Sea Weasel

WE'VE MOVED!!!!

2010-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

***WE'VE MOVED***

You may have noticed our blog has not been updated in a while. We have now secured our own domain and will be updating the latest stories from TEAM SEA WEASEL

Please follow the link:

http://www.seaweasel.ca

Never Mess with a WEASEL

2010-06-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

Let's just say you never f*#$ with a WEASEL. Team Ed escalated a well intentioned war of words to a full blown Prank War. After taping up the WEASEL and posting ads in local papers making disparaging remarks we made our move. Wednesday night at 10pm we cast off from Heather Civic Marina and penetrated the tight security at Burrard Civic Marina.

It took us a little time to find ED and when we did we found ED locked up tight. Luckily we quickly located the keys and let's just say the rest was history...

Dear Penthouse...It All Started When On My Sailboat...

2010-06-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

It's Business Time.

Dear Pent House,

It was May Long Weekend and I was on my sailboat with three girls... That's where the story starts and pretty much stops too. Cheryl, Belinda, Clare and Kingsley all loaded onto the WEASEL for a long weekend getaway. We headed out late Friday after work and made our way to Bowen; our usual Howe Sound jumping off point.

There was a strong westerly when we motored late out of the "Creek" that died off at the point as we entered into Howe Sound. So after a nice beat out of the bay we were reduced to motoring to our destination. As usual we rounded the point just as the 10pm ferry was starting to head out. We were buffeted by the current but negotiated our way into our usual slip at the USCM.

We had no sooner tied up in the deepening darkness when a Mayday call came in.

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Vancouver Coast Guard calling all vessels in the vicinity of Horse Shoe bay to respond".

There was a call that two people we're in the water off the north point of the bay and in distress. My heart sunk. The WEASEL's engine was still warm; but I knew we we're 30-40 minutes away from Horseshoe Bay and ours was not the vessel to be rendering assistance. The ferry and the water taxi came on the air that they we're in route.

Over the next 30 minutes we listened to the drama unfold. It was not until later that we found out that a diver had died and the person with him was trying to get himself and his deceased friend back to shore. It was eerie hearing this over the radio on the boat.

The body of a diver being recovered at Lions Bay Marina.

SEA WEASEL at her second home.

The next morning we had breakfast at the "Snug" as usual and loaded up on groceries at the General Store. We were off and running, literally, for Gambier. We tried out the new chute for the first time and noticed quite a difference. The boat took off and ran down wind to the end of Bowen. The wind got flukey at the NE point and after a quick motor we were beating our way over to Port Graves. The weather was overcast but at least dry.

We found the anchourage at Port Graves exposed to a Southerly inflow wind and with a surprising number of boats in it. We had no trouble finding a anchourage behind HMCS Annapolis. We set our hook and set about "relaxing" i.e.: rowing the dog to shore and setting a crab pot.

Port Graves with the long weekend traffic.

Rowing the "Little Man" ashore in our crappy dinghy.

I finally found a place in Port Graves where I can catch crabs.

Later in the afternoon the sun made an appearance and we ferried ourselves ashore in our totally inadequate dinghy. After numerous trips, some near sinkings, and many a wet foot and bum we opted to hike around a bit. We stripped off our foulies and life jackets and hid them in the woods and set out. We followed some ATV tracks around the south end of the bay through the beautiful RVYC grounds and Camp Atterban making our way up to a little clearing near a cliff with a fire pit and chainsaw carved furniture surrounding it. This was as far as we got and turned around to return to the boat.

Getting back followed the same painful process as before with many a near disaster. We sat down and started eating dinner when we had unexpected guests Adam and Lana. They had their boat AUDACIOUS anchoured across the bay. They clambered aboard for a snack and a drink before heading out.

The next morning we hauled up our anchour and set out for Plumper Cove. The weather had deteriorated and it was wet, cold and miserable. Enroute I got the brainwave to head over to Gibson's Marina instead. They unbelievably had space and we made our way there.

Clare holding a freezing little man on the way to Gibsons.

Spinlock lifejackets give you "crotch strap line".

Gibson's Marina is a favourite spot and we were happy to get into a place where we could plug in our shorepower and get the heater going. When we made it in we got settled in and headed off to Grandma's Pub for a hot greasy lunch. After we settled into drinks and poker. Then things got crazy.

The dance party begins.

Belinda's poker face.

Cheryl loses again.

Kingsley, a little surly after some beer.

Finally plyed with liquor, things get hot.

Gibsons at sunset.

Monday morning we had a leisurely morning and left the dock around noon. The wind was blowing in hard from the Southeast -of course. We set out close hauled and began putting tacks in towards Vancouver. We came in far to the south near Spanish Banks and tacked up the south coast of the Bay. The sun was shining and the seas flat. It was the perfect return to Vancouver. Off the Maritime Musuem I reluctantly put on the engine and motored for home.

TCYC Sailpast Race 2010

2010-06-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

It was sail past and SEA WEASEL was out in all her finery for Tiddly Cove's sail past and race. As usual it was Cheryl my mother and sister in law obstensively for "Mother's Day" we headed out for a "Mother's Day Sail".

The Usual or Unusual Crew:

Poutty-Pants Cheryl.

Jo Skipper (I am not kidding - it was her name).

Tyler and Lizzard.

The sail past took it's usual relaxed pass and was followed up by the short race from "Tiddly Cove" to a southerly Freighter and then the QC Buoy. We had a good start and relaxed gybe to a freighter that was to the South. I misjudged the current and leeway and we wound up having to put in a tack at the last minute which saw us loose a position. In the end the end we ran across the line under spinnaker and came in 3rd out of 5.

The sail past in all it's disorganized glory

Heading south I prepare the kite.

QC Buoy Takes a Hit

2010-06-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ouch!

The QC Buoy appears to have taken a hit some weeks ago. I am not sure who/what hit it but my guess is SARANDIS with his new fandangled ram.

ED Strikes the First Blow and Awakens a Giant!

2010-06-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

The arrogance of team ED will surely be their downfall.

We came to the boat two weeks ago ready to race only to find someone had beat us there. At first I thought it must have been Mike trying to start off a war. Soon it became apparent more was at work. The desperate amateurish style of the attack soon gave away the true source ED. We later found out that Ty, fueled by alcohol raided our marina and vandalized the WEASEL.

ED was here.

Someone cracked the code on the lock.

It was sad to see the name of our unholy adversary staining the pure WEASEL.

By the next week we found the vicious slanderous attacks were now moving into the media. The Georgia Straight's "I Saw You..." column featured this:

When: May 20, 2010

Where: In my wake

"Poor little Sea Weasel was left in Mr. Ed's wake last night... we even let you get close to us for a while... but last place was where you ended up the night. We are looking forward to leaving you in our wake again next week."

However credit is due. He did strike the first blow; but has awoken a Giant!

The giant has been awoken!

SEA WEASEL's Arch-Nemesis ED

2010-05-09T09:37:00.001-07:00

The Axis of ED!

In life it is important to figure out who your friends are and who your enemies are. It has become apparent that there is one boat and crew that is in every way diametrically opposed to us (Team SEA WEASEL). It will be our avowed goal to attempt to crush them at every turn. The boat in question is of course ED and their crew of Tom Selleck wanabees sporting Hawaiian shirts at every race.

"Why does this animosity exist?"

Well I could point to the obvious conflicts as old as the ages:

-Good (S.W.) vs Evil (ED)
-Beauty (S.W.) vs Uglieness (ED)
-Culture (S.W.) vs Barbarity (ED)
-Skill (S.W.) vs Random Luck (ED)
-Quiet Courage (S.W.) vs Panic (ED)

However there is more to this complex relationship than these epic themes. I believe it is the underhanded way in which Ty and Schmidty approach sailing that has lead to this conflict. I have it on good authority that every race starts with the sacrifice of goat right on the dock to curry favour with the dark lord. I also am pretty sure that on more than one occasion Ty has used his charming ways and low cut jeans to curry favour with the Race Committees.

Despite these under handed ways we will not stoop to their level, no, we like the noble Weasel, our name sake we will go forward to victory and if we do not win every time we can rest assured we have won a moral victory.

I agree with the "truthers" there was a conspiracy...

ED enjoying one of their favourite passtimes...HUNTING DOLPHINS!

Time for Thursday Night Racing!

2010-05-08T23:16:00.001-07:00

Time to put our war face on.

One of my favourite things about the summer is Thursday night racing. It is the perfect end of the day; after work hopping on the boat and kicking around the cans and after settling down with a beer and reliving the highlights (or low lights as the case maybe). This was the first week of Thursday night sailing and for once I was the one running late. Cheryl and I jumped in the car and were racing down the boat. I am not proud to admit but as we raced down in our car I was having a mini panic attack. Of course we couldn’t find parking close to the marina so I dumped the car in the commercial loading zone and ran to the gate where I realized that my gate key was missing. We followed a guy in but he only went through the first gate. I yelled at the guys to let me in, but I saw someone coming who we could follow in so I shrieked no. As I ran down the dock I was screaming “start the engine! Cast of the boat! Go Go Go!”
We’ll better late than never. We got out to the finish line and started a full five minutes late crossing the line with division 3. The race followed its natural course but the damage was done. Over beers at the club we consoled ourselves with the fact that we ran a pretty tight race with no screw ups except getting there on time. Next Thursday we will be out there and on time!

FCYC Spring Series Results

A Whale of a Tale

2010-05-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

A 39' Grey Whale visited False Creek and the WEASEL this week.

I got a text message from my wife saying: “There’s a whale in False Creek!” I checked the web and sure enough a 39’ Grey Whale was motoring around in False Creek. I was excited and planned on heading straight down to the boat to check it out but I got stuck at work late. Oh well I probably would not have seen anything anyway, boy was I wrong! In the end the Whale saw all it wanted to see in False Creek and headed back on its merry way.

The Whale entering False Creek

Truckin along between Burrard and Granville Street Bridges

Swimming between Ganville & Cambie Street Bridges.

The Whale off of Spruce Harbour Marina being followed by the CCG and Conservation.

The Whale passing a anchoured sailboat.

The Whale checking out Yaletown.

There she blows!

Two days later David and Mike were in the marina getting the boat ready for Thursday night racing when our boat neighbour, Rick Fowler (owner of “J”), popped by to tell the boys that he had been at the marina when the Whale was in the creek and that it had come into the marina. Not only had it swam around in the marina bumping into a dock finger, breaking it, it hit a boat lifting it up out of the water a bit. Sure enough it was the WEASEL.

Far from being annoyed or concerned that a whale had hit our boat I thought it was one of the coolest things I heard. It is rare enough to see a whale in False Creek but to have it hit your boat is something else. I can only assume that it saw its lovely lines and finely proportioned hull and mistook it for a sleek female whale and tried to mate with it. Truly bizarre!

The damaged finger was removed and the slips are now empty.

2010 Halibut Bank: And Then We Broke Mike

2010-05-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Flying the Battle Flag.

Division 7 Pride; man I look like a sheep rapist in this photo.

The conditions were perfect; drizzly overcast conditions in the morning becoming warm and sunny in the afternoon and 20 knots of wind. We motored out ready to do battle with a large fleet of division 7 boats. As we got closer we decided to go with our big genoa and lash the 110 to the deck incase we wanted to switch. As we motored closer to Passage Island we saw that the wind was building as predicted and we took off the #1 and put on the 110% #2. We considered reefing the main but all was well with it up and the helm was still fairly light and responsive.

Motoring out to the start.

A pretty grey day to start.

Time for a quick sail change before things got started.

Forming up off of Passage Island.

Boats head off to Halibut Bank.

The warning horn blew and we began our start running up and down the line on the north end. We ran into some heavy traffic closing with CRYSTAL DOLPHIN near the line. In the last few seconds we began to harden up and crossed over right on time in close formation with the rest of the fleet.
It was here that tactics started to come in. We were getting a lot of dirty wind off of the boats in front of us so after a short run in close with them we tacked over towards Bowen Island. This turned out to be the right move and we gained perceptively compared with the majority of the fleet that did not come over. We ran right into shore before putting a tack in to round the point of Bowen.
In the past I would always hesitate on putting in new tacks and usually try and put the fewest number of tacks in preferring to follow a simpler course. This race we beat into the waves tacking every half mile trying to stick close to the south end of Bowen for tide relief. We also did not settle on our sail trim and each tack were adjusting the jib car position to get the most out of our sails. The boat handled beautifully loving the stiff breeze. Our crew was rusty and on two occasions we had to put tacks in early when a loaded sheet was released prematurely (good one Dave and Mike). Cheryl’s new role as foredeck girl went well despite being soaked head to foot with spray and falling every three seconds. Despite our “keystone” cops routine we hadn’t made any serious errors.

CRYSTAL DOLPHIN taking off.

Boats beating off the Southeast coast of Bowen Island.

SALUS to leeward of us heading out.

VOLARE crossing ahead of us after a big gain on their part.

Healing over as we beat windward with all the crew hiking out.

Closing in on the mark off of Popham Island.

As we approached the windward mark we found ourselves in a comfortable fifth place behind Marbella which water lined the whole division, Dusty Mauch, Crystal Dolphin, and Surveryor. As the lead boats passed us with whites alone we opted to round and see what it was like before putting up the chute. The rounding went off without a hitch but ED had snuck up on us and was closer than I would have liked. We headed on broad reach at a fast pace under white sails. I thought that this was good enough and judged we we’re probably doing hull speed or better. Despite the boats pace we were not gaining on any of the boats ahead of us nor were we getting ahead of ED.

After rounding the mark ED was on our stern and we could not shake them.

Still we could not get ahead it was time for a change.

A view from ED as we prepared to make our change.

The hoist.

Grinding the kite up took some doing.

Time for the kite. I wasn’t too sure about putting the kite up in 20 knots going down wind in choppy 3’ seas. We slowly prepared everything with me doing foredeck and Cheryl on the helm. David was in the pit and Mike was going to help haul up the sail; it was go time. The kite shot up and filled immediately. It was about 9’ from the masthead. Dave and Mike set about grinding it up the rest of the way. With the jib still flying I flew the kite from the cockpit. With the kite almost at the top of the mast and me ready to hand off the sheet to Mike so I could steer Cheryl lost control.
The boat slid down the wave and broached. In rapid succession we were all knocked down with the boat and then the stern kicked through the wind and we accidentally gybed. All of the sudden we were on our other side. As the boom flew over the mainsheet grabbed Mike and threw him up against the bulkhead but his jacket caught on the cleat above by one of the halyard winches and his arm was being nearly ripped off. With the boat in chaos and the boom flying around Dave jumped down the companionway and hid below decks likely cowering beneath something. I stood there yelling at Mike to let go as he screamed in agony and Cheryl tried to manage the boat which was now racing towards the rocks. After untangling Mike we proceeded to dump the spinnaker into the ocean creating a giant sea anchour. The boat was now dragging the kite in the ocean and the only way we could recover the sail by sailing over towards the sail and pulling it in while the it was not under pressure.With the sail recovered we bore away safely in almost last place. We got the boat squared away and started back on course. Our attention then shifted to Mike who was out of commission laying in agony in the cockpit. When he was sorted out we started trying to race the boat again. Heading down wing on wing we picked up speed. While the rest of the fleet was reaching and gybing we pointes straight at the finish line and ate up the miles. Soon we we’re picking places. As we moved into the final stretch it was clear we were back to fifth. It was amazing that as we crossed the line how close the rest of the fleet was.

The view from SALUS as we are about to go over and broach.

The view from ED as we sail back towards the mark trying to recover our spinnaker from the ocean.

With the final horn we bore away and reached over to Bowen Island. We made our way to the Union Steamship Company Marina; Mike and Cheryl made their way to the First Aid Station. The ambulance attendants recommended he get it checked out so they carted him down to the Water Taxi to take him to Lion’s Gate Hospital via a waiting ambulance at Horseshoe Bay. Being good friends we headed to the bar and left Mike to it. After being assessed he made his way back to Bowen after hitching a ride on a random power boat. From there the night followed it’s natural course.

Mike's war wound.

Cheryl's bruised, um...pride.

Bottoms up at the Pub on Bowen

Official Results:
-2010 Halibt Bank Results

Spinlock Deck Vest Review

2010-04-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Cheryl model's Spinlock's Deck Vest Auto-inflating PFD.

I was always aware of the various life jackets out there but never really considered them a huge priority. In fact I looked at them almost as bureaucratic requirement more than anything. As I got into sailing and began to run into more than my fare share of foul weather I quickly adjusted my thinking. I had a "flack vest" traditional PFD, a manky old harness and a rope tether I made myself. I was now ready; however I was going to be honest this mess of McGyver-ed items spent more time in the hanging locker when we were out on the water. It was bulky, hot and cumbersome.

What changed really crystallized things for me was the 2010 Southern Straits race. While I was not in it by chance reading the rescue reports made me think that I should revisit this safety equipment thing. The statistics say that 60% of people who die on the water weren't wearing life jackets.

I decided the most important thing for the life jacket was that I will actually wear the stupid thing. It had to be comfortable, light, include a harness and make me look bad-ass. I pretty much settled on inflatables. Of those I wanted automatic, there are a ton of reasons you can wind up unconscious in the ocean; beer, boom, and blunders amongst other things.

The problem with inflatables on the Canadian market is that only a very few are actually Transport Canada certified; that being said I did not care if they were not certified here so long as they were somewhere reputable. You can easily get around this by caring a T.C. approved life jacket even if you are not wearing it. I considered Mustang, Gul, WM, Revel, and Spinlock. Of the first three Mustang was easily the best. Their deluxe HT vest with harness is a good product with a good reputation. It is missing a crotch strap which can be purchased as a extra. Despite Mustang's good reputation I kept seeing one name and one name only coming up as the Cadillac of life jackets, Spinlock.

Spinlock's Deck vest series were used by all the crews in the last Volvo Ocean Race with rave reviews. In the end it was the life vest for me. In the following paragraphs I will go over the features in detail. I was so impressed I even got one for Cheryl.

Cheryl began to question my suggestion that she go with a more economical PFD when I had my Spinlock.

Cheryl is ready to be pitched overboard in her new Spinlock Deck vest.

The PFD's casing is made of soft neoprene as are wide pads on the belt. Hands down this PFD is the most comfortable one to were on the market. People report it being comfortable even when not wearing a shirt.

A view from the rear; note the wide padded waist band.

The integrated harness and thigh straps comfortable and light weight.

The centre buckle is easier to use then the traditional metal buckles while being light weight. The harness ring is a climbing type as opposed to metal rings again cutting down on weight and jingly things. The thigh straps again have more in common with a climbing harness than a traditional PFD's single ball busting crotch strap. Not only are they sexy they are really secure. You could be hauled back on board by the PFD easily and without undue discomfort.

The waist adjustment straps are padded and easy to adjust.

At the waist it is easy to adjust the straps for a snug fit. Again every thing is padded and soft.

The manual pull is easy to grab and secure.

Unlike all the competition Spinlock uses a special YKK splitting zipper that is held in place with a velcro strap. It is really easy to unpack or repack this vest.

The vest unpacked in all it's glory.

The vest comes with a attached water activated light that retails for $100 on its own.

The automatic inflator is robust and well protected. Accidental inflations are very uncommon with this vest.

Despite being good protection from Seagull droppings this spray shield can save your life in rough seas. This item is unique to the Spinlock vest.

In conclusion this vest is worth every penny. It is light-weight and comfy; I will seriously where this vest all the time as it does not get in the way. It is "feature rich" and proven reliable; when I consider the price I have to say it is a small price when compared with my, and my wife's life. Finally the thing looks bad-ass; if Batman needed a life jacket this would be it.

The only downside to the vest was that it lacked any attachment points for a rigging knife and it is only certified in the UK. Despite these minor drawbacks this is a best buy.

For more details visit: Spinlock

Locally they can be purchased at:

West Marine
Glenmore Sailboats

2010 Halibut Bank/Popham Island Race

2010-04-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

It's ON!

Halibut Bank (Popham Island for us slow boats) has always been one of my favourite races. It just feels like this is the one that really kicks off the season. It's probably because we roll from this race straight into Thursday Nights which results in being out on the water every few days. It's also this race itself. It edges on along the seem of the Strait and the Sound. Currents, waves and wind all do battle to create some interesting conditions.

Maybe I like because every year we seem to come make our own dock party and always have a good time. Each year we have done this race we have made our way over to Bowen Island for a impromptu dock party.

This year the WEASEL is looking to build on last year's third place finish. The boat is ready with a fresh clean bottom and her new all skipper crew we should be able to manage a top three finish. This year there will be even more competition from the other VARC Division 7 boats with 9~10 signed up to do battle.

For more information on the Halibut Bank Race follow these links:

Gear Hammocks - A Place to Put Your Banana

2010-04-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

Our gear safe and secure in the new gear hammocks.

"How many times have you heeled over or hit a wave and heard an awful crash down below?"

Adding Gear Hammocks is a cheap and simple project that can make a big difference in keeping things organized and out of the way. We were constantly heading out sailing and in the course of our adventures our gear was being flung all over the place. To help solve this issue we installed 4 gear hammocks (2 in the main cabin and 2 in the v-berth).

First we attached one end of the gear hammock with a padeye to a bulkhead (example in main cabin).

Secondly we mounted a nylon cleat on the opposite bulkhead (example in V-Berth).

Thirdly we made a bungee lead with a loop in the end to attach around the cleat (example in the V-Berth).

The complete job in the V-Berth.

The hammocks were permanently affixed on one end and attached to a nylon cleat with a loop of bungee cord at the other. With this configuration we could take them down when they were not needed and quickly put them up when they were. While they cannot hold a ton of weight for most items their fine. Now when the boat heels over we rest assured that their will not be a slurry of personal property all over the cabin floor.

Gear Hammocks can be purchased at West Marine which were a good size and cheap so it was a no brainer; you can make them out of life-line netting if you don't value your own time.

Wind Storm Destroys and Grounds Sailboats Off Kits Beach

2010-04-09T01:53:00.000-07:00

A wood hulled boat grounded high up on the beach near the Maritime Museum.

A storm early in the morning on April 8th hit English Bay. Storm force winds were recorded blowing in from the West. Hit particularly hard were the "live-aboard" transients anchoured off Kits Beach. In total three were washed ashore and one wrecked on the beach.

All of the boats were in various states of disrepair and none appeared overly seaworthy. The City has restricted those who want to live full time in the protected waters in False Creek resulting in the growing number of "live-aboards" off the exposed Kitsalano Beach. This leaves these vessel's exposed to such storms; however the responsibility lies with the skippers to protect their vessels. Weather warnings were issued and the boats should have taken refuge in False Creek or taken additional steps taken to improve their holding power.

I really want to see Vancouver become a more boat friendly city it can be hard to battle public perception that boats are nuisance is reinforced by incidents like these. No one wants a derelict boat wrecked on their park beach. Failing to take responsibility for your vessel impacts the larger boating community. That being said it appears that these individuals are quite marginalized so it is sad to see those without much lose what was their homes.

Sadly only one of the skippers had made any effort to refloat his boat as of this afternoon. The boat had a kedge about 60' out. Personally I would have rowed out as much road as I had and set the anchour as far out as possible. I overheard the skipper saying he was going to motor out. Good luck with that.

While the hull appears in okay shape this boat has been heavily neglected.

Even though it has been through a lot it is sad to think that in any condition someone was living in this boat.

More neglect.

From further up the dog beach looking at the grounded boat. No kedge or evident action was taken to refloat the boat or protect it.

With a modest kedge out and a plan to "motor off" this boat will be common fixture on the beach for the next little while.

There appeared to be a little damage around the rudder.

The skipper talking with the public.

Light fades on the grounded craft.

This derelict trimaran lay in pieces on the shore close to the pool on Kit's Beach.

Again I found it sad that someone was living in this thing.

Lines only a mother could love.

Umm... Is this bit important?

This tender has seen better days.

How much do you want to bet it is uninsured?

Probably the nicest one out of the bunch; but no signs that the skipper was going to attempt to refloat it off the beach.

The boat has been neglected but appears more or less intact.

Closer shots of the wood hull.

May want to row that anchour out and set it...

Even with the tide being the same height as the night before there is little chance this thing is moving as the surf must have pushed it up past the highwater mark.

Southern Straits 2010 Report from the Edge of Disaster

2010-04-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Southern Straits will go down in the history books as one of the wildest races in BC on record. Winds ranged from 35-55 knots with gusts above.

It was pure chance that I did not wind up being able to race in this year's Southern Straits. Family commitments wound up dictating that I would be sitting this one out. The evening before the race I found myself reviewing weather reports and getting ready for a day of being green with envy. I had no way of knowing that I would be thanking my lucky stars that I was not able to go out.

In the morning I headed off to work and on the way I pulled up the forecast and saw the expected low had moved farther south quicker than anticipated and extreme conditions were forecast. I have to admit I felt a little uneasy, I had a lot of friends doing this race. I soon found that my fears were justified as reports began to come in about the conditions and later about the havoc they were wreaking on the fleet.

Someone came up to me to report that FANCY FREE, Ian Lloyd's boat, was limping back into harbour with no rig. Other sketchy reports came in of other dismastings, injuries, crew over boards and even a vessel going down. As I understand it at one point there were 12 distress calls to the Coast Guard from the fleet.

Soon the race was called off and I watched the "Last Known Position" report to see where everyone had wound up. Then the phone calls started. Text messages and emails began to flood in. Websites like sailing X were a buzz with the latest news from crews who made it to Naniamo.

In the end the stories came in, photos, videos and the debates about the race and its administration. I wasn't there and I am sensitive to not come in on a high horse. I do have opions about ULDB doing the race in heavy weather and the safety inspections that follow the race but I thought I would let the words and opinions of those who did the race speak for themselves. I have harvested these reports from forums, news websites, youtube and emails.

The start off of West Vancouver.

The boats heading off into what almost proved a deadly race.

West Vancouver Yacht Club Press Release:
"The 42nd annual Southern Straits Yacht Race commenced on schedule April 2, 2010 at10:30 Good Friday morning at the starting line off Dundarave Pier in West Vancouver. The weather conditions at the start were generally as predicted at the Environment Canada weather briefing with strong but manageable SE winds. Most skippers made the decision to start the race. During the day on Friday the wind conditions continued to build rather than subside somewhat as predicted and many of the yachts in the fleet decided to drop out of the race and notified the Race Committee of their decision.
At approximately 3:45 PM Friday the Race Committee received a message that the yacht Incisor had been lost and all six crew had been recovered and were being transported to Nanaimo hospital. At approximately 4:00 PM the Race Committee reviewed the number of yachts in the fleet continuing to race, which had by that time been reduced to approximately 20 percent of the starting fleet, the weather conditions as compared to the forecast and the amount of daylight time remaining and took the decision that it was prudent to abandon the race. Through the Yacht Club communications centre and with the assistance of the Coast Guard, competitors were advised that the race had been abandoned and all vessels on the race course should seek safe harbour and report in when they were secure. Through the evening, the Race Committee made contact with or otherwise established the whereabouts of each vessel and communicated with emergency contacts.
The six crew members of Incisor all suffered from hypothermia and were treated at Nanaimo hospital. Four crew were released on Friday evening, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.
On Saturday afternoon the Coast Guard advised the Yacht Club that the yacht Incisor had been found and was provided information on the location. The Yacht Club advised the insurance broker who made arrangements for a salvage operation to be undertaken. We understand that Incisor has been recovered.
In addition to the damage to Incisor, two yachts lost their masts and rigging. In both cases the yachts proceeded either on their own power or with assistance to a safe harbour.
The Yacht Club wishes to acknowledge and thank the competitors for their efforts to communicate with the Race Committee to establish their whereabouts, and to the crew of the yacht Radiant Heat, the Coast Guard, BC Ferries and all other persons who participated in the recovery and care of the crew of Incisor. Your professionalism, quick action and concern in difficult circumstances is recognized and appreciated."

A rescue in affect.

From Sailing Anarchy:

"I've been racing around Puget Sound for over 37 years now and have noticed that most RC's no longer want us to race "at night" or when the winds "exceed 30 knots". I fear that many sailors have not been given an opportunity to experience extreme conditions. And without the opportunity, sailors never get the chance to gain the skills that would get them through conditions like this last weekend.
Now I am not saying that we should sail out in the worst conditions and not exercise due caution. I just think that what I recently read in SA about racing only in limited wind ranges and yacht design is a sad truth. That's why those old 6kt sh*t boxes with 1/2" thick fiberglass hulls and stumpy masts were so great. You could sail them in a force 10 and have a good time."

INCISOR.

Report of the Rescue of the Crew of INCISOR:

"I have done the Southern Straits race before 3 times I recall. Twice on a Hunter Legend 35.5 and one on the J-30 Radiant Heat. I have also sailed Swiftsure and Patos Island races several times and one Vic Maui and a trip on a friend's boat up the Inside passage to Skagway and Glacier Bay. I do not consider myself a very experienced sailor but one who has been around a little bit and who is generally comfortable on and around a small sail boat in various conditions.

I had been away for 5 months and just returned to North Saanich in time to prepare the boat for Patos Island 2010 and other races and was entered and registered for the Southern Straits.

It is always difficult to have a regular crew who is available the same time as the skipper so often these races are done with short crew or strangers on board.

As both races were requiring a PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL YACHTING ASSOCIATION (PIYA) Certificate signed and on board for Category II, I went online and got the most recent copy of the updated certificate and reviewed the required boat equipment.

Category II states it is for "Yachts capable of racing in semi-protected waters, day or night, where heavy weather may be encountered." There is then a long list of requirements which must be met. This includes the specifications of the boat and the equipment to be aboard.

Category I states it is for " Yachts capable of racing exposed waters where the vessel must be self sufficient and capable of enduring heavy storms."

It would seem clear from this that Category II are not expected to race in off shore conditions or in heavy storms. Light Storms maybe??.

I checked all the supplies and placed extra harnesses, strobe lights, Flashlights and floatation gear aboard. I replaced the batteries in the man overboard gear and made sure the gear was easily deployed. This included the mandatory Life ring, MOB pole, drogue and light as a single unit (a big wave snatched it off and away it went. I was glad to see it deploy perfectly. Now I get to buy another one and do it all again) and also the rescue collar which was unpacked and repacked with the attached floatation light.

I was, I thought ready to pass inspection by the race committee if required. At this point I have not been involved in any rescues or man overboard situations although I had practiced drills but in low wind conditions and flat seas.

The inspections by the race committees were more something of a nuisance to be rid of as they usually occurred after the race was finished and only to the boats likely to place in the race results. I submit that they were treated more of a fear factor that could disqualify one from the race after the fact and so deny the prize earned rather than a real safety featured requirement.

The exception to this was the Vic-Maui Race I did in 1996 where inspections for safety gear etc were carried out before the race. Non compliance meant that one did not take part. This ensured that all participants were fully compliant before the start.

On the day before the race I took Radiant Heat from North Saanich to the West Vancouver Yacht Club. Aboard were two crew, one who had sailed with me the previous week in the Patos Race and another who had sail a few time with me. Both had some degree of competence having owned their own sail boats for some years. Two other crew drove and met us in West Van. One is a member of the Coastguard auxiliary and owns his own boat and the other a stranger to me but with good credentials for sailing experience. I felt comfortable with the number of crew and the general level of experience. Subsequently this was to be an important factor to our survival and success in the rescue of two men afloat.

The evening before the race was a skippers meeting and weather briefing at 8 pm. As we were at supper I barely made it there on time but my crew were not there nor required to be.The briefing was comprehensive and detailed by the Canadian Environmental weather forecaster, Meteorologist David Jones.

Charts, graphs, and computer simulations were displayed and as I recall the forecast went something like this. Race day would be windy with sustained winds of 25-35 knots in the morning with 30-40 knots in the midday from the south East. Around 4 PM there was the expectation that the wind would ease and veer to the Southwest. My plans were to be low of the mark on our approach and if the wind moved to the South West we would not be headed badly enough that we would overstand the mark by much and make a rounding. There was also a line drawn on this graph for "gusts". Gusts were generally in the 50 knot range but one place about 3pm showed gusts to 58 knots. This caused a level of apprehension in me that I noted. Some people muttered that the committee would postpone the start until the wind abated.

I later told the crew of the weather forecast and talked about the sustained 35-40 knots to be expected. I have sailed in 40 knots before but in protected waters. I knew it was not the wind one had to worry about but the seas. It was forecast they would reach 5 meters if the wind was as forecast. He was proven correct. The crew agreed they would sail.

We were in the club lounge and a stranger came by and sat for a chat. It was revealed that he was a lawyer from Calgary. In conversation he offered the opinion that the committee was treading on dangerous ground if they let the race continue having received the recent forecast, if there was injury or death. All skippers sign a waiver and agree that they are responsible for their own boat and crew and make their own decisions as to whether they will sail or not. However this person suggested that the committee would still have some liability in the current situation.

At this time I thought that the race would be called or postponed if there was no change in the forecast. The following morning, Race day, while at breakfast the weather was discussed but it seemed about 30 knots and there was no announcement on the bulletin board and it was a surprise to me that there was no morning pre-race skippers meeting. Talking to another competitor it was mentioned that the centre of the weather system had tracked further South over Victoria and that the race day weather was expected to ease. It seemed everyone was heading out.The Start line for the race was off Dundarave Pier in West Vancouver. We motored out and our first indication of strong wind was the beat to English Bay. The head winds were strong enough to slow us from 6 knots plus down to three and a half. This was because of the heavy chop as well. We made the start area just in time for the warning gun for the first sequence and with a reefed main and jib sailed around the area until our warning and had a decent start with the wind almost dead down wind. The wind picked up again and after a short while of trying to sail wing on wing I decided the conservative sail plan was the best and we sailed with only the reefed main. Before we passed Point Atkinson we were doing a steady 8 knots with touching 9 now and then. It looked like plenty of wind for us and we were staying with the fleet. Our course was about 250 magnetic and this gave us a deep broad reach and lots of speed.

Over the next two hours the wind strengthened as as we moved out into the strait the seas grew more tumulus and bigger. It was hard to keep the boat on an even keel sailing with the one sail and the helm was sometimes very heavy and we suffered from more than one round up but generally the course was dead downwind and we were shooting down the backside of the waves with a steady recording of 12 knots plus. 13 and 14 knot plus were now regular events. We were largely on our own out there. We could see no other sails except 2 some way behind.We recorded over 15 knots.

At this point we had an accidental jibe and as the sail came through the stress was too much for the wire pennant on the main sheet which parted. There was no other damage and a repair was quickly effected with the placement of a new shackle and a direct fitting of the sheets to the boom. At this point we took the time to put in a second reef in the main. While this was accomplished we were slow in the water doing 3-4 knots and we were overtaken by a boat sailing under jib alone. This we now believe to be Incisor. We attempted to sail with the double reefed main but we were unable to hold a course without rounding up. The wind was much stronger. At this time we decided to quit the race and called in to the committee to let them know. Seas were now estimated to be up to 20 feet on a regular basis and we motored on a course for Nanaimo. Most of the time the boat was at a 15 deg heal due to the wind and the seas were slightly forward of abeam. We we making about 5.5 knots and all seemed well when the warning light for the engine heat appeared. This of course was a concern but I hoped it would be ok as it has happened before for no apparent reason. I had had the engine fully serviced the previous week and there appeared to be no problems. Water cooling was passing through the exhaust. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Contingency plans were talked about and abandoned as we spotted this mast above the waves. I could see no hull but I thought it strange that a boat would be healed that much. It was a strange thing but I now lost all sense of urgency and all my concentration was on the mast. Wind, seas, course, engine all passed back to the subconscious. Back to automatic pilot in my head. After saying, "Well we had better go over and see what that is about ", I simply turned downwind and shortly revealed to us was a boat, capsized, with no more than 2 feet out of the water but regularly over washed with the seas. Along this space were six people sitting, hanging, on.

My impression is that the seas were a little less at this point but I don't know. I did not dare to go too close to Incisor as the windward side would blow me on to the submerged craft and the leeward side had the mast. The crew of Radiant Heat were all active and talking to each other. I was busy with the piloting and circling around. May Day calls were made, The rescue collar was deployed and trailed behind. We yelled to Incisor that help was coming and they should stay with their boat. However two of their crew jumped into the water and one swam out to the trailing life sling but we were passed by. It is pretty hard if not impossible to slow a boat off the wind in 30-40 knots of wind. Then if the throttle is cut turning into the wind the boat comes to a halt without steerage. The men in the water were too close to their boat for me to pass by and turn up and circle around without fouling Incisor.

We came around again and the men were further away and this time one grabbed the rescue collar. As I could not stop the boat even at idle I was doing 5 knots and dragging him further from Incisor. He finally let go. I came around again and this time slowed down to 1-2 knots and we pulled him to the boat. As this man was large and waterlogged he was heavy! It took, I estimate, 15 minutes to get him aboard. All 4 crew had a hold but there was nothing to get a hold of. There was nowhere to hook a line on. Nobody could get a line around the man. Nobody dare let go. Finally with several concerted shouts of heave the man was moved an inch at a time inboard over the side and under the lifelines and then he was aboard. He went head first down the companionway.

By now Incisor was a quarter mile or more away so we went back to circle around. 200 yard from Incisor we suddenly saw a man in the water. We were going upwind at this time and so I did a parking job next to the man and as he came along side he was grabbed. Same procedure all over again. This time everyone was more tired. The man in the water was weak. Another 10-15 minutes saw him finally pulled aboard, but not before we thought we had lost him. Several times his head went below the water. Finally a leg was lifted up and the crew with more coordinated shouts of heave finally got him aboard.

The Coastguard had now arrived and we turned for Nanaimo, One of the rescued had severe hypothermia in stage two and uncontrollable shivering. One was sick. Our crew helped them strip off and gave them dry bedding . An hour later we finally made it to sheltered waters and handed our passengers over to the RCMP Cat who had followed us in. All this while the engine ran with the hot light on and we made it into Nanaimo harbour and docked without mishap.(After adding oil and checking out the motor I ran the engine for 7 hours with no red light appearing while motoring back to North Saanich, Was it the oil light on??)

Our crew (in no particular order ) of Rick Slauenwhite, Stefan Gashus. Blair Kelly and Bill Schuss are to be commended for the way they worked together and achieved the unlikely and pulled two people from the water."

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

1. I think the Race Committee should have called the race and postponed it pending clarification of the weather forecast. Category II is for inland protected waters. The Straits are not that protected and in some regard are worse than open ocean being subject to shallow waters and stronger currents.

2. Most skippers should have decided not to sail. Admittedly this is a hard call when you have paid the money and done all the preparation. I should not have gone but did.

3. There should be a morning meeting and not just for skippers but for all crew with a final weather update which is 12 hours more current than the one we received.

4. The inflatable floatation devices are useless when being rescued and hauled aboard. One of the men had his ripped right over his head. He was left hanging on the side of the boat in a storm with no floatation gear to keep him afloat . If the crew had to let go he would have been drowned shortly afterward.

5. It should be mandatory that all crew wear proper harness at all time as well as floatation devices. Radiant Heat has gear that can be quickly attached to the topping lift and hauled up the mast to a sufficient height, then the other end can be attached to the harness and the 4:1 purchase would have allowed the person to be hauled aboard. The person hanging on to the rescue collar did not wear it as described and none of our crew thought to tell him to put it on so it was impossible to use the tackle to get the man aboard. This is attributable to lack of preparedness and lack of practice. This includes me too.

6. All harness must have a crotch strap to prevent it being pulled over the head of the person wearing it.

7. Category I,II,II or IV requirements should mean all boats are inspected prior to racing and not allowed to race if not compliant. The committee has then done their due diligence as far as boat safety is concerned

8. Skippers should take the time to explain the safety equipment and tackle to the crew. They should sign a statement to the Race committee that the crew is familiar with the boat and equipment.

9. Maybe Coastguard can put on some courses for us to learn the best procedures needed to rescue people in the water.For example I do not know if it would have been easier to get the men aboard from the windward side. Perhaps the waves would wash them aboard. On the other hand the freeboard was reduced to a foot on the leeward side.None of these comments are to attach blame or are of a personal nature. These are things I have learned from last weekend. We must be better prepared. The next storm may be on the way home tomorrow

Regards,Tony BroganRadiant Heat

Mike Whatley skipper of VOLARE (Beneatua 323):

"Sitting in plumper cove retired from southern straits when the wind topped 40 knots and we had a new speed record12.3 knots ooooh was a blast. "

Ty Abrams crew on OCCAM's RAZOR:

"Pretty unreal boys,Occam's limped into Nanaimo going 10 knots with no main and a blown out #4. Blew the main up too. Surfing at 15 knots - a bunch of huge wipeouts, once we got pinned down for about 10 minutes until we could get her back up. We lost a guy through the lifelines on the biggest wipeout, managed to get him back pretty quick."

ARASHI posted on SailingX:

"On Friday morning we left the bay aboard Kiva with two reefs in the main and a number three. However, coming out of the bay, we decided to take the reefs out, since up ahead we noticed a few boats flying their spinnaker. Though, after seeing two kites blow out, we we quickly thought it'd be a good idea to put the reefs back in. Coming out of the bay our ground speed was averaging 17 knots as we surfed the waves. We were all having a great time until a gust of wind hit us, rounded us up, and were hit by a four meter wave which rolled the boat over and resulted in two men overboard. Fortunately, the entire crew was tethered in and recovering them was relatively easy.At this point, we decided to drop all sails and head into Nanaimo as fast as possible. Despite having no sails up, the 110 km gusts of wind still had us cruising at 7 knots over ground.As we headed toward shelter, we came across one de-masted boat, we asked if they needed help, but unfortunately their was little we could do. Thankfully the crew was managing the circumstances with control.We continued to face four meter waves until we got to Entrance Island, at which point the seas seemed calm and manageable. In Nanaimo harbour, the wind was gusting 50 knots. We tied up with other boats and all shared our survival stories over a few well deserved glasses of rum. This weekend has made me realize how much I appreciate my crew and just how quickly things can go completely sideways. I am definitely grateful that everyone made it back to shore safe and sound. I look forward to racing with them all again under less extreme circumstances."

Peter Lagergren:
"This year's jacket motto is "I Survived Southern Straits 2010". This traditional Northwest Easter regatta goes across and up and down and across the Straits of Georgia starting from Vancouver and finishing in Vancouver. The race is always a roll of the dice - some years it doesn't blow and the most Vmg you'll make is from the tidal currents that trek up and down the Straits to years where gales rip through and everyone gets to find out which boat bits they should have maintained before the fun started. Then there are the years where you get a little of both - drift some, have a gale for a while, drift for awhile and so on. Cold too - there is always snow on the mountain tops around Vancouver this time of year so it ain't the Caribbean. The weather briefing at the skippers meeting on Thursday night had the Environment Canada guy explaining how their forecasting model was pretty good but not perfect and he expected the actual event to be worse than forecast and maybe you guys should go skiing instead.

This race always draws the big sleds from Seattle so the press gets to have a field day photographing and yakking about the big-boat royalty showing up and it is all in all A Big Production. Which isn't meant to marginalize the seriousness of this years event - this year the Canadian Coast Guard was called out for 5 rescues, 1 boat sank, two sailors were in hospital with severe hypothermia and in critical condition, 2 masts were lost, 2 booms broke, 50+ sails were blown up, at least 12 people ended up in the water and there was gear carnage throughout the fleet. The forecast low pressure was 985 millibars and sustained 35 to 45 knot winds with 6-12 foot breaking seas in what is essentially a large salt water lake. The actual numbers really were worse - the barometer sank to 980 millibars, the highest gusts recorded at the weather buoys were 64 knots, the seas got really, really lumpy with cross seas reflecting off the shoreline of Vancouver Island and just making a mess of it all. Sustained winds on the course were 45+ knots pretty much over the whole area for the entire day with the 50 knot gust being the norm and some really good ones blowing through on top of that.

Not that that this year was spectacularly wild - there have been others, like Straits 2005 that got really, unexpectedly bad 18 hours into the race - but it was enough of a wake-up call to get everyone re-focused on the basics. Like don't go out in more wind than you are comfortable dealing with. Which ended up being half the boats registered - all of whom are now being smug about no damage and no injuries and no second-guessing. Too bad, because everyone who went out now has a set of heroic sea stories that will be appropriately burnished by time into "No kidding, there we were and...." (complete as appropriate). Everybody listening who wasn't there will do the "ooh ,ahhh" thing and remark on the superior skills and Iliad-ic bravery of the storyteller. You can cadge drinks for 2-3 years in yacht club bars over these stories so they really are worth something.

Three separate starts, the first for the big boats doing the 120 mile long course that is a Victoria-Maui qualifier, the second start for the go-fast guys on the 90 mile medium course and then the third start for the slower boats on the short 60 mile course. All the courses go back and forth across the Straits and the longer ones have a sausage along the east coast of Vancouver Island to get the length up. The start area is just off downtown Vancouver in English Bay and with the wind blowing from the southeast at 25 knots it is a siren song meant to suck you into going out in the Straits. Yes it is blowing but the seas are flat and it doesn't seem to be such a big deal. The big boats go off and pop their kites and start heading west the 6 miles to Georgia Strait. Everybody is thinking, "cool, we get to make a fast passage" - dream on Grasshopper, the real race starts 6 miles west where there appears to be little blue box cars running to the northwest out in the Strait.

Our 1D35, Radical Departure, was in the second start and our nemesis the 1D35 The Shadow was right in our cross hairs at the start. We both get across the line at the gun at the weather end, avoiding one moron on the wrong side of the line on port trying to get back to the start line while the whole fleet is descending on them at 10 knots on starboard. Some fairly colorful sailing ensued but once we got clear of the mayhem we got the kite up about 30 seconds after The Shadow did. Which meant they had a 200 yard lead - we did 10 knots while they did 16+ so the accordion took a deep breath. Behind us, we could hear a lot of crashing and banging and one really loud riiiiipp as someone's kite blew out. We settled in for a Nantucket sleigh ride and the pre-scheduled broaches which came and went at a nominal rate. As we got into the really strong winds out in the Strait we managed to pass The Shadow and life was good. A couple of 20 knot bursts during the big gusts and we had settled into becoming legends in our own minds and we were all sitting there readying our trophy acceptance speeches. The final kite crash was one of those operatic things with the fat lady just wailing while we laid over on our side and bits and pieces started jiggling their way loose from the hull - enough of the kite stuff, let's try the jib.

Back up and off at 14's and 16's and.....wahoo! 19's. Lumpy, lumpy, breaking seas throwing the boat all over the place but enough vertical to make for some real fun. At one point this big set of waves converged into something pretty spectacular and we rode them until they crashed with the bow out over the front of the wave and the stern on the crest while the boat speed spun down to "0" because the paddle wheel was out there reading airspeed. You should have seen the crash when the wave and us both fell into the trough; it was classically elegaic. With punctuations of knockdowns 1D's rapidly pulled out into a horizon job on the medium course fleet and caught up to the long-course boats. We sort of knew things weren't going well up front because we started passing big boats that were under bare poles or hove to and pulling down torn sails. But what are you going to do except keep the pedal to the metal? A few hours of this and we were 5 miles east of Vancouver Island and pulling away from The Shadow which caused them to park their sense of disbelief and they put up a kite again. Boy were they ever moving - they got to the scene of the accident in record speed. About 200 yards above us and doing something well over 16 knots they did a barrel roll, a half Cuban eight and a snap roll followed by an extended period of laying down in the water shrimping with the kite. We all said, boy aren't we glad we're not on that boat.

Right after which we did a hammerhead stall, a spin and a ground loop. We got the boat back upright and took off again with the resurrected Shadow about 200 yards behind. We looked up and the leech of our main was starting to tear. Uh oh, this doesn't look good, but hey it's a race and keep going until it tears. Meanwhile The Shadow has done their imitation of our last really good dippsy doodle and we end up a quarter mile ahead. Smug is a pretty accurate description of how we felt - right up until the next crash at 18 knots when the main said "bye now" and then we spent a few minutes trying to get upright and the main down, which we did. Meanwhile The Shadow is gaining on us between crashes so the race is still on. We know we are going to withdraw but we'll fight like hell until we get to the turning mark and have to go to weather, which just ain't gonna happen with just a jib.

We're still dong 14's with the jib so we aren't getting sucked in all that fast but it is inevitable and as The Shadow draws abeam we do another aerobatic maneuver and the jib parts company with all of the rest of the boat and a lot of itself. Now we get to practice basic heavy weather seamanship and get the wreckage back on board an tied down and the diesel started. While all of this is going on The Shadow catches up to us and blasts past thinking to themselves how lucky they were to not be on Radical Departure. About 200 yards later they do a barrel roll and their main and their jib blow up. I call this the 1D35 Time Release Capsule. Just add a little salt water, a good size gust and they disintegrate. It's like the two of us sailed into the no-go zone and the wind gods said "ok, you guys are through" and that was the end of that. We motored into Nanaimo surfing off these big lumps of water and tied up at the Government Dock and then it was time to watch most of the rest of the fleet stagger in after the Race Committee called it all off at 1600 hours.

A couple of the long course guys, David Surcliffe's Beneteau First 47.7 Kinetic IV and Gunnar Jonsson's C&C 44 Turicum, made it all the way to the Ballenas Island turning mark and a few of the short course boats made it to their turning mark at Nanaimo but basically most of the fleet had retired for damage by then. The current rumor is that only 4 boats were left standing when it was called off. We got a phone call that the Commodore of the host club, David Chard, lost the mast on his Dufour 38 Radiance and Julie Kadar and Dorothy Cunningham's Benetau First 38 It's Magic saw the stick go into the drink and stood by while one of the only BC Ferries still running hove to and provided a lee while Radiance got their ship in order and underway. Ian Lloyd's Schock 35 Fancy Free also had the rig go over the side and at one point were seen going like hell forward with the white sails up while the kite was in perfect trim behind and going backwards and half under water which pretty much wins them the Unique Trim Trophy.

We were sitting in the harbor bar and watching the carnage on the new arrivals and toasting the event when we saw an ambulance pull onto the Government Dock to pick up some of the crew of Clint Curries Incisor, which had sunk. Tony Brogan's J-30 Radiant Heat had retired and was motoring to Nanaimo and saw what looked like a rig standing up in the water with no boat attached. They went to investigate and found Clint and his 5 crewmates hanging onto the overturned hull. All were hypothermic by then and Clint was unresponsive when they got him aboard and one other guy aboard. The other four were pulled from the water by the Caost Guard after they arrived on location. Life is sometimes just a thread and if Radiant Heat hadn't been damaged when and where it was and been lucky enough to have seen an anomaly and smart enough to go to investigate this could very easily have been a different story. The water is stinking cold, the seas were rough and breaking and the crew of Incisor didn't have a radio or flares available. Fortunately, all recovered in hospital and went home.

There is going to be all kinds of second guessing about this race(see the SA thread here) and everyone who opines will be convinced they're right. The real bottom line is that this is a sport - a hobby where you can be terrified at 10 miles an hour but is still just a hobby and if you want to do your hobby where Mother Nature gets to call the shots you can just count on things going awry. Interestingly, boats didn't break during this - all the carnage was to gear, some of which was undersized for the conditions, some of which wasn't maintained and some of which was just used incompetently by the operators. I guess the take-away is that if you are going to play with the big dogs you better come prepared for a real fight.

By Saturday morning it was all over, the weather was great, the sun was shining and a good 20 knot breeze blew everyone back to Vancouver from the Island. How quick it turns."

Lena Sin, Vancouver Province: Saturday, April 3, 2010:

VANCOUVER — Six sailors narrowly escaped serious injury and death Friday when fierce winds tossed them overboard and sank their yacht in frigid, volatile waters off Nanaimo, B.C., during a wicked windstorm.

The Incisor, a 30-foot custom yacht racing in the 42nd annual Southern Straits Regatta, flailed helplessly as winds gusted up to 100 kilometres per hour and whitecapped swells reached as high as four metres.

The waters were so turbulent that the Incisor, skippered by North Vancouver's Clint Currie, didn't even have a chance to make a mayday call, said Capt. Greg Clarke of the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

Instead, the coast guard received word of the crisis from fellow racing yacht, the Radiant Heat, at about 2:45 p.m. The Radiant Heat managed to rescue two people, but four others were still at sea at the time.

Though a coast guard hovercraft was nearby, its crew and the officers aboard an RCMP boat still struggled to make it to the boaters, located about seven to 10 kilometres off Nanaimo, Clarke said.

"It was terrible conditions out there," he said. "The Coastal Renaissance from BC Ferries helped us block some wind, but it was terrible conditions out there."

Clarke says he believes all six sailors suffered from hypothermia. They were rushed to Nanaimo General Hospital where they fully recovered.

The six were said to be doing well Saturday, said Stephen May, spokesman for the Vancouver Island Health Authority.

Clarke criticized organizers for holding the race in the face of the wind warning issued by Environment Canada.

"We were wondering what these guys were doing out . . . especially for a mainland-to-Island crossing, I just don't know what was going on in the thoughts of those continuing to do the race despite the clear forecast of winds gusting to 50 knots at the airport," he said.
Sixty boats participated in the race, organized by the West Vancouver Yacht Club.
The regatta started off at 10:30 a.m. in West Vancouver but 15 boats returned within the first hour.

By the time the race was called off at 4 p.m., there were seven yachts still at sea, said Martin Wale, general manager of the West Vancouver Yacht Club.

"We were quite relieved that everybody was safe and nobody was hurt," he said.
Wale said organizers decided to go ahead with the race because winds were forecast to die down by 3 p.m.

The Incisor, worth an estimated $50,000 to $70,000, was last year's defending champion on the short course and was also skippered by Currie, a North Vancouver yacht builder.
"These people are qualified, seasoned, experienced sailors and none of them would go out and put themselves in these conditions . . . The people out there knew what they were doing and have sailed in this before," said Wale.

The Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre received upwards of 40 calls within 12 hours, one of the busiest days Clarke can recall in years.

Most of the calls were for unmanned boats that broke free from their moorings.

Fancy Free, one of the two boats that lost their rigs.

A sad sight.

Quote from Anarchy in response to my 'Melges 32 in 40 knots' thread. This from the owner of Icon:

"We had a number of the best M32 sailors in North America onboard during this race and we were talking about this while on the water in the actual conditions you would have experienced - the general consensus was that you might (and I repeat) might have made it to Halibut Bank right side up on the short course, but that after that you would be 100% dead.The winds and sea state in the northern part of the course (50+ knots, 15-20ft breaking seas) were such that you needed to stay under control and dramatically reduce sail area to keep from crashing. Furthermore in these conditions you would be on the edge of the operational limits of CG MLB and you would likely be on your own in frigid water if you had an accident. Plus there were no large commercial vessels on the water either - you could clearly see on AIS that they had all wisely bailed for shelter as well.This was not a windy day in protected relatively flat warm waters as some might think - in many ways this was more difficult than full on ocean sailing in storm force conditions as the waves were very steep with a short period (wind against the current) and you had limited room to run off. Even the Stevson Lifeboat bailed for Pender Harbor.As an FYI, the conditions where Incisor went down were relatively mild compared to northern part of the course and look how difficult the rescue was in that situation.You did a wise thing by staying on the dock... "

Ed, Skipper of SALUS (Ericson 27):

"...yeah, all safe & sound. Quite the ride. Was about 5 miles to the Halibut Bank mark when the boom snapped. Managed to fold the boom back on itself and continue on for a while, but when the jib blew apart we resorted to the motor which worked well when it stayed running, which it seemed to develop a tendency not to do (probably didn't like being submerged when the cockpit filled with water and drained over it). Eventually made it to Nanaimo. Probably something wrong with me, but rather enjoyed the experience. The two girls on board for the ride, not so much..."

SALUS missing her boom.

What was left.

2010 SOUTHERN STRAIT VIDEOS:

I have posted numerous sailing videos shot by the crews of the boats that participated.

Sea Weasel's New Main Sail Cover

2010-04-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

The old main sail cover was stained, leaky and literally falling apart. It was time for a change.

The main sail cover on the WEASEL was on it's last legs. It was now two tone with the top of the cover a unappetizing green. The zipper was ripped up and missing teeth and it did little to protect the main from the elements. In short it was time for a new main sail cover.

The options where to have one run off by a custom boat canvas shop at about $800 or buy a pre-made one from West Marine for less than half the cost. I also had my discount which sealed the deal. The cover from West Marine was made by Harken and came in any colour you wanted so long as it was standard marine blue. The colour was not my first choice but what the heck it was not worth the extra dollars. Additionally I could add other canvas items that would match from the West Marine inventory.

The new main sail cover in all its glory!

When looking at the cover I was surprised to see some of the intelligent features it incorporated and the quality of the product. The top of the cover wrapped tightly around the mast with a few wraps making quite a good seal.

The seal around the mast is Velcro and has a tie string.

The part of the sail cover that accommodates the head is protected on the inside by an anti-abrasion patch as is the area where winches would be (if we had any on the mast). The clips are snap shackles with nylon webbing and appear to hold well. The end of the mainsail cover is adjustable as well to fit your boom size.

The cover is tailored to fit a main sail and protect the cover from the metal head of the sail. SMART!

The end of the main sail cover is adjustable to match your boom.

All in all I have been very pleased with the cover. This simple project has made a major difference in how the boat looks. I am planning on continuing the project and adding:

Winch Covers
Tiller Cover
Padded Life Lines
Hatch Covers

All of the products accept for the hatch covers can be purchased at West Marine.

New Skipper's First Run to Bowen Island

2010-04-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

A shot of SEA WEASEL's Skippers.

After cementing the deal SEA WEASEL's new Skippers thought we should break her in by doing a traditional Saturday night sail to Bowen. It was a new experience for me as I would be along for the ride as a technical advisor and not lift a hand. Following work I made my way down to the boat which was already to go. I thought: I could get used to this.

Cheryl had come by to see us off with Kingsley. I gave the instructions on how to pull the boat out of the slip and Dave confidently through her into gear and in a few seconds had expertly rammed us into a boat neighbour. It it was not for Cheryl grabbing the bow we would have made contact. In the process of saving us and restraining Kingsley from jumping on to the boat she nearly fell into the water.

From there we set out on what would prove to be a uneventful sail over to Snug Cove. The boys practiced their maneuvers and basic navigation. I sat down below installing new gear hammocks in the boat (future blog story to come). The only excitement occurred when we found a shoe floating off Passage Island but sadly it contained no foot.

Curtis does his best to imitate Capt. Cook.

Gybing out of English Bay.

Entering Snug Cove in the twilight.

Upon entering Snug Cove the boys made their first successful docking at a "foreign" port. After putting the boat into order and Dave dropping the shore power adapter into the ocean we headed up to meet Ty Abrams of Ed up at the Bowen Island Pub.

Ty had beaten us there and was well into things with some old boating buddies. We made up lost ground and soon retired from the pub back to the WEASEL. The evening ran its usual course of telling salacious stories and sending inappropriate text messages to each others girlfriends. Sorry Linda.

Curtis' support fades when he realizes who's mother had seduced Dave at a young age.

The next morning we all met up at "the Snug" for breakfast before heading back to Vancouver. The sail back was a pleasant one with a steady wind from the Southeast. The only drama occurred again when the boat engine over heated and stalled as we passed under the Burrard Street Bridge. We coasted onto the outside of the Civic Marina and inspected the engine. The impeller was fine and after the engine cooled we motored on to the marina.

All in all a successful trip!

Beating home.

The new skippers in command of their vessel.

Meeting a "Real-Life Outdoor Hero": The Tyler Abrams Story

2010-04-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

It's not often you get to meet a real-life outdoor hero. I however had my opportunity to discover that I was in the midst of greatness for years now and never even knew it. You all probably know Tyler Abrams and his Catalina 27 ED. He and Schmidty can be seen in Hawaiian Shirts racing there 4-knot-shit-box with the rest of us mere mortals. Beneath that veneer of quite courage lays something truly awe inspiring I discovered when I came across this ad for Timberland Outdoor Wear. see below

The Cole's notes for this little piece of fiction are that Ty, being a handsome sailorman, was contacted through the West Van Yacht Club to be featured in some print ads for Timberland Outdoor Wear. Having been made an offer he could not refuse he was featured in GQ, Men's Health, and numerous other magazines sporting some Euro-Capris hauling on lines. As part of the deal they wanted him to write about some of his adventures. The result was they based this ad on him.

From the ad agencies website: "...will feature real-life outdoor hero Tyler Abrams, and his true story of being hit by a fierce storm out at sea."

Timberland's Delirium Ad Campaign featuring the story of our Tyler Abrams.

The reality is he wrote a story about how riding on a Vancouver area race boat they lost their rig in English Bay and had to deal with the wreckage and limp back to the marina. Not exactly what was featured in the ad. The rather humorous part is that they did in fact use a Catalina 27 in the ad!

All I can say is that I am honoured to have met this real-life outdoor hero.

You're secret is safe with me TY!! ;)

SEA WEASEL: A New Chapter

2010-04-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The WEASEL welcomes her knew skippers.

As many people had seen on craigslist the WEASEL was up for sale. I was grudgingly selling it to reduce my costs after my last contract had ended. It was then I was approached by Mike with a indecent proposal.

"Can I buy half of the WEASEL?"

I had always been opposed to boat shares. One I can be a little possessive and the idea of sharing the boat did not appeal to me but more to the point I thought the idea of sharing the boat with a stranger just didn't seem like a good idea. However lately I had seen boat partnerships that seemed to work really well between friends. It got me thinking.

Over beers Mike had mentioned to Curtis about his idea to buy a share. Curtis said he was interested too. Soon David was interested too. It was like a revelation. Everything started to make sense and when I picked up a new contract and could easily maintain the boat but I still thought this makes a lot of sense. The reasons were two numerous to pass up:

We all sail together all the time so on one level it doesn't make sense that one person bears all the costs.
Operating costs split 4 ways work out to just under a hundred dollars a month each for the boat. This covers: moorage, haul outs, PHRF, and Insurance.
Another consideration was the upgrade path for the boat. I was not going to be able to save up much money for the "next" boat if I was footing the full bill for this boat. Additionally I would only be able to slowly upgrade the WEASEL while footing the whole bill. This now means that we could replace every sail on the boat and add a furler in the first year alone for less than what anyone individual would have spent.
In all honesty it was the people. These guys are my best friends and when I was doing all the maintenance on the boat recently I saw how they all came out and got themselves dirty. I felt these guys really care about the boat and would make perfect partner.

With that all being said it was important that there be clear expectations and with a contract worked out, calendar, and boat bank account it should be easy to manage. I am certain that this will be a successful relationship.

So without further ado I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the new co-owners/co-skippers of SEA WEASEL:

Curtis Wensley
David Marceniuk
Micheal Schweitzer

For racing you will probably notice that we will be taking turns helming for a series and the helmsman will be listed for the skipper of that series on the results. I also want to point out with a dedicated crew of skippers and the upgrades planned for the WEASEL that all of you Division 7 skippers will need to watch out. We are throwing down the gauntlet.

Closer to Home: Heavy Weather Detour

2010-04-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Sheltering in Plumper Cove.

With Cheryl going to Oregon with a girlfriend it meant I had some time to do some much needed sailing. That's when I came up with my ambitious plan to head to Jedediah Island single handed and spend the week there. The night before I started making detour plans when I saw the weather report calling for winds in the Strait between 25-35 knots and building to 45 knots over night. While a gale warning gives me pause for thought it by know way means I stay home. The wind would be from the South East and I could reach all the way up with the wind behind me. What did give me pause for thought was the fact I would be single handing and dragging a dinghy. Dragging a swamped dinghy is no fun.
I decided to head out bright and early and see what developed. My plan of Jedediah could be changed to an outside passage to the Gibson's area instead. I was rigged to go with the small jib lashed to the deck the main reefed and myself harnessed in. Kingsley was the only company as we motored out into English Bay. By the barge buoy the wind was blowing over twenty and I cut the engine.
Being on a run I shook out the reefs in the main and left the jib on deck. The boat was doing six knots and handling well. As I reached Jericho the wind started to really fill in and I found the boat picking up speed: six and a half, seven, eight, nine... The speed just kept coming and I was overtaking waves and riding down them. The dinghy was skidding wildly behind me. The run was almost all straight VMG as I rocketed towards Gibsons.
I quickly realised this would be a mistake to keep going to Jedediah and made my plans to duck into Plumper Cove as I passed it. Without a doubt this was one of the quickest runs I have ever made getting there in just over three hours. My average ground speed was 8.3 knots! I had a great run but had nothing to prove and was more than happy to get out of the weather.
I found Plumper Cove deserted except for one boat. I opted to tie to the dock as it would make walking the dog easier. There were no park fees at this time too so it was a easy decision. With the boat put away I explored the empty park with Kingsley before settling down to a night at dock.

Drip Dry.

As night fell a fishing boat rumbled into the cove to take shelter from the building storm in the strait. I rowed out to the boat. I found the two crew processing a big catch of Prawns. I handed them $10 and in return received a huge bag of prawns still twitching and alive just hauled from the ocean. I rowed back laughing as the prawns wriggled around in the bag; what a deal! At the dock I stood up and threw the bag on the dock. At that exact moment unseen ferry wake hit the cove and was knocked off balance. I took a step back and the dinghy filled with water and capsized and I lunged for the dock. Grabbing the side I was able to hold on two the dock. I worked my way along the dock until I reached the WEASEL and pulled the swim ladder down where I was able to climb up into the boat. While I am not going to say the water was warm, it was less cold than I expected. In the cockpit I stripped naked and hung the clothing to dry before running down below to change. All cleaned up and with the dinghy recovered I fired up the diesel heater in the main cabin and fried up some prawns.

Camp fire in one of the sites on Keats.

Kingsley can do this for literally hours.

The next day was a lazy one. I spent my time reading, playing with the dog and eating fresh prawns. I met my neighbour at the dock. A retired Swiss man who had been living aboard his 26' sailboat TABASCO. I had seen this boat all the time anchoured out in False Creek. It was a little odd but "to each his own".

Ugh...

The next day I headed over to Gibsons to spend a day or two. I had plans to spend only one night, resupply and head over to Gambier but it was getting colder and rainier so I opted for two days at Gibsons. I find the marina staff friendly and the rates extremely affordable.

After my time at Gibsons I motored and sailed back through the inside route making the usual five hour journey back to Vancouver. While it was smart not to reroute to Howe Sound rather than the epic run to Jedediah, the island is still on the list of must dos.

Jedeiah Island Trip

2010-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Located in the Georgia Strait North of Naniamo.

Jedediah Island Marine Park was established in 1995 after a fundraising campaign raised enough money to get the donated Palmer homestead and entire island converted into a park. Its remote location makes it one of Canada's best marine parks. Some of the attractions are the abandoned homestead, feral sheep, and amazing geography.

The likely route there (red) and back (green).

My plan is to sail the 45 NM to J.I. in one day, wind permitting. On the return trip if the prevailing SE wind holds true Naniamo would make a ideal midway point. The next day it would be a broad reach sailing back to Vancouver.

Satellite image of the island.

One of the homestead buildings.

The little bay I hope to make an anchorage.

SEA WEASEL Back in Action!

2010-02-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

The SEA WEASEL repair video.

I am pleased to report that WEASEL is back in action and has been wetted and taken out for a trial. Since the last report Stem to Stern Marine came down to the boat and completed the mechanical work. The broken prop-shaft was replaced as was the engine coupling (holds the shaft to the transmission) and the rear engine mounts. In addition the stuffing box was upgraded from a traditional dripping one to a new PSS drip less stuffing box (YEAH!) and a new cutlass bearing was installed (the bearing in the little arm that holds the end of the prop shaft near the propeller). After a alignment was completed the boat was lifted and dropped back in the water by the boys at Granville Island Boat Yard. The following weekend I went and replaced the broken stanchion base.

Since all the repair work I have taken the boat out for a overnight mid-week run to Bowen Island and found that the engine vibrated less and the boat was generally faster motoring and sailing; big surprise. Now it is time to get back out cruising and racing like always.

Hull Maintenance

2010-01-31T16:57:00.000-08:00

The WEASEL out of the water at the Granville Island Boatyard for her prop-shaft replacement. This was a perfect opportunity to do some work on the hull.

When the prop shaft was broken on the boat and we had to haul it out to repair it there was no way I could in good conscience put the boat back in the water with out taking care of the hull. The paint job that was intended to last one year was on its second and the boat had slowed right down.

The plan was to have the boat hauled out so Stem to Stern could do the replacement on the prop shaft and over the weekend I would attack the hull. We wanted to paint it, put new zincs on it and polish the hull above the water line. Basically I had two days to do the work that would have taken me a week; so I put out a call for help. I got a overwhelming response from friends and family. Some contributed money, others time, and some both. With all this help and a short time line I had to be prepared.

I knew the first step was to minimize running to the store and make sure I had everything I needed. I put together a pretty thorough list of equipment. From past experience I remember getting utterly filthy so this time I spent some extra money and got gear to keep us clean. This would make the process less painful over all. Here is my equipment list with few omissions:

EQUIPMENT:

The Random Orbital Sander. This device is really effective at taking the paint off. Make sure to have a lot of discs. We also employed two other palm-sanders which worked but were not as effective. This Black and Decker model did break at the very end of the sanding. It may be repairable or you may want to think about buying a better product.

I switched from Interlux's ACT to Micron CSC because of its better quality. In the end with my discount a West Marine I could afford to go with this paint. It is a ablative like ACT but has more even wearing and is good for at least two years.

Rags. I used 5 bags of rags!

Orbital sanding discs. I used 40, 60, 80 grit discs for the really ugly work. The key I found with these is to change them often. I used about 18 on the hull.

Good quality 3M 80 grit wet-dry sand paper for the palm sanders.

Paint scrapers. This model is not very good. I bought two additional ones from West Marine with Carbide blades that were the bees knees. Normally if it is a one man job you only need one but with 6 volunteers I got multiple.

A simple razor scraper is good if you have any dried on anti-fouling above the water line.

Solvent for cleaning anything with paint on it is essential.

FSR - Fibre-glass Stain Remover uses a mild acid to leach stains out of fibre glass. It is a good product. Interlux also has a product with a good reputation but this was more easily accessible. It is really useful for getting off the yellowing around the water-line. I bought three tubs.

The Magic Eraser was all Mike's idea. I was impressed. This is a mild abrasive but did wonders on all the scuff marks on the hull. See the photos for results.

Goggles are essential for the sanding phase. They are not terribly useful to see through as they fog up right away and quickly are covered with anti-fouling sludge.

Pacific Yachting reported they got their best polish results with basic West Marine Polish; so I tried there new version of cleaner wax. I bought two containers but one was sufficient. It worked well. I will let you know how it stands up over time.

The random orbital polisher is a must have for waxing the hull. This one however died and I was forced to purchase a new one. I am not going to keep any power tools in the dock box anymore.

Plastic Drop clothes work for catching paint chips on the ground and tenting off the boat. I used a t total of 6.

These things not only make you look cool but limit the amount of your face that get covered in anti-fouling dust. I also found they helped with the seal on the dust masks.

Polishing clothes for the polisher.

Paint roler tray.

Cheap wooden brushes for cutting in. Anti-fouling paint is pretty gross so I treated these as disposable.

I bought two chemically resistant paint rollers. The second one did start to fall apart by the end of the last coat so another brand may be worth a try.

I purchased 3 rolls of masking tape but found I used less than one. This stuff is designed not to leave residue behind so make sure you buy the right colour.

Zincs for the cutlass and prop-shaft. Make sure you have the right Allan keys on hand to mount them.

The right mask makes all the difference in the world. The N95 is the mask they use at the CDC when treating TB patients and when I used it I got none of the anti-fouling dust in my lungs. Well worth it.

Other tools employed, were numerous extension cords, screw drivers, and ladders.

THE REPORT

PHASE ONE: Getting there

The first task was to get the boat over to the boat yard. The insurance company was not cool with me sailing it over there or having a buddy tow me anywhere so I hired C-Tow. I showed up at the boat with Dave on a rainy work day. They were 20 minutes late. We pushed the WEASEL out into the fairway and I stayed on board and fended off while Dave held the bow. When in position they tossed me a tow line which I tied off on the bow cleat.

Soon we were motoring off at 10 knots with me steering the boat trying to keep it centred behind the tow boat. I didn't want the tow line coming forward and putting any undo pressure on the pulpit. I did feel the tow was a bit on the fast side.

The view from the cockpit as C-Tow tows me.

Going under the Granville Street Bridge.

When we got to Granville Island Boat Yard it was a tricky thing to get into the slip area in front of the travel lift. I had them run me in and let go of me so that I could coast/scull in. This was a little dramatic as the tow boat almost hit a parked Hunter with the owners watching but the guy at the helm of the tow boat was skilled. I sculled my way in and Jason, of SHAWPAW fame, helped tie me off. We had made it.

Video of the SEA WEASEL being towed.

PHASE TWO: The assessment

The WEASEL was setup in a nice corner of the yard close to the electric outlets. Getting the hoses over there took some doing but was not bad.

The port side profile.

Pressure washing had taken off a fair bit of paint. Notice the sling protected some of the hull from the washing; pretty grimy.

By the time I got there the prop was removed.

Gudgeon and pintal mounts exposed.

This needs some work.

Exhaust staining makes me want to cry. The boat looks filthy.

The keel needs some love. There was also a old ding in the trailing edge of the keel.

Note the chip in the keel, the stains and scuffs above the water line. Ugly.

PHASE THREE: Scrapping and Sanding

First thing first; prepare the boat and ourselves. I had 6 volunteers so we all suited up in disposable jump suits, gloves, spray socks, masks, and goggles. We then tarped off the boat and set down dop sheets on the ground.

The WEASEL shrowded in plastic.

Now the fun began. We attacked the hull with the scrappers first. We got off anything loose. This is where the good quality scrappers showed their worth over the cheap yellow handled ones. With three people at it we made short work. Another three began following up with Plam and orbital sanders. Again the better quality orbital sander could do way more damage than the palm sanders.

I wish I could say that I discovered the "trick" to taking off old bottom paint but I didn't. It was back breaking work and the only solution was sweat and tears.

Curtis goes back in for some more sanding.

D-Hog; looking like a homeless man.

My Dad, oddly clean...

Tom hard at it with the sander.

My dad, cleaning off the cutlass.

Having more than one sander and lots of volunteers to spell people off and help with reloading sand paper made it less of a chore.

They look like coal miners.

The keel sanded down.

At this stage the boat looks even worse than before.

It is hard to see and looks like nothing is there but the ding in the trailing edge of the keel has been filled with epoxy puddy and sanded down.

The rudder is almost bare.

Okay maybe I am being weird but this feels dirty.

Another shot of the keel.

PHASE FOUR: Painting

After we gave up on sanding we removed all of the plastic sheeting and hosed down the whole hull of the boat. At this stage we applied the FSR to the hull above the water line. We let it sit for about 15 minutes and washed it away. It makes a big difference and we went around again and applied it to some of the more stained areas. Then it was time to hose it off for the last time. we gave it some time to dry. It was raining so we slung some tarps over the topsides to keep the rain off the hull as much as possible.

We then began to mix the paint by hand which is a pain in the butt. I would recommend going to a paint shop and having someone mix it up for you. I was not sure how much paint we would use so I had bought about 5 litres and hoped to be able to return the 1 litre tin if I didn't use it.

Painting was pretty easy. We had two people brushing and one roller going. My dad is a great painter and he opted to cut in at the waterline without masking it off. He didn't go over the line once. The other guys with the brushes concentrated on the thru-hulls, and little areas I could not reach with the roller. By the end the boat was starting to look better. We headed back to my place for drinks and dinner which Cheryl had been preparing.

The bottom paint applied and the stains removed.

The FSR really took up the yellow staining near the waterline.

The first coat done. Day one complete!

PHASE FIVE: Final coat and waxing

The next morning it was just Mike and I down at the boat. We immediatly set to putting the second coat on since it was barely raining. This went smoothly but I did have to open up the second tin of paint. I also made sure to leave enough extra paint to do the area covered by the pads just before the boat is put back in the water. The anti-fouling was looking good now. I went back and mounted the cutlass zinc and the job was done.

Looking good. Notice that the trailing edge of the keel is all fixed up.

A close up of my repair work.

SEA WEASEL gets a new zinc.

A side profile. I will have to get under the pads when the boat is lifted.

Mike and I then prepared to wax the hull above the waterline. Mike got a bright idea and suggested we go buy some "magic erasers" to try and get the numerous scuffs up. I was skeptical but went along with it. It was amazing. They are a mild abrasive and with a little bit of elbo grease they lifted up all of the scuffs and black marks off the hull. Good idea Mike!

Next we tag teamed waxing the hull. I applied the wax and Mike followed me with the polisher. I then went back and attacked it with a buffing cloth until he was done and changed the pads on the polisher and went at it. The results were amazing. The WEASEL has never looked so good.

It is hard to believe this is the exhaust hole!

The hull free of scuffs and looking good.

Again the hull looks amazing.

Shiny!

Add a prop shaft and she is ready to go!

CONCLUSION

This is my the third bottom job I have done in my life and by far the easiest. Having lots of help was key as was being prepared and having the right equipment. While there is still the matter of having the mechanical systems put back together I think that the boat will be back in action and better than ever.

The final inspection.

ACKNOWLEDMENTS

I would like to sincerely thank the following people for sacraficing there time to help me fix up the WEASEL; without your help it would not have been possible. I feel truely lucky to have friends like you.

Mike
Curtis
Darryl
Tom
Johnny
David
Cheryl

Also to those that donated money to the cause I would like to thank you for your genorisity you know who you are.

Sea Weasel Repair Party After Party

2010-01-27T08:52:00.001-08:00

The WEASEL is about to be re-commissioned and sent back into service!

Well the big weekend is upon us. The WEASEL will be recommissioned soon. This Thursday is confirmed as the day the boat is coming out of the water. Dave and I will be helping the towing company get the boat over to Granville Island Boat Yard. Where Stem to Stern will begin the work on the prop-shaft replacement and all the related work.

Our days will be the Saturday and Sunday when we will have access to the boat to do the hull work. The main goals will be to sand and re-antifoul the hull below the water line, clean and polish the hull above the waterline, and add new zincs. Most of the work will be done Saturday with Sunday being reserved for a second coat of paint and final polishing.

The generous support I have received with this project by crew and friends has been overwhelming. To show my appreciation I am inviting everyone over to our apartment for a home cooked meal and drinks. This can be a gross job and I really appreciate the help.

Remember if your drinkin' to make sure you have a way home.

Aussie Jessica Watson Sailing Around the World at 16

2010-01-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

Jessica Watson, on her S&S 34 PINK LADY.

I guess in Australia they make girls from something different than they do here. The other day I heard for the first time about this little sailor chick from Australia, Jessica Watson, and her plan to sail around the world singlehanded and non-stop.

Many of us cannucks may be a little cynical after a quickly failed attempt by a local young woman who tried the same feat and failed a few days off shore. This girl isn't just planning to do this epic voyage she has already rounded Cape Horn!

It is interesting to see a number of young women from around the world making these attempts. We all know of the 13 year old Dutch Girl who is hell bent on being the youngest girl to sail around the world, and the well publicised government intervention. I think it must have something to do with the worlds fastest solo non-stop cricumnavigator Ellen MacArthur. Perhaps she has inspired a new generation of aggressive young female sailors.

The sailor girl out in the big blue.

The funny thing is that I think a lot of over analyze things and never just go for it. It is inspiring to see someone who may not have the years of experience or the latest and greatest boat go out get what she wants. I hope that Jessica is able to realize her dream and make it around the world safely. Good Luck!

On a side note does this story not seem familiar to the one in the Australian 2003 film "Visitors" ?

Her latest video; rounding Cape Horn.

Her Website: http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/

PRODUCT REVIEW:

2010-01-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

PYI's PSS - Drip-less Stuffing Box.

I thought in the run up to the maintenance work I am doing on the boat I would go over a few of the products I have chosen to use on the WEASEL. When I do the installation I will put up a follow up article with some of my findings.

The Problem:

One of the few things I hate about sailing and in particular about my boat is the "damp" and cleaning up bilge water. My main problem is that the bilge water doesn't just stay in the bilge but winds up all over the boat: under settees, in cupboards, etc. The water is free to migrate around the boat because the bilge is designed to allow water to flow down into the bilge. The problem is when you tip the boat on its sides and allow it to bash through the waves this nasty bilge water can get everywhere.

To solve the issue I cannot seal up the bilge, have a way to get it out once it gets there or stop the water from getting their in the first place. I am not about to seal up the bilge as that would eliminate its main function. I have installed bilge pumps already and they always leave a 1" puddle in the bottom of the bilge. The real solution is to stop the water from getting in.

Water gets into the boat from rain water seeping in through leaks on the topsides or through fittings or holes in the hull. When I first got the WEASEL there were a few topside leaks around windows but I rebedded everything until they stopped. All of the hull fittings were secure but water still got it. The culprit was my stuffing box.

The traditional stuffing box when working well, which mine was not. Should allow for 8-10 drops of water a minute when the engine is in gear. Over several hours use this water builds up in the bilge and is sloshed around the boat before it can be removed. My stuffing box was probably dripping 30 drops per minute and needed replacement.

The Solution:

I could replace the old worn out box with a new version of the same thing. I would still have water constantly entering the boat. Instead I opted to upgrade to the PYI PSS (Packless Shaft Seal). This product does not require a constant flow of water through the seal. It uses a metal on metal seal to prevent water entering the boat.

The product has a strong reputation and has been in use for a number of years. It is the only product I am aware of the market that is truly drip-less. I am hoping after installing this that the boat will be truly leak free and address the annoying mopping up I have to do over and over again.

The seal's side profile.

A standard installation.

Install Video:

website: http://www.shaftseal.com/

SEA WEASEL Repair Plan

2010-01-14T08:51:00.001-08:00

Granville Island Boat Yard.

Finally! The WEASEL is getting repaired! This has been the longest spell of me not sailing in the entire time I have owned the SEA WEASEL. In some ways it has been a good thing because I was getting a little OCD about the whole thing. That being said I am happy to finally have a date for the repair work that needs to be completed. So here’s the plan:

The Plan:

Dates: January 28th – February 1st

Schedule:

Thursday:
-C-Tow to tow SEA WEASEL from HCM to GI Boat Yard
-WEASEL hauled out and blocked
-Stem to Stern to begin prop-shaft replacement work
Note: In the evening I plan on coming down and inspecting the work that I will need to do. In particular I may want to remove the rudder to get at the lower gudgeon and pintail which has some play in it.

Friday:
-Stem to Stern to continue prop-shaft replacement work.
-Hull Scrapping; I will be coming down and scrapping of any obvious growth or loose paint in preparation for sanding.

The grossest job on the planet.

Saturday:
-Above the waterline hull cleaning. The boat will need to be treated with FSR to remove any staining above the waterline.
-Sanding below the waterline. This should be a fairly light sanding. Having done a more thorough job at the last haul out and switching to an ablative paint it should mean this will be straight forward.
-Hull Waxing. Above the waterline the boat will need to be polished with a cleaner wax using a random orbital polisher.
-Anti-fouling Painting. As early in the day as possible we will want to apply anti-fouling paint. We will be using Interlux ACT (black). The first coat I may use a red paint so I can determine when it is wearing thin but I am not certain on this point.

The bottom paint I use; it wears away like a bar of soap so there should be a minimum of sanding.

Sunday:
-Hull Waxing: Today using a dedicated hull polish over all hull surfaces above the waterline.
-2nd Coat of Anti-fouling.

Monday:
-Stem to Stern to complete mechanical work.
-Zincs to be installed
-Boat dropped; with quick painting of the pad spots on the hull.

HELP THE WEASEL:

I will be needing help so I am asking that anyone who is available to help; in particular on Saturday and Sunday let me know if you can come and assist.

I will need help with:

-Sanding
-Waxing
-Painting
-Running (I always need to go by the store and pick stuff up)
-Morale Support

You should know that this is gross work; and no matter what the conditions the work will be going ahead. It could also last long into the night. Dress in clothes you would rather never wear again.

Assuming that you are all coming down the job would be a lot easier if we had additional tools. If you have a power sander and/or a random orbital polisher please let me know. This will speed the work considerably.

BLOG NOTE:

I will be writing a repair report on this event. I will include all of the tools, and materials used; plus any relevant notes. I will include as many pictures and video as possible; so stay tuned.

2010 42nd Southern Straits Classic Announced

2010-01-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

The courses have been changed up for the Southern Straits race for 2010.

I remember after completing my first Southern Straits on the WEASEL last year I swore I would never do that hellish race again. I was exhausted, hungry, wet, cold, and miserable. Two weeks later I was planning my come back for 20 10.

For anyone who has done this race before they realize it is as much a test of endurance, and seamanship than race tactics. The teams that can keep the most switched on and on top of their game are the ones that will succeed. One has to be prepared for a lot and be prepared to manage being on their boat for over 24 hours. The race has seen light flukey drifters to 50+ knot winds with vessels damaged and the others running for shelter. In recent years the number of boats of the same size and rating of SEA WEASEL have been in decline. We hope that this year we will see a revival of the 4-knot-shit-box fleet in the race.

Last year was a first and while I thought I was prepared I found that we had made a number of mistakes that lead to the trip being more arduous than necessary. The challenge was that of space and crew management. We initially went with 6 crew and initially thought we would have two three man shifts and go through 4 hour rotations. In the end we all stayed up until midnight and then one by one crashed or became incapacitated with sea sickness. This left two people to bring the boat to the finish line alone for the last five hours of the race.

In addition to not following a set schedule we brought way too much gear and food. In the end we literally never opened any of the gear bags we brought. This gear not only took up most of the space down below but in the light conditions at the beginning of the race had a impact.

We were all impacted by cold, fatigue, and some of us by sea sickness. This all could have been dressed ahead of time. The schedule would have helped with the fatigue. Having a better schedule would have allowed us two go below from time to time and get warm. For those with a propensity for sea sickness. Pre-medicating would have eased their suffering dramatically and allowed them to not only be more useful but help themselves stay more comfortable.

This year Team SEA WEASEL will take part in the race and implement the lessons learned from the year before. This year there will be only four people on the boat in a effort to give a little bit more room for everyone. If you are interested in crewing contact me.

Race Details:

web: www.southernstraits.ca

dates: April 2nd-4th 2010

UPDATE: SEA WEASEL Repair

2010-01-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

I have been asked by a lot of peopl where the repair is at and when the WEASEL will be back on the water. Here is the latest:

I have collected all of the quotes for the insurance company and will be sending them the quotes on Monday. When I get the final go ahead I will be booking the yard. My plan is to have a weekend to work on the boat's hull. I will be hitting all of the regular crew to come down and help me get it ready; so stay tuned.

The repairs themselves should take no more than two days. My goal is to have the boat back in the water by the end of the month or the first week of February.

The main obstacle is money for the deductable and bottom paint so let me know if your rich and want to bail me out.

~Tyler

SEA WEASEL Down!!

2009-11-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

The day started off like any other Polar Bear Series day; cold and wet. We set about lightening the boat and rigging it for the race. As we moved out to into False Creek we noticed the engine was making more noise than usual. It was then we heard the engine make a different noise and start running much smoother as though they it had been slipped into neutral. I quickly realized the prop shaft had snapped.

We checked first to see if we were taking on water; which we were not. We quickly lost all head way so with the wind in our favour flowing into the creek from the West we bore away. Dave and I got up the main sail to the first reef and left it at that. Mike got the bumpers out on our port side and got ready to fend off with the boat hook in hand. This was going to be hairy.
The plan of attack was to come in under main alone drop it and loosen the sheet as we turned into the slip. There was no really opportunity to spill wind coming in on a run hence the choice to go with a heavily reefed main. We would be coming in fast so Dave was going to jump off and hold the boat on. We have a drift off slip so that was a added challenge.

We came in easily under sail and at the last time turned into the slip dropped the main and loosened the sheets. We were hot and the boat was too much to slow down and hit the dock. Luckily I had fenders on the dock so it was a gentle bump and no damage. When I inspected the prop shaft from the dock and saw that it had try to fly off the boat but the zincs I had put on right behind the cutlass bearing for that exact reason had stopped it. We were lucky with the wind and that we were not leaking water into the boat now we have to begin the painful and expense of process of repairing the boat before we can sail her again. For the next several months the boat is out of commission.

British Virgin Island Trip

2009-11-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

The ain't Virgin anymore!

Mr. Bramble approached me 6 months ago asking if we wanted to go to the British Virgin Islands on a sailing holiday. We said we couldn't afford it but he wore us down; with offers of a free ride if we would skipper a boat. One boat soon turned into 3 and then 4. It fast became apparent that it had the makings of an epic adventure and we could not refuse. In the end it was 30 people 4 boats (two were Beneatau 47.3, one 46, and a 42.3), and one week in the British Virgin Islands.

St.Thomas' ferry terminal on the USVI.

Being busy with a new job I didn't really think much about the event until the day before we left. We hoped on the new Canada Line and made our way to the airport. There were a fair number of us going out on the same flight and we began forming up in the international departure wing. The flights there were anything but direct. We flew first to LAX and took two buses to get to our connecting flight. From there we flew to Puerto Rico and after that on to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. From St. Thomas we took cabs to the ferry company (expect to pay per person $8 USD, I want to be a cabbie!). From there it was a ninety minute ferry ride to Road Town the capital of the BVI where we cleared customs. By the time we made it to the charter company we were all exhausted and there was no way we were going to be heading out that day; instead we opted to remain at the dock.

My new command JUSTICE.

Cheryl and Trevor.

As I had said I had not done any real research on the company the boats or what we would be doing. I had no idea what to expect. I was a little concerned as our cab ran us down a dirty run down industrial park and I saw a beat up hand painted sign for BVI Yacht Charters. My initial concern was completely misplaced. I had heard horror stories of other people's charter experiences with third rate companies. This one was nothing like that. The people on the dock and in the office were friendly, honest and really knowledgeable. I would happily refer anyone to this company (see the link below). We were shown to our vessels which were in great shape. All of them were equipped with all the cruising gear you could want including AC! We were given a thorough run down on all the systems on the boat and a chart briefing with some advice on the "must see areas". We were also fortunate to have Tom's Dad (a BVI local) come down and give us some valuable advice on where to go. We spent our first night jumping off the docks and exploring around Road Town. The next morning we set about provisioning the boat. On our boat, JUSTICE, we opted to go in on food together and avoid eating ashore. We also setup a kitty for all boat related expenses. This was a excellent idea; we had all the funds pooled for mooring, fuel, extra fuel, and any other expenses that came up. There was no hounding anyone for their share of everything we did. Provisioning in Road Town was easy there were three grocery stores within a 10 minute walk. They were reasonably well equipped. The prices were about on par with what you would pay at home. Some processed foods where pricy so we avoided those. Our favorite items were fresh hot chilies and avocados the size of footballs (I am not kidding). One of the stores was a "Costco" styled shop but it was closed the Sunday morning so we missed out on that. Alcohol was quite cheap, in particular 60 oz of Rum was about $8 USD, all other alcohol was much cheaper than Canada but not Rum was the bargain drink. Like a bunch of homeless people the crew brought two shopping carts of provisions back to the marina. We also loaded up on some of the snorkeling gear the Charter Company offered up for free. If you are going make sure that you check to see if it works. Many people had to share equipment after we got out there because the gear was broken. A quick dive off the dock would have solved this. With the boat loaded up we got underway. On our boat one of the crew had ignored our warnings that we would be leaving soon. She was left at the dock and had to catch a ride on Bramble's boat that was going to wait until later to leave.

The view from BVI Yacht Charter's base in Port Purcell.

Cheryl and her crew race out to take the lead on our run to the "Indians".

We make our attempt to overtake GIANTA but Cheryl forces me up.

Team SEA WEASEL without me?!

Making another attempt to overtake Cheryl.

The "Indians" are the three rocks grouped together in the centre. A good snorkeling site.

Our first destination was Norman Island, but before we got there we tied up to the mooring buoys at "the Indians" a rock formation off Norman Island. The sail over the Indians was amazing 16 knots of breeze from the North East made for a nice reach. We had some initial difficulty getting the main hoisted without getting it fouled in the lazy jacks. Cheryl took this opportunity to get ahead of us. Now the race was on. We sped after them and gained slowly. Not to be over taken she forced us up and kept us at bay. I got my break though and was able to get on top of her stealing her wind and getting ahead. I won't say we left her in our dust but we got to the Indians well ahead of her boat (she probably would have corrected over us). There was some excellent snorkeling and Ruan went on what would become a fruitless hunt for lobsters. The snorkeling was pretty good here (no Belize) but pretty good.

Frog man Tyler ready for action.

Ruan takes some time out from "lobster hunting" to blow a bubble ring.

Pirate's at the Bight.

After several hours of snorkeling and splashing around we sailed over to the Bight on Norman Island. We followed Tom's Dad's advice and took up moorings near the Pirate's resort and as far from the infamous Willey T's as possible. From here we played around exploring the pub on shore. Ruan and Antony went hiking and came back bloody tired and telling hair raising tales of giant land crabs that could crush your skull. I had myself hoisted to the top of the mast in the boson’s chair provided and got some great scenic shots. Too bad my camera was not working and they didn't really turn out. After dinner and drinks we all opted to go to the Willey T to here what all the legends were about. It did not disappoint. The Willey Thornton was a wooden Baltic Trader brought to the BVI in 1989 and anchoured at Norman Island where it was turned into a floating pub and developed a reputation for crazy hedonistic parties. In 1997 during one of these parties the Willy T sank. It was refloated and sunk off a neighbouring island as a artificial reef. The vessel was replaced with a steel hauled boat and was reopened.

Mike find's a hermit crab.

Tom's boat; another 47.3

Sunset in the Bight.

When we reached the Willy T the party was in full swing. It was an odd mix of locals and bare boaters. The Willy T consists of a cafeteria side and the other is a two leveled bar. It was nuts with people bumping and grinding on the dance floor. I am not talking about the tame dance floor bumping and grinding on dance floors hear I mean full on front to rear pounding. Things took their turn for the worst. The cheap local rum was having its effect on the crews. I began ferrying people back to their boats on the dinghy acting as the designated driver. It was on one of these trips I came across one of our dinghies motoring back to one of the boats with 4 dazed and soaking friends in it. When I enquired what happened the story came out. They had like all the others indulged and were in no shape to be piloting the dinghy. They had been planning at full speed when they hit the side of a moored catamaran. The impact launched all four into the side of the catamaran and then into the water. One remembered: "we were motoring along and then I was under water and I did not know which way was up.”. One of the girls had smasher her nose, the other had hit her head and one of the guys had his shoulder thrown out. The impact had woken up the family on the boat and when they came outside they helped pull the victims out of the water. Some with missing clothes! They were great and got them water and towels, and recovered the dinghy. When I returned the situation had deteriorated. A girl was on the bar topless doing body shots. Crew were working their way to unconsciousness. I ferried one back to their boat who had to crawl down the dock into the dinghy. When I got back someone else was trying to drive a dinghy and was so out of it they ran it up onto the dinghy dock and we had to intervene. They subsequently flooded the engine. Cheryl rode in the dinghy trying to fix it. Ben towed them in the meantime in a separate dinghy while Ruan and I motored back. We quickly noticed that Ben was motoring off with the other dinghy in tow in the opposite direction of the boats. We motored over to them just in time to see them entangled themselves into the mooring lines of a parked catamaran. Finally we guided everyone back to the boats without further incident... well not if you don't count when we thought Curtis was missing only to find him asleep on the bow of the boat. Throughout the night of motoring around the bay I was amazed by the shooting stars and the huge schools of fish leaping out of the water all around me; it was a beautiful night. The next morning everyone awoke bleary eyed and trying to remember what happened the night before. After breakfast we spent some time hunting for giant land crabs before heading off to our next destination Cane Garden Bay. It was a bit of sail over there passing through some narrow channels. Excited to but Norman Island behind us we hoisted our main and sailed off our moorings. The wind was perfect again and we averaged 6 knots almost the entire way. We didn't have to touch the engine as we sailed through the narrow channeled and began beating up the backside of Tortola. When we entered Cane Garden Bay we found a more developed bay then on Norman Island. There were several beachside restaurants and pubs.

Things getting started on the Wiley T.

The Wiley T lives up to its reputation.

The next morning the skippers recovered crew and returned dinghies.

Max capacity....who cares.

Good bye to the Bight hello Cane Garden Bay.

We avoided eating ashore and had lunch and dinner on the boat. A soon to be reoccurring theme took hold while washing dishes when we kicked a number of them off the back of the boat into the ocean. We recovered them the next morning. We also took notice of the large number of sea turtles swimming in the bay. That night there was the usual hard partying. People swam between boats and more or less put on a repeat performance of the previous nights activities. In the morning we took the dinghies ashore to re-provision some of the perishable fruit and vegetables we had gone through. I was denied entry into the grocery store "Bobbi's because I wasn't wearing a shirt. We also found some of the trash bins and were able to get rid of our trash. When we looked over the boat and began cleaning up we realized that our plan to raid one of the other boats for rum had been successful.

I try to convince Ruan that their is no need to "Hoist the Jib" as it is on a furler.

Captain Ru.

Ant strikes a stirring pose.

Rum in a bucket; now the night gets ugly.

Convinced that charcoal will help with alcohol poisoning to unnamed crew members forget they are soaked in lighter fluid.

Returning from a garbage run ashore.

Motoring to Marina Caye.

We headed out for Marina Quay with a stop at Monkey Point for some snorkeling. As we headed out of Cane Garden Bay I consulted my charts and chart plotter. I motored out of the bay. As I did so I saw the depth get dramatically shallower and at that point I noticed I was on the wrong side of a channel marker not shown on the charts. I also failed to notice Cheryl and Trevor racing after me in their dinghy screaming to watch out for the reef. The mistake I had made was not to consult my cruising guide which did show a reef and the channel markers. I felt sick to my stomach. The thought of grounding the charter boat on a somewhat marked reef would have been awful. When we got to Monkey Point we found 2 mooring balls free and there were three of us (the other boat had already been their leaving earlier). I opted to anchour and leave the mooring balls for the others. I had more experience at anchouring so I thought it was fair. It was something else to anchour a 47 boat with 150' of chain and a windlass in 23' of water. After setting the anchour I had the luxury of being able to swim over with my snorkel and fins and check it out through the clear water. When I got there I realized a problem. The hook was completely upside down. The anchour was a Delta Plow style and I could see that it had already dragged. I swam down the 23' and was able to tip the anchour on its side. It was a heavy anchour and that was already past my diving limit. I returned to the surface gasping for air. While I had only got it on its side I had noticed that if it dragged any further it would have jammed between two rocks securing it; so I left it and joined the others snorkeling off Monkey Point. The Point was billed as the BVI's best snorkeling but was far from it when we were there. Cheryl did see a nurse shark and Ruan saw a puffer fish but it was otherwise unremarkable. We all remounted our boats and set out for Marina Quay. This was going to be the most nerve racking sailing of the trip. We had to negotiate a narrow channel dotted with rocks at a perfect height to rip off the keel. Cheryl and I were side by side approaching the pass. Cheryl decided to go first and I follow. We both were glued to our chart plotters, charts, and cruising guides constantly evaluating our position. When we cleared the channel we breathed a sigh of relief and carefully entered Marina Quay which had its own set of navigational hazards. As we tied up to the mooring balls we got our first rain, that came on fast and hard but soon dissipated and moved on. Here for the first time we noticed schools of Tarpon, large reef fish circling around the boat. They were easily a meter long. Ruan got out his child sized rod and tried unsuccessfully to catch one. We began to doubt his stories of being a "great white hunter". Many of our group went ashore at Marina Quay and shut down the bar. When we joined them ashore we found the party well underway. One of our crew was enticed into participating and over indulged. When we returned to the boat there was rough housing leading to Cheryl and others being tossed into the sea. As the night progressed Ruan was persuaded to have half his eyebrows shaved off, and his shorts run up the mast. When he woke up in the morning he was wearing a hat that read: "Captain Retard". Cheryl was covered in bruises from trying to remain on the boat during our rugby game.

Marina Caye. Nice phone booth!

Sensing weakness we go in for the kill.

The LaRutard

Time to get breakfast at Trellis Bay.

We all had agreed to go over to Trellis Bay for breakfast. There was apparently a good breakfast place and a lot of local shops. We loaded the dinghies up and motored over to the bay which was located on Beef Island near the airport.

When we got to Trellis Bay most of the shops were closed with it being the off season; and in fact when all 30 of us showed up at the breakfast place we found that only one old lady was working. She put up a valiant effort to bring us all drinks, take our orders, and serve us meals. She inevitably fell behind and breakfast took hours to complete even though she employed some locals to help out.

Trellis Bay.

The hardest working cook in Trellis Bay; her vs. 30

Wounds caused by fighting with Ruan the night before.

Waiting for food.

Our new flag: Ruan's shorts.

JUSTICE racing for Virgin Gorda.

After exploring around the Bay we loaded up into our dinghies and motored back to the boats to head off to our next destination Virgin Gorda. This was going to be our longest sail. We decided today was going to be the day we raced everyone to our next destination. Too bad we didn’t tell anyone about it. We headed off in 12 knot winds beating up towards the “dogs” a group of islands between Marina Quay and North Sound. The sailing was awesome. We worked our way up on the outside of the Dog Islands. The other boats ended up trying to stay closer to the coast of Virgin Gorda. The wind became fluky and soon we saw the others put on their engines. This was a common theme with us waiting to put on our engine until there was no hope of anymore wind. We continued for hours working our way up until we were able to tack over and lay the channel entrance to North Sound. The sun was beginning to set when we negotiated the narrow channel into the sound and took up our moorings near the Bitter End Yacht Club.

Virgin Gorda was very commercial the BEYC was a private resort and while beautiful had a “all inclusive” feel to it. In the morning we wandered around and bough out all their water before packing up to leave. Our next destination was Cooper Island with a stop at the Baths at the South tip of Virgin Gorda. We took our time getting out of the sound and sailed all the way to the southern tip of the island where the baths were located.

GIANTA closing in on the Dog Islands.

Safe and sound in Virgin Gorda

Team WEASEL.

The ideallic Bitter End Yacht Club

The baths were a rock formation that created caves and sandy beaches. Getting there as late as we did we did not get much time to explore. Still it was a neat area with a lot of surf. Some went exploring over the giant boulders and explored the caves and pools while others sat on the white sandy beaches.

After an hour we headed off again for Cooper Island. On the way I spotted an old commercial fishing vessel wrecked on a reef. Further on the shore of Ginger Island we spotted a wrecked sailboat. We found out later that a owner of a small charter company had committed insurance fraud by wrecking the boat when it no longer met his needs and claiming it was accidental so he could buy a new vessel. He then went back and stripped the boat bare to the hull we had seen that night.

Burried at the Baths.

Mike does his R. Kelly impression.

Wait for it...

...here it comes.

Towing GIANTA's dinghy in.

Ummm....

The Sunsetting on our way over to Norman Island.

The sun had set and under the last bit of twilight we picked up our moorings off Cooper Island. We collected Cheryl from her boat and had dinner. During dinner someone produced a bottle of Tequila and soon we had a dance party on the boat. The party spilled ashore and the night took a turn for the surreal with crew left unconscious on docks, a fight with a knife wielding local and more that does not bear repeating.

Everyone woke up bleary eyed and feeling it. As I set about doing the dishes from the night before I was approached by a local in a dinghy who was heavily inebriated. He was looking for his South African friend. He climbed aboard and asked for rum. After an hour we woke up Ruan and had him get rid of the guy so we could have breakfast. Following breakfast we recovered all the items I kicked off the back of the boat in my attempt to do the dishes earlier. We noticed we had a visitor; a large barracuda had taken up residence behind our boat waiting for scraps of food to be thrown in. He was nasty looking and had a large fishing hook sticking out of him. We all swam around him in the water chasing this fearsome fish around foolishly.

For lunch we tried again to light the charcoal BBQ without the fire starting liquid. It was a exercise in futility (easy light my ass). I got the bright idea to douse it in diesel fuel and light it up. That got it started and we began our weinny roast when we had some nice coals. It became apparent when we all got sick after eating our diesel smelling hot dogs that this was not a good idea.

The after dinner dance party begins.

The party moves on shore.

A casualty is found on the dock and recovered.

After lunch we decided to head back to Road Town; while we had the boats until the next morning it was easier to be there the night before instead of rushing in the morning to meet the 11am turn in time. As we set out a fearsome rain squall set in blasting us with sheets of rain water and 18 knot winds. Tom’s boat had set out ahead of us motoring; Cheryl and I gave chase under sail. Now we were really sailing. We were close reaching. The boat was dialed in; the wind had the boat on its side; I got the crew out on the rail and we were flying 7.8 knots dragging a dinghy. We were fast catching up on Tom. Closer and closer we got with Cheryl trailing behind us. At the last minute the rain shut off and the wind with it. We stalled and stopped one boat length from Tom’s boat. Cheryl bore away and held the wind for a few minutes longer gaining on us. It was time to fire up the engines and motor into Road Town Harbour.

We entered the harbor in a big group. Tom’s boat went into the refueling dock ahead of us while we waited outside Port Purcell. I got the bright idea to ditch the dinghy so that we didn’t have to contend with them while docking these beasts. We kicked Belinda and Amy into the dinghy and set them adrift. Cheryl’s boat followed suit. Then in turn we motored into the refueling area. I have to say it was a lot easier than I expected. I took it slow but got it there no problem.
We were ashore again. The crew set about showering and getting cleaned up for a night on the town. We plugged the boats in and got the AC going it was pure luxury. That night we explored around Road Town. That night we carried on the party back on the boats into the wee hours.
The next day it was time to leave. We organized the boats, cleaning them and passing on all our unused food to the guys who were staying for a few extra days. We then made our way to the ferry terminal and passed through customs. It was a long journey back home following the same route we had before except with a eventful stopover in St. Thomas where Curtis’ iPhone lead us off on a wild goose chase and there was a lot of spooning with 5 people in two beds.

Heading home to Road Town.

A massive rain storm hits us as we motor in to the fuel dock.

Disembarking.

Good bye Virgin Islands

Here are some tips if you go:

Getting there:
· Try and get “as direct” as you can flights. 3 connections and a ferry is a lot of travel to get there!
· Taxi’s: Expect to pay $7 per person (no matter how many the cabs hold) from the St. Thomas Airport to the Ferry Terminal. On Tortola you can walk to the Charter Companies (30 minutes) but it is easier spring for the $5 cab per person to the offices.
· For ferries confirm the departure times no matter what the advertisements say. In the off season they cut runs.
Boats & Charter Companies:
· I only have experience with the one we used. They were great. Make sure that the staff shows you how to use all the systems. Get them to turn on the electronics too so that you know how to use them.
· Fuel was cheap; when we paid at the end of the trip it was approximately a dollar a litre. The boat with the genset on it used less fuel for power generation than the boats without. Still the more you sail the more efficient you are.
· Water consumption is a big deal. Water can cost a fortune so make sure that you conserve it. Over the course of the week we used 3 of our 4 tanks and did not need to buy any.
The People:
· In general the people in the BVI were easy to deal with. I would say that they on the whole were not friendly at all. (Charter company staff would be the exception). Of course they have to deal with partying tourists so it is understandable.
Food:
· Food is reasonably priced in the markets. Road Town is the best place to load up for sure. All other areas began costing more and had poorer selection. This was the way to go. We saved a lot of money by eating on the boats.
· Try the avocados! They are freaking huge!!
· Rum is the cheapest drink by far so go that route if you want to keep the costs for booze down.
· Restaurants for the most part are quite expensive and designed for tourists. I would say the average price for an entrée at the tourist traps was over $20 USD. It was not apparent where there were cheap holes in the wall.

Money:
· Road Town has numerous ATMs and Banks. ATMs can be out of order, and banks are closed on weekends so be aware. The only chain bank I noticed was Scotia bank.
· Virgin Gorda has no ATMs on the North half of the island so be aware.
· Trellis Bay did not have a ATM but the airport did which was a short walk from the bay.
· Cane Garden Bay had a ATM at the local shop.
Sites worth seeing:
· The Indians was great snorkeling.
· The Wiley T
· The Baths on Virgin Gorda

Things not worth seeing:
· Monkey Point
· Road Town

BVI Yacht Charters

Saving Racing

2009-11-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

I don't often republish articles on my blog but this excerpt from the book listed below was published on Sailing Anarchy's website and I think it has hit the nail right on the head. Take a read:

Article Published on Sailing Anarchy - November 3rd 2009

From the book Saving Sailing, by Nicholas Hayes
Of the approximately 1.2M registered sailboats in the Unites States, only about 20% are actively raced. Sailboat racing, like all sailing in the U.S., is in decline, with a meager 3/10ths of 1% of the population, including kids, doing it today (compared with about 3% of the population just 30 years ago). Racing is down almost 88% (you read that right) since 1979, shedding almost 6 million participants.
Let’s look at the facts.
A few races (less than 2% of all starts) are major media events, hosted by professional managers who provide services like entertainment, provisioning, coaching and photography, who rally spectators and sponsors and publishers, and promise branding on a large scale. These are the exception, not the norm. But these are also the events that most will see in a late-night mention on cable TV and that shape the public’s view of sailing in general.
The vast majority, more than 98% of all starts, are far more modest. Most races began with a few sailors saying, “Let’s go here to there and see who gets there first” followed by a gradual evolution to something more complex and socially interesting. Since racing often involves an assortment of buoys to define a course and timekeepers to set starts and finishes, most events are the product of systematic volunteerism, coalescence and cooperation on par with that found in a large church or temple. Many yacht and sailing clubs can trace their roots to basic race organization, often provided by member-racers who took turns setting buoys and time to make racing possible for their competitor-friends.
Once the racing begins, favorite flavors emerge. Most sailboat racers fall into one of two categories: 68% who sail on a boat designed for dual, triple or more purposes and 32% who prefer racing identical boats.
If you visit any of the online discussion boards regarding sailboat racing, you will inevitably confront a heated debate of the merits of handicapping verses sailing one-design. There, sailors will often insist that their favored design is the solution to waning participation. As you might guess, one-design sailors want their design to be the popular standard, and handicap sailors do not see how a one-design fleet will meet their needs. It is notable that only 7% of all the sailboats in the U.S. meet a one-design criteria.
But the argument is mostly wasted breathe, at least as suggested by the data:
Among 164 U.S. sailing clubs surveyed (by US Sailing) in 2007, there are 215 different, active one-design fleets, and another 3 or 4 fleets each of handicap racers of various pedigree. This means that sailboat racing as a whole has the burden of attempting to appease, or at least juggle, about 500 tiny special-interest groups, each with only a few dozen (or less) members but with very definite opinions about what is right and wrong in their sport. It also means that fleets must, by this market design, constantly shrink, rather than grow, to adjust to the latest fad.
Mathematicians have names to describe trends in group dynamics like these. Fragmentation is when the group is breaking apart, and in doing so, becoming weaker. Coalescence is when a group is coming together and as a result, becoming stronger.
When groups coalesce they gain buying power, competition increases and prices fall, creating access. That is precisely why sailing clubs formed originally; by tapping the buying power of a group, access to lakes and oceans and boats became a reality for the group.
Conversely, when groups fragment, entry barriers like financial or time costs rise. Without a club, an individual has to bear all costs of access, training or coordination. As cost and access barriers climb, popularity must eventually and inevitably drop, although it may not seem so at first.
Since about 1980, Americans have assumed that we would have unlimited discretionary income and the ability to buy into whatever personal entertainment we wish, without need to share access. A strange period of cheap money and ample toys created a false sense of unlimited buying power. It hasn’t felt as if there was much need to coalesce, so many clubs witnessed major shortfalls in member recruitment — even as marinas expanded and prices for basic services increased. The average cost to dock a sailboat rose 8 times faster than inflation in the last 10 years, even as overall demand measured in usage dropped. Now, fewer people sail on bigger and bigger boats that consume more and more lake frontage.
More important perhaps, during this time, many clubs became sellers of support services, including those required for racing, as opposed to self-sustaining groups of volunteers. So in some places, only those that can afford to buy the time of others can afford to race, and those with time to spare and some interest can’t. More people inside and outside of sailing think that sailing is a professional sport of sponsors and celebrities, when, according to the numbers, it isn’t and will never be.
Basic supply and demand theory tells us that this had to end.
Now that the economic bubble has popped we can see that coalescence is healthy for a community in both good times and bad, but fragmentation is especially visible and threatening in the bad. What can be done? It’s pretty simple:
Join a club, and if there isn’t one within reach, form one
Share boats if necessary
Set a race course
Enter whatever boat you have access to
Take your turn doing race committee
Take your kids and their friends
Like this stuff? Then get the book!

2009/2010 Polar Bear Series

2009-11-03T14:07:00.001-08:00

The Polar Bear Series is a winter race series hosted by the Vancouver Rowing Club. It runs from November to March with a break around Christmas and New Years. The series typically has a strong turn out of 20+ boats in two divisions.

This will be the third year the WEASEL will be competing in the series. Last year we came in third place in our division; this year we have our sites set on first place. There is a consistent set of boats that show up to each race so the competition is personal and intensifies over the series.

The SEA WEASEL does have space for crew on this series. While the conditions can be challenging there is almost always lots of wind and makes for some exciting sailing. This is a great series to learn on so if you are new check this one out.

Crew Notes:

Life Jackets are mandatory for the race so if you do not want to use the ones on my boat bring your own.
Dress for the conditions: foulies, boots, and long underwear are a necessity.
Warm food and drink are a good idea.
We will be missing the series opener as Cheryl and I will be in Mexico.

Links:

2010 Olympics Impacts Boaters.

2009-10-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Not surprisingly the Olympics will impact local boaters. There are security "no go" zones setup around the various Olympic venues. For more details follow the link below:

2010 Olympic Impact

RNSA Single Handed Race - Additional Photos

2009-10-27T21:31:00.001-07:00

Some additional photos have come in of the WEASEL during this year's RNSA Single Handed Race:

SEA WEASEL flying her kite across the finish line on day one

The start sequence on day two is underway.

And we're off.

Ding Dong the Martin is Dead!

2009-10-27T07:25:00.001-07:00

After 15+ years the infamous Martin 242 is finally gone from it's slip.

The now infamous Heather Civic Marina Martin 242 is finally no more!

This boat was known far and wide for symbolizing the worst aspects of boat ownership and marina management. There are as many myths about the Martin as mussels clinging to it's festering hull.

The Martin 242, a fast little one design 24ft race boat built by local naval architect Donny Martin, has been moored at Heather Civic Marina in Vancouver for at least 15 years. The boat became famous for never, and I mean never being used, and it's epic state of disrepair.

When I began coming to the marina in 2005 the boat, Fast Tack, was tied to the dock with filthy over sized lines and mussel encrusted fenders. The vessel was permanently healing over with seepage filling her bow. It had no forestay and it's rigging was barely keeping the mast up. Anything of value had long been stripped off of it and it's gel coat was pitted and stained.

Whenever I enquired into it's history I got a different story. Some of my favourites were:

A Chinese business man had purchased the boat the same year he made a big business deal and now kept the boat as a lucky charm.
The owner had a sailing school and kept the boat as a tax right off
The owner had bought the boat for his daughter who left the country for work and never had returned to use the boat which lay dormant.
The owner had another boat at the marina and was no longer interested in maintaining it.

Whatever the history someone had spent nearly 50k in moorage fees over the years to keep a boat that was never used unless you count the family of otters that lived in it for a season. It was this lack of use and care that represented the worst in boat ownership. Not only was this vessel a inconsiderate waste of space in a era of huge moorage waiting lists it was a risk to the boats around it. If it sank it is likely it would have made some contact with the neighbouring boats.

Sadly this vessel reflected poorly on the marina's management. It is well known that the marina staff have made little effort over the years to have the vessel removed. All vessel's are required to carry marine insurance and it verified each year. This had not been done. The vessel was uninsurable as any carrier would require a survey which the vessel would fail. Instead they collected the cheques each year and turned a blind eye.

In recent years the boat became such a source of contempt some of the boaters in the area took to using it as a latrine pissing into it. It was also used as a garbage dump and was littered with empty beer cans. Finally a neighbouring boat owner called the staff at the marina on the insurance issue rightly claiming the vessel was unsafe. When the staff required the owner to prove insurance he simply did not pay for the slip and the staff were required to have it removed by a bailiff.

In the end this boat finally received the bullet in the head it deserved. It is a pity it's thoughtless owner did not follow it to the scrape heap. Now there are about 20 more boats like it to go next.

G.I. Island Hopping

2009-10-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

As we prepare to leave we put on over foul weather gear. Even Kingsley was kitted out.

Long ago I agreed to meet my parents on Galiano Island at Montague Harbour. Each year went with friends to camp at the beautiful provincial campsite. This year Cheryl and I planned to meet them. Cheryl had a schedule conflict leaving me to arrange for crew to deliver the boat to Montague and meet everyone there.

When purchasing a anniversary present at Spence Diamonds I hit it off with one of the staff Josh, who wound up being available to help deliver the boat. The trip started off with us loading the boat in a brutal rainstorm. The plan was to sail across to Silva Bay, and proceed south to Princess Cove the following day. From there we would take the boat to Montague Harbour where Josh would take the ferry back to Vancouver and Cheryl would join me and my parents. After the weekend we would Cheryl would take the ferry home and myself and a new friend would return the boat to Vancouver.

Crossing the strait we encounter a ferry.

Things started off according to plan. Despite the weather being nasty we made a straightforward crossing and tied up at Silva Bay marina where we had diner at the pub. Kingsley made his usual rounds hoping on any boat he could and making friends.

North Flat Top Islands.

The next morning I awoke discover that I had miscalculated slack water in Gabriola Pass. We raced out to the pass organizing the boat as we went. It was a close call as we inched out of the pass as the flood kicked into full gear. In the end all was well that ended well and we sailed south and cooked breakfast as we went.

The next day the sun was out and we made our way south.

We arrived at Wallace Island to find that Connover Cove was packed and that we would have to settle for Princess Cove which is still beautiful. We found it lightly populated and stern tied away from everyone else to give them and us a wide berth. No sooner had we returned from a hike over the island did we notice that a huge, hideous fishing boat conversion had parked right next to us. As we rowed back to the boat I could hear their gen-set roaring away; classy.

Arriving at Princess Cove we got diner on.

It was a nice empty bay until...

...then our new neighbour showed up.

We spent the rest of the trip fishing, crabbing, cooking and blasting targets with a sling shot. It was a laid back day with little drama except when Kingsley licked a beached jelly fish and got sick. At night we crashed early from a long day in the sun.

Going to check on the crab pot.

The next morning it was another sunny day. Sadly there was no wind and we motored over to Montague Harbour where to meet my parents. We picked up a government mooring ball in the harbour and rowed ashore to meet my folks at there campsite.

Montague Harbour.

Meeting the folks.

I said goodbye to Josh and hello to Cheryl. We spent the night with my folks and the next day wondering the beaches. It was then that we found out that my friend was not going to be able to come and help me deliver the boat back to Vancouver. My plans were in tatters. We had a simple choice leave the boat and come back for it god knows when or Cheryl was going to have to help me deliver the boat right then, All my calculations were off. We would race up to Wallace Island and spend the night. To make it through Porlier Pass we would have to leave Wallace at four in the morning. This was not going to be fun. Cheryl was a trooper and we sailed out that minute.

Arriving at Wallace Island we found a spot at Connover Cove where we tied up to the dock and promptly went to bed in the midst of one of those late summer Gulf Island sunsets. In the pitch black at four in the morning we crawled out of bed, silently cast off the dock and motored for the pass. We were late getting there but were able to shoot through the pass before the flood was too strong.

On the other side of the pass we encountered something I had never seen before. Three Dolphins approached our boat and began to swim around and play with the boat. It lasted for thirty minutes with the dolphins swimming under and around the boat making Dolphin squeaks the whole time. It was one of the coolest experiences I have had.

Following the visit from our Dolphin friends the wind gods smiled upon us. A southwesterly filled in and we began reaching for home. Despite it being a exhausting trip we made record time, We tied the boat up and I was ready for a little break from sailing.

Gulf Island Run

2009-09-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

The proposed route.

My parents are latent Gulf Island people recently discovering them a year ago. My Dad who can be a creature of habit actually was telling me that he met these people that cruised on there sailboat all over these islands just like their RV and had a fantastic time. He was quite impressed. Of course I nearly chocked: "What do you think I have been doing for the past 3 years!"

Anyway my family decided on an impromptu meet up at Montague Harbour on Galiano Island. They would bring there RV and EMMA-IRENE there 21' aluminum river fishing boat. Cheryl and I agreed to take the boat over to meet them the middle weekend of September. The challenge was to get the boat over to Montague Harbour which is approximately a 48 nautical mile sail.

We were planning to be there Friday afternoon. Cheryl worked that day so it would be best if she could meet the boat over there taking the ferry to Galiano. This would require me to have the boat over there to meet her; so I came up with a plan. I would sail the boat over Wednesday and take two days to get to Montague Harbour.

I enlisted the help of a relative stranger, Joshua, the guy who sold me Cheryl's anniversary present (diamond earrings). He and I would head over to Silva Bay on Gabriola Island the first day as it was the currents were not going to allow us to get through the pass the first night.

The second day we plan on getting through the pass and making our way hopefully as far south as Wallace Island stopping over in either Princess or Connover Cove. This would make an excellent launching point for either Montague Harbour directly or a small stopover at Telegraph harbour for the CS rendezvous.

All in all this should be an amazing trip and I will keep you posted as we get started.

The Nicest Marina Toilets in BC

2009-09-03T13:53:00.001-07:00

The Union Steamship Companies NEW sailor's lounge and office.

On one of my last visits I reported on some of the changes to the Union Steamship Comany's Marina. They had added a new float building with the intention of moving there office, small chandlary, and restroom facilities to it. When I recently arrived I found the project half complete with the new Sailor's Lounge and restroom facilities open for business.

I have to say I like the decor a lot; it is very nautical and quite inviting.

While I know most people are looking to get away from TV you can catch up on "so you think you can dance.".

While I hate paying $50 a night for my 27' boat I was impressed with the facilities. Hands down USSM is the nicest I have been to. Although Gibsons and Thetis have the nicest people and best rates.

They will be maintaining their existing shore side facilities turning the shop into a tourist trap and moving the small chandlary onto the float building. The existing heads/showers, and laundry machines will be maintained. In addition there is one washer-dryer unit ont he float building and two more showers there are also additional restroom facilities. These are top notch. I was really impressed when I sat on a toilet and could look out through a port hole to the grassy area (the women's side features this as well). The sinks are amazing and feature burgee tiles from local yacht clubs. A classy touch I thought.

The main lounge area has a 52" plasma screen TV with cable and wireless internet. This is quite inviting although I usually plan to get away from TV when I go sailing. All in all I have to say that USSM has created a classy joint a little bit more in line with the prices they charge. My only suggestion is to drop it to $1 a foot during peak season and hire somemore responsible staff (the number of screw ups I have encountered is epic). Still it is the nicest crapper in the area!

The new laundry facilities are in addition to the existing ones so there is a net gain of one washer & dryer.

The new bathrooms are quite impressive. They feature two amazing sinks, urinels, and toilets with porthole views outside.

They even represent TCYC in their decor choices. NICE!

Bowen Island Revisited

2009-09-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

Lisa holding a bundled up Kingsley on our way to Bowen Island.

I have to be honest I had become sick and tired of Bowen Island. Overpriced marinas, long waiting lists and unprofessional 16 year old marina employees. However sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to appreciate what is there. When my mother-in-law Jo and sister-in-law Lisa said they wanted to go on a overnight boating trip I first thought of Bowen. Thinking about it from their point of view I had to reflect on what it did offer and I found myself really looking forward to it.

Bowen Island offers a relaxed pace; a beautiful marina, and a tiny but quaint little village. I was sure they would have a good time when I cast off the dock lines and Bowen did not disappoint.

We motored out for most of the way through English Bay in light winds. As we neared point Atkinson the wind picked up from the West and we were able to reach at a good 5+ knots to the point where predictably the wind became fluky.

Jo and Cheryl enjoying a relaxed sail to Bowen.

At Point Atkinson we through on the motor and made our way into the failing wind. We managed to get a little more sailing in before giving up and motoring the rest of the way. The sun had just faded away behind mount park as we rounded the corner of Snug Cove to be confronted with the Ferry the QUEEN OF CAPILANO as she made her way to Horse Bay.

As we got closer we could hear loud music and saw hundreds of people. I remembered it was Bowfest. We tied up and made ourselves at home. This would be the second year we would be there for the local festival and to be honest I enjoyed it. Live music, drunken teens, and carefree kids. We added to the drama when I had to send Cheryl up the mast to retrieve the jib halyard which fell off the battle flag when I was hoisting it. -blush-

Lisa and I proceeded to go on a hunt for junk food while Jo and Cheryl prepared a feast on the boat. When we finally arrived we had steak, corn on the cob, and salad. We had planned to stay up late playing games but were so tired after our feast we went to bed.

The SEA WEASEL in the morning light.

Jo walking the little monster.

2 generations at the Snug Cove Cafe.

The next morning we awoke to a beautiful sunny day and we started it right with coffee and an epic breakfast aboard. Following that we waddled up the gangway and went for a short hike over to Manion bay and spent some time exploring the shore. On our way I came across a memorial for the first world war and was shocked to discover that Bowen Island lost 5 privates. This must have touched every family on the island in some way. In my time cruising the Gulf Islands I have been shocked to see how many of these small communities lost soldiers in the world wars. It makes you consider what a sacrifice a small country like Canada made back in those days when it lost 65,000 soldiers in the first world war.

Where to?

It is amazing to think that this little community lost five soldiers in the first world war. It makes you think what a sacrifice a small country like Canada made back then.

Manion Bay crowded with vessels.

The sail home was amazing! The wind was a inflow into Howe Sound but we were able to round the point after one tack. It was amazing sailing and we reached into English Bay only dousing our sails after we reached the mouth to False Creek. Both Jo and Lisa had, had a great time and this reminded me that Bowen Island was more than a quick stop on the way.

Sailing with Dogs

2009-09-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Skipper and his Dog out exploring.

Maybe it is a symptom of modern life but it seems more and more of us are waiting to have kids until we are older; and instead get pets to "practice" on. We are no exceptions, in our early 30s we are without kids, live downtown in a small condo and have a small dog. Walk'n talk'n stereotypes!

Since we sail a lot it seemed only natural that when we got a dog we would take it sailing with us. This is not always as straight forward as it may seem and required some preparation to make it a success. While no one would call our dog an accomplished seaman he is now quite easy to take along for the ride. The following is the course of action we took to turn our little west end puppy into a salty sea dog.

I have read stories of people cruising the world with their faithful companions at their sides or tales of the ship's dog saving drowning sailors on the men-of-war of Nelson's era and with this in mind I sought to turn the dog my wife had demanded into a suitably nautical pooch. When she said: "you have the - boat; I am want a dog!" I immediately began planning to integrate the two.

A ten week old Kingsley on his first cruise.

The first day we picked up our little 8 week old Boston Terrier Kingsley I took him down to the boat before he even got home. He could barely walk for more than a few meters but I encouraged him down the docks and plopped his shaking body on the deck of the boat and sized him up. This was going to take a lot of work. He was petrified and stood there shaking; and if he had a tail I am sure it would have been between his legs.

I began taking him down to the boat every chance I got when I was fixing something or the other. I plopped him in the cockpit and began tinkering. This resulted in me cleaning up his waste when his little puppy blaterr ran into conflict with my projects.

The time came when we were going to take him on his first sail. I brought him down to the dock to "help" me inflate the dinghy. He hadn't quite figured out the dock and walked off the side and sank into the water with a small splash. Instinct kicked in and he swam to the surface motor boating around in a panicked circle until I hauled him out by the scruff of his neck. Thus he was introduced to the sea; oddly it would take another year before he would go swimming...

At this point Kingsley was not able to hold his blater for more than 4 hours and was unable to scale any of the various areas of the boat. This had its benefits as he more or less stayed where you put him. However he was scared when left alone and would whimper and bark when left alone for too long. For the cruise we rigged his small kennel behind a lee cloth in the port berth so that he had a place to sleep and could not get out of the berth. We had trained him to pee on command, "go potty" which actually worked. We brought medical pads (the ones placed under patients who will wet themselves) and ordered him to pee which actually worked well. While we were in route we either left him in his kennel if things were hairy or wrapped him in a blanket and had his little bundle in the cock pit with us.

Our first cruise was a success we had only one accident and he slept through the night for the first time. From there my plan was constant exposure to sailing. I took him everywhere. Fireworks night he came with us, single handing over to Bowen he came with me, he even survived a 45 knot storm. I also worked at pushing his boundaries. He soon became confident at hopping out of his little lee-clothed area and moving around the cabin. He also was now big and brave enough to move around the cockpit. I started to push him. While at the dock I picked him up and put him on the foredeck and walked back to the cockpit. He whined and barked and stood perfectly still. After a few minutes he edged his way back to the cockpit and jumped shaking into my arms. At various other dates I repeated this until he was comfortable running forward.

In the cabin he had difficulty scaling the companionway latter so I taught him to leap from the starboard settee to the icebox and from there out of the companion way and into the cockpit. Once this was complete it was time to train him to embark and disembark from the boat. This was relatively easy at this point. I got off the boat and walked away. Finally after whining, barking, and running all over the boat he jumped the two feet down onto the dock and never looked back. The same process was repeated for getting onto the boat. The final mobility hurtle was to get him into the cabin from the cockpit. He will on occasion leap down the 3' into the cabin but prefers to wait until you go down and then he looks expectantly and when you put out your arms he leaps into them and you set him down in the cabin.

During a winter sail Kingsley is wrapped up in the cockpit.

Now that he is older and larger he is a lot easier to handle. He has the run of the boat and sensibly stays huddled with us when under way or bathing in the sun on the cockpit floor. He is afraid to go forward when there is a heel on the boat and let's be honest that is a good thing. When cruising he sleeps with us. While having your dog sleep with you may not be your thing consider they're like little space heaters and on a chilly night there is nothing like a little fuzzy heater to keep your feet warm.

Trust was a key component to making a good sailor dog. He trusts that we will catch him, take care of him, and otherwise make sure he is okay. When we get into the dinghy to row him ashore he now leaps to the side of the boat jumps into our waiting hands. Now he rides the bow of the dinghy ashore confident that we won't let him fall in (although he has in the past).

Safety first.

There is a big debate out there whether or not to put your dog in a life jacket or not. I agree a dog looks silly in one and it does seem over kill but a little black dog falling into the Strait in building sees looks worse to me. We got Kingsley a day-glow orange life jacket and it has been great on a lot of levels. Firstly it keeps him warm and has a convenient handle on the back which is nice to be able to grab him and move him around in a hurry. It also makes him very visible from a distance and obviously keeps him afloat. It also adds to his resistance of hypothermia in cold water.

I had a scary incident that has convinced me of there value this last winter when I single handed the boat to Gibsons. I plopped Kingsley on the dock while I plugged in the shore power and only lost site of him for a second. When I looked back he was gone. I ran down the dock figuring he had run to the gate. When I got there I saw he wasn't there so I headed to the water end of the dock and saw he wasn't there either. On the way back I noticed an orange object circling in the water next to a power boat. Kingsley had chased after a cat and fallen in the frigid water. Reached down and was able to easily grab his life jacket handle and retrieve him. He had been in the water for five minutes and was I can only suppose suffering from hypothermia. I ran onto the boat grabbed the electric heater and cranked it up. I knew enough not to warm him too quickly so I stripped off my top and pressed his convulsing body against mine and curled up on the cabin sole to warm him up with the heater blowing on us. It took half an hour for him to stop shaking. This convinced me that unless you really don't care about your pet you should have them where a PFD too. I shudder to think of the outcome had Kingsley not been wearing his PFD.

Another thing to watch out for is wildlife. Kingsley is a skunk hunter and has been sprayed before. Nothing would be worse than trying to get the stink out while afloat. I also know of dogs being picked off by coyotes, cougars, raccoons, and even eagles; so just be aware. I have also been told to pick up your dog's feces as it can lead to disease or scare off local wildlife. This is easier said than done. I typically try to bury it with some rocks and moss. It is not perfect but unless there is a trash can I am loath to haul dog poop on the boat.

Scary things aside I found there were a few other things to bear in mind when you have a pooch aboard. Keep'em busy, for a long trip there is nothing like a meaty bone to keep your dog happy and out of your hair. Also try and bring something the dog is familiar with; our dock has a blanket and we make sure to bring it along to make the dog feel secure.

For those planning to be out at sea for longer periods of time and have discriminating dogs I have heard a trick that is fool proof to get them to relieve themselves. You go to a dog park with a rag and when you see a dog (not yours) pee on something you take the rag and rub it against the pee, the more dogs whose sent you are able to get the better. Then you tie it to a stanchion on your boat. Your dog will naturally be drawn to the rag and will pee on it; then simply tose a bucket of sea water on the area and all is good. Eventually you can remove the rag and the dog will continue to mark there. The only downside is you look like a physco chasing a dog around collecting its pee.

All in all I would say that sailing with a dog is well worth the inconvenience and the time taken to train them. They are great companionship and lay the ground work for taking children with you; if they are in the plans.

Port Graves - Grave Robb'n

2009-09-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

The WEASEL heads out ready for battle.

Curtis, remember him, asked if we could go cruising out to Howe Sound as he had only been in there once. He had also been missing a lot of sailing due to work and wanted to get out on the water. You don't have to ask me twice. I got the boat ready and as soon as he was off work we headed out.

"All of the other dogs laugh at me"

Our first stop was Bowen Island. It would be a quick stop over for the night so I didn't want to pay the $40+ for moorage so we were either going to anchour in Manion Bay or tie up at the Government Dock next to the ferry terminal. As the sun set we motored into Snug Cove and found a choice spot on the Government Dock.

I had never tied up to the Government Dock there before and it was decent. No power or water but otherwise it was a great deal at $13 a day. It was exposed to the ferry wake but that was okay and we slept well. As with most government docks I have encountered they are populated with "interesting" characters. This place was no exception. I met a guy who was running a sailing school out of his liveaboard which he anchours in False Creek. Rriiigght.

Dead dog.

The next day it was off to the Snug Cove Cafe for our morning breakfast and then we hit the road. There was decent wind and we were able to sail most of the way with a predictable dead spot at the NE end of Bowen. From there we caught the inflow and worked our way up around the point of Port Graves and ran down into the bay under white sails. After choosing our spot we bore up into the wind and dropped our anchour. From there we fired up the engine just to set the anchour. There is something very satisfying about sailing onto your moorings.

Kingsley & Curtis flying the jib dead down wind into Port Graves.

Port Graves.

Curtis and I spent the rest of the day exploring ashore around the RVYC land and Camp Atarban. They are putting in some rather choice building lots at the NW end of the bay that I wouldn't mind owning. After that we set our crab pot and rowed around the bay a bit. They were still hard at work stripping down the old HMCS Annapolis to make it into a artificial reef. While I am a big supporter of artificial reefs I am not keen on where they plan to sink it (Halket Bay). It is a tiny anchorage and it would effectively deny it to boaters. I think its current location is actually not a bad one as it would leave the small anchourage free and use up a tiny portion of Port Graves. Oh well.

The frigate HMCS Annapolis being stripped down to make a underwater reef.

Curtis reassuring Linda that he is still alive.

"I want my food!"

Later that evening Black Ops were performed. The details which remain highly confidential and only these sanitized images can be posted. Needless to say we are morons.

"I told you to deliver the pizza to my boat. How you get here is not my concern!"

"So what are you wearing....Oh I like that?"

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast with all the trimmings before heading out. We checked our loan crab pot and hauled up a nice sized Dungenness crab. Since we only had one and had just eaten we set him free and moved on. The wind was initially light so we motored off our moorings and headed out of the the bay.

I meet my intellectual equal.

Good eats I am sure.

I got a crab on my head.

Saying goodbye to Port Graves

We were able to start sailing off the point and made decent time running with the inflow coming from the west side of Bowen. As usual we hit a dead point at the NE point of Bowen and motor sailed through it after a valiant attempt at drifting around. From there we picked up the in flow on the other side of Bowen and made a series of epic tacks to get into English Bay. Predictably again the wind diminished as we got in English Bay and from mid bay we gave up and motored in.

All and all it was a excellent trip. Howe Sound is a great location that is easy to get to. As much as I prefer the Gulf Islands there is something to be said for a place you can easily weekend to. My next Howe Sound goal is checking out West Bay. I here the anchourage sucks but that is only part of the challenge. I imagine there will be a few winter visits to Howe Sound as well.

Dinghy Project

2009-08-21T23:23:00.001-07:00

The new/old dinghy on it's new mount.

For those of you have cruised on the SEA WEASEL you are probably familiar with my tender SPARKLES. SPARKLES is a 10' Zeppelin inflatable dinghy I bought off craigslist for $50. It was a steal and after two and a half year's use SPARKLES doesn't owe me a thing. Two leaks have made it almost unusable. Repairing it would cost between $150 - $300 I don't have. Enter fate. Viggo, the previous owner of my boat, let me know that he did not need his dinghy anymore as he bought a new inflatable. He told me I could have the old dinghy for free! What a nice guy!

The dinghy is about 7' x 4' fibreglass boat with a glassed in foam centre for buoyancy. There is a padded rub rail around the side. The dinghy fits nicely on the bow and will track well when towed. All in all it is a nice little dinghy with one problem: Where do I put it? The dinghy dock at my marina is a graveyard and I would be foolish to leave it there. Leaving it in the water will result in it being instantly fouled. Putting it on the bow would be a pain in the rear or bow rather. The solution was to create a dinghy rack.

The rough plan involved mounting it horizontally.

I went around the marina and looked at what designs people came up with. Most were 4"x4" pressure treated posts mounted to the the 6" of wood that runs on the side of the cement docks. I did see one that I liked. Rather than mounting the upright pole on the horizontal surface it was mounted on the vertical surface giving it more support. Now it was time to go to Home Depot to see what I can come up with. I am lucky to have had a Dad that was a very hands on kind of guy who could solve problems himself. While I was never much of a hands on kid growing up I did learn from him and this has helped me in everything to do with maintaining my boat.

A detailed shot of the base for the dinghy rack. The wood "feet" are visible and the three "shrouds" can be clearly seen.

Basically I went with 1"x 10' metal conduit pipe for the "mast". I found two metal hooks for a base. Since the mast was hollow I could use the hooks as a great base. To provide horizontal stabilization I used a "U" bracket mounted vertically and a "L" bracket with a hose clamp to hold it from a horizontal base. Now this would not be enough. I opted to use "shrouds" at the top of the mast running back to two cleats on either side of the mast and a third one to an eye bolt I mounted into the dock. To mount the shrouds to the top of the mast I used a hose clamp and amsteel rope.

The 4:1 purchase is tangled in this photo but was very easy to hoist. This was easily handled by one person.

I now had a supported mast to work from. At the same hose clamp at the top of the mast I attached a Ronstan double block with a additional tie off point. At the other end I rigged a double block and a SS caribeaner. This would give me a 4:1 purchase. I also mounted two "feet" which were 1.5' pine planks mounted from the dock out so that they would take most of the load of the dinghy. To wrap up the project I used a hose clamp to mount a nylon mid-duty cleat. In the end the solution worked beautifully. I now have a all metal solution that can be worked easily by one person or very easily two people.

The only thing left to do is protecting the dinghy rack. The dinghy rack is made up of steel for the most part and much of it not stainless so I need to protect it from corrosion. For this I bought trimclad rust paint. I will apply this shortly.

Looking good and smellin fine. The whole affair cost me $80.

In conclusion I can say this was a really rewarding project. It took 4 hours and was fun. The real test will be to see how it holds up in a year but I have confidence in it.

We should have just...

2009-08-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah there are just some days when a greater power tells you that you shouldn't even try. Last Thursday was one of those days. I was rushed to the boat to begin with; which is when I usually make the most mistakes. I was being hoisted to the mid-mast to replace steaming and spreader lights minutes before we had to leave the dock for Thursday night racing.

We had motored no further than 5 minutes out of the marina when the engine sputtered and died. There was no metallic clank of systems breaking just a slow sputtering death. I lept down below and bleed the line and emerged to start the boat before we drifted into danger. The engine fired up right away and ran for another minute before dying again.

Immediately I began over analyzing the situation. I figured that their was air in the system or one of the fuel filters was fouled. Finally Thomas said: " Hey; when was the last time you filled up?" I tapped the tank and heard a loud hollow clank. Man I am an idiot. I luckily always carry an extra 20 litres of fuel (all you hardcore racers can laugh now) so there was no problem and we made our way out for the race.

I thought we had beat our bad luck at first. The conditions were perfect. 10-15 knots of SE breeze and we had a good start being the third boat over the line and gaining on our competitors quickly. We rounded the first mark in a tight group and were ready for a bare away hoist. Which is when we discovered that the kite had not been packed after the last use. We were missing our usual foredeck guy and dousing the fowled chute and redeploying it was painful exercise which resulted in the pole up being hoisted out of reach without being attached to the spinnaker pole. Dave, utilizing his rock climbing skills, somehow climbed half the mast without a harness and retrieved the line.

At this point were at the leeward mark and needed to get rid of the whole affair. We limped around the mark in dead last place and made our way back to the windward mark vowing to make up for lost time. With the boat rigged we approached ready for our second hoist. Now it was decision time. We hoisted the sail and found that the spinnaker sheet had been attached through the pulpit fouling it. We even managed to wrap the kite around the forestay in a big mess.

Rounding the last mark we made for the finish line with our tail between our legs finishing dead last. I swear that was one of the worst races we had ever done. The other shocking element is that none of us had been into the sauce; we had no excuse. Oh well there is always next time.

Ultimate Dock Lines

2009-08-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

The new dock lines connect to a short lead intended to be left on the boat at all times.

When I originally got the boat I tied it off like everyone else did. Simple dock lines wrapped around cleats. These however required a lot of repositioning and moving around to get it right. It was also a pain to do when you were single handing and it all took time. So finally I went on a campaign to rig up the docking situation so that it was simple and as turn key as possible.

I thought I had achieved this quite neatly when I attached fenders to the dock and permanently attached pre-measured lines to the cleats. The springs even had clips so I didn't have to tie them off. It was all good I thought.

Now my crew complains that the lines are too tight and you have to do them in a certain order and it can be difficult. It is also tough to get the lines on the cleats. So finally after a few years I have decided to go big or go home and do the ultimate dock line setup.

Like the bow lines the stern tie has a leader intended to be left on the boat.

I started off with the same concept as before: dock lines attached to the dock that were pre-measured and ready to go. This time though I went a little overboard on convenience. I started off by drawing out a plan. There would be two bow ties, two springs, and one stern tie. At the cleats rather than tie off line that was chaffing badly after 2 years I would attach them to the cleat with chain. The chain would be 5/16" and would have a shackle that would create a loop through the eye of the cleat. This would protect against chafe at the dock cleats.

Yellow floats would stop the lines from totally sinking. The chain at the cleat protects against chafe.

Next I spliced in galvanized eyes into some 7/16" black three strand dock lines. I used galvanized as the shackle and chain they would be in contact would be galvanized. I ran the dock line to the predetermined length and spliced in a stainless steel eye at the boat end as it would have a stainless steel clip that would attach to the boat. However before I did the final spice I slid on a "doughnut" float and used a stopper knot to keep it at the end of the line. This would stop the lines from sinking if/when they were dropped in the water and make them easier to retrieve.

As for attaching the clips to the boat I used stainless steel shackles on the toe rail for the springs. The stern line attached to a cleat. As this cleat was on the back quarter of the boat and past the dock out over the water I opted to create a easier system than a looped eye. I took some dock line and spliced a looped eye and then spliced in a stainless steel eye about 10" off of the rope eye. This created a small lead I could clip the new dock line to. This got rid of the need to get to an awkward spot on the boat to tie up.

At the chalks I used leather sleeves to protect against chafe; plus they look slick.

For the bow I followed a similar process. I took dock line and knotted a rope eye for attaching to the bow cleat leaving two pieces of line. Then I spliced in stainless steel eyes leaving about 2' of dock line on each side so the eyes hung just over the guides on the bow. Now instead of fighting with sails to put on the dock lines they would simply be clipped on. I added leather chaffing sleeves to the dock lines where they came into contact with the guides on the bow to prevent wear.

Some Considerations:

False Creek is really sheltered and I have every confidence in the heavy duty caribbeaner styled clips being able to hold the boat. If you are in a more exposed area I would re consider this.
I used 3 strand as it was easy to splice. I also used a dark colour as it would not show stains as easily.

End of Summer Cruising Calendar

2009-08-18T16:00:00.001-07:00

Okay all you WEASELs here is the end of summer cruising calendar:

August 24th - 26th Mini-Guy Cruise
This one is open to anyone who can get the time off and come with us. So far Curtis is in and we will leave Monday morning sometime.

Monday - Port Graves

Tuesday - Plumper Cove/Gibsons

Wednesday - Vancouver

August 28th-September 2nd Jedediah Island Sheep Hunt

This one is open for one - two people who can either get-away early Friday or take the ferry over to the sunshine coast.

Friday - Sechelt

Saturday - Jedediah Island

Sunday - Jedediah Island

Monday - Gibsons

Tuesday - Vancouver

September 9th-15th Montague Harbour Run

This one is open for delivery crews or one - two people for the whole thing. We're going to Montague Harbour to hang out with my old man and have some fun on the way.

Wednesday - Pirate's Cove

Thursday - Thetis Island

Friday - Montague Harbour

Saturday - Montague Harbour

Sunday - Montague Harbour/Princess Cove

Monday - Vancouver

If Only All Power Boaters Were Like This!

2009-08-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

While doing the English Bay Scramble this weekend Curtis and I were on a windless run with the kite up about 1.5 nautical miles SE of Point Atkinson. We were barely moving and trying to get the kite to hold some wind when the Granville Island Water Taxi (the one that runs to Bowen Island). Passed at full speed (about 20 knots) within 10 meters of us. I was shocked and infuriated. I am not proud to say but I shouted obscenities and offensive hand gestures at the surprised skipper and his passengers as we were rocked violently in their wake.

Now I have come to expect this from some of the power boaters out there but from a professional; I was angry. With Curtis on the foredeck messing with the sails it put us at risk of a serious injury. In Canada a vessel is responsible for its wake so I called the Coast Guard and complained. They in turn contacted the VPD Marine Unit who contacted me. The officer I spoke with was professional and said he would deal with it as he knew the owner of the company well and that he was a good guy. I thought nothing of it and we went about our race.

The next day I got a call from Simon Faulks *sp, the owner of Granville Island Water Taxi. Turns out he was not only the owner but the one who blasted past us. Now I have to say I am used to companies messing things up and dealing with them poorly and in a confrontational manor, but I was shocked by the way Simon handled this. He apologized, took ownership of the situation and said that he would make sure that it did not happen again. I was surprised to get a heart felt apology and he offered us free tickets.

So often in life people make excuses or get defensive but how he handled the situation was so professional and honest it left me deeply impressed. In fact I would argue that it is more business like this that we need out there. It is easy to handle a good situation but I think it is a true test of integrity to see how someone handles a bad situation. I intend to do what I can to support his business and recommend it to all I can. I also would like to thank the VPD for dealing with this in a community oriented way by getting the two parties together to talk. I was impressed.

So here is my plug. These guys are a excellent way to get out to Bowen. It is a great service to meet up with the SEA WEASEL if we are overnighting in Snug Cove and you couldn't make it for the sail over. It is also a great way to get out to the pub and back for a very reasonable price. Plus it runs from Granville Island so you don't have to deal with getting out to Horseshoe Bay! Here are there details:

Granville Island Water Taxi
& Tourism Information Centre
102 - 1311 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2P3
Dispatch/Reservations 9:00am to 5:00pm
604-484-8497
Fax 604-628-7047
E-mail info@giwt.ca - Web http://www.giwt.ca/

2009 English Bay Scramble Report

2009-08-17T19:22:00.001-07:00

SEA WEASEL ready for battle.

The English Bay Scramble was one of the first yacht races we did on the SEA WEASEL when I first bought the boat. I had always liked it and found it to be a fun and challenging event. The after party was quite good too. This year I was involved in putting it on as the Fleet Captain. Up until the last minute I had planned not to race and let Curtis and Cheryl take the boat out while I worked on the Committee boat. However thanks to many volunteers in the club I was able to do the race. This turned out to be a good thing since my entire crew bailed on me (except for Curtis; if you cont him). So it turned out we were double handing the race.

Friday night we attended the Skipper's Meeting at the Maritime Museum and listened to Peter's "pearl's of wisdom" on how to approach the race. In a nut shell; there was no strategy; you can get screwed no matter which way you approach it. - Thanks Peter.

Skipper's meeting.

Niko in the chase boat taking photos.

you - "Hey where's all the crew?" me- "Curtis and I figured we could do better without them."

The day of the race Curtis and I headed out on the WEASEL into the Bay. There was little wind perhaps 4 knots NE, and a huge 11ft flood. We opted to run for Passage Island and get that often hellish mark out of the way. There was a reported 11 knot inflow near there so we thought we should sail for the wind. We also planned to reach south in a westerly that was expected to develop in the afternoon and round the PG Bell Buoy before doing our first S/F crossing. We would pick up the other two marks if we had time.

The start line with light wind and a ton of traffic.

The official video of the start sequence.

Spot the WEASEL in the thick of it all.

The start was the usual chaos but the light winds made it less deadly and we were in a good position to broad reach on a starboard tack across the line. The majority of the boats went south looking for tide relief and favourable winds. Six of us went for Passage and the promised winds. We hoisted the kite and were off like a herd of turtles.

Heading off to Passage Island.

In these light airs we made 2 knots until the wind shut off and we drifted in the back eddies out towards Point Atkinson. We stayed close to the back and even held off KRIKKIT and TIGER LILY for a time before they took off. It became unbearable as we watched the wind cruelly fill in hours later and take the lead boats first. The boats to the south did not appear to be doing much better than us.

With hardly any wind we drifted along with the kite up.

Curtis the navigator.

Finally the wind picked up from the SW and we began to move towards Passage Island at 5 knots. With the wind slightly ahead of a beam reach and with the tide hitting us we began to drift sideways. It became more and more apparent that we would not be able to clear Point Atkinson. We held off taking down the kite hoping the wind would veer around closer to the point. No such luck; we nearly grounded and did a messy bare away and gybe (if you could call it that) we tore the kite taking it down and made a messy recovery losing several minutes before getting back on course.

The hated Point Atkinson.

Now the wind was now filling in and we whipped around Passage Island and raced over to the mark near the PG Bell Buoy. We hoisted the kite for a rough run back to the Start Finish line. At that point we made the decision to play it safe and go to the West Vancouver mark and recross the S/F line. If we had time we would try and pick up the Kits Barge Buoy. With time not on our side we gave up at 4:45pm and finished the race.

Finally wind!

Ouch! - Please don't rip!

SEA WEASEL Finishing the race.

"Only one mark left!"

Following the race we had a pleasant sail to pick up the two race marks. On the last mark I picked up two different salmon lures tangled around the rode of the mark. It was awesome; I just got $30 worth of salmon fishing gear. With our final task completed we motored back home and proceeded to the after party that was well underway.

Recovering the mark's was a pleasure.

Prize time at the after party.

The band.

The party.
Details:

SEA WEASEL finished 4th out of 7 in Division 7.

SEA WEASEL finished 37th out of 50 boats.

54 Boats registered for the race.

Link(s):

English Bay Scramble Website (full results) -click here-

Holy Shit!! - I am Speechless

2009-08-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

THIS IS THE CRAZIEST THING I HAVE SEEN!

I could not believe it when I saw this video from Sweden's 2009 Tjorn Runt. I believe Tjorn Runt directly translates from Swedish to: "I hate my boat". This is absolute insanity.

If you watch the last boat you will see that there is a Swedish version of Curtis and a skipper with about as much concern for his safety as me.

Race Committee Duties Over! ... For Now...

2009-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

The TCYC 2009 Summer Shorts Video.

Well we're back in the saddle now; no more Race Committee duties for the SEA WEASEL and her brave crew until the Last Chance Regatta in October. It was fun being RC. Most nights there were beer and BBQs. It was a nice change of pace but now it is time for us to get back into fighting shape. The SEA WEASEL will be doing the False Creek Yacht Club's Thursday Night Fall Series; and this weekend will be doing the English Bay Scramble.

See you out there!