Captain Black's Sea Chronicles

2012 O'Neill Girls Surf Team

2012-02-09T12:46:00.001-05:00

Makes me want to move back to Hawaii...

Swashbuckling Frogs

2011-12-09T12:50:00.001-05:00

I know its a bit late but I just found this and Kermit in pirate garb is too good not to pass along.

Red Solo Cup!

2011-12-02T14:31:00.001-05:00

PUMA Dismasted - Plans Going Forward

2011-11-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

Google's Pirate Turkey Doodle

2011-11-23T08:11:00.001-05:00

Today's Google Doodle is pretty sweet! Match up the hat, the legs and the feathers and see what you get!

X Marks the Spot

2011-11-18T16:23:00.001-05:00

200th Post - Future Contemplations

2011-11-06T11:44:00.000-05:00

How does one celebrate 200 posts? Well, I don't know how others do it, but I'm not really going to do much. It doesn't feel much different than my 199th post or even my 37th post. (Please don't go searching for my 37th post to find out which one that is; I just picked a random number).

I remember that it was about this time that I expected to be living on a boat and getting ready to set sail around the world but that, sadly, has not occurred yet. While that is a bit of a downer, on the upside, I am already signed onto a crew for the Annapolis to Bermuda race for this summer. That has me pretty excited! I haven't done any offshore racing and this is probably a more sensible way to be introduced to it than just setting off around the world.

Although, looking at some of my more popular posts, I realize that 5 out of my top 6 were about some terrible but hilarious movies. I've been thinking that maybe I should start a blog on all the terrible movies I've seen....Start a companion blog to my film director friend Dan Gvozen's movie blog, Grind My Reels. He reviews decent movies and gives a pretty in-depth analysis. Mine would be surface-level commentary on loveable but crappy B films. Hmm... It's certainly something to think about.

While I contemplate that, please enjoy a great song with B movie attention-grabbing visuals:

Beautiful J111

2011-10-27T19:39:00.001-04:00

Ouch

2011-10-22T19:36:00.001-04:00

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 10

2011-10-06T20:43:00.001-04:00

Look What I Caught!

2011-10-01T18:58:00.002-04:00

Its nice to know that even professional sailors get to have fun from time to time to time....you know, aside from racing a boat for a living...

Just as Salty caught something unexpected, so have I recently! A new advertiser! As you might have noticed, there have been some changes around the site. Some change of background scenery, a little change in coloration, and a new ad in the right sidebar. The new ad is for a site called BlackFriday.info and their site, as you might guess, generally catered to Black Friday deals. However, they upgraded recently and now offer year-round deals. They've been mentioned by US News & World Reports, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Feel free to check their website at BlackFriday.info or on Twitter @blackfridayinfo.

Also, if you haven't checked out Emirates Team New Zealand's blog, definitely check it out. It's pretty sweet!

As Rare as Russian Unicorns

2011-09-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling a bit overloaded this past month. 6 weeks of working full time and taking night law school classes has been tiring. Luckily, the ladyfriend has been very supportive and even kicked my butt a few times when I needed it. I have the ability to fall asleep in .27931 seconds and she makes sure I don't when I have work to do which has been quite helpful lately. I'd write more about how lucky I am and how awesome she is, but I don't want to embarrass her too much :-)

Generally being tired, studying law, and trying to keep up with current events has led to some very strange dreams when I do get the opportunity to sleep. Just this past evening in fact, I was hanging out with Richard Branson on a 27' sailboat and we were off to race it when we crashed into an island that had Warren Buffett on it. The night before, I did some time-traveling with Dr. Who in the TARDIS.

In light of these strange dreams, I thought I would treat you all to a song this friday that is 3 parts awesome and 1 part weird. It's a bad lip reading video of Michael Bublé's Haven't Met You Yet. Please enjoy:

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 9

2011-09-30T07:59:00.002-04:00

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 8

2011-09-18T18:46:00.002-04:00

Plymouth - Full Replays (Race Day 6 & 7)

2011-09-18T18:45:00.000-04:00

Plymouth - ACWS News (Race Day 6 & 7)

2011-09-18T18:37:00.000-04:00

Why I'm Going to Visit Tillerman

2011-09-17T10:45:00.001-04:00

He doesn't know it yet, but if I can, I'm going to be in Tillerman's neck of the woods next summer.

Plymouth - ACWS Semi Finals & Results Bracket

2011-09-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

Plymouth - AC Full Replays (Race Days 3, 4 & 5)

2011-09-17T09:18:00.001-04:00

Plymouth AC Race Day 3, 4 & 5 - News

2011-09-17T09:14:00.001-04:00

International Talk Like A Pirate Day is Coming!

2011-09-14T09:30:00.001-04:00

So because my first legal memo is due on International Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19), I think I may have to break my general rule of no going out during the work-week (except Thursdays) and head to the nearest barrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Plymouth - AC 34 World Series Current Standings

2011-09-11T18:26:00.001-04:00

Whoooooo!!!! Go New Zealand!

Plymouth - Racing News & Full Replay (Day 2)

2011-09-11T18:03:00.000-04:00

There were some intense winds in Plymouth today!

Definitely check out at least the news video! At least three boats capsize with GreenCOMM doing a double-capsize!

Plymouth - Racing News & Fully Replay (Day 1)

2011-09-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

The America's Cup World Series kicked off their second leg in Plymouth yesterday with some kick-ass sailing! Check it out below:

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 7

2011-09-11T13:54:00.001-04:00

Song for My Audience of One

2011-09-09T19:04:00.000-04:00

I was going to put up the video for Los Angeles by The Rosewood Thieves but I found this one and it caught my attention.

So I'm going to put that one up here as the song of the day instead.

Enjoy it.

Or don't.

I don't really care.

Since I put it up for an audience of one.

Americas Cup Uncovered - Episode 5 & 6

2011-09-05T12:17:00.001-04:00

Sailing Cocktail of the Week!

2011-09-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Take 1 mooring buoy, add 3/4 of boat (no sails), splash with heavy amounts of rain and shake with hurricane intensity and you get the following cocktail!

Courtesy of North American Sailor

Red Socks (not Sox) and the AC World Series

2011-09-01T23:24:00.000-04:00

I must admit, I've been feeling a bit conflicted lately. I really enjoy having the America's Cup in the US but at the same time, I do hold a special place in my heart for the Kiwis and Team New Zealand. I was in New Zealand when Team New Zealand won the cup (skippered by Russell Coutts and led by Sir Peter Blake) and that was when I really started following the America's Cup.

So even though I love having the Cup in American hands, I must admit, I'm rooting for Emirates Team New Zealand this go-around.

RIP Sir Peter Blake.

Forecast: Sexy with a Chance of Puns

2011-08-26T13:27:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to put up the "Come On Eileen" video mainly because I think the "Come On Irene" joke isn't all that funny. Nor will I mention that Gene Kelly above could be "Singin' in Irene...Just singin' in Irene"......I'm feeling classier than that, so.... please enjoy the Rolling Stones' "Rain Fall Down".

Dammit Irene!

2011-08-25T21:10:00.002-04:00

Dear Skipper,

First, thank you for your support of CRAB through your entry in the BoatyardBar & Grill Regatta to Benefit CRAB/Battle of the Chesapeake.

We are sorry to tell you that after careful consideration and waiting as longas possible to make this determination, we have decided that attempting toconduct the on-water portion of this event would be unwise in light of theimpending arrival of our unwanted guest, Irene. While we probably would havebeen able to start a very nice race, the current forecasts indicate that wewould have been unlikely to be able to finish it safely. With several marinasin Annapolis already calling for the evacuation of their wet slips, we believethat you should be able to take the time you would have spent racing with us tosecure your home, boat, and other property.

By the end of the day, we expect everyone to be ready for a great party. We'vemoved the festivities indoors at Eastport Yacht Club, where we'll still havethe same great band, food, and drink, but a little less watered-down andwindblown.

Thanks again for your entry and support of CRAB. We're disappointed, too, butwe hope to see you at the party.

-- EYC RC/Registration

Discouraged Yet Hopeful

2011-08-25T14:12:00.000-04:00

I know Irene is going to be really intense and totally flood the crap out of my area but I still really want to go racing this weekend. It's Battle of the Chesapeake and I could really use more sea time before law school starts burying me in work. They haven't called the race yet so there is still hope......

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 4

2011-08-23T12:36:00.001-04:00

Non Sequitur Captures Cowes Week

2011-08-21T14:46:00.000-04:00

MD Governor's Cup 2011

2011-08-20T14:51:00.002-04:00

The Governor's Cup was the 5th to the 6th of August. Hard to believe it's been two weeks already.

This was my first overnight race and we couldn't have had better wind! It was blowing 15-20 knots almost the entire time, including the few hours of sleep I tried to get between 2:30 and 5am. The wind only dropped as we were approaching St. Mary's of course, right in front of the finish line.

The whole time we were just pounding through the waves. If you get sea-sick, this definitely wasn't the trip for you. We had some seasoned sailors onboard, but even this chop was enough to a make a few of them green in the face. Personally, I had a blast! It was exciting, although a bit cold since, as foredeck guy and railmeat position #1, I kept getting the most of every wave that splashed over the bow.

Sailing at night was cool new experience. We had to make sure we weren't going to hit any of the other hundred and fifty odd sail boats that were racing with us as well as any of the big shipping vessels making their way up to Baltimore. There were a couple boats that seemingly came out of nowhere (low powered running lights) and at about 2am, we had caught up the bulk of the boats that started at 3pm (we started at 6pm since we were in a faster class). It was pretty hectic. We dodged about 30 boats within an hour. It probably wouldn't have been so many but we were just getting to the smaller part of the Chesapeake.

The race to the finish was pretty lackluster since our wind started dying and boats were already coming back at us from finished but we pushed through and finished pretty decently. 14th out of 16th in our division but 46th out of 155 boats in the fleet with corrected time.

Thanks to Photoboat.com for most of these pictures!

Race Committee had some pretty sweet boats

Foredeck View

If you'll notice, the RC boat here is a pirate ship

Wave for the camera!

Apparently someone forgot to clean the bottom...

Stock Market Songs

2011-08-19T22:52:00.000-04:00

So like the stock market, I've been all over the place this week. Baltimore, DC and Annapolis. Very busy at work, to looking for stuff to do. Finished law school orientation on this week with a pretty decent Baltimore BBQ as well. Now I'm looking forward to the first official day of classes which start on Monday.

Anyway, here are a mix of songs that won't necessarily give you the roller-coaster ride that watching CNBC will, but it's where I've been musically this week.

A bit of studying and a bit of partying will top off this week pretty nicely I think. Hope you all have a good weekend!

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 3

2011-08-17T10:07:00.000-04:00

I'll admit that I have yet to watch this one since law school orientation has been this week and I've been pretty strapped for time. I'm sure it's awesome though!

If not, let me know in the comments.

Also, do you (the reader) prefer the whole AC World Series replays or just the short news snippets? The AC Committee are putting up a ton of videos and interviews on Youtube and I don't want to just repost everything they throw up there but if you guys have any particular preference, let me know.

Update 8/20/11: Now that I have finally watched this episode, I can confirm that it is indeed awesome. Shows you some of the prep work for Cascais which is neat, admittedly not as neat if I hadn't been keeping up with the race, but neat none-the-less.

AC World Series - Cascais (Race Day 6 & 7)

2011-08-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

Race updates for the AC World Series Day 6 & 7 in Cascais. Then onto Plymouth!

AC World Series in Newport, RI (Race Day Updates 4 & 5)

2011-08-12T15:35:00.003-04:00

Below are the news updates from Cascais for Race Day 4 & 5. Big update: the last leg of the AC World Series will be in Newport, RI in July 2012!

WHFS & Blink-182

2011-08-12T15:22:00.000-04:00

The late 90's are back! My favorite radio station from high school is back on the air (after an abrupt cancellation) and I'm going to the Blink-182 show tonight with my littler sister. Should be blast!

AC World Series - Cascais Update, Race Day 3

2011-08-11T09:32:00.003-04:00

8

2011-08-07T22:24:00.003-04:00

"It is decidedly so"

8 posts in one day. I am a blogging machine!

Mark Twain Inspired

2011-08-07T21:45:00.002-04:00

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

- Mark Twain

The guy in the below video (courtesy of gCaptain), certainly didn't want to be disappointed by the things that he didn't do. He went for it and although it certainly wasn't the best idea as gCaptain points out, you do have to give him credit for trying. Pretty ballsy for, what looks like a 40' boat, to take on a supertanker...

(Photo courtesy of Conjuminando)

AC World Series - Cascais, Day 2

2011-08-07T16:24:00.000-04:00

Below is the news for Saturday, the 2nd Race day at Cascais. The match racing officially starts on Wednesday. Apparently these were the preliminaries.

Winston Mcfarlane fell off of Emirates Team New Zealand's boat during one of the races when his winch handle broke. That is some intense grinding.

Emirates Team NZ ending up winning the preliminaries and the speed test so it was a pretty bangup weekend for them. Below are the results of the preliminaries and the speed test.

America's Cup World Series - Cascais (Full Replays)

2011-08-07T16:06:00.001-04:00

Below are the full replays for Day 1 of the AC World Series at Cascais. The first one is with the sports commentary and the 2nd one is just video from onboard a mix of the different boats.

It's not quite the high intensity that they advertise but not everyday can have them going 30+ knots right?

America's Cup World Series - Cascais, Speed Trial & Day 1

2011-08-07T15:47:00.000-04:00

Here is the quick news report about the AC World Series in Cascais for the speed trial and Day 1.

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 2

2011-08-07T15:36:00.002-04:00

Another awesome episode about the America's Cup!

This one covers the French, Chinese, and Korean entries for the Cup.

Note: Watch this stuff full screen. It's worth it.

"Bombast" Cable

2011-08-07T14:07:00.000-04:00

El Guincho - Pop Negro

2011-08-07T01:18:00.001-04:00

I'm not normally one for Latin music but Pop Negro by El Guincho has been pretty addictive lately.

I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the beat, maybe the musical hooks, or maybe just because it was the background music for some good poker games at a friend's place. Either way, I find myself moving towards music that was not created purely to be blasted to, at, and from the club/bar/dance floor.

Maybe it's the radio and their love of overplaying the same set list of songs but I think it has more to do with getting older.

Pictures from this past Wednesday Night race and the Governor's Cup 2011 to follow (eventually).

The Great Bay Race

2011-08-03T22:22:00.001-04:00

Had the Great Bay Race this past Saturday. It was hot as the blazes out but I managed. Rub in a little sunscreen, drink some water, and pray for wind.

We didn't have the greatest start but managed to keep up pretty well. Started with 7 boats but at least 2 dropped out. Possibly 3. The first boat to finish (Jubilee), I'm pretty sure, didn't round the first mark. Avalon, the first boat to round the first mark, called them on it. We finished third but will probably do worse with corrected time. We'll see though. I blame the 40 mins we were all just drifting because the wind died.

Anyhow, below are some of the pics from the race and the ride back to HHN:

Spence, my co-foredeck guy

Nice to be in the front of the pack every once in awhile..

Coyote. See you again at Annapolis Race Week.

End of another good day. Let's wrap this up at Calypso Bay...

America's Cup Uncovered - Episode 1

2011-08-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

The below video is awesome. Plain and simple.

You get some behind-the-scenes footage of the America's Cup meetings, some sweet racing footage, get to know the Skipper of Oracle Racing, James Spithill, and you get more of an in-depth look at Team Emirates NZ. The video plays like a TV show but is far more interesting than anything you were planning on watching.

Give it a look see and tell me you didn't watch the whole thing:

PS: The AC World Series starts in 5 days...

Wednesday Night Racing w/ Pictures!

2011-08-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

Had a pretty decent "race" last Wednesday. Race is only in quotes because I have no idea if the Race Committee was actually keeping track on anyone's finish time. They seemed to have disappeared sometime in the middle of the race.... Weird.

Anyhow, here are some pictures I took:

Practical Sailor's Guide: Choosing a New Main

2011-07-29T18:54:00.000-04:00

Practical Sailor has a great article on choosing a new mainsail. Check it out!

PS Buyers Guide: Choosing a New Cruising Main - Practical Sailor Article: "

Practical Sailor's Buyers Guide: Choosing a New Cruising Mainsail

A step-by-step look at upgrading a mainsail.

The Union Cutter 36, Melelu, is measured for a new mainsail.

The mainsail of our Chesapeake Bay test boat was intact, but, after exhausting every life-extending option available—including patches, repairs, re-stitching, and tune ups—it became obvious that the sail was on its last legs.

As with any big-ticket item, purchasing a new main involves a number of choices, each of which are driven by an equally diverse list of factors to consider, from the type of boat (cruiser or racer) and area sailed (inshore, coastal, or blue water) to the type of sailor you are (i.e. a performance-oriented hard charger or someone with a more laid-back approach).

To help with our mainsail replacement mission, we turned to Baxter Sailmakers Ltd., a well-respected loft located in Norfolk, Va. Owner David Baxter brought a wealth of knowledge to the project and proved to be a valuable sounding board while considering the various options available. Baxter is hardly alone in this category. Although franchise affiliates garnered the lion’s share of recommendations in our recent reader poll some of the highest encomium went to independent sailmakers like Baxter.

Sail Selection Factors

Many of the decisions we faced were easily answered based on a realistic review of our boat, future sailing plans, and a review of existing mainsail pros and cons we’d noted throughout the years. Our test boat is a 36-foot Union cutter, a full-keel, heavy-displacement cruiser reviewed in the February 2010 issue. Future sailing plans include cruising Chesapeake Bay and the East Coast, with the occasional Caribbean crossing thrown in.

Once these initial questions were answered, the actual decision-making fun began in earnest. These included decisions about sail construction (cost, cloth, weight, number of reefs, etc.) as well as possible upgrades to the flaking system, track system, reefing setup, and similar details. Here’s a step-by-step account outlining the major options and selection process for our new mainsail, along with the reasoning behind each decision. While your decisions at each step may vary, the exercise can help serve as a template for your own mainsail search.

Material

Our old main was constructed of Dacron, and while we may have briefly fantasized about the use of some exotic fiber or laminate, in the end, polyester continued to offer the best balance of cost, longevity, and performance for our particular situation. We decided to go with a premium-grade polyester (Dimension 360AP-MTO 8.4 ounce) that was described by our sailmaker as bulletproof and virtually maintenance free.

Premium polyester is tightly woven and has a high yarn count that provides good shape retention and good performance over a wide range of wind speeds. Other benefits include durability, longevity, UV stability, softer “hand” (feel of the cloth), and lower cost.

As to cons, polyester cannot deliver the same weight savings or shape that you find in high-tech laminated or fiber-reinforced cloth; however, we decided that the materials benefits made up for any loss of performance. (You can only squeeze so many knots from a Union 36.) From a cruising perspective, we felt that laminated sails didn’t offer the best value with regards to longevity, particularly as they are still subject to delamination and mildew issues despite a number of advances in the manufacturing process.

Corners, Clews, and Eyes

A few “traditional” sailmakers feel that hand-stitched elements at the corners and clew (see photos) are the best option for cruisers, on the basis that they better spread loads and are more easily serviced or repaired at sea by the owner. Others say there is nothing wrong with high-quality pressed-in eyes, as the cloth will typically fail before the hardware tears out or fails. Our existing main used a riveted aluminum headboard and pressed eyes. As both served us well over the years with no failure, we opted to use them with our new main as well. There is a difference in quality of pressed eyes, however. We used all stainless-steel eyes supplied by the Swedish sailing hardware company Rutgerson Marin.

The original mainsail left plenty of room for improvement. The external slides (above, top), though reliable, put a lot of friction on the luff. The stack height (right) was hard to manage. The pressed eyes held up well (above, bottom), but nearly all of the stitching was pulling out.

Batten Banter

One of the first post-cloth decisions you’ll have to make is whether your new main will utilize full-length battens. There are a number of pros and cons regarding full-length battens and a wide range of opinions on their merits for cruising. Some cruising sailors choose to forego battens altogether, but if you want your mainsail to have a decent amount of roach, you’ll need some form of batten support.

On the plus side, a full-battened mainsail holds its shape longer and is easier to stow (particularly with furling devices such as lazy jacks, etc). Battens allow more roach, which enhances sail performance, and also dampen sail flogging, which increases sail life and reduces noise during hoisting, dousing, and reefing.

On the downside, full-battened sails are more complicated to build and add considerable expense to the sail. Fully battened sails are also a bit more difficult to race with, as the sail is “locked” into one shape, reducing adjustment options. It’s also more difficult to tell when a full-battened sail is out of trim. Battens can chafe the sail and the pockets that hold them, and they are prone to hanging up on standing and running rigging when the mainsail is raised, reefed, or doused. Batten pockets are a primary source of mainsail repairs. Battens put significantly higher loads on the track and cars, and they also increase the stack height of the sail luff.

Our old main had full-length battens, and in our mind, the benefits provided by a battened main outweighed the negatives. However, in light of our experience with a full-battened main, we decided to try a hybrid approach — a “2-plus-2” configuration, with two full battens at the top, and two partial battens at the bottom.

On the plus side, partial battens make the sail more adjustable with minimal loss of performance (as compared to a full-batten sail). The sail is also easier to trim when hard on the wind. Since the top two full battens are still relatively short, they don’t hinder the raising or lowering of the sail.

The two partial battens still distribute the load across the sail well, but their shorter length means there is less compression at the luff. This reduced friction on the luff track makes it easier to reef. A partially battened main is easier to remove from the mast—when the need arises—than a full-battened one. It is slightly cheaper to build, and matching the length of the partial battens with the longest full-length batten reduces the number of spare battens needed. A well-made and well-cared-for, partially battened sail can deliver 10-plus years of good service.

As to downsides, a partially battened main is not as easy to stow as a full-battened one, and while the 2-plus-2 setup dampens flogging, a full-batten main does it even better. This also means the partially battened sail will lose its shape quicker.

1. Schaeffer Battslide batten receptacles (shown with Strong Track slides) can be tensioned at the luff, allowing for closed batten pockets at the leach. 2. The new Strong Track system greatly reduced slide friction. 3. Earrings at the tack cringle take the sweat out of reefing exercises. 4. Over many years, UV rays can degrade the Strong Track, causing crazing. The owner of this track estimates its age at more than 12 years. Tides offers a small discount on replacement track out of the warranty period.

Reef points

Once we decided on our batten style, next up was the number and position of reef rows to reduce mainsail area during heavier winds. Our existing main had three reef rows, each consisting of a secondary tack and clew cringles and intermediate reef points used to secure the bunt of the sail when reefed.

The primary decision with our new sail was the number of reef points. While the existing three rows may have provided more reefing options, we rarely (if ever) used the third reef, which also complicated things by adding additional running rigging.

After discussing the pros and cons with our sailmaker, we opted for two reefs rather than three. The first reef reduces the mainsail area by 15 percent, while the second is at 29 percent. Some sailmakers might suggest an even deeper reef (say 40 percent), to allow the main to function as storm trysail.

Baxter’s opinion was that trying to make the main do everything was not the best approach in our case, particularly since reefing the main to the size of a storm trysail would result in poor sail shape and less-than-ideal performance. He suggested that two reefs in conjunction with a proper storm trysail would better serve our occasional bluewater aspirations should the weather turn heavy. (For more on trysails, see “A Tale of Two Trysails,” August 2008.)

Another upgrade we made was installation of “quick cringles” (aka “easy reefs”), which consisted of a length of webbing through each reef cringle with a stainless-steel ring sewn in on both sides. The rings make reefing quicker and easier than trying to fit the reef cringle over the reef hook, while also reducing sail chafe and distortion. Some cruisers have added Dacron straps at the luff and small blocks at the clew to help pull down the main for reefing, but we opted not to have these features.

Loose Foot or Fixed

Another change from our old sail was the decision to go with a loose-footed main. Our old main had a substantial outhaul car and was also attached to the boom along its entire length, a belt-and-suspenders approach that our sailmaker deemed unnecessary. In addition to being easier to bend on and remove, a loose-footed main offers other advantages, such as easier and more efficient sail trimming. One possible downside would be the higher loads placed on the outhaul car (if not sufficiently robust).

Taming The Main

Our old mainsail utilized a Dutchman stowage system (installed by a previous owner). We considered other flaking systems for our new main (lazy jacks, lazy jack/sail cover combos, etc.), but we’ve been pleased overall with Dutchman system and decided to use it with our new main as well.

One change we made was to go with the Dutchman’s 40-3A system, which has three control lines, instead of the previously installed two-line model. Based on conversations with the manufacturer, the 40-3A was the correct system for our sail and would provide better control and performance. By sending in the tabs from our old Dutchman, we qualified for a 30 percent trade-in discount.

For more on mainsail handling options (including the Dutchman system) check out the February 2008 issue.

Slippery Upgrades

Once the basics of our new mainsail were decided, the next step was to review possible upgrades to the system as a whole. After discussing the various options available, our sailmaker stated that the biggest “bang for the buck” upgrade we could make would be to eliminate our friction-inducing external slides by installing a Tides Marine Strong Track and Slide System. The system is a mainsail luff track and slide assembly that greatly reduces the friction normally associated with raising and lowering the mainsail. The track is a single length of low-friction, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene plastic (UHMPE) that is machined to slide onto your existing mast track. Installation is simple, straight forward, and the results when raising and dousing our new sail are nothing short of amazing.

Another great recommendation by our sailmaker was to upgrade our batten cars to Schaefer Battslide receptacles. The Battslide units (which accept both flat and round battens) allow front-end loading and batten adjustment at the mast. Front-end loading allows you to keep the leech of the sail closed (making it impossible for a batten to slip out through the leech), while the batten-tension adjustment feature makes it easier to maintain proper sail shape.

Although Schaefer doesn’t make a slide that fits the Tides Marine Strong Track system, the Tides Marine #400 slide fit the Battslide cars perfectly and provided full articulation, which makes raising and lowering the sail easier while reducing batten compression loading.

Conclusion

Purchasing a new main is big deal for the average sailor, an event that most cost-conscious cruisers go through only a handful of times in their sailing life. This infrequency makes it a heady experience, one that’s equal parts anticipation and trepidation as you wade through the various options and select those that will (hopefully) produce that perfect sail. As with any major project, combining your own experience with research and the advice of a professional will go a long way toward ensuring you reach mainsail nirvana. At the heart of this experience is the relationship with the sailmaker. A good sailmaker will patiently listen to your expectations and explain the various options, and more importantly, will stand by you after the sale. For those just starting their search, a list of reader-recommended sailmakers that appears online with this article is a good place to start."

America's Cup 34 - World Series

2011-07-29T13:41:00.000-04:00

America's Cup - World Series starts in 1 week....

"Sail" Video

2011-07-29T13:28:00.001-04:00

So not too long ago I saw a video that had the song "Sail" by Awolnation as the background to some pretty sweet racing footage.

I've been searching for several days but can't seem to find that video anywhere. If anyone could find it, that would be awesome and they should definitely leave a comment about where to find it.

Anyway, here is the official video for the song which isn't nearly as good but what can you do?

Hace Calor!

2011-07-25T22:27:00.001-04:00

So can we all agree that this weekend was ridiculously hot?

Yes? Ok good.

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, I spent most of my weekend outside.

Saturday, I hung-out poolside like a dehydrated lounge lizard. The coldest the pool got was lukewarm, which was why, after about 30 mins, I opted to stay in the shade and pray for the occasional breeze.

Sunday was more interesting with a racing practice on Mazel Tov, the J/120 I'm racing on for the Governor's Cup. It was my first time with an asymmetrical spinnaker and let me tell you; boats with a bowsprit are soooooooooo much easier to gybe than symmetrical spinnakers with the pole. Hauling up and dousing are about the same but the gybe is relatively nice and easy which is good, since with an asymmetrical spin, you can't go dead downwind, which means you end up gybing quite a bit more.

The crew, aside from myself and the other foredeck guy, are older but seem to be quite a bit of fun so far.

I came back from practice dehydrated again but fixed that after about 3 more liters of water (3 Nalgenes)

Next weekend is the Great Bay Race and then the weekend after that is the Governor's Cup. I'll try to take some more pictures so I can share with my scurvy readership.

How You Like Me Now?

2011-07-15T15:16:00.000-04:00

Haven't been out sailing in far too long. Work and life have been getting the best of me lately. Hopefully I have some races coming up though including The Great Bay Race, Gov Cup (down to St. Mary's), Battle of the Chesapeake, Annapolis Race Week and, of course Wednesday nights.

Throw in a business trip to New Orleans and the start of law school and you have something close to my busy schedule. Maybe I'll be able to fit in reading a booking this weekend?

Maybe?

Happy 235th Birthday America!

2011-07-02T10:53:00.001-04:00

Have a happy 4th of July everyone!

Lose my Thread

2011-06-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

So I've finally gotten my internet back up thanks to the people over at the MD corporate office of Comcast. Seriously, if you have any problems with Comcast, tweet @comcastcares and they answer you 10x faster than their automated phone system does.

Been able to get some sailing in these past few weeks which has been good. Had the tactician from one of the other boats we race against come over and show us a few cool new moves that we've been putting to work on Wednesdays. If you race and don't set the spinnaker from the cabin, I would seriously reconsider. It now takes a 1/3 or 1/4 the time that it used to, to set the spin.

I also had my car broken into this past week which has really sucked. Broke my driver side window for an iPod. I'm seriously considering leaving my car unlocked because anything they steal would cost me less than it costs me to replace the freaking window. Luckily, the lady-friend was able to get me a deal on the glass replacement. I'm becoming a pretty consistent customer at the body shop which is no good.

Anyway, hopefully I'll have some more time to blog coming up. Alas... in the mean time, please enjoy this throwback.

Gimme a Break!

2011-06-20T15:02:00.000-04:00

My internet is still down and Comcast won't come by to fix it until Wednesday.

I've lost most of my vitriol over the weekend with the help of a pleasant sail with family and friends, and some Bud Light Lime. It has been nice to have some uninterupted reading time but I miss having the option to watch Scrubs as I clean dishes (<---- Not a pun; I actually do watch Scrubs while doing the dishes).

Disconnected

2011-05-31T16:35:00.001-04:00

So I just moved apartments this past Memorial Day weekend. With all the help, it only took 4 hours to move out and into my new place. Pretty stunning I know!

A new place however means that I won't have internet for another couple of days which has made email, blogging, watching Netflix and blowing hours on facebook really tough.

Apparently, the woman who lived in the apartment prior to my move-in, owed money all over town. BGE and Comcast wanted me to pass on my regards and so, Ms. Bride-to-Be (I only know b/c you are getting bridal magazines), please know that BGE & Comcast miss you, and more importantly the combined $500+ dollars you owe them.

Aside from the lack of internet, I've finally gotten into law school which has been taking up plenty of time and I expect it to do so to a greater extent in the future.

Moving on, I still have yet to spend some actual time out on the water. I'm hoping my new location which is closer to my boat, will lend itself to move time out sailing. I'm looking forward to some longer races and I plan to do at least two overnight sails this season. I guess we'll have to see how that goes...

This post brought you by the free wi-fi at Starbucks.

Rehobeth

2011-05-21T15:57:00.001-04:00

Nice little sampler to start the day.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Song for Friday - Making Big Decisions Gives Me White Knuckles

2011-05-20T21:34:00.000-04:00

America's Cup 34 - Challenger of Record Withdraws!?!

2011-05-12T08:11:00.000-04:00

This post has been reblogged as well. [Sigh]. I feel lazy when I just reblog but I really haven't had much time lately. At all. When I get more than a few mins to myself, maybe I'll get around to explaining why I've been so busy as of late.

"12 05 2011

Dear Friends and Supporters,

with deep sorrow I have to announce my decision to withdraw my team from the 34th America’s Cup.

Since the very beginning of our role as Challenger of Record, I have been working on this project focused to bring the Cup in our Country.

Larry deeply loves Italy and he was excited about this idea. The Cup in Italy would have been the greatest worldwide promotion for our beautiful coasts. There have been some very high level and important meetings that made us believing in this dream, but the things went in a different way.

As Challenger of Record, we have worked with humility next to Oracle and I am satisfied of the result we have reached: a new Cup, spectacular, with new boats, the catamarans, that will launch on the international scene a new generation of sailors.

With Russell we have discussed for long time on the most difficult challenge that the next Cup must face: an international situation with big economic crisis and therefore huge difficulties to find sponsor. This is the only, true, real enemy of the next Cup. We have then thought of the idea to create the class AC45, a concrete way to make lot of teams get involved in the event reducing costs, at least in the delicate period of the start-up.

On our side, I must thank the two Italian sponsors that believed and confirmed us their trust. We are not able, however, to reach a budget that allows us to be a competitive team.

In our sport, men in blazer have overcome by now those in oilskins, I'm a man in oilskin and when I go in the sea, I want to win. I’m not interested in a hopeless challenge, I would lie to the sponsors, to our fans and last but not least also to myself.

I would like to thank our friends from Club Nautico di Roma. I am sure that we will have new exciting adventures together.

The sailing adventure of Mascalzone Latino doesn’t end anyway with the Cup, but it continues with the sailing school in Naples, free of charge, for those children coming from the most difficult areas of this town. A daily challenge, and, who knows, maybe someday we will see a new America’s Cup champion coming out from one of them.

Fair wind to all of you.

Vincenzo Onorato"

Read the story here.

Robots: The New Counter-Pirates!

2011-05-04T12:49:00.008-04:00

(Picture "borrowed" from xadrian)

This story has been re-blogged from CNET's Tim Hornyak because I frankly couldn't re-write it better.

"Piracy off the shores of Africa continues to be a serious problem, costing the shipping industry billions of dollars. Could robots help in the battle against pirates?

ReconRobotics has teamed up with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific to develop a concept robot that would be able to climb hulls and perform reconnaissance missions on ships seized by pirates.

The micro-robot would be based on Recon's Throwbot platform, a rolling surveillance robot that can be tossed through a window, down a staircase, or into hazardous situations. It's used by military and law enforcement and can survive throws of 120 feet.

The 1-pound ship-boarding bot would launch from a "marsupial robot deployment system," in which a larger robot would carry it to its deployment location. Its magnetized wheels would then carry it up and over a ship hull to spy on pirates. It has infrared optics to see in the dark.

The concept was shown off in March at the National Defense Industry Association's Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference in Orlando. Fla. There's a video of a prototype climbing a wall here.

The idea is pretty nifty, but the micro-robot first would have to get close enough to a commandeered ship to board it. Robo-boats like the Protector might work.

All it needs is two arms, a cutlass, and a flintlock pistol."

America's Cup 34 - Terry Hutchinson of Artemis Racing

2011-04-30T21:15:00.000-04:00

A quick word from Terry Hutchinson of Artemis Racing.

Coast Guard Foundation Cup

2011-04-30T14:38:00.009-04:00

So in addition to the Wednesday Night races I've done for the past few seasons, I also recently got the opportunity to sail in some distance races this season.

Thank goodness for the Spinsheets Crew Listings is all I can say!

The first distance race I signed up for this season is the Coast Guard Foundation Cup which is coming up in two weeks. Its a 24-30 hr race to benefit:

"enlisted Coast Guard members, provide financial support for college to families of Coast Guard members lost in the line of duty, and offer relief for Coast Guard families who have lost possessions in natural disasters...".

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it.
If you're in the Annapolis area, I think they're still looking for more participants so feel free to check it out on their site, the events page and the NOR.

Let it Go...

2011-04-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

If the video seems to stop at the end for no reason, don't worry. It did that to me too and I don't know why.

Spalsh! - CBSC Gets Sexy!

2011-04-25T22:58:00.000-04:00

Joe, thank you for the inspiration. I certainly don't wonder how you get so many eyes on your blog.

SAIL - Melges 24 Thrash Regatta 2011

2011-04-25T22:42:00.000-04:00

Check out this sweet video I found on SailingAnarchy from the Melges 24 Thrash Regatta. I really loved the song which, for those of you who may also like it, is "Sail" by Awolnation.

Sailing Around the World for SOS

2011-04-23T13:51:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, Craig of H2uh0 - Bonehead Moves on the Water posted a really good video about Lee Winters and Sailing for SOS. Check it out:

Sailing Solo Across the Gulf of Mexico from Lee Winters on Vimeo.

Song for Good Friday

2011-04-22T12:25:00.000-04:00

So I recently started getting into the show Scrubs. I've caught episodes here and there on Comedy Central but I'd never really followed it. Now that I have Netflix though, I'm crusing right along and have almost made it through the first season.

Anyhow, here is the music video to the theme song. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend!

Song for Friday!

2011-04-15T16:17:00.000-04:00

Our Navy Has Laser Cannons

2011-04-12T11:01:00.002-04:00

Our Navy has laser cannons. They are mounted on ships. Holy Shit.

No, this is not a late April Fools Joke. I only mention that because I thought it was when I first heard about this. Evidently, we've had laser gun ships/planes for a little bit but all previous tests have been conducted on land only. Now we've got them on ships. I have the video of it below. I want to know when we can get our Light Sabers.

Anyway, it's called the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) and it fires a high energy solid-state laser at its targets. It was built as part of a contract the Office of Naval Research gave to Northrop Grumman. Check out the press releases from ONR and I have quoted the Northrop press release below (mainly because it went into more detail):

Photo Release -- U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman Accomplish Goals for At-Sea Demonstration of Maritime Laser

High-Energy, Solid-State Laser Shows Lethality Against Small Boat Threats

NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY POINT MUGU, Calif., April 8, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) have successfully demonstrated high-energy, solid-state laser defenses at sea by completing a "counter-material" test of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) against small boats.

Photos accompanying this release are available at http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=9476

Northrop Grumman designed and built the MLD for the Office of Naval Research, leveraging a laser built by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command /Army Forces Strategic Command and the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office.

Open ocean tests were conducted between October 2010 and April 2011 at the Pacific Ocean Test Range near San Nicolas Island off the Central California coast. For these tests, the laser system was installed on the Navy's Self Defense Test Ship, the USS Paul Foster.

While underway, the MLD system initially tracked and lased land targets. The solid-state, directed energy system then tracked and damaged moving, remotely piloted, unmanned small boats traveling at representative speeds and ranges, company executives said.

"The results show that all critical technologies for an operational laser weapon system are mature enough to begin a formal weapon system development program," said Steve Hixson, vice president, space and directed energy systems at Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "Solid-state laser weapons are ready to transition to the fleet."

Hixson said the MLD team accomplished several notable firsts, including:

First Navy laser system to go to sea, installed on a decommissioned Spruance-class destroyer, for the program's culminating demonstration;
First Navy laser system to be integrated with a ship's radar and navigation system; and
First electric laser weapon to be fired at sea from a moving platform. Other tests of solid-state lasers for the Navy have been conducted from land-based positions.

"During the latest demonstrations, MLD spent a total of three days at sea, during which we operated the laser at high power more than 35 times," according to Dan Wildt, vice president, directed energy systems. "The laser withstood the stresses of wave heights up to seven-and-a-half feet."

Laser Maturity

"Based on Northrop Grumman's proven laser technology developed for the Defense Department's Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program, the MLD system is proving the readiness of laser systems for shipboard use," Wildt said.

"This is phenomenal for a first-generation demonstrator, and proves we know how to fully ruggedize operational systems to follow. We have demonstrated the ability of lasers to address one of several threats of interest to Navy," he continued.

Results of the at-sea tests will be used by the Navy to help guide engineering manufacturing development phase of a Navy laser weapon system and transition it to a program of record for up to eight classes of ships the Navy has identified as likely platforms.

Capability & Affordability

According to Jay Marmo, the company's MLD program manager, the open ocean tests collectively showed that a laser weapon system can effectively operate in a challenging maritime environment and overcome such obstacles as atmospheric conditions, waves and the motions of both the host and target vessels, while also meeting capability requirements for self-defense.

"In the future, lasers will operate synergistically with kinetic energy weapons to optimize ship defenses," Marmo said. "Lasers can address a number of emerging threats, enabling the fleet to maintain freedom of operation, yet with a very low cost of operation. Lasers will offset the use of higher cost kinetic defenses for a number of these threats, substantially reducing the total cost of ship defense."

As a primary provider of high-power laser defense systems for the U.S. military, Northrop Grumman has built a number of high-energy lasers that have shot down airborne threats in flight. Major laser systems the company has developed include Mid Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser, Alpha, Tactical High Energy Laser and the megawatt-class laser aboard the Airborne Laser Test Bed, along with the JHPSSL system.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company whose 75,000 employees provide innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

CONTACT: Bob Bishop
         (310) 812-5227 office
         (310) 251-0261 mobile
         bob.j.bishop@ngc.com

Pearls of Wisdom

2011-04-11T11:14:00.002-04:00

(Click picture to enlarge)

Ray Tries Catching a Ride

2011-03-30T15:04:00.000-04:00

America's Cup 34 - 9 and Done? Korea & Venezia Onboard

2011-03-30T14:56:00.000-04:00

Ggggrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

Although there hasn't been any official word on the America's Cup website, Cupinfo.com and North American Sailor via Yachting World, are reporting that the 9th challenger is from Korea; the White Tiger Challenge - the White Tiger being the symbol of Korea.

White Tiger Challenge

The 10th challenger (?) is a company called Venice Challenge Srl, evidently also called Venezia Challenge. They have just filed their official Notice of Challenge so I don't know if that makes them #10 or #11.

Tomorrow is the last day for registration. I wonder if any other teams are deadline pushers, such as myself, and sign up tomorrow.

America's Cup 34 - 在中国加入美洲杯！

2011-03-28T22:14:00.002-04:00

China signs up as a Challenger for the America's Cup!

Officially, they are called China Team but they are the 8th team to formally announce themselves as Challengers.

Background Notes:
This will be the second time China has participated in the America's Cup, the other time being for the 32nd America's Cup where they finished last in the Louis Vitton Cup in 2007. China Team apparently has the full support of the Chinese government (that's what Americascup.com tells me) which I presume means that the Chinese government is funding the team. No news sources has really mentioned that but I think its important and something to think about.

Now that you have the lowdown on China Team, I have included, for your visual delight, a lovely video of Hong Kong Harbor circa 2007 set to Jimmy Buffett's version of Slow Boat to China.

America's Cup 34 - Video of AC45

2011-03-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

Ready for some sweet video of the AC45's on the water?

Yeah, me too.

Funky Friday - Hangover Edition

2011-03-25T08:30:00.000-04:00

My weekend got off to an early start last night and so while I nurse this hangover, please feel free to make yourself feel better (as I did) by watching the below video and being glad you are not responsible for the mishaps that occur.

Speaking of Racing...

2011-03-24T16:07:00.000-04:00

I have recently signed up for a bunch of races for this upcoming season!

I'm pretty stoked since Tango Too, the boat I sail with on Wednesdays, only does a few races here and there; mostly due to lack of crew. Now I'll get to do some more intense, and longer races.

So far, I've signed up to crew in the Coast Guard Cup, the Governors Cup, Annapolis to Solomons Race, and the Screwpile.

The Coast Guard Cup is supposed to be 80 nautical miles (nm) depending on the forecast and is scheduled to be around 24-30 hours of straight sailing. It'll definitely be the longest race I'll have ever been a part of. That'll be another notch on the ole sailing belt.

The Governor's Cup goes from Annapolis down to St. Mary's and as an Asst. Harbor Master (in Annapolis), I got to talk to a bunch of people who sailed it and most of them had a pretty good time. Except the year when it was almost dead-downwind without the wind part. A bunch of boats grabbed moorings on their way back up the Bay and bitched about the sun and lack of wind. Fingers crossed, that doesn't happen this year.

The Annapolis to Solomons Race is pretty similar to the Governor's Cup (course wise) except its a little bit shorter, finishing at Solomons Island instead of St. Mary's.

I don't know much about the Screwpile but I've always heard its a bunch of fun from the people that have sailed it. It takes place in Southern MD but I think it'll be worth the drive.

Side note: I also got into law school and tonight is Poker Night so things have been going alright lately...

America's Cup 34 - Two More Teams Signed Up!

2011-03-24T14:27:00.004-04:00

Picture Source: americascup.com

With only 1 week to go before the deadline for entries is up, two additional teams have signed up as challengers in the 34th America's Cup!
With Emirates Team New Zealand having also officially signed on, this brings the total number of competitors to 10.

This means that the current list of teams for America's Cup 34 is as follows; Aleph (France), Artemis Racing (Sweden), Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand), Energy Team (France), Mascalzone Latino (Italy), Team Australia, three undisclosed teams and the defender of the cup, BMW ORACLE Racing.

Sweet!
I enjoy seeing more teams because frankly, I think its more exciting.

America's Cup 34 - New Zealand, Don't Break My Heart!

2011-03-17T15:08:00.000-04:00

Team New Zealand has finally shored up the support of Emirates Airline, marking a substantial step towards becoming a legitimate challenger in the 34th America's Cup!

Finally...

The Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) have committed to participating in the America's Cup World Series (the AC45 catamaran which they got to sail on today) while they secure additional funding for their AC72 campaign.

I suppose that makes sense. It's not like racing 72 ft catamarans is expensive or anything.

ETNZ Managing Director Grant Dalton said the team will be making an announcement about their involvement in the AC72 in a few months.

Borrowed from CupInfo.com

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T09:05:00.000-04:00

"I find your lack of Guinness disturbing"

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's time to order a Guinness, sit back, and enjoy some Irish tunes!

Source

GODHATESJAPAN.COM

2011-03-16T08:43:00.004-04:00

Check out http://godhatesjapan.com if you haven't already. Someone beat Westboro Baptist Church to the punch and I'm so very glad that they did. He/She really shut down an avenue for hate in a really cool and positive way and I think that isn't common enough.

Donate if you can. Good karma is never a bad thing.

Don't forget who helped us after Hurricane Katrina...

Mission - Almost Accomplished!

2011-03-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

1 more letter of recommendation needs to show up soon so I can finish my law school applications!

Luck of the Irish

2011-03-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

I love St. Patrick's Day.

I have for as long as I can remember but I really developed a fondness for it when I could drink on St. Patrick's Day.

The problem is that not everyone is really up for going out on St. Patrick's Day since it tends to fall in the middle of the week; or at least has for the past few years. This ranks pretty high on the lame scale so, in response, I tend to enjoy St. Patrick's Week. This runs from Mardi Gras (today - Fat Tuesday) to the weekend after March 17th (more like 2 weeks but still...). This allows me plenty of time to get any neceesacry work done, and still hang out still signing Irish folk songs like Black Velvet Band and Wild Rover at the bar.

So this year, the plan is to have all my law school applications in by the end of this week; I'm hoping for Thursday. In honor of Mardi Gras, tonight, I'm going to 9:30 Club here in DC with a friend of mine to see the Pogues on their farewell tour. Should be some pretty good stuff. One of their songs is a personal favorite that is on my current sailing mix and I thought you all would enjoy.

After I get all the applications turned in, I'll be making some noise this weekend at the Shamrock Fest '11 where one of my all-time favorite Irish bands, The Dropkick Murphys, will be playing. With any luck, I'll also be making it up to see This The Rescue, a friend's band playing up in Towson that same night.

And on St. Patrick's Day, I'll probably try to get to our neighborhood Irish pub before it gets packed and enjoy me some Guinness.

So wish me luck on these applications! Its going to be a long couple of nights.

PS: Beware the Ides of March.

Blogoversary - 1 Yr!

2011-03-02T22:44:00.003-05:00

One year ago, I put up my first post.

It was a bit frightening but kind of a relief at the same time. I'd spent several weeks going back and forth about wether I should even start a blog. Once I'd decided to do it, then the questions became whether I should use wordpress, blogger, typepad or any of other blogging options...

And what was I going to write about? I never get to sail as much as I want to and my writing is lacking in the compelling department.

But, I pulled up Blogger, and I started anyway.

Everyone from Adam Turinas, my2fish, Baydog, Craig of H2uh0 - Bonehead Moves on the Water, Conjuminando and many others, have all been very supportive and its certainly been nice to have some readers. So a shout out to all of you for reading my every now-and-again posts and I hope I can give you a lot more to read and look forward to in the coming years.

Special shout-out to Dave for a much appreciated and well timed Thanksgiving email that I never returned. Thanks for reading!

I know my posts have sometimes strayed to things less than nautical but I suppose that is what winter does to a sailor; at least to me. I focus on other things so I don't have to think about missing sailing. The holidays pass by and there's just that moment where it hits you; and in an instant, the sailing itch is back. You're ready for the breeze and spray and you can't wait to hit the water. Maybe its not the same when you have sailing weather all year round [coughCaliforniacough]. I don't know. Over here on the East Coast however, I'm very ready to start sailing this year. Hopefully work and my foray into law school aren't too demanding this season. Still trying to buy a boat as well. If only I could get my dad to upgrade to the Vagabond 42' he's been lusting after...hhmmmm.....

The xx - VCR

2011-02-25T13:48:00.001-05:00

America's Cup 34- First Capsize!

2011-02-21T10:12:00.000-05:00

Earlier this morning, while the Artemis Racing team was out on the AC45, a "freak puff of breeze" says ACRM boat captain Troy Tindill, knocked them over onto the wing. The AC45 prototype is now back at the ACRM (American's Cup Race Management) base after it's fall on Hauraki Gulf in Auckland.

Thankfully everyone is okay. There doesn't seem to be any structural damage; just some to the vinyl skin and the boat should be back up and on the water in a couple of days.

As my sailing coach used to say, if you're not capsizing every once in awhile, you're not trying hard enough.

Blackfinn DC Club Hits - Songs for Monday!

2011-02-20T23:16:00.000-05:00

Hit up the town this past Friday with some friends and hung out at Blackfinn in DC. It was a pretty good atmosphere and since I'd won a happy hour there, the drinks were pretty cheap as well. Getting as many drinks as I did for under $20 was unheard of. Had a good time chatting with my friends Ryan and Mike; catching up.

Since I haven't done a Song for Friday in a couple weeks as a result of being out of town in New Orleans and on a snowboarding trip, please enjoy a couple of the club hits that were rocking Blackfinn this past Friday.

America's Cup 34- Australia & TBD

2011-02-16T23:29:00.002-05:00

What an exciting day!

Team Australia announced (press release here) that they will be competing in the America's Cup and then an eighth team announced that they will be competing as well! Pretty exciting stuff... Team Australia will be the first Australian team to compete for the cup in over a decade.

This means that the list of teams for America's Cup 34 is as follows; Aleph (France), Artemis Racing (Sweden), Energy Team (France), Mascalzone Latino (Italy), Team Australia, two undisclosed teams and the defender of the cup, BMW ORACLE Racing.

Personally, and I don't know how feasible this really is, but I'd like to see New Zealand and Russia throw their respective hats in the ring as well.

For more info on the America's Cup race area and possible course, check out CupInfo's site here.

America's Cup 34- New Zealand AC45 Video

2011-02-13T21:24:00.003-05:00

New Zealand has some pretty serious ties to the sailing community. Back in 2000, I was lucky enough to be in Auckland during the America's Cup. Wish I could be there now to see these AC45s first hand however, I'm not. So in the meanwhile, these videos will just have to do. Some pretty sweet footage of some seriously awesome boats...

America's Cup 34 - Energy Team (Awesome Name!)

2011-02-09T23:36:00.001-05:00

The team that the Yacht Club de France is backing (about which I blogged earlier) is called the Energy Team. I have found some information on the team and their core members.

By the way, a little trivia for you, the Yacht Club de France was founded on June 15th 1867 under the patronage of Emperor Napoleon III. They also claim to be one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in France and count Jules Verne among their members. And yes, that is the Jules Verne that Google paid tribute to yesterday, February 8th for his 183rd birthday.

Core Energy Team Members

Loïck Peyron (Skipper of the AC45 and AC72): 6 times F60 world champion, 8 times F28 Trophy Champion winner

Bruno Peyron: 8 times world ocean records champion, skipper of the G Class, which will be the ambassador for Energy Team

Yann Guichard (helmsman with Loïck Peyron): Extreme 40 world number 2, Member of the French Olympic team

Thierry Fouchier: performance team, the only Frenchman to have won the America’s Cup with BMW Oracle Racing aboard which he was the wing sail trimmer.

Jean-Christophe Mourniac: performance team, member of the French Olympic team, one of the world’s top 5 Tornado and F18 racers over the past ten years.

Yves Loday: coach for young talent. Former member of the French Olympic team, he was Tornado gold medallist in Barcelona in 1992. He will be joining the team to prepare the "Youth America's Cup" that the American Defender is launching.
(with most of this info coming from yachtsandyachting.com)

Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus!!!

2011-02-09T13:43:00.000-05:00

This trailer brought tears to my eyes. This is the followup to the Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. A prehistoric terror has recently been discovered in the jungles of Africa! Guess who is gonna be there to watch the action?

Jaleel White of course! - Yes. That's right. Urkel.

Please enjoy the trailer for what I'm sure will be cinematic gold!

America's Cup 34- Yacht Club de France (7th Team)

2011-02-06T01:26:00.002-05:00

The 7th team to throw its hat in the ring to compete in the 34th America's cup is the Yacht Club de France as of February 4th per Americascup.com. This makes the second French team to enter the AC with ALEPH being the other team.

In case you want to see the other listed competitors...

Jimmy Buffett On the Mend - Were Margaritas Involved?

2011-01-28T12:31:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, Jimmy Buffett fell off the stage at a show in Australia recently, sustaining a head injury and canceling his show in Auckland, New Zealand. However, he is "on the mend" and I felt it would be appropriate to have today's song be "Margaritaville". A pleasant weekend to you all!

Twitter and Some Such Nonsense

2011-01-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

One of the first emails that I got from a reader (actually, THE first) asked if I was on Twitter. My exact response was:

"As for Twitter, in an effort to keep things simple,

I have opted not to sign up - yet.

Who knows though, I may eventually cave."

So, to that reader, please know that I have caved. I signed up at the beginning of December, thus deciding to not keep things simple.

I have added a little tweet bar to the side of my blog so the casual reader can see my latest tweets and should you be on Twitter yourself, I have added a "Follow Me on Twitter" button right above it for the more social-media inclined.

Yep.

That's it. Just a little website update post.

34th America's Cup Match - Dates Confirmed!

2011-01-26T12:59:00.000-05:00

via americascup.com

Decemberists in January!?!? - Yep

2011-01-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

So I recently purchased the new Decemberists album - The King is Dead, which is pretty good and worth a quick trot over to Amazon to check out if you're into that kind of folksy music. Quick word though; if you're going to buy it, make sure to get it from Amazon as its a few bucks cheaper than iTunes and it doesn't have the same DRM protection.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the album and thought I should share. Below is the first song which really kicks off the album.

While that is a great song, I have a college friend coming down for the weekend and while he would graciously endure this song, he would speak up at the end, almost as an interjection and say "Hey um, Pete....? I'm gonna change this."

So in his honor, and since I won a free happy hour for this evening, I give you something slightly more peppier for this more overcast weekend. Something to to go out and party to as well as remind me that spring and launch time aren't that far away...