"Were Getting the Band Back Together"

Been working hard on my boat to get it ready for the first US International Moth PCC's.  Should start the 2,500 mile journey to Coronado Yacht Club by mid-week.  Initially Bear was going to be joining me but has to make a trip to europe.  So one more cross country voyage solo.  Hopefully nebraska and the mountains will provide some good spectating.

Looks like we will have at least 13 boats, among them are: Zack, Dalton, Doogie, and Charlie. With rumors of other ex 49er sailors coming into the class soon.  Socal local Hans Henken won the last west coast event and looks to be quick.  Hopefully the conditions will be stronger than 8 knots so at least I will have the chance to hang onto the kid.

Feels like 49er days all over driving cross country to go race zack and dalton....

It will be good to see the boys

Going Home

Killing time listening to Jack Johnson at Schiphol in Amsterdam.  Hate this place, they get me for $20 just to use the Internet every time I come through.

Hands are totally fudged, I did less damage to them in a whole month of sailing with no gloves in Australia versus 4 days in Dubai.  Need them to recover quickly as the PCC's are in only two weeks.  Using mouse instead of pulling on a sheet will help that cause.  Going back to the real world after a week of fun in the sun is always such a shocker.  

The Autocad skills have been improving dramatically so hopefully I can bang out the rest of the design of the hyb station I building for work before I leave for SoCal.  I am excited to get back to my little machine shop and crank out some more bits.  My Hull Speed Paint should have arrived by now so will have to sand the foils to get them ready for paint.  Rohan took a little chunk out of my leading edge trying to separate my horizontal from my vertical. 

Now that I am thinking about it not much of a week off have tons of stuff to do to get ready for the west coast swing....

Final thoughts about Dubai, Chris and Glen are top notch guys. I can't wait to go back and look forward to sailing with them again.  The rate at which that place is growing I am sure I will not recognize it next time I go.  We did not do anything touristy but I am never really good at that kind of stuff, perfectly happy to go sail and hang at the YC.  Big thanks to Gareth who housed me for the week only 400 yards away from my boat.

On a side note please chime in a help us figure out a blog name for Sam (sailor chick) England

here is where you can post your ideas link

Handicaps in One Design?

So we did the first of the two experimental courses yesterday, I have to say it was quite a bit of fun.  First we all started at the same time and reached for around 15-20 seconds before coming to the first gybe mark.  Going 4 wide into a turn was good fun,  I was able to win the straight up racing taking advantage of being able to nail gybes exactly when i needed to versus when i was comfortable.  After 5 races Rohan, set up a handicap system.  In the first try I started 50 seconds behind the slowest guy, thought that was a little extreme.  But it turned out not to be, i was completing the course in around 3 min.  As we did more racing they fine tuned the handicap, at the end all four of the Bladeriders were arrive within 10 sec of each other at the finish line.  I was still spotting all of them 10-30 sec.  Good fun !

We are about to go try the other course he had drawn up i don't even know how to describe it.  Something between a N and a Z course.......

Side note last night was the first night I have been able to get any sleep here.  Something about going to the other side of the world messed up my body clock.   Have to thank Sam for thinking cheap tequila was a good idea :) She had the wisdom to bail after that, me not so much.  Slept for 10 hours and I needed it. Keen to go on another round the world try but it looks like the wind direction could not be worse.  Obviously the trick is to minimize time spent beating ...

The Roaring 40s

Did my first "Jo Verne" attempt yesterday.  We ran a staggered start with Sam (sailor chick of the week) England starting first.  Chris Graham starting 5 min behind her, and then myself going 5 min behind Chris.  There was some miscommunication and Chris was going for an anti-clockwise attempt and Sam was going for a clockwise run.  I was confused, coach Ro told me to chase after Sam.    After about 30 minutes of beating I was close enough to see her.  15 minutes later I rounded the "Cape of Good Hope" and it was on.  Thierry said 2 meter waves but there were a couple that were big breakers causing me to bear away and run from them versus taking them on the beam.

It was so rough that the rib could no longer keep up with the moths.  Anyone that wants to sail their moth in flat water versus big waves and wind has no idea how much fun they are missing.  Sam had slowed down enough where I caught up to her and saw chris coming around the other way.  The whole time all I could do to keep the boat right side up was to "sail for the high water" and steer the crap out of it.  Eventually I made it to "Cape Horn" and was able to bear away and run fully with the swells huge relief to actually be able to slow down a little.

Made my final gybe around the corner and headed for where I thought we started from.  The haze was so bad, no rib in sight.  I sailed for the wrong break wall and had to sail close hauled to the finish line costing me more precious time.  In the end i was 10 minutes off his record but the conditions were not right for a real threat.  I still beat the VX40's time in a 11 ft sailboat.

In the afternoon we did some short course racing and a photo shoot going for foiling tacks with Ro.  Burned him good in a simul tack. :)

Six hours of sailing in one day and I am wrecked.  Hands are pussing from blisters so badly that my fingers are sticking together when they touch....

Airport Security

Got a good laugh today when I was checking in at the airport. The TSA lady was around when the Detroit DN iceboat team headed off to europe to go win the worlds!  The DN guys must have had their charm on and inadvertently smoothed the way for me.  

I had one bag of mostly sailing gear and a little bit of clothes.  One long cardboard tube with a sail and my vertical foils, computer, and my tiller and horizontal foils taped together as a carry on.  Somehow the TSA people think a tiller with a rudder box looks too much like a club or weapon.  After about 20 min of pleading they made me check the rudder box and tiller but at least let me take my foils as a carry on.  

On my second try through security I got the full treatment after the metal detector for: 

a) my passport has been washed many many times and it looks like a poor fake id

b) they ran out of the little plastic bins that you have to put your computer and shoes in.  The TSA guy gave me some attitude about not moving forward in the line and I politely explained how it is really his fault that I cant move forward.  I knew that he would react poorly to me pointing out the error, but it was too good of an opportunity.  Oh well a pat down and a bag check later and I was off to the gate.  Par for the course for me.....

I can't believe how nice the NWA airbus A330-300 was versus, the crappy United 747-400 with the cathode ray tube screens that was our chariot to australia.  Each seat had a personal video display and I got to watch three oscar winning films on the flight across the pond. 

Next flight is a KLM 777 to Dubai.  I have never been on a 777 so this also should be an exciting flight for me...