It Begins.....

Unleash the WEASEL!

While the SEA WEASEL cruises and races all year round there is something about the beginning of May that signals the busy summer program. Halibut Bank/Popham Island is the first VARC 7 Race and the beginning of Thursday Night "Around the Can" racing seems to signal summer is here. Of course this year we shocked ourselves out of our winter lethargy with the Southern Straits; this still feels like the beginning of the summer season where it is more about sun and fun than survival.

Halibut Bank/Popham Island:

2008 Halibut Bank Race: The WEASEL and MYSTIC getting ready to start.

This year's Halibut Bank/Popham Island race looks promising. On May 9th the race is scheduled with the fast boats heading out to Halibut Bank and the slow boats out to Popham Island (South East of Gibsons). We are confident in improving our placement after last year's last place finish. We have a more experienced crew and a adjusted PHRF rating which mean we should stand a fighting chance; plus it will be sunny!

Fast boats away.

As with last year the SEA WEASEL is planning on spending the night at Snug Cove on Bowen Island. We are hoping some of the other racers will meet us there for a informal dock party. There are still openings for crewing on this race so email the skipper (me) to participate.

Thursday Nights:

SEA WEASEL starting on a typical Thursday Night.

FCYC and TCYC alternate doing a Thursday evening race program each year. Last year's races were intense in the 4-knot-shit-box division. There were many close races and good times were had by all. This year will hopefully be the same. The details are the same as last year:

• Meet at the boat at 5pm
• Leave the dock no later than 5:20pm*
• Beer and Burgers at the FCYC Club house or the Wicklow Public House following the race.

*I love you all but we will leave without you if you're running late. The Race Committee waits for no one.

Other Events in May:

John B., the TCYC 2008 Commodore, reviewing the fleet.

Sail Past: TCYC's annual Sail past is May 9th. The event will include: a traditional sail past, race, and raft up in False Creek. Crew is needed so come out or email me if you would like to be rowed out to the raft up. The raft up is a BYOB event.

The 2008 Silva Bay Crew.

Silva Bay Layover: Stomach pumps on standby; May 30th &31st is the "Silva Bay Hangover". We race from the Bell Buoy out to Gabriola, party all night, and race back on the Sunday. The race has a pursuit start which is always interesting. Sign up early to crew on this one as it will fill up fast.

Soundings

The Chartplotter depth display reading the depth beneath the boat in the marina at low tide.

The instrumentation on my boat is as old as I am and half of it does not work. My depth sounder was one of the remaining function instruments. It was a older signet "digital" model. It was never entirely effective and half the time it read the keel. Finally one of the digits on the display burned out meaning that it was accurate to within 9 feet.

With the demise of my old depth sounder I had to move over to my "analog" back up, the keel. I did have a back up plan however. When I purchased my Lowrance Chartplotter off of craigslist the guy had mentioned that it had a depth sounder transducer. It was one of those transom mount ones and when I bought the device the transducer was still attached to his boat. He said next year I could pick it up. A year later I emailed him and got the transducer and kept it in a box. Now I had to figure out if it worked.

I spliced in some new coaxial cable and hooked it up to the Chartplotter, no sparks. I then through the transducer over the side of the boat and immediately began getting readings. I hauled it aboard. These transom mounted transducers are designed to be mounted to the stern of a power boat but that is impossible on a sailboat. Sailboats usually have thru-hull transducers. There is a way to mount a transom transducer inside a sailboat. It sometime doesn't work. Basically you have to have a non-cored hull and have no air between the transducer and the hull. You can make a wet box or use a silicone/epoxy to mount it to the hull.

Under one of the settees I found a puddle of water and I put the transducer in it and began getting readings. I now knew that my hull could conduct the soundings and that I needed to find away to mount it. I opted for the silicone solution. I used 3M's 5200 marine adhesive. I globed on a 3" square blob of the stuff where I had tested the transducer and simply mashed it into it. It is important that there are no air bubbles so I immediately tested it and found that it worked.

The Transducer in its bed of 5200 sealant.

I spent some time tidying up the wires. A few days later Curtis and I took the boat out for a sail and we fired up the depth sounder and it worked like a charm. I offset the soundings to account for the WEASEL's 5'2" keel. The next step is to calibrate it by taking a weighted line and measuring it. I may then have to tweak the settings to make sure that it is operating correctly.

While I will purchase a new depth instrument when I replace all of the others I am covered until then.

Southern Straits 2009 Race Report

SEA WEASEL's 2009 Crew -minus Niko



Our GPS course.



Donald Crowhurst aka Ed

Mid Strait

Off point Atkinson.

Reaching under A-kite.

Niko as intense as ever

Sailor Jerry's Rum has its effect.

A boat load of iPhones goes by.

I was at the skipper's meeting the night before the race. On more than one occasion someone would ask me what boat I was sailing on; and when I said that I was taking out my boat, SEA WEASEL they responded "oh good for you". I felt like someone's special cousin. I was taking out an old, slow, small boat out in one of the toughest races in BC.

The weather report stated that their would be light winds from the NW/W switching in the afternoon to light SE building overnight into a moderate SE wind. We met at the docks at 0800 and readied the boat. By 0830 we were motoring out to the start line off Dundas Pier in West Vancouver. We practiced a MOB drill when Dave dropped his strobe over the side.

While I have seen more boats at last year's English Bay Scramble, I have not seen a more impressive collection of boats. As we all formed up waiting to go we sailed past some giants: NEPTUNE's CAR, ICON, GLORY, BRAVE HEART, and STRUM. There was also a large collection of other thorough bred race boats. We greeted our TCYC comrades, and I was beginning to get excited. We saw Ed in DUSTY MAUCH doing it "Donald Crowhurst Style" single handing his boat. He would be the only other boat that rated over 145 and would be our only real competitor. DUSTY MAUCH in fact rated the same as us.
The Start 1053hrs:

Getting to the start line we immediately began to feel the effects of the strong current river blasting out of Burrard Inlet. Close to the shore there was a strong back eddy that was sucking us back from the line. Further out the tide pushed us forward at a few knots. We decided the smartest thing was to come at the line on a port tack out at the committee boat end of the line and use the current to our advantage. We would tack over the line just after clearing the committee boat. The only fear was that we would drift over early and not be able to sail back over again.

It worked perfectly and in the light airs we began to beat out of the bay. We went on short takes trying to keep in the current river blasting out of Burrard Inlet. This appeared to work and as the fleet spread out I was not disapointed in our position. DUSTY MAUCH rated the same as us and was not too far ahead.

Leg One - Entrance Island:

Nearing point Atkinson we had a decision to make: go south and try and catch the SE that was supposed to fill in that afternoon or go North and take advantage of the current conditions. We went South; after last year's Silva Bay Layover I had seen this tactic work. However this year the light air and the current coming around the North Arm of the Fraser by UBC proved our downfall and we began to slow painfully. Finally after waiting too long we tacked and headed North. At that time the wind picked up from the SE and we put up the A-kite and began to blast over to Entrance Island. It looked perfect we were making from 5.5-6.5 knots in the building breeze. Niko had made an excellent call to go with the A-kite in these conditions. Perhaps our plan had worked out after all.


We closed entrance island and rounded at 1922hrs. The kite came down flawlessly and we had a great rounding. The only catch at this point is that we discovered that I had entered the GPS coordinates into the chartplotter wrong. Ron was able to point this out with the use of his hand held GPS. I quickly reprogrammed the course.

Niko living the dream off North Flat Tops.

Leg Two North Flat Tops:

The light was fading as we began to beat up the North side of Gabriola Island heading for the mark off of North Flat Top Islands. We were debating going inshore with the current now flooding or staying out and taking advantage of the wind. Since we had six people on the boat we opted to go out and use all the weight we had on the rail. It was a great ride averaging 6-6.5 knots as the breeze built up.

We hoped to be able to round the mark and hoist the kite in some light. This was not going to be the case as e tacked in towards the mark we were in the dark. It is amazing how bright it can be out there. Even though the moon was completely obscured all of the various communities lights allowed you to see a fair bit.

Finding the mark sparked some passionate theories on where the mark was. The SI said that the mark would be a yellow mark with a blinking light or the Steveston Lifeboat with a anchour light and a blue strobe. As we closed to the mark area my GPS had identified that one of the two white blinking lites was the mark. The closest one had to be it as the other was obviously Thrasher Rock. Despite the GPS telling us one thing there was a debate with some convinced the "blue" (I thought it was green) flashing light was the life boat. I have had it proved to me time and time again that the GPS is always right. We followed it and it proved itself correct again.

Leg Three - Halibut Bank:

As we rounded the Mark we headed downwind to Halibut Bank. We had the symmetrical kite rigged and went with it. The breeze was building and like a sling shot we blasted downwind. We picked up speed flying at 7.5-9.5 knots. This was a "white knuckled" ride if I have ever been on one as we overtook waves and surfed down them. It was all I could do to keep the boat from rounding up violently (thank you skedge). Curtis manned the sheet and Dave had the main. Niko, Graham, and Ron had gone down below and were trying to get some shut eye. As we blasted through the night we saw the ghostly shapes of the big sleds go by silently heading for North Flat Tops and then passing us on their way back up to Halibut Bank.

Trying to keep the boat under control we headed down a few points off of the mark. Closing with Halibut Bank we needed to go to whites to close reach around the mark. Shockingly we doused perfectly and had the shoot down and were right on target without a hitch. We rounded the mark and here our troubles began.

Leg Four - Point Atkinson:

The wind was now blowing around 20 knots right in our teeth and we began the beat up wind for Point Atkinson. The wind was going against the current ant the waves were sharp and bashing through them began to take their toll on our progress and the crew. With waves hitting us on the chin our ground speed slowed to 4 knots and we crawled along.

The crew was suffering too. Two were knocked out by sea sickness, and two more were exhausted and half sick. The two that were throwing up couldn't go below and soon were huddled in the cockpit stirring only to puke or tack. Our competitiveness was gone.; We did not have our weight on the rail or light on our tell tails we were sailing by feel and GPS. Soon the GPS was shut down as we could see the light of Point Atkinson.

One of the most depressing things when your cold and bashing into a head wind is the feeling that little progress was being made. This was exasperated on this leg by the fact that the light's of Gibsons are quite visible and even though you are making progress it feels like you never move.

Ron came up on deck and took the helm from me for the last half off the leg. Graham was resurrected and Curtis and Dave came to life as we closed on Point Atkinson. As we neared the finish line the wind was bending around the point and even though we were on the same tack close hauled we swung around almost a hundred and eighty degrees. Finally we crossed the line at 0618. As we motored in to the safety inspection dock the clouds opened up and rain dumped on us. We were back at our home marina by 0930 exhausted, but successful in completing our first Southern Straits.

Looking Back:

I was quite happy with the race: technically our sailing was quite good with no mistakes. The course we choose did not pay off as much as we would have liked but I think was perfectly logical. We had great crew and everyone got along just fine.

There are however a few things I would change. Having 6 crew was a lot of people on a little boat and 4 is probably the magic number for my boat on this race. In addition there was a lot of food and gear brought onto the boat. We had way to much and none of it was touched except for some of the food. We also stowed this gear in the main cabin and kept the V-berth empty for crew. This location in heavy weather was making people sick. Even Niko who never gets see sick turned green. In the future I would put all of the gear in the V and keep the main cabin free for crew. Our schedule fell to pieces; this was mostly due to sea sickness but we needed to have a more formal and structured schedule. Sea sickness was a known issue but the crew waited too late to take their meds. Next time they will have to be taken before stepping on the boat for a race like this.

If you asked me right after the race if I enjoyed it I would probably have been a mumbling wreck. If you asked me if I would have done it again I would probably have said know, but as the days have gone by I look back on it and think more and more that I would do it again and that I actually enjoyed it.

Acknowledgments:
I would like to thank the following people for making this possible
The Crew: Curtis, Dave, Niko, Ron, Graham
The partners who put up with us leaving on a long weekend
Ian Lloyd for all of his advice
Rob Murray for the use of his hand held VHF
Niko again for all of his gear I borrowed
West Vancouver Yacht Club for hosting the race

The Road to My First Southern Straits Classic

It has always been a goal of mine to do the Southern Straits Classic Race in my own boat. The race appeals to me because of it requires a combination of endurance, seamanship, and luck. It is the toughest race a boat like mine could do in this area. In past years, there have been vessels blown onshore, crew swept overboard, and countless vessels retiring disabled. It is like our own little Volvo Ocean Race.

I was the second boat to sign up for the race and I was pretty casual about it until I started to consider the logistics. I had never done this before and was surprised how much organizing was required. Crew schedules, food, weather and current planning, safety inspections. It was time to come up with a plan. I broke it down into the following pieces: Crew, Tactics, Boat Preparation, and Safety.

Crew:
People - This is not as easy as you may think. A race like this can be demanding and you want to have the right crew on board that have the experience to be safe and effective. I wanted also to pick the people with the most race experience and who were available and interested in doing the race. I wound up deciding on two shifts of three people. I took Dave and Curtis who have been long time crew and have a lot of racing under their belts as well as experience on my boat in particular. When the going gets tough both are guys I can count on. It doesn't hurt to have a Nurse on board either.
For the after-guard I went with Niko and his able right-hand man Graham. Niko obviously has a lot of experience skippering his own boat SARANDIS but has done this race before and knows what to expect. Graham has grown up sailing on the East Coast and has raced with Niko and others for years. Fate also dropped Graham's Dad Ron in my lap when he asked to join the crew. While I know little about him I do know that he has been a long time East Coast sailor and is used to heavy weather.
Schedules - The challenge is not only finding the right people but organizing them. The schedule was a little challenge. On a race that can last well over 24 hours it is vital that everyone gets breaks and stays fresh and alert. I decided to create a schedule with three hour rotations and standbys. It is probably overly complicated but I am used to working in call centers and have a soft spot for a complex schedule.
Food - In addition to the people and schedule food plays a big role when your out on the water. I had originally planned to have everyone contributed money and come up with a hearty meal plan but after hearing horror stories on other boats and realizing what picky babies people are (not my crew specifically but humanity as a whole) I said forget it and instituted a BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) program. Personally I am going to go with one thermos of soup, one of coffee a ton of water and sandwiches. While I have a gimbaled stove on board I would rather keep it simple. I imagine we will only be using the stove for coffee and hot chocolate.
Living - Sleeping arrangements on my boat are what you would expect on a 27 footer. Unfortunately I have no quarter berths which make the perfect sea berth. I have really three functional berths on the boat for being underway which, as luck would have it, is the perfect number. The V-Berth can take two people who don't mind being packed in there and the starboard berth in the main cabin has a lee-cloth which is snug. I will have to see how this works out in the end and maybe for next year consider some form of alternative lee cloth setup for the port berth in the main cabin

Safety: They always say safety first and they weren't kidding. I took a look at the requirements and realized I had a lot of work ahead of me. I had often heard that if one race was going to get someone killed in these waters it was either going to be Straits or the Swiftsure. With that in mind they required all boats to be PIYA Catagory II compliant. I thought my boat is pretty safe and should meet all of the requirements. I was wrong. Even though I bitched about it and thought it was over the top it was a good exercise. When I started going through my safety equipment I began finding glaring gaps. I literally had equipment falling apart in my hands that I thought was perfectly functional. What was really required was to sit down with the PIYA list and the Coast Guard Regs and start checking items off the list, while creating a to-do list. There were a few items that gave me real trouble mostly due to budget issues. The biggest one though is emergency steering. I went with the tried but never tested "oar and rope" method. I need to come up with something a little less hobo. Crew also has to have harnesses, tethers, PFDs, lights, and whistles. It is pretty stressful too because if anything is missing they will disqualify you after the race is done when the boat undergoes a mandatory safety inspection; while that seems a bit backwards it is a good motivator.

Boat Preparation: I find the best way to prepare the boat is to make a quick checklist and to take a few hours and go sit down at the boat and take a look around, and tinker until I have everything ship shape. Here is my checklist:

• Lighten the boat (take off all access cruising gear)
• Clean the boat (inside and out)
• Check all lights and make sure spares are on board
• Prepare Engine (new fuel filters, a oil change, and top up the fuel tank)
• Galley Preparation (fill up the stove, clean the icebox out etc.)
• Double check all safety equipment and ship's documentation is on board
• Scrub the hull with a boat brush
• Inspect the rig
  

Tactics: I maybe no Denis Connor but I thought I would try my hand at getting prepared for the actual racing tactics. I started with printing off tide tables, marking my current atlas for each hour of the race and printing off weather briefings. I preprogrammed the marks into my GPS ahead of time so that there was no messing around on race day. All the wind predictions were looking like there would be light airs for most of the race. Current would have a significant impact so I judged my approaches based on their influence. I was planning on attending the skippers weather briefing and trying to soak up any of the experienced skippers recommendations. The only thing I am not sure about is the use of iPhones during the race to get online weather reports. In theory it could be extremely usefull but I am having my doubts that is "race legal".