Women Sailors

Seattle RS Aero Sailors Shine in Sardinia

Kurt Hoehne PNW sailors around the world, RS Aero, West Coast Sailing, Women Sailors, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
Seattle RS Aero Sailors Shine in Sardinia

The real stories behind race results are generally way more interesting that the results lines. Take the recently concluded RS Aero Worlds sailed in Sardinia July 26-30.

It would be easy to look at the results and say, “there goes Dan Falk winning another Worlds” and leave it at that. True, but there’s so much more to the story. On the first day, after sailing two solid races and competing at the front during the third race, Falk scored a DNF. It turns out that was a major collision. As he crossed in front of a boat from another class while on a run, Falk’s leech loaded, perhaps in a puff, spinning him into that other boat. A hole in the other boat was the result (Aeros are not exactly bulletproof) and Dan’s day ended.

On the evening of the second day, illness hit. Food poisoning? Other competitors shared the similar illnesses. Regardless, it was a sleepless night as Falk’s body got rid of absolutely everything not tied down in his stomach. The next day he faced a choice between being miserable in his hotel room or being miserable on the water, and he chose the latter. To make matters worst, there were lack of wind delays and the fleet spent seven hours on the water. That’s time spent about 6″ off the water, which is a long day for sailors at 100% health.

Class winners, including Dan Falk on the right.

He faced the final day in a haze. Not even fully aware of the results (he was virtually tied with Madhavan Thirumalai for the lead), he needed to win the final two races to win the regatta. Sailing in a weakened conditioned, but completely relaxed, he did just that.

That win and several other impressive performances cemented the Seattle RS Aero fleet as a powerhouse. Last year the fleet dominated the worlds, winning all three classes (differentiated by sail size) in the Columbia River Gorge Worlds. This year Keith Hammer finished third behind Falk in the “9s,” Jay Renehan was 4th in the large “7s” class, and young Dieter Creitz was second in the new “6s” class.

There was a good mix of conditions, and with air temperature in the 80s and water temperature around 70. Family members not sailing enjoyed the beaches and general aura of Sardinia.

Stepping back from the Seattle story, there are few things worth noting. RS Aero is thriving in Europe. More than 120 sailors showed up for the event. The variety of sail sizes, particularly in the lower ranges, have made the boat accessible to a wide variety of sailors. For instance, one might wonder why there were “5” and “6” classes, but those were two of the largest fleets. That also meant that juniors and smaller women could more easily compete.

Tons of photos and results here.

Jeanne’s at it Again!

Kurt Hoehne Adventure Sailing, PNW sailors around the world, Women Sailors 0 Comment

For those of us looking for inspiration to keep sailing (and living life to its fullest) into “maturity,” we need look no further than solo sailor Jeanne Socrates. She’s set records as the oldest singlehanded circumnavigator via the five great Capes and first woman to circumnavigate starting and ending in North America. I’ve had the great good fortune to write about Jeanne in the past and even talk to her by satellite phone while she’s offshore. She’s at it again at age 80. This time it’s not intended as a record breaking circumnavigation, but more like a Pacific cruise with stops along the way, ending up in the Antipodes. She calls Victoria her home port much of the time, so we get to claim her as part of the PNW community.

Jeanne asked me to help drum up some subscribers to her Youtube channel. Yes, folks, she’s a Youtuber. It’s the least I can do. Subscribe here.

In the meantime, here’s Jeanne as she overcomes a less than trouble free start:

True Spirit the Movie

Kurt Hoehne Community, Sailing's Great, Women Sailors, Youth Sailing 1 Comment
True Spirit the Movie

If you’re like me, you have some mixed emotions any time a sailing movie comes out. I keep hoping one of those brilliant movie minds will somehow share with the world how great sailing is. Sometimes it comes close. More often, we get The Whomper (Wind) or the abysmal All is Lost. I’m pleased to report that True Spirit, the recently released Netflix movie about Jessica Watson’s circumnavigation, is engaging and accurate enough. It is only cringe-worthy in a few places, which for a sailing movie makes it a success.

Actress Teagan Croft as Jessica Watson

First off, Jessica Watson’s story is remarkable. You might remember when in 2010 the 16-year-old sailed into Sydney Harbor to be greeted by 100,000 thousand adoring Aussies including the prime minister. She is the youngest person to solo circumnavigate nonstop. While much of the sailing world wasn’t aware of her trip until that moment, Aussies had been tracking it all along. The movie makes clear just how important this voyage was to Australians.

The movie splits time between “Jess” on the boat and her family watching from home. Unlike sailors like my childhood hero Robin Lee Graham, today’s adolescent voyagers can (and do) call home daily on satellite phones. And with help from big sisters on shore, they even blog en route.

As far as the sailing footage and computer-generated monster waves, I’m reminded of A Perfect Storm. Some sensorial things can’t be generated in a computer. The cringe-worth moments were an overly drawn-out pitchpoling which left the lovely S&S 34 upside down for an eternity. While it surely felt like that to Watson, the sailors in the audience will likely cringe at the boat being upside down long enough for the EPIRB to go off, that information to be picked up by the rescue services, and a phone call made to the family.

Anna Paquin had the most impressive acting performance as Watson’s mother, transitioning from supportive and loving to her daughter and family, then breaking down with fear when the time came to be afraid. Teagan Croft does a good job of portraying Watson, and director Sarah Spillane managed to craft a movie that is inspiring but not too sappy.

The real Jessica Watson.Photo by Kate Dyer

My favorite moment in the movie was when the sailing community pulled together. I’ll bet they did just that. And I’m so glad Watson did her circumnavigation in a modest (but well built and prepared) older 34-footer. No need for new or big.

You might remember Maidentrip, the story of Laura Dekker’s circumnavigation. That too was a worthwhile movie and an amazing story.

I’d suggest going to the history vs. Hollywood website page to weed through the real vs fiction versions.

As an aside, moviemakers seem to be drawn to idea of a girl circumnavigating as opposed to a boy. One thing that True Spirit, Maidentrip and Jeanne Socrates‘ voyages make clear: the love for sailing and the desire to head out to sea doesn’t have much to do with gender or age. Girls of any age are just as drawn to it and capable as boys of any age, if not more. No serious sailors I know would see it any other way.

Women at the Helm

Kurt Hoehne Racing, Uncategorized, Women Sailors 0 Comment
Women at the Helm

The Pacific Northwest has a proud tradition of women “being at the helm.” All woman racing crews have participated in all of the areas major events including the Vic-Maui race. The Seattle Women’s Sailing Association and Tacoma Women’s Sailing Association have both been successful getting women on board and on the helm. As any sailor worth his or her salt knows, gender doesn’t matter in the least regarding how vital a crew member they are.

This past Saturday, Seattle’s Sloop Tavern Yacht Club added to that tradition with the inaugural Women at the Helm regatta. Thirty-five boats participated, and by the looks of Jan Anderson’s photos, both women and men had a great time.

Results.

  • Poke and Destroy
  • Sail Like a Girl made an appropriate appearance!
  • The gorgeous Swan 46 Gusto
  • Everyone loves a parade
  • More parading
  • Strong women = sailing women

And here are Jan’s thoughts on the regatta: What a terrific event!  35 boats braved the ornery medical challenges the world is facing, and essentially said, “Enough is enough!  We haven’t had enough sailing!”  And, of course, it took women to effectively present this compelling argument, hence this new event, “Women at the Helm”, or with so darned many competitors from the Seattle area, it could have even been dubbed “SWATH” ( Seattle Women At The Helm).  Well, the massive fleet cut a wide swath across the Central Puget Sound, with plenty o’sunshine, give and take breeze, smiles all around, and clearly tons to be thankful for.  It was an absolute blessing to share this day on the water with so many friends – keep charging, gang!

The rest of Jan’s pix.

The Maiden Story Continues – Saving SUPs and Seeking a Spin

Cary Kaczowka Adventure Sailing, Community, Women Sailors 0 Comment
The Maiden Story Continues – Saving SUPs and Seeking a Spin

Ed. Note. a few days ago we learned PNWer Cary Kaczowka is a member of Maiden‘s important world voyage crew. Here she gives us some insight into life aboard, reveals big plans for Maiden, and relays a request for help. Anyone got a spare chute?

Our location as of Sat Nov 16th at 1pm is 16° 44′ N, 102° 26′ W.  Light wind and motoring conditions, it’s hot and sunny! My First 1000 miles on Maiden have been extremely enlightening and I’m enjoying learning from the incredibly experienced crew on board.

Cary and the SUP on the foredeck.

It sounds like I couldn’t have lucked out any better with this route – we’ve had quite a few days of beautiful downwind sailing and reaching. We’ve put almost every sail out, reefed the main at times, and are only now starting to motor for a longer stretch of time as we head inland and avoid tropical storm Raymond.  The majority of their round the world journey is upwind so this leg from Los Angeles to Antigua via the canal with some downwind Pacific sailing has been a great change of pace for the regular crew.

Sailing on a bigger boat than I’m used to in a moderate sea state certainly put me in my place at times. Sail changes are quite different than on my Catalina 34. Not a roller furler around, a lot more load, and few more halyards to navigate.

One of our biggest concerns and major discussion point currently is the possibility of getting ice cream upon reaching Panama. (We’re very hopeful, as it’s super hot on board.)

The spin that really shouldn’t be used up too quickly. Photo by Amalia Infante.

Another discussion point is the possibility of Maiden finding another asymmetrical spinnaker that fits the boat. When I first met the Maiden crew at their talk at CYC Seattle, someone was kind enough to ask if they needed anything. Their answer was another asym so they could keep the current (used) sail in one piece. They have been visiting schools globally and asking kids to place their handprint on the sail, creating a spiral which grows with each stop. These handprints represent the next generation’s desire for equality and belief in the potential of girls. Handprints will keep being added until the sail is completely covered. It looks beautiful up!  The message that sail carries is too important to lose, so it gets taken down quite early if it’s ever flown. 

As Maiden’s journey continues today it sounds like more racing is in her future. Tracy Edwards announced their intent to enter the 2023 Ocean Globe Race, and I would guess there shall be a few race entries between now and then – including talk of the Caribbean 600 this winter. Revisiting that talk in August that inspired me to apply, I was so proud of our Seattle sailing community for taking initiative to see how we can help. In addition to donations to the Maiden Factor Foundation charity, it would be amazing to find an asymmetrical spinnaker that fits their rig. 
So here’s the ask again: Does anyone have a gently used kite taking up space to donate to a very worthy cause? A2 or A3? Below are dimensions and contact info. Let’s do this PNW!

Dimensions of current A2: 
Foot: 12.1m Luff: 20.7m Leech: 23m Area: 219.1m²

Contact: Erica Lush, Email: Erica@themaidenfactor.org

Haley Llahmon CCA Video

Kurt Hoehne Cruising, Women Sailors, Youth Sailing 0 Comment
Haley Llahmon CCA Video

The Cruising Club of America is a remarkable organization, promoting safe and adventurous cruising – and the Bermuda Race – among other things. Here they recognize one of the PNW’s own, Haley Llahmon. Here’s Scuttlebutt’s written piece. And here’s CCA’s video:

Maiden’s Mandi Swan, aka “Our” Amanda

Kurt Hoehne Community, PNW sailors around the world, Women Sailors 1 Comment

It turns out the Pacific Northwest can claim one of the spots on the original Maiden crew! The recent Maiden movie and renewed interest in the first all-woman crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race raised the question of our connections to that crew.

  • Images from the original Maiden crew gathering last year. Amanda is second from right in this photo, next to skipper Tracy Edwards.

The boat is currently going around the world with stops to fund raise via The Maiden Factor Foundation for girls’ education internationally.

If you look closely at the closing credits you can see “Mandi Swan” listed as one of the crew. Amanda Swan-Neal, now of Roche Harbor when she isn’t off sailing, wasn’t featured during the documentary, but she was certainly a big part of the project. Amanda (originally from New Zealand) is known to Northwest Sailors for the seminars in our region and the cruising events she offers with husband John Neal at Mahina Expeditions. She’s also known as the Galley Essentials contributor at 48 North.

Amanda took time during a stopover in Fiji to answer a few general questions I had about the race and movie:

“I was on the Maiden Project for 3 years as rigger and was one of the original crew.

“Yes, I’ve just seen Maiden. I was flown to London last year for a screening of the documentary by Black Dog Films but we were told it was not finished. It was the first time we’d been together since the end of the race. Michele was the only crew member not present as she was attempting to sail the NW passage from Greenland on her own boat.

“I was on the Maiden Project for 3 years as rigger and was one of the original crew.   One our our recent crew has Hollywood connections so he has just given me a screener’s copy of the SONY version. SONY picked up the film after it was shown at the Toronto Film Festival.  

“On a personal note it saddens me that the entire crew were not introduced in this Documentary.

“I’m in touch with Tracy (Edwards), and a percentage of the profits from my new Marine Diesel Engine Essentials: A Learning and Coloring Book go to her Maiden Foundation.”

Maiden and the line at Shilshole.

Maiden was here in Seattle for a few days, at both Bell Street and Shilshole, and the crew taking her around the world on its fundraising mission gave a presentation at CYC. I spoke to Belle, one of the crew, about Maiden after her extensive refit. The old IOR warhorse is a much more user friendly and safe boat than during her Whitbread days. A new carbon rig, with shrouds led to the rail and non-overlapping headsails, is a lot better than back in the day. An sprit is designed for asymmetrical flying sails. The coffee grinders are still there, and during the tours plenty of kids (and a few of us adults) took turns.

I saw the movie in the theater, and it was great. If you missed the movie – it’ll surely be in theaters for a while and then live forever online. If you haven’t seen it, you should.

Socrates Nearing Record Landfall in Victoria

Kurt Hoehne Adventure Sailing, Women Sailors 2 Comments
Socrates Nearing Record Landfall in Victoria

I spoke to Jeanne Socrates a few days ago, and among other things, I promised to help get out the word of her impending arrival. She’s about 250 miles from Victoria, and her projected finish is Sept 5. I’m hoping that some of her fans make it out to the Strait to accompany her in the final miles.

For those of you who don’t know, upon completion of this voyage, Jeanne will become the oldest person (76) to accomplish a solo non-stop circumnavigation. One cannot overestimate this achievement.

Along the way she suffered a severe knockdown that took out her wind and solar power generation.

Check out her S/V Nereida Facebook page or her blog here. She’s used her blog as a record of her voyage, so all the details are there from the beginning!

Jeanne’s post from yesterday:

Day 332 Fri-Sat 30-31 Aug 2019 GMT Slow progress again against light headwinds – mountains of Vancouver Island in view!

Friday 4pm PDT (2300GMT) Course has been steady 060T since early morning and sun was peeking through light broken overcast cloud – but now it’s a lot greyer and we’ve had some rain – looks as though more is coming. Pressure has dropped steadily since last night and is now 1007hPa. Weather forecast shows a band of heavy rain expected – especially over tomorrow (Saturday) – as the centre of a Low gets closer. Thinking of reefing down a bit more and heaving to – with ESE wind we can only head NW and I really don’t want to head N any further. 5:50pm Light rain and grey sky.. We’re hove-to and drifting gently SW at about 1kt in ESE wind with boat’s bow pointing S – making a slight ‘slick’ in the water as we slide sideways. Very quiet, calm and peaceful – a good way to reduce stress! I’ve been getting very wound up with trying to head E, fighting the unfavourable winds we’ve been getting. My thinking is to wait for wind from a direction that allows us to head anywhere from E to SE, maybe even S for a short while, before getting underway again. In the meantime, I can look at the radio tuner connections, to try to find the corrosion that I think is causing the transmit/tuning problem I suddenly found we had yesterday. 7pm Light fading and rain getting heavier. Having a chocolate biscuit and brownie with a mug of tea – and relaxing. I’ve counted up (yet again!) how many biscuits are left – one shortbread and one chocolate biscuit (or brownie) a day at tea-time until landfall next week, I reckon! Luxury! Not sure where time went, although did deal with some emails and checked weather ahead but I later noticed that our drift had totally changed to NW – wind had veered a lot and was now coming from S-SSE at around 11kt – time to get sailing again … Saturday 12:30am Now underway, making the most of S wind while it lasts – won’t be long before it backs towards E again. Good to be headed almost due E at a decent speed for a time! Let out 2nd reef and unfurled staysail – making 4kt, often more – wind strength highly variable. Must get some sleep – feeling quite tired – have not got to my bunk so far tonight… 9am Had to come off the wind by changing the boat’s heading more to ENE around 4am – wind had clearly backed more and sails were not happy. Think I must have over-compensated in my sleepy state…. Pity, since we could have gone a bit further E without making as much Northing, but we’re not doing too badly at the moment. 9:30am About to check weather – downloading fresh files and running generator while I get some breakfast – think I should shake out first reef to speed us up, now it’s good daylight. Wind likely to back further into E, meaning we’ll need then to change onto port tack and possibly head SE-ish, although wind might have become very light by then…. 10:45am First reef shaken out. Becoming a lovely sunny day with blue sky and thin, broken white clouds – would be very enjoyable if it weren’t for the knowledge that we’re effectively sailing into a ‘wind-hole’… Our speed is slowly reducing, despite full sail. I can’t believe how difficult the wind gods are making my final run-in. Instead of the ‘normal’ pleasant downwind sail in W, and then NW, winds around the N.Pacific High to the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, I’ve had to fight almost every mile of the way – plus I lost the use of my now-shredded genoa in a gale and, for last two days, my radio – so none of the many sociable contacts I’ve looked forward to making every day. Believe I’m setting another (very unwelcome!) World Record – for the longest nonstop sail once around the world!! Incredibly, it will have taken over 11 months by the time I finally make landfall in Victoria – Wednesday is looking highly unlikely, so maybe on Thursday…? All depends how close I can get to the Strait entrance (Cape Flattery) over the next few days of light winds, ready for some good wind off the coast there by Tuesday. I’m keeping my fingers firmly crossed that I don’t repeat last time’s experience (in July 2013) when I was becalmed just off (in fog) and then within the Strait over 3 nights while trying to complete that final 60 miles. Breakfast – think I’ll make a nice fresh coffee and enjoy it on deck in the sunshine while I pretend I’m just out for a pleasant summertime daysail in good wind… It’s getting so calm as we slow down in the disappearing wind that maybe later I can get to the radio tuner and antenna connections hidden away behind the aft cabin woodwork….. 11:15am Speed down to around 2.5kt and sails not happy… Midday Clouds have cleared away overhead – and I’m just making out the misty outline of the mountains below clouds over Vancouver Island ahead – exciting to see them – landfall will happen soon enough!! Sun is sparkling on the choppy water surface as a noticeable 2m swell comes onto our starboard beam from SSE. Need to relax and enjoy being out here – not many more days to go and I’ll miss it all terribly… Put away the frustrations of the delayed arrival and just take in the seascape. The antenna problem can wait for a short while… My coffee tastes good. ETA: Thursday…?? (Ask the weather gods that have sent these light winds to slow us down…) DTF: Victoria Hbr (Ogden Pt breakwater): 355 n.ml.; Cape Flattery (~60n.ml. from Victoria Hbr entrance): 295 n.ml to E ***************************************************** 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, 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! (I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless they are notified in advance.) ***************************************************
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C = 27,531Nm
Distance to Victoria B.C = 355Nm

Maiden, the Movie. Maiden, the boat will be in Seattle.

Kurt Hoehne Community, Women Sailors , 1 Comment
Maiden, the Movie. Maiden, the boat will be in Seattle.

Go see the movie “Maiden.” Take your daughters. Just as importantly, take your sons.

The movie shows just what it took for Tracy Edwards, impressive and flawed as she was, to get the first female round the world crewed boat to both the start and finish lines of the Whibread Round the World Race in 1989-90. By the end of the movie, it’s pretty clear how much force of will it took for Edwards to overcome the inertia, and, yes, resistance to fielding an all-woman entry.

I’m lucky. I grew up sailing where a woman (my mom) was an indispensible part of the crew. When a rock star was signed up on the crew and suggested they dump my mom, the crew said, “No Enid, no us.” When we couldn’t get our C&C 27 out of its own way, my dad asked for help from Judy Nye (yes that Nye, and if you don’t know the name, Google Murphy and Nye) The best helmsmen I’ve ever sailed with were women. And yes, I’m aware of the irony of that statement.

Basically, those women were sailors, just as men onboard were sailors. As were the women on Tracy Edwards’ crew. But they were taking on the professional men on the water and jaded journalists on shore. They had to overcome a lot of preconceptions.

I wasn’t there, but I doubt there was a lot of intentional “hold the women down” Neanderthals among the male sailors. I’m guessing those male sailors felt they were the best, and didn’t give much credence to anyone crashing into their world. And it seems some of them, notably and not surprisingly Steinlager II skipper Peter Blake, did more than their share to help them along.

Back to the movie. It does a great job painting the picture of Tracy Edwards, an overwhelmed 20-something year old that grabbed on to the Whitbread like a lioness, and wouldn’t let go. She’d be the first to admit lack of experience going into the race. But that didn’t stop her. It showed the thrill of victory and agony of defeat, as the saying goes. But as Maiden crossed the finish line, the footage shows just what it meant to the world. You’d be a fool not to feel it too sitting in the audience.

No sailing movie is perfect, and few even rate OK in my book. But “Maiden” is very good. I wanted to hear more about the actual sailing and more backstories of the crew, but there simply wasn’t the time. Also, sailing an old IOR warhorse around the world was a lot more physically demanding than the movie showed. One of the things that could have easily been pointed out, was that the staggering performance of Steinlager II was the main show of the Whitbread that year. Had it not been for that, no doubt the Maiden team would have gotten even more notoriety.

Tracy Edward, with binocs, during the Whitbread.

My wife was amazed that after that performance by the women, more women aren’t sailing at the top level. It is surprising, in a way. In fact, the organizing authorities had to allow extra crew (an advantage) to encourage racers to include women on the crew in the last round the world race. Unfortunately, there are few boats racing at that level, and more qualified male racers all the time. The pickings are slim for anyone to crack into the top echelon.

Hey, the US women’s soccer team has won the World Cup four times and is still seeking the appropriate level of respect.

The actual boat Maiden will be in Seattle in a couple of days, and the boat will be open for tours on the 13th. Maiden is the centerpiece of a the fundraising project “The Maiden Factor” which is raising fund for girls’ education. There will be a program at Corinthian Yacht Club that night, though tickets are sold out. Schelleen Rathkopf (Whidbey/Pt. Roberts Race Week Poo-bah) is on the Vancouver BC-Seattle WA delivery.

Maiden, the Movie

Kurt Hoehne Community, Racing, Women Sailors 1 Comment
Maiden, the Movie

In this era of #metoo it’s essential, especially in sailing, to pay homage to the women who broke ground without the support of social media and an international conscience. Tracy Edwards was a giant in this regard while racing Maiden in the 1986 Whitbread Round the World Race, and remains so today as she sails the restored racer (now The Maiden Factor) around the world putting focus on empowering and educating girls worldwide.

As for this movie, it should be captivating as an adventure story, not just a women’s story. The equipment, boats and training just weren’t what they are today! The sailors onboard Maiden accomplished something amazing.