Author: Kurt Hoehne

Ekono Juan Wins 15-boat San Juan 24 North Americans

Kurt Hoehne Racing 1 Comment
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I challenge anyone to find a more cost-efficient way to have competitive fun keel boat racing around here than in a San Juan 24. (OK, you Cal 20 sailors have a case but you guys don’t fly chutes…..) The SJ24 fleet is active, organized and competitive. And say what you want about that vintage IOR quarter tonners, they can have competitive racing when it blows or when there’s just a breath of wind. And you can actually sleep on them! Here’s the report from Ken Johnson on the North Americans a couple of weeks ago. Long live the San Juan 24! -KH

Ekono Juan from Orcas Island Takes Third Straight San Juan 24 North American Championship

Grauer Geist of Seattle and Renaissance of Oak Harbor Are Second and Third

By Ken Johnson

Fifteen San Juan 24s from around the Salish Sea lined up in Penn Cove on July 14th and 15th for the Fleet’s North American Championship but one, Ekono Juan from Orcas Island, dominated the event with 8 bullets in 11 races to claim its third consecutive championship. Despite Ekono Juan’s wins, the races were closely matched – six other boats claimed at least one second place, and often the race committee had to closely watch three or four boats crossing the finish line overlapped. One-design racing at its best.

Sailing with Ryan Forbes on Ekono Juan were Ian Wareham (helm), Chris Kaufman and Justin Blevins.

Jan Anderson photos. Click photo to enlarge. Full gallery.

We finished second for the regatta with Grauer Geist, with consistent top four finishes in all but one race, followed by Dave Steckman’s Renaissance which finished the second half of the regatta strongly with two firsts, two seconds and two thirds, to claim third. Bruce, from Bellingham and skippered by Mike Kleps, which was 2nd in 2017, was 4th and Mark Bradner’s Return from Seattle, a previous North American champion, followed closely in 5th. Consistent good starts, sharp upwind tactics and downwind speed proved the difference among the top boats.

One challenge for the weekend were the significant tides – the low each day was between 12 noon and 1 pm, a negative two feet, an hour or two into the racing, matched between high tides of over 10 feet – thus the famous (“infamous”?) Penn Cove counter-clockwise current grew increasingly stronger during each afternoon’s racing. The westerly, with occasionally northerly components, came in just before 11 am on Saturday (the time of the first warning) and delayed racing a bit on Sunday – the early winds were not settled, providing a challenging series of lifts and headers irrespective of what tack one was on. Nevertheless, the race committee, heading by Byron Skubi of Oak Harbor as PRO, ran a series of excellent windward-leeward (some short, some long) races, quietly moving the marks between races to adjust for the ever-changing conditions.

Seven races were run on Saturday, exhausting the fleet, followed by a more moderate four on Sunday. The second race on Saturday proved a harbinger of the weekend – Grauer Geist had a good lead going around the last weather mark but sailed into a light wind spot before gybing for the downwind finish. Ekono Juan gybed earlier and ran a puff down the course ever-closing on Grauer Geist – just before the finish, with both boats on port, Grauer took Ekono Juan up and up until both boats were almost past the finish line, but Ekono Juan handled the tight reach-to-reach gybe back better to finish a foot or two ahead of Grauer.

Starts became increasingly tighter, with two general recalls before the fourth race, aided by the ever-stronger up-course current, resulting in the round-the-ends flag being posted to slow down the fleet. The race committee was not so patient on Sunday, and the one (and only) general recall was immediately followed by hoisting the I-Flag.

It wasn’t until the fifth race of Saturday, after four firsts, that Ekono Juan had a rare buried start and Dave Steckman’s Renaissance broke through to win handily the race – she rode the south shore current to the east to the deep set leeward marks to build a commanding lead. In the next race Ekono Juan’s no. 1 jib suffered a big tear after the start and she raced without a head sail for a considerable period while the crew found the no. 2 jib. Grauer claimed its only win of the regatta, with Renaissance and Bruce close behind. Ekono Juan put up its no. 2 sail and of course the wind built a bit for the last race of the day, and she claimed her 5th first place.

Going into Sunday’s race, Ekono Juan had a 4 point lead over Grauer, and with its one throw-out used up in last place finish in race six, she had actually little margin for error – one more buried start or bad first leg could give an opening for the trailing boats – but she claimed three firsts in the four Sunday races that overcame a 6th place in the next to last race and was the deserving champion.

The excellent Oak Harbor Yacht Club hosted the regatta, with dinners each night and coffee and sweets in the mornings before racing. Thanks to Club Manager Joe Catanio for the excellent food and drink and OHYC Commodore Larry Munns for welcoming all of us.

Dick Rose gave an excellent talk Saturday night explaining the complicated process that results in changes in the racing rule book; we are fortunate that careful people around the world take considerable time and effort to consider the rules and handle the multitude of suggestions that come in world-wide from the internet.

Ullman Sails was the principal sponsor of the regatta and contributed money, prizes and support. Other sponsors: Oak Harbor YC and North Coast Electric Company, followed by Dunato’s Boatyard, Jan’s Marine Photography, Whidbey Coffee, Samson Ropes, Swinomish Casino & Lodge and Oak Harbor Marina.

Jared Hickman chaired the protest committee, aided by Steve Hood from Bellingham and Liesl Mordhordst from Seattle. In addition to PRO Byron Skubi, others on the race committee included Larry Munns, Jane Mays and Avis Berney.

Penn Cove is an excellent racing venue, with challenging winds and tides, with gleaming mountains to the west and east, and Oak Harbor a welcoming place for sailors to assemble each year and participate in a competitive and fun regatta.

 

Full results:

  1. Ekono Juan, Orcas Island Ryan Forbes 20
  2. Grauer Geist, Seattle Ken Johnson 27
  3. Renaissance, Oak Harbor David Steckman 33
  4. Bruce, Bellingham Mike Kleps 39
  5. Return, Seattle Mark Bradner 41
  6. Conflict, Bellingham Andrew Fitzgerald 56
  7. Manhattan Transfer, Seattle Mike Irish 75
  8. Fancy, Seattle Jeff Kendall 76
  9. Sweet Jesus Seattle Sean Busby 84
  10. Cake or Death Lake Union Kyle Roethie 91
  11. Snappy Tom, Seattle Gil Lund 94
  12. Wiki Wiki, Seattle Zach Warren 121
  13. Separator, Oak Harbor Steve Hucke 122
  14. Malice, Seattle Joe McNulty 126
  15. Toto, Oak Harbor Alan Wilson 141

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PNW Laser Youth Sailors On the Move, Abbie Carlson 5th in Leiter Cup and 4.7 North Americans Winner

Kurt Hoehne Dinghy Racing, Laser Sailing, Youth Sailing 0 Comment

All the Pacific Northwest youth activity continues to show impressive results nationally, particularly in the Laser class. There’s so much it’s hard to get it all in, but suffice it to say that there’s a wave of excellent young sailors nationally. Abbie Carlson has found her groove, finishing as the fourth girl in in the Radial at the US Youth Champs (AnaLucia Clarkson was third), fifth in the Leiter Cup (US Junior Women’s Championship) and winning the 4.7 class at the North Americans sailed from the Alamitos Bay YC in California. Owen Timms has been getting some tips from Isabelle Bertold and has been consistently moving up the boys’ ranks. He finished 12th at the US Youth Champs, 25th in the North Americans (all ages) and won the Radial Class in the WIND Regatta on the Columbia River Gorge.

Here are a few pix from the US Youth Champs, courtesy of US Sailing.

I’m hoping for some more “boots on the ground” reports on the events to spread the word about youth Laser sailing in the PNW. It’s booming. At the WIND regatta, for instance, there were a dozen Radials and an amazing 19 4.7s! Those 4.7 sailors are going to be wicked fast by the time they get to the Radial. PNW adults were in force on the Laser circuits as well, watch for a 1st hand report shortly from Jay Leon from North Americans.

The US Sailing web page dedicated to youth sailing is here.

In the meantime, here’s a report from Cam Hoard, the Seattle YC coach who’s been instrumental in a lot of the success:

US Sailing Youth Championship, hosted by Carolina Yacht Club in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

Practice Day

Abbie and Owen were able to get out on the water for a practice session on Saturday. It was a hot sunny day on the Atlantic Ocean with the sea breeze the area is known for. We started off in 10 knots and by the end were in 15-20. It was a good preview for the first day of racing.

Day 1

The forecast called for the big sea breeze to fill. Initially the ocean had an offshore breeze, not from the SW as predicted. It wasn’t long before the wind clocked around to the SW sea breeze direction and begin to build. The forecast proved to be spot on, we saw high teens to low twenties consistently.

The steady wind brought with it some big wave chop over a moderate ocean swell. The wind didn’t really oscillate or shift at all, the left side was favored but it was all about hiking and working the boat. It was the day for the big boys.

Owen was in the front pack, working hard to keep the boat at speed. He had a 9-9-9 on the day, the definition of consistent.

Abbie and Ana were in ‘just get around the course mode.’ Not good racing conditions for the lighter sailors. But they were doing it, even smiling a bit.

Laser Full Rigs and i420s were on the same course, there was a little learning curve for the RC to get the timing right and dealing with two small fleets and one big fleet (radials).

Th High Performance course (cats, skiffs, and boards) had good racing but it was a safety boat day with multiple kids coming off the water with injuries and swallowing some water.

Day 2

Similar day in that we tuned up in a lighter offshore breeze. The RC set up the course as it seemed to be sticking around. Shortly after the start the wind began to lose its grip, by the time the fleet was at the first leeward gate the wind was very light. The sea breeze was starting to slowly build and the RC opted to continue to the race and finish the fleet at the second windward mark. Not a championship level race in my opinion, but our sailors came out of it OK. Abbie and Ana were happy to have lighter conditions.

The sea breeze began to build, but with it being later in the day it wasn’t able to get as windy as the previous day.

The RC was able to run three races again. Owen slipped off his 9s and put up a 18-18-19 for the day, not quite able to find that extra gear to work in to the front pack. Ana had a great last race of the day, rounding the last windward mark in first, but slipped to 3rd on the last run. The overlap of the 420 fleet didn’t do her any favors on that… Ana had a 15-26-3. Abbie also put up a couple good scores, her speed was tough to beat. She had a rough 2nd race of the day, the second beat just had everything going against her, she had a 7-44-11.

Day 3

The forecast had a grim outlook, a stalled front over our race area took the wind away and left us with a threat of serious storms. The RC postponed ashore and was going to be giving updates on the hour. They figured they needed a 4 hour weather window in order to safely run races. The great thing about this club is that they have dozens and dozens of rocking chairs, comfort level was acceptable for waiting onshore.

It was about 12:45pm when they pulled the plug on the day. I think this surprised a lot of people, they had made it sound like they were willing to wait late into the day. I think it came down to the fact that the wind was too light for racing, and the day was only going to get worse. Storms did eventually roll through, but not until much later. It was a good call. Start time was moved earlier for the final day of racing.

Day 4

The early start seemed like a good call at first. We got out on the ocean and the offshore wind was 5-8 knots. But as the RC got things in the water and started blowing horns and raising class flags, things began to fall apart. First race was abandoned for all fleets. It was a very low marine layer of thick clouds. As that began to burn off the sea and offshore breeze were fighting. The sailors and I had a good time waiting for wind, but we wanted to get races in.

The breeze came around to the sea breeze direction and started to come together. It was light but race-able. We were getting up to the cut off time, so it looked like we were only going to get one race in. The radials had a general recall so the RC went for the first black flag of the regatta, time was running out and the full rigs and 420s still needed their shot at a final race. The last start got off and our SYC team closed out their 2018 Youth Champs with a 33 for Owen (worst score of the regatta…), 18 for Ana, and 15 for Abbie.

Results - Full results

12th - Owen Timms

25th - AnaLucia Clarkson (3rd girl)

29th - Abbie Carlson (4th girl)

Our friend and SYC Race Team alum Marcus Huttunen won the regatta! He sailed a very consistent regatta and put himself in a controlling position going into the last race.

This was a stronger showing for the trio compared to last year. In 2017 Owen was 17th, Abbie was 42nd, and Ana was 40th. All three moved up. The mix of conditions kept it interesting, the big boys had their first day and then it was light to moderate the rest of the event.

Cam

Four Day Whidbey Island Race Week has Weird Conditions and Some Swimming

Kurt Hoehne Racing 0 Comment

This year’s Whidbey Island Race Week will probably be known as much for the unusual sailing conditions as for Schelleen Rathkopf’s ongoing makeover to keep the event fresh. The usual Penn Cove westerly took much of Race Week off, but there was still hard-fought and meaningful racing. Between the change to a 4-day regatta starting on Thursday, and the weird conditions, there was plenty to talk about this year. And once again kids were on deck enjoying both the sailing camp and fun ashore.

The Makeover

The jury’s still out on the change from a race “week” to a 4-day event. Some boats were lost, some new ones gained. Certainly fewer days but some more pressure on PRO Charley Rathkopf to get as many races off in whatever conditions there were. And this year, the pressure was on as a potpourri of weird conditions took over for the week.

Of course sailors are pretty good at entertaining themselves even if there’s no racing. Aboard Jerry Diercks’ Delirium it was all about the water. “When the chips were down on Team Delirium, swimming in Penn Cove after racing made everything better. Seeing the smiles on my crew’s faces playing in the water made all the work worthwhile.” Diercks was OK with the schedule changes, but suggests maybe a Wednesday to Saturday schedule might work better, leaving Sunday for a delivery home. “If a different schedule can continue to bring new participants, it is a no brainer. I just hope we keep having a 4+ day regatta in Penn Cove.”

John Hoag, skipper of Shrek, has done every Race Week since 1988 and shows no sign of breaking the habit even thought he’s not enamored of the new schedule. “Hats of to Schelleen (Rathkopf) for trying something new with the shortened version but I really prefer the old week. Having the weekends to deliver the boats and setup camping was so nice.”

Click to enlarge any of Jan Anderson’s photos. The full gallery is here.

 

 

The Racing

By all accounts, there was no time off for the tacticians the first three days.

Hoag, whose 18-year-old daughter JJ drove every race, explains. “Racing-wise this was definitely the strangest year I can remember. Gone were the 10-20 knot westerlies in the afternoon. We actually started and finished a race with a light easterly. Then there was the northerly and the southerly, and a race that was started in Saratoga Passage that we started in a northerly then continued downwind in some sort of dying easterly to sit at the finish and wait for a westerly on which to finish. Not good. Finally on Sunday we started two races in 8 knots of breeze! Wow, did Shrek like that.”

Shrek, a perpetual Race Week winner, liked it to the tune of third place in PHRF 1. In first was Darrin Towe’s Melges 32 Wicked Wahine, and Farr 30s were second, fourth, fifth and sixth.

The overall win was awarded to the Dash 34 MadDash, in from Canada. It would be hard to deny them that honor after having managed 4 wins in class PHRF 5 over the consistently well-sailed Here and Now and Gaucho. Stephanie Schwenk won the Molly Kool Cup award as outstanding female skipper for having won PHRF 7 with Wild Rumpus.

Diercks, who won the 10-boat J/105 class, was still left pondering a few things about the strange conditions. “The one day in Saratoga Passage in a northerly, turned easterly, turned drifting in current, was our worst day. Lesson learned, study the currents in Saratoga….I would also like to learn how to cover your two closest competitors when they go in opposite directions. Playing the middle did not work.

2019

Schelleen Rathkopf is (and has been) thinking about next year:

For 2019, the venue is Oak Harbor but the dates for 2019 haven’t yet been confirmed because I want to hear from racers first. This year marked the big shift from a 5-day (Mon-Fri) race event to a 4-day (Thurs-Sun) event and I want to hear how this did/didn’t work for people. It has been suggested that we stick with a 4 day plan but run it Wed-Sat instead to ease up on delivery issues. So I’ll be soliciting opinions/feedback until Aug 20 and once we have processed all this — a 2019 will be announced.

The important thing here is that there WILL BE a next year, and there are a lot of people trying hard with open minds and creative ideas to keep it going well on into the future. So if you have some thoughts, email Schelleen. Both the kudos and complaints.

Personally, even though I didn’t make it to the event, I’m impressed with the efforts and am encouraged by the changes. Racing is struggling in our modern culture, largely because of time pressures. It’s amazing how a family’s calendar fills up and how, before you know it, it’s impossible for many of us to block off a week. Making this an event the entire family can reasonably do among the many other activities may be the key to its survival. And having the option of a cruising class opens the event to those who can’t spend the time making a cruiser into a racer for the regatta or training up a full crew is a winner.

 

For those wanting more, here are links to the excellent daily paper put about by Vicky MacFeidh and Liza Tewell:

2018 Whidbey Island Race Week News

FRIDAY

http://whidbeyislandraceweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-Friday-Paper.pdf

SATURDAY

http://whidbeyislandraceweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-Saturday-Paper.pdf

SUNDAY

http://whidbeyislandraceweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-Sunday-Paper.pdf

Pacific Cup Wrapping Up for PNW Boats

Kurt Hoehne Uncategorized 0 Comment

As the Pacific Cup comes to a close, victory is already being declared by the organizers. Judging by this video of racers basking in the warm Hawaii air, it was another huge win for the Pacific Cup Yacht Club and all who participated.

But we here in the Pacific Northwest can do a little crowing of our own. By my count there were 10 Pacific Northwest Boats and a couple others with significant Northwest connections. The fat lady will sing in the coming hours as Classes B and C finish and we know the final positions of Shearwater, Zaff and Poke and Destroy. But here’s a brief rundown of PNW results so far.

In the Doublehanded 1 Division, Darrel and Ian Jensen corrected to a third in the Express 27 Alternate Reality. Alexia Fisher and Christa Bassett Ross corrected to fourth in the Santa Cruz 27 Zipper in the Doublehanded 2 class, nipping out the J/105 Abstract from Portland. This division had a very wide performance spread, and in fact the first boat to get to Hawaii, A Fond Le Griffon, came from this class in semi-foiling mode. In the Kolea cruising class, Holm Albrecht’s Swan 441 Gusto finished fourth with Wavelength and Edge of Moonlight coming in 6th and 11th.

In the BMW of San Rafael class (highest rated) there were two Northwest boats, Rage and Westerly, and one adopted Bieker design with plenty of PNW crew, Blue. The 41-foot Blue couldn’t hold with the fast sleds on the water, but did correct to third in class behind Pyewacket and Prospector.

In the coming hours, two classes with PNW boats in the money, are set to finish.

Phil Wampold’s J/92 Zaff of Victoria has sailed a great race, and looks like she will finish second in Class 3, while Alex Simanis’ Evelyn 32 Poke and Destroy looks to be in third. You gotta hand it to the boat on track to win the class, the lovely cold molded Farr 36 Sweet Okole, which has raced to Hawaii so many times it probably could get there on instinct alone. Who says old IOR boats can’t go downwind? In Class B, it appears the PNW will have its lone class winner, the J/35 Shearwater out of Tacoma owned by Karl Haflinger. If you’re curious, tune into the tracker here.

And here are the last couple reports from the Poke and Destroy team:

7/23/18

Good morning! Skyler here aboard Poke and Destroy with your daily update, sent by sat phone!

We’re FINALLY sending it! After another slow and frustrating day of trying to make downwind gains in light air, the breeze filled in yesterday evening just after a lovely dinner of freeze-dried kung pao chicken.

Overnight we saw winds from 20-25 knots and were sailing under the A3 spinnaker at an apparent wind angle of 120-130 degrees to make our course. Those in the know realize that this is fully powered up. Boat speeds consistently between 8-15 knots have got us down to just 209 miles left to Kaneohe.

Spirits couldn’t be higher even if the sleep is a bit hard to come by with living conditions

down below becoming a bit rough. Hopefully this breeze holds through the end of the race as forecast.

We’ll keep you posted.

Poke and Destroy out.

-Skyler Palmer

Dennis Palmer here, Skyler’s dad, reporting from shore in Seattle. It’s great to hear that Poke and Destroy is having a fast finish to the Pacific Cup. If the wind continues, they should finish during daylight tomorrow, July 24, at about 15:00 HST.

As of 11:21 a.m. PDT this morning, their boat speed was 9.7 knots, and they had 184 miles to go to the finish line at Kaneohe Bay. Poke and Destroy is 8 hours and 21 minutes ahead of fourth-place Aloha, the Hobie 33. Zaff, the J/92, is in second place, 4 hours and 42 minutes ahead of Poke and Destroy, and Sweet Okole, the Farr 36 with 12 Pacfic Cup’s worth of experience, have used their knowledge and skill to remain in first place, 6 hours and 42 minutes ahead of Poke and Destroy.

After Team Poke and Destroy has raced 1860 miles already, sailing another 184 miles sounds like a piece of cake, right? Well, consider this. The majority of experienced sailors have never sailed race as long as 184 miles.

One of the most physically demanding races here in the Pacific Northwest is the Swiftsure International Yacht Race, which starts in Victoria, B.C. and sails out the Strait of Juan de Fuca into the Pacific Ocean and back, covering 138.2 nautical miles. The Swiftsure Race is so challenging that it was all I could do after finishing the last one I raced in was to drag my tired body across the street from the marina to the Empress Hotel for a long soak in a hot tub. It took a couple of days for me to recover from sore muscles and fatigue. The only other physical activity I have done that compares to the level of effort of sailing a Swiftsure Race is climbing 14,410-foot Mount Rainer, which takes about the same amount of time and energy.

Team Poke and Destroy has already sailed the equivalent of more than 13 Swiftsure Races, and they have about 1.3 more Swiftsures to go until the finish line.

You know how tired you get after lifting weights at the gym for about an hour? Imagine doing this for the better part of two weeks and you get an idea of how much work Team Poke and Destroy has been putting in, while being deprived of sleep and eating freeze-dried food.

In some years, the Pacific Cup racers sail in trade winds of consistent direction and velocity for days on end, and trim the sails only now and then. This year, the winds have been shifty, requiring frequent sail changes and constant trimming. Team Poke and Destroy has been getting a major work-out for this entire race.

It would be completely understandable if Team Poke and Destroy eased off a bit and coasted to the finish line tomorrow. Instead, they are giving it all they’ve got, sailing faster right now than they have for most of the race. The fact that their spirits couldn’t be higher says a lot about Alex Simanis, Elishia Van Luven and Skyler Palmer.

By Dennis Palmer, Team Poke and Destroy Communications Manager

7/22/18

Poke and Destroy is getting closer to the finish line of the Pacific Cup at Kaneohe Bay on Oahu, with 406 miles to go as of 8:00 a.m. PDT on July 22. Her estimated time of arrival is on 7/24/28 at 2010 hours HST (8:00 p.m. PDT). Team Poke and Destroy is in a solid third place, nine hours and 16 minutes ahead of fourth place Aloha, the Hobie 33 with which they made a bet for two pitchers of mai tais to go to the winner between those two boats.

Poke and Destroy is 5 hours and 20 minutes behind first place, which has now been claimed by Sweet Okole, the Farr 36 that has sailed in 12 Pacific Cups, including the first one in 1980. Zaff, the J/92 from Victoria, B.C., is in second place, only 40 minutes behind first place.

Poke and Destroy continues to be on the south side of the boats in Division C. The wind over the next couple of days looks perhaps a bit stronger for Poke and Destroy than the boats to the north, Sweet Okole and Zaff.

The forecast for the next few days calls for cloudy or partly cloudy skies, with wind from 15 to 20 knots and gusts to 25 knots. There may be isolated rain showers and squalls.

Easterly for Last Day of the Wind Regatta

Kurt Hoehne Columbia River Gorge, Laser Sailing, Youth Sailing 0 Comment

Once again the Columbia River Gorge Racing Association host its WIND Youth Regatta and clinics. By the way folks, this is the incubator of the fast oncoming generation of sailors. Andrew Nelson shared this brief video on Facebook today, as the wind at WIND came on as an unusual but very powerful easterly. Even folks who aren’t “on” Facebook deserve to see it. Great sailing!

 

Search Suspended for Man Overboard in Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

Kurt Hoehne Racing, Seamanship 0 Comment
Search Suspended for Man Overboard in Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

A man was lost overboard shortly after the start of the Race to Mackinac from the TP52 Imedi. I’m trying to get more details. While almost all of the fleet had started earlier and was ahead of the Turbo Class, about 20 boats helped authorities in the grid search, but to no avail.

Press release from the Chicago Yacht club follows. Here’s a link to a Chicago TV report.

JULY 21, 2025 09:48 PM

After nearly seven hours of active search efforts, the US Coast Guard has suspended the search to locating the missing sailor aboard Imedi, a Transpac 52 competing in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. The sailor has been identified as Jon Santarelli, a 52-year-old from Lincoln Park (Chicago).

The search efforts included approximately 20 boats and three helicopters from US Coast Guard, Chicago Fire, Chicago Police and Chicago Yacht Club covering nearly 47 square miles. All competitors in the vicinity immediately suspended their own racing efforts to assist in the search. The man overboard occurred approximately five miles east of Navy Pier, 40 minutes after Imedi began the Race to Mackinac.

Santarelli had more than a decade of offshore racing experience, and was a core member of the Imedi Racing team as well as the greater Chicago sailing community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and teammates.

As I said, I’ll be working on getting more accurate details on the story. -KH

Foiling In First for A Fond le Girafon

Kurt Hoehne Pacific Cup 0 Comment

A semi-foiling production boat is going to be first in to Hawaii in the Pacific Cup. It is finishing as I write this.

Approaching Hawaii

Say all you want about Beneteaus, you gotta hand it to the new Beneteau Figaro 3. The design was largely done by Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prévost (VPLP), the same folk who perpetually win in the IMOCA class and came up with the stunning Comanche. The Figaro 3 A Fond le Girafon will be the first boat to Hawaii. It helped she started in the doublehanded class days before the fastest boats, but there’s no denying that this foiling boat has plenty of speed.

From what I can tell of the design, and reading Bob Perry’s Sailing Magazine design review, it seems that the foils are basically there to provide some lift and reduce leeway. There is a standard bulb keel, and while it draws over 8′ it’s less than 2500 lbs. Whatever design alchemy they’re using, it’s working.

 

The Big Turtle Save

Kurt Hoehne Environment and Wildlife, Vic-Maui Race 0 Comment

Many of you (actually thousands on social media) have heard of the dramatic turtle rescue by Doug Frazer and the crew of OxoMoxo during the Vic-Maui Race. Without a doubt, the rescue and social media presence of this rescue will have lasting, important effects far beyond the race results.

More and more sailors come back from the Pacific Ocean and other waterways shaking their heads at the plastic in our oceans. Back downs are common. But nothing brings home how bad things are quite like a peaceful, timeless, blameless animal caught up in our mess.

Frazer, a former division 1 water polo player and a California state lifeguard, didn’t hesitate in deciding to try to rescue the turtle. Here’s how it went down, according to the man himself:

I jumped in without hesitation and then remembered that the favorite dinner for tiger sharks is turtle! I thought the poor little beggar was dead but he moved and took a breath when I touched him. The guys kept the boat hove-to until I could drag the whole mess to the stern ladder. As they were pulling him to the boat he swung towards my tender white love handle with his beak open and looking to defend himself from old white men. Luckily he fell off and swam away before he got his pound of flesh. It was really fun to get in the water. The derelict fishing gear has its own habitat of small fish, invertebrates and critters. I believe that this actually attracts other larger animals that may become entangled.

I feel that most of the large trash we saw was fish nets, ropes and fish tote baskets. I believe the only cure for this is to either pass the cost of clean up to the consumer or may require boats to bring as much net home as they take offshore. If they lose some, then they should go pick some up. Just a thought.

Here’s the dive, and a few photos from the rescue:

Click to enlarge.

PNW Boats Sending It in Pacific Cup

Kurt Hoehne Pacific Cup, Uncategorized 0 Comment

As the leaders close on the finish of the San Francisco-Hawaii Pacific Cup in the coming hours, it’s fun to report that the Pacific Northwest boats are more than holding their own.

First off, Poke and Destroy has taken over the lead of The Alaska Airlines Division (C). The Seattle Evelyn 32-2, skippered by Ballard Sails’ Alex Simanis, has shown conservative tactics and solid boatspeed, playing it close to the rhumb line. At the bottom of this post see the reports filed from onboard P&D. Second in that division is currently (and the boat that recently relinquished first) is the Victoria based J/92 Zaff. Here’s a little video about the Zaff team:

In the Weems and Plath Division B, the Tacoma-based J/35 Shearwater is holding onto 1st place on corrected time. It’s pretty remarkable in that Shearwater‘s the smallest boat, giving away lots of waterline to the rest of the boats in class.

Westerly

In the big/fast boat E. BMW Division the Canadian based Westerly and Blue (from Milwaukee but lots of NW connections) are pulling up the tail end of the class on the water, though Blue is currently hanging onto third on corrected time. Another PNW boat, Rage from Portland, is still headed for the Islands, but has a broken spreader, so they’re doing it VERY carefully. Here’s the report from the Pac Cup media team: Of note in the E division is that the Wylie 70 Ragehas broken a spreader and suspended racing. They are not by any means retired, but they are now in a mission to sail the boat conservatively and get the boat to Hawaii in one piece. Interestingly, the team relates that the carbon fiber mast was originally designed to be un-stayed and free standing, so they are likely not in danger of losing the mast.

Gusto

Other PNW boats hanging in there include Zipper, Alternate Reality and Gusto. I’m sure they’re all looking forward to mai tais soft beds. If any sailish readers are watching the finish, it would be great to get some photos and quotes to share here!

Check out the Pacific Cup Tracker here.

Poke & Destroy’s Reports

Here are the last three reports (in reverse order) from Dennis Palmer on the P&D team:

7/20/18

Poke and destroy, charging along the rhumb line, has moved into first place in Division C of the Pacific Cup race to Hawaii! 762 miles now separate her from the finish line of this 2069 mile race.

Poke and Destroy

As of the standings report on the morning 7/20/18, Poke and Destroy has a 1 hour 35-minute lead on corrected time over second place Zaff, and have extended their lead over Sweet Okole, in third place at 5 hours and 55 minutes behind Poke and Destroy.

Poke and destroy continues to stay on the southern side of the fleet in Division C, with Sweet Okole still claiming the north side of the pack, even after gybing to come closer to the rhumb line.

The wind forecast continues to show light areas of wind developing that could strongly influence the outcome of the race. This race does not yet have a foregone conclusion.

The wind direction will be blowing the boats straight to Oahu, so they will be sailing deeply downwind. This presents a challenge for second-place Zaff, because the forward, lower corner of their spinnaker is tacked to a bowsprit extending straight in front of the bow, and cannot be pulled back to move the spinnaker out of the wind shadow of the mainsail. Poke and Destroy can pull their spinnaker pole back, allowing the wind to fill the spinnaker so she can sail faster while aiming deeper downwind, which happens to be the direction of the finish line at Kanoehe Bay.

Aloha, the Hobie 33, is in fourth place, 9 hours behind Poke and Destroy on corrected time. Aloha sailed the most miles of all the boats in Division C in the past 24 hours, covering 171 nautical miles. Poke and Destroy sailed 168 miles in the past 24 hours, good enough to be the second greatest distance covered by Division C boats. Aloha has a faster speed potential than Poke and Destroy, so they are assigned with a less advantageous handicap. Their elapsed time is corrected by their handicap, so even though they sailed a few more miles, Aloha still dropped back on corrected time compared to Poke and Destroy.

7/19/18

Poke and Destroy has solidified its second-place position in Division C of the Pacific Cup race by increasing their lead over third place Sweet Okole to 3 hours and 25 minutes as of the standings report on 7/19 at 1:10 a.m. PDT. Poke and Destroy has closed to within 4 hours and 41 minutes of the Division C leader, Zaff. In the past 24 hours, Poke and Destroy has outdistance their competitors by sailing 173 miles, compared to 153 miles for the leader Zaff, and 155 miles for Sweet Okole.

Poke and Destroy had their half-way celebration yesterday by opening a box of surprises and gifts from family and friends. As of the standings report on 7/19 at 0700 hours, Poke and Destroy had 945 miles to go before enjoying mai tais at the finish line.

The lateral separation between the boats in Division C is increasing, with Sweet Okole in the northernmost position, and Poke and Destroy more than 90 miles to the south near the rhumb line. The wind forecast for the next several days shows big changes in pressure in different locations. With so much lateral separation, these boats may find themselves in very different conditions when the wind changes.

Alex Simanis, owner and skipper reports in this morning via sat phone from Poke and Destroy:

Good morning. Yesterday brought us our halfway party. We got plenty of wonderful treats and trinkets. A special shout out to everyone who contributed to our halfway party.

Mid-way through our party a big 25 to 30 knot breeze came. We had a blast for a few hours. Later, as the wind subsided, we decided to jibe to port to consolidate with the rhumb line. Seemed like a good move.

The P&D crew settled in for a beautiful starlit evening with a nice sliver of moon and 19 to 25 knots of wind. From midnight to 7 am was very, very wet, at times very windy and at times lacking wind. It was a very tough early morning with all four of us on deck for this as we did kite peels and sail transitions.

The breeze is back to our usual 12 to 15 knots and we are rolling along with the rock solid A2 we have named Sunshine. Bitchin’ workhorse of a sail. Now we had our morning breakfast treat of biscuits and gravy and trying to get things dried out.

We made a good move yesterday – the boat is moving well.

- Alex

7/18/18

The wind for the boats in Division C of the Pacific Cup race has been fluctuating, but continues to push the boats from behind at speeds almost as fast as yesterday. Poke and Destroy is still in third place in Division C on corrected time, but has closed to within 8 hours and 34 minutes of the leader Zaff. Yesterday, their deficit was 10 hours, 24 minutes, and the day before was 13 hours 25 minutes, so they are gradually improving their position. Today, Poke and Destroy has closed to within 27 minutes of the boat in second place, Sweet Okole!

Poke and Destroy covered 193 miles in the past 24 hours and was 1085 miles from the finish line, sailing at 7.4 knots as of 0500 PDT on 7/18/18. The total distance of the race is 2069 nautical miles.

Some of the boats in Division C, including Zaff and Poke and Destroy, have climbed north of the rhumb line to avoid lighter winds ahead and keep their speed up in the current wind. The forecast for the rest of the race is pock-marked with random areas of light wind, so the boat that has the best relationship with the weather gods will do well. The areas of light wind will be so unpredictable that is will take as much luck as skill to call the wind shifts.

Here’s an update from onboard Poke and Destroy by crew member Skyler Palmer:

Good morning from Poke and Destroy.

Here we are just a few miles shy of half way! We are planning on having our half way party at noon today. We’re all looking forward to seeing what’s in the halfway celebration box that our friends and families prepared for us.

Overnight was frustrating sailing, though our average speeds didn’t suffer too much. The winds were fluctuating about 90 degrees with in the span of a few minutes with some of the most

confused seas we’ve yet seen. This morning finds us another 14 miles north of the rhumb line from evening yesterday. We are still running square with the A2 spinnaker trying to make the best VMG possible. We’ve been considering a short gybe to consolidate back to our preferred

course to try threading the needle between two weather systems. However, each time we bring up the subject we get headed.*

More flying fish this morning as well as plenty of plastic debris in the water. We’ve noticed that the number of black albatross has dwindled but we’ve spotted a few shearwaters and a handful of other birds that none of us recognize. No boats on the horizon today but we FINALLY got a position report from yesterday’s 0800 check-in showing us in good standing with the fleet.

Spirits aboard are good as ever with the talk of mai tais and loved ones in Hawaii creeping into the conversation more often.

Poke and Destroy out.

*Some interpretation, for those of you not familiar with sailboat racing lingo: Running square means running the same direction as the wind, with the spinnaker pole and mainsail boom in a straight line with each other, with the boom far forward and the pole far back in order to sail deeply downwind. VMG = Velocity Made Good. This means the speed they are traveling toward the finish line, even if they are not aimed directly at it. A gybe is a downwind sailing maneuver in which the boat turns their stern through the eye of the wind and brings the sails to the other side of the boat. Being “headed” means the wind direction shifts to push them downwind of their previous course.

Stay tuned – the balance of the race should bring some exciting racing in Division C.