not into the moisture and aches of Laser sailing, those photos will get your blood flowing. -KH

The 2018 Laser North Americans – Time and Treasure Rewarded

By Jay Leon

I suspect I am like any sailboat racer, I don’t part with my time and treasure without expectations.  It’s not a super complicated formula.  Need wind.  If wind, need good competition.  If wind and competition, need a competent team to run the event.  That is all I ask.  Oh yeah, it would be nice if it didn’t rain, wasn’t too cold or hot, had no bugs or lightning, the people were welcoming, the logistics worked easily…

Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and Long Beach California delivered it all for the 2018 Laser North Americans.  Regatta chair, Ed Spotskey, took the stage on Thursday morning and told 161 Laser Sailors from 24 countries how much he and his ABYC team loved putting on big events. And Ed, along with PRO Mark Townsend, judge Ben Fels, and what seemed like a battalion of volunteers, lived up to it.

They put together 12 races for the 3 fleets over four days with only a handful of general recalls. Take a look at the results, there were only about a dozen boats called for U flag or black flag violations.  I talked to PRO Mark Townsend about how he accomplished this feat and it was clear he was intently focussed on making the event as fair as possible.  If it didn’t look like his team could accurately record all of the boats over the line, he would postpone.  An elegant solution to a long standing problem.  Also, if you are thinking about the Laser PCCs at CGRA, Mark Townsend will be the PRO.

Long Beach is known for a building sea breeze and so it did on the first day.  Starting at or just under 10, and building to the mid teens as it clocked to the right, it was classic Long Beach.  On the second day, the RC moved the to the course area just outside the breakwater.  The breeze skipped the building part and started right in where it left off the day before with over 15 during the first race and over 20 by the end of the day.  There were enough ten to fifteen degree shifts to keep everyone on their toes.  Day three was a repeat of day 1, and the final day was a bit lighter, only getting to full hiking conditions for the final race of the regatta.

I am sure it was competitive at the front of the full rig fleet.  Unfortunately, even though I was theoretically in the same races, my best view of the leaders was when the results were posted.  Charlie Buckingham, was on the top of the list after each day and ultimately won overall after posting 6 firsts, and he dropped a 4th and the last race — which he did not need to sail.  Chris Bernard never finished out of the top 3 in the first 8 races, and then tailed off a bit but saved second.  Bruno Fuentes from Brazil, finished in the top 3 for 7 races, and finished 3rd overall by just 4 points.  Buckingham and Bernard are both US Olympic team members and grew up sailing in Long Beach.  The two of them along with Fuentes, the Brazilian national laser champ,  finished in this same configuration the last time ABYC hosted the Laser North Americans in 2014.   

I suspect by Sunday the coaches, competitors, and fans were plenty impressed with the show Ed Spotskey and ABYC put on by Sunday.  However, any lingering doubt was dispatched, as 161 Lasers, and 35 coach boats, and all that gear were loaded and on the road by 8 PM — while a local rock and roll cover band played in the park next to the club.

I sat on the back of my car in the sun, listened to the music, and watched it all happen — just glad I had decided to be there.

Results

Bruce’s Brief for Tough Vic Maui Start

Bruce Hedrick Bruce's Briefs, PNW sailors around the world, Vic-Maui 0 Comment
Bruce’s Brief for Tough Vic Maui Start

This will be a fast start for the Vic-Maui group and will have the effect of quickly sorting out who’s ready and who’s not. There will be strong onshore flow with 25-30 knots of westerly coming down the Straits tomorrow. You could see 12-18 in the starting area building to 15-20+ at Race Rocks. Combined with a five knot ebb in Race Passage, seas will be quite lumpy taking a toll on boats and crews. The wind will ease slightly after Clallam Bay only to build again from the NW once you clear Cape Flattery. The course out will be just like sailing a Swiftsure. With the big ebb and plenty of time to make it through the Race, it will pay to sail the short course. After the Race head to the US side and beat your way out the Straits. At Cape Flattery you’ll want to hold a course that will get you offshore and away from area of light air that develops along the coast after sunset.

As you can see from the surface charts, the Pacific High is building nicely but note the low pushing across from the west. This will provide a challenge to navigators who most certainly will be trying to get south as fast as possible but then trying to figure out how to avoid beating while still getting to the west and into a strong area of tail winds that should hold all the way to the Islands as this high will continue build and stabilize. How much? This high could be a 1040MB monster centering at 40N and 160W. This would provide a 28MB gradient difference from the center of the High to the Islands. Plenty of breeze and plenty of squall action. This will keep crews plenty busy keeping spinnakers, halyards, sheets and guys intact.

Good luck, stay safe and enjoy what will certainly be a great adventure.

(Ed. Note I’m off in the Midwest right now and I’ve got limited leeway to get things posted. I’ll be back in about a week and will catch up with both Vic-Maui and Pacific Cup. -KH)