Pacific Cup 2012

[pogen]

There are just 94 days till the first start of this year's Pacific Cup. We are in it double-handed aboard our fine racing machine Temerity. What other Anarchists are in? What boat? Are you skipper or crew?

As I sit today, my big issues in prep are the electrical/battery/charging system, getting another headsail or two, and what I am doing to get the boat home. I still don't have a 'yes' about taking the time off work to do the delivery myself. The other two options are pretty damn expensive. This was the reason I bailed out early from my prep on the last go-around.

On the other hand, I have the custom embroidered Aloha crew shirts on hand, and am pretty well decided on the stocking of the spirits locker. And I have the best crew in the world!

I'm thinking to provide a bottle of rum of suitable quality to the Anarchist boat first on corrected. If some others can kick in we could have bottles for first corrected crewed, first corrected DH, and maybe barn door.

OK let's hear it. What are your issues, how is it going, etc. etc.

 

[pogen]

You can ogle the fine racing yachts VALIS and Great White (a Great Dane and a whippet) at the dock at the boat show this weekend.

More here: http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=133795

I was lucky enough to crew aboard VALIS in the last race, she is a very beautiful and well sorted vessel.

 

[dog of war]

I'm still trying to work out if I can make it this year...........................this would be # 6 but it's looking like work might be an issue

 

[JustaBoat]

I have a question. After all the fun of the race and party - Whats the usual story about reality setting in and having to return to the mainland?

Same crew?

Different Crew?

Oh fuck, leave the boat in the marina for a while?

 

[dog of war]

The 3 races on the X-119 there was a delivery crew to sail the boat home and the years I did it on the SC27 and O29 we shipped them home. Size matters!!! The boat I would like to do it on this year the skipper is looking at an open ended trip from the islands......

 

[U20guy2]

When I did it we were a boat load of dot. bombers there was very little motivation to return ha ha............... I recall the max height for the trailer ie ship ride home being some place in the neighborhood of 12ft or possibly 12-13ft. Our ride sitting on a borrowed J105 trailer had an inch or so to spare we may have let some air out of the tires LOL.

I would love to do the trip again! Also the ship ride home for the boat is great thats pretty much the only way I would plan it per my boat choice etc. Unless of course you have unlimited time and a fast boat then an open40 ride home during a nice weather window would be fantastic.

 

[U20guy2]

The spooky thought now is the Japan mess. The thought of bombing over the top of a big swell in the middle of the night flying the kite hauling ass and to be confronted with some sizable debri would be pretty damn scary. Really hope all my sailing friends doing the trip are safe and have a fantastic ride!!!!

 

[NoStrings]

We're hanging out for a few weeks then sailing home on her own bottom...though SF might not be our final destination...a lot of the homeward bound routing is dependent upon the amount of Japanese debris in the water. I'm waiting (while chomping on the bit) for my new rudder. The new kites are in. I'm presently doing a re-cut of an old #1 to a Jib Top, and adding a set of reef points to my carbon fiber main. I'm also investigating some kind of post race incentive program for two fence sitting crew members...both of whom I really want aboard.

 

[Mighty Kū!]

I'm also investigating some kind of post race incentive program

 

[valis]

VALIS will be sailing home after the race. Two of us will be Pac Cup crew, and the other two (possibly three) will be aboard for the return only. The Japanese debris is a concern, but I honestly wonder if the density will be significantly worse than the crap we usually see along the "up and over" route to the mainland. Gonna play it by ear.

Re the Pac Cup preparations, we will be conducting a SSB radio test net on April 29 (Opening Day on S.F. Bay). Here are some details:

2012 SSB Test Net - Fire up the rig and get on the air!
Sunday April 29, 3:00-4:00 PM PDT (2200-2300 UTC)

3:00 – 3:15 PM : 4A (4146 kHz)

3:15 – 3:30 PM : 6A (6224 kHz)

3:30 – 3:45 PM : 8A (8294 kHz)

3:45 – 4:00 PM : 4A (4146 kHz)

San Francisco Net Control: Paul Elliott – S/V VALIS – call sign WDB2898

SoCal Net Control: Gordon West – call sign WMD

PNW Net Control: Jim Innes – S/V Red Sheilla – call sign CFN5335

and/or David Sutcliffe – S/V KINETIC – call sign CFG7437

This is an excellent opportunity for SHTP, Pac Cup, and Vic/Maui racers to make sure their SSB communications are ready to go. We will be operating on three different frequencies, which should allow for not only local but long-distance communications (propagation permitting). Do try to make contact on each of the frequencies, since you are not only testing your radio system, but making sure that your radio does not adversely affect your other electronic systems, and these effects can be very frequency-dependent.

Here is a link to a pdf with times and frequencies: SSB Test Net

 

[Off Watch]

The spooky thought now is the Japan mess. The thought of bombing over the top of a big swell in the middle of the night flying the kite hauling ass and to be confronted with some sizable debri would be pretty damn scary. Really hope all my sailing friends doing the trip are safe and have a fantastic ride!!!!

Unfortunatly we had to drop our Pac Cup campaign for 2012 but I had checked on the Japan debris and it looked like it should not be a big problem for this year as most to the stuff is going North of the Pac Cup route wiith the clockwise rotation in the North Pacific. It could be a problem for boats doing the delivery back and for future Pac Cup and Trans Pacs.

 

[pogen]

OK, I bit the bullet and talked to my bosses about taking the extra time off (w/o pay) to do the return delivery. And they were OK with it. Which might not be such a great sign! :blink: So it looks like we will indeed be getting in another 3 weeks of fishing and being up around the clock. It's a big relief, as I had not begun to talk to shippers, and with my boat's relatively high topsides it is unclear if I would meet the clearance reqs on the trailer.

 

[Off Watch]

I have a question. After all the fun of the race and party - Whats the usual story about reality setting in and having to return to the mainland?

Same crew?

Different Crew?

Oh fuck, leave the boat in the marina for a while?

We shipped the boat back with Matson on a container ship by far the easiest way to go but only practical if the boat is under 30'.

I don't know of anyone that has done it with the same crew, I am sure someone must have, but once you get to Hawaii It would be really hard to get back on board for a harder trip back home.

A lot of boats get pretty desperate for crew to bring the boat back, it seams there is usually offers of free airfare to Hawaii for someone to help bring the boat back. One of my crew claims he was almost shanghaied after having some drinks on another local boat.

 

[dog of war]

1334378667[/url]' post='3672134']OK, I bit the bullet and talked to my bosses about taking the extra time off (w/o pay) to do the return delivery. And they were OK with it. Which might not be such a great sign! :blink: So it looks like we will indeed be getting in another 3 weeks of fishing and being up around the clock. It's a big relief, as I had not begun to talk to shippers, and with my boat's relatively high topsides it is unclear if I would meet the clearance reqs on the trailer.

Both ways D/H with your daughter? That would truly be an epic trip of a lifetime for both of you!!!

 

[pogen]

1334378667[/url]' post='3672134']OK, I bit the bullet and talked to my bosses about taking the extra time off (w/o pay) to do the return delivery. And they were OK with it. Which might not be such a great sign! :blink: So it looks like we will indeed be getting in another 3 weeks of fishing and being up around the clock. It's a big relief, as I had not begun to talk to shippers, and with my boat's relatively high topsides it is unclear if I would meet the clearance reqs on the trailer.

Both ways D/H with your daughter? That would truly be an epic trip of a lifetime for both of you!!!

I didn't mention that my boss said the last time they let a guy take time off to go sailing (before my time at the company) he ended up divorced. Fortunately I already have that box checked.

I guess one benefit of DH is that there is only one way to hate each other, as opposed to crewed where there are n!/2 or something....

hmmm good math problem for C.A.

 

[valis]

OK, I bit the bullet and talked to my bosses about taking the extra time off (w/o pay) to do the return delivery. And they were OK with it. Which might not be such a great sign! :blink: So it looks like we will indeed be getting in another 3 weeks of fishing and being up around the clock. It's a big relief, as I had not begun to talk to shippers, and with my boat's relatively high topsides it is unclear if I would meet the clearance reqs on the trailer.

Both ways D/H with your daughter? That would truly be an epic trip of a lifetime for both of you!!!

I didn't mention that my boss said the last time they let a guy take time off to go sailing (before my time at the company) he ended up divorced. Fortunately I already have that box checked.

I guess one benefit of DH is that there is only one way to hate each other, as opposed to crewed where there are n!/2 or something....

hmmm good math problem for C.A.

Don't forget self-loathing. I think that makes it n2. For doublehanded you would have 4 possible hate-relationships, as the hating may not be mutual. Having sailed with you though, I predict the hate factor on Temerity will be very small.

Two of my probable return crew are researchers in the NOAA Marine Debris Program. We're definitely going to be taking good notes as we sail home.

 

[pogen]

Yes, we are going to sign up with that marine debris survey thing-y that was on the PacCup site.

The main debris I am interested in collecting though is fast, iridescent, and has fins....

There are (n^2 + n)/2 pairwise hate relationships, including of course self-hate (amazing thing for a skipper to forget).

BUT, don't forget that with crew, some of the worst dynamics arise from groups hating groups, e.g. 5 = 2 + 3, or in a boat I heard about 8 = 4 + 4, or a funny story I heard about 6 = 5 + 1.

The traditional seamanlike thing really should be N = nc + 1 + 1 , where the crew hate the skipper and the mate, as described in many old shantys and the like.

 

[pogen]

OK, we passed our inspection last Friday, apparently the first in the fleet to do so. Woo hoo!

Still plenty of work to do, particularly on power systems.

Got some new sails on order, too, for both sporty mode and grandma mode.

Still haven't made any plans on where and how to stay in Hawai'i, other than the boat. My youngest might or might not be flying out to see us. I'm thinking we could use a few days of hotel service, hot showers, AC, etc. before climbing back aboard for delivery. Plus we will need a car to drive around and do local reprovisioning, etc. Nothing that a VISA can't solve.

Just 74 days to go!

 

[Great Red Shark]

Pogs, - if there is something I can do to lend a hand, lemme know - glad to assist if an Oahu-based contact would be handy - I live just 'up the road' from Kaneohe Bay.