Some Had A Better Day Then Others.........

April 25, 2009......Weekend #2 of the 2009 WBRA Season, and SF Cup Qualifying for the local guys. 12 Boats answered the call; OK some of us were so late you may say, we returned the call after letting the call go to voicemail. The wind looked promising for a quick sail to the Berkeley Circle, and some of us may have lingered a little too long, before raising the sails and leaving the dock, but half way there the wind and current made progress to the start difficult to say the least. Lucky for those of us that left late, the wind was light on the course and the race committee choose to postpone the start for upwards of an hour.

The wind came up some for the start of the first race. 10 knots, out of the west; right where it should have been. I went for the wrong side of the line, starting at the boat and tacking to port. The boats that went left, did it correctly, and were way ahead at the first mark. Eric Kaiser, in US122, followed by David Wilson in US106, then came in a large group consisting of US113, US121, US109, and US112. Downhill, seemed to be a battle between 122 and 106 in the front, while there was what, at least looked like a full out war for 3rd thru 7th. The second upwind leg proved to be more of a crap shoot, then anything else. Half way up the leg, the wind shifted south approx. 45-50 degrees, giving the boats to the left of the course an advantage. I was deep in the back, and opted to bang the corner. Well, it worked somewhat. It at least got me closer to the group ahead of me; allowing me to gain ground on the following downwind run. I was too far back to see any of it, but I hear that there was quite the battle in the front at the finish. The top 5 were:

1. US 106
2. US 109
3. US 122
4. US 121
5. US 107

The second race was more of the Berkeley Circle standard. We started a little late, and the race committee decided to shorten the course to one time around. Not a bad idea, considering most of us had to head back to the city front. At the start I had decided to go for the pin end of the line, along with quite a few others. A small wind shift seconds before the start, and I was unable to make the line. I threw in a jibe, and headed back up the line looking for a hole. Well, turned out to work in the end, at the first mark it was US122, US106, US113, US111 and US 109. As in the first race, 122 and 106 were duking it out for the lead, while 113, 111, 109 had our own little race going on. I had a little mishap at the leeward mark with my pole and jib sheet, and Mike took full advantage of it. (I don't blame him !!!) Once again, there was a dog fight in the front, but this time 113 got into the mix. The top 5 in race #4 were:

1. US 106
2. US 113
3. US 122
4. US 109
5. US 111

The weekend wasn't a green one, but instead more of a blue/green. Team Wilson proved to be the dominate boat on the course, and from what I saw (and heard) they earned every bit of it. Congrats guys....... Maybe a little more wind, but other then that it was a beautiful day. For those of us that headed back to the city front, we found the wind. It was hiding just on the other side of Alcatraz. Gusting to at least 30, with a strong ebb tide, made for a quick trip home. The next race on the schedule is the first of the Weds. Night Series on May 6th. 12-14 starters for the weekends is great, but hopefully we can get a couple more for the mid-week racing. Good luck to everyone, and see you all out there.

Green Means GO !!!

And that is exactly what Eric Kaiser in US 122 did. It really didn't matter what color the boat is, nor if anyone likes it or not; he was just fast. Eric took both bullets for the day, showing that he is a force to be reckoned with this year. Congrats Eric !

Eric took a commanding lead, just after the start of the first race. Eric started high on the line and headed to the beach in clean air, while the rest of us battled behind him for air and current relief. At the first mark it was Eric in US 122, Myself in US 111, Peter in US 113, Mike in US 109, and (I believe) David in US 106. The first downwind run was a close one for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. An early jibe by US 109 and US 113, putting them just inside of a current line, allowing me to get away, however US 106 was moving like a freight train on the outside in better current. At the Leeward gate, 122, 111, 113, 109 all went to the right while 106 took the left side. This allowed US 106 to hit the beach 3rd. The top 5 finishers were:

1. US 122
2. US 111
3. US 106
4. US 113
5. US 109

Eric didn't quiet have it so easy in the second race. The start of the second race US 122 started high on the line, but this time had the company of 106, 113, and 112; I got to watch from behind :(. With a great lay line to the first windward mark, US 122 roundedfirst, followed by 106, 109, 112, 113, and 111. The downwind run was pretty uneventful from my vantage point. The rounding order was the same at the leeward gate, but this time both 106 and 113 went left while 122, 109, 112, and 111 went right.

So, by this time 122, 106, and 109 had formed somewhat of a gap between 112, 113, and myself in 111. This would become the most interesting leg of the year so far. (I know, not many to choose from) About Anita Rock, while on port tack, Bill in US 112 decided to piss off a gentlemen, (I use the word loosely) in an Express 27 racing the single handed race in the same vicinity. The Express took 112 onto starboard, allowing 113 and myself to sneak by, on what looked like a lay line to the mark. Peter was to Leeward and ahead, but as we approached the mark, I wasn't as sure of the lay line as I was moments before. I knew that I could push it up and get around, but by the view from my seat, there was no way peter could without tacking. 113 entered the zone just ahead of me, when a slight wind shift to the left allowed me to get my bow just above him and gain about a half boat length. Per Rule 18.2 (b), I am required to give "mark-room". As we reached the mark Peter went head to wind as I was too close for him to tack, and I followed suit. With roughly 2 feet between the boats, the wind shifted back slightly right, causing Peter's jib to back wind. This is where rule 18.2 (c) comes in. "If either boat passes head to wind then rule 18.2 (b) ceases to apply" When Peter's jib back winded; which constitutes a tack, the main had been eased and forced him to spin into me, making contact about midships. I immediately tacked to starboard, got ahead of him and then tacked back to port and went around the mark. 112 stayed high and speed right around us, rounding in 4th. 108 came in below the two of us and rounded in 5th just inside of me while 113 rounded behind in 7th. 108 and myself stayed pretty even on the run, but my last minute decision to jibe and go left at the leeward gate, appeared to pay off at the finish. The top 5 finishers were:

1. US 122
2. US 109
3. US 106
4. US 112
5. US 111

It was a beautiful day for sailing, and I was happy with the boat performance overall. I will mark this weekend in the win column, and await the next 2 races in two weeks. Then onto the begining of the Wednesday Evening Series.

How Serious Do We Take Our Boats' Needs?

I was digging around this afternoon, and found some pictures of the work that we completed on Knarr US 103, roughly 4 years ago. This was another one of those winter projects, that just never seemed to end. I have not found any of the pictures from the start point, but you should be able to get the idea.........

Let's start with a little back history........ After the 1997 WBRA Season, my father was approached by long time folkboat legend, (And at that time, current Knarr owner) Mickey Waldear; curious if he would be interested in a three way partnership along with Russ Williams in Mickey's Knarr; US 103. He accepted, and that winter the boat was brought to Hayward and turned into a racing machine. The whole time she spent on the hard, was making everything lighter, stronger and faster. The hull and bottom, faired to the thickness of a pencil mark. A different mast (please note: I didn't say new !!!). All the time while Russ worked on a new sail design. There were no thrills on the boat at that time. It was strictly a race boat. Mickey had previously had some work done by Soren Hanson; which was one of the first Knarr's done here in the local fleet. Many have since followed. The major re-fit was a plywood deck at that time. Below is a picture of the boat during the 2002 IKC........At the end of the 2003 WBRA season, Mickey and Russ both expressed the desire to sell their partnerships in the boat, and my father accepted. Now that the boat was his, and it was a proven race winner, (1998 - 2nd, 2000 - Season Champion, 2001 - Season Champion, 2003 - 2nd, 2004 - 4th, 2005 - 3rd) it was time to make her as pretty as she was fast.

So, During the 2004/05 winter he did just that. The boat headed to Soren's shop first, and that is were all the "Rough Framing" took place. Soren would work on the boat during the day, then my father and I would meet at his shop and work. The list was extensive. The first of the major projects were the keel bolts. Below is a picture just after the keel went back on.......Then came the major retrofit. My father had always loved Soren's cabins, cockpits, and toe rails. They basically tore the boat apart at that point. The following pictures are at different stages along that process......... And I can't forget about the boat needing a new stem....... She kind of looked like she had a broken nose there for a little while........Then the cabin top was cold molded and then placed.......

The new toe rails were completed shortly after, and I was called in to pick the boat up and bring her to Hayward, where she would have all the finish work done before heading back to the race course.

The following three months were spent staining, varnishing, and polishing. I do not have, or have yet to find any, pictures of that stage, but here are a couple the day that we loaded her up on the trailer to put her back in the water..........

Just thought that I would share...........

Home Sweet Home........

Out of the yard by 9:30 and into Svendsen's at 10:00........Shoot the shit with the other Folkboater's for about an hour, and back the trailer under the travel hoist. Getting the boat in the water is just that easy. Here are a couple of pictures of just that.......

And yes, she remembered how to float.........Shortly after the rigging crew came down and stepped the mast. Big Tom stayed with the boat and ran all the running rigging, while I took the tractor/ trailer back to Hayward to trade for something a little easier to park.

I returned about an hour later, finished up with the rigging and prepared for our trip back to San Francisco. LeeAnn and Anthony had run to the store for drinks and sandwiches, and as soon as they returned we were ready to shove off.

About a half hour or so later, the boat was rigged, the sandwiches were eaten, and the drinks were stowed with care. Big Tom and I shoved off and headed out, while LeeAnne and Anthony waved from the dock and awaited a call of our arrival back home. The weather was in our favor, with good winds and a strong ebb current, we made the trip from Alameda to San Francisco in just under three hours. I can say that all the modifications and hard work seemed to have worked so far, but we will have to see how it works in race conditions.

Once tied up in our slip, we rolled the sails, unloaded all of our gear, and washed her down.......

Here is were she will stay, until next Saturday and the start of the 2009 WBRA / Championship Series........

Loaded Up and Truckin'.......

I did not get any pictures when we brought US 111 to the Hayward Boatyard; so if you will, please read this post backwards, if you are that interested. :)

We got to the shop early Sunday morning, and had a couple odds and ends to finish......Now, the question that seems to be asked the most, is just how do you get a 6000 lb. boat off the ground in Hayward, and in the water 20 miles away? The answer is EASY.....

Start by taking an inventory of all the boat parts that you need... 1) Boat, 2) Mast (the boom and everything else is down below)Tear down the scaffolding around the boat, hammer some wooden blocks next to the keel, and back a 48' long trailer through a 14' wide doorway.Jump onto a 12,000 lb. capacity forklift, slide the forks into the proper pockets on the cradle, slowly wiggle the boat into position (the shop is only 35' deep), and LIFT.......

Pull the truck out of the shop, reposition the boat forward on the trailer, load the mast, and strap the whole thing down..........

As I sit at the computer blogging away, it is her first night under the stars in 4 months. I will haul her to Alameda in the morning; and God, I hope she remebers how to float.........

I Swear Dad; I Am Only Reading It For The Articles !

Pictures are worth a thousand words; or so they say....... Here is one of those moments. Saturday evening after a fun filled day of Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf with the family, I had decided to swing by the Marina to check on the slip. Making sure that I still had dock lines and such before bringing the boat back Monday afternoon. I ran down to the slip and did a quick inventory; all was fine there. On my way back to the car, I grabbed the latest Latitude 38 (Stacked up next to the men's restroom as always). My son Kingston was tired and getting a little cranky in the back so I handed him the magazine, and told him that I had picked him up some reading material for the ride home on the other side of the bay. He soon got quiet and before we knew it I was pulling into our driveway. My wife and I took the two younger kids into the house, as the older two argued downstairs to bed. As we came in with an arm load of diaper bags, souvenir bags, and toys; this is what we saw.......... Sorry that the picture is a little blurry, but the camera was still in the car, and if my wife wasn't as quick with her blackberry as she was it would have never been captured........

Kingston was quick to notice my wife and I laughing, and it didn't take him long before he was pointing out his wants from the classifieds..........

I really don't know what article he was reading, but it really seems to have his attention.......

It was a short time after, even our youngest Brodie; needed something to look at..........I think that the pictures are adorable, and I had to share........ Come on guys; I am a dad first, a husband second, and a sailor third.........