tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42345100164005523952024-03-05T02:10:30.340-08:00Reinrag2Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-39153351817112962382019-07-20T21:05:00.000-07:002019-07-20T21:06:01.313-07:00Day 8Saturday night is here! Only 215 miles to go, so we'll be in tomorrow for party time! Lighter winds gave everyone a chance to rest up finally after so many days of hard driving. A bit dull and very very hot in the afternoon, even after most of us finally had a chance to take a bath at the back of the boat. Scott solved the boredom problem with a smuggled speaker aboard and we rocked the afternoon away on the R2 dance floor under the shade of the big A2 spinnaker.
<br>
<br>The evening brings a bit more wind and we are back to some small surfs and a favorable shift towards the finish line. Last night was such a gorgeous sunset, seen I think only by our little boat. Makes you wonder if really the purpose of our world is just a cosmic canvas, under constant variation for every hour and for every latitude, just for the joy of the Artist. Or maybe its just another reason we do Transpac.
<br>
<br>Aloha!
<br>
<br>Data.
<br>
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<br>Sent via SailMail, <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-55599789932268488882019-07-19T12:45:00.001-07:002019-07-19T12:45:14.416-07:00Day 7?Ok.. first a mea culpa. The good thing about unplugging from everything means you very quickly forget what day of the week it is. So refreshing not knowing or caring really. Unfortunately, this added to to the general fatigue of breakneck racing and occasionally getting an interrupted 2 hour sleep inside of a tomblike enclosure, shared with your crewmate racked 4 inches above or below you, while the primary winch is 12" from your head above and the ocean rushes by just on the other side of your shoulder.... makes one (this one) incapable of converting dates to days.
<br>
<br>We should arrive not on Sat evening.. but SUNDAY. 7/21. Hopefully, actually, more like in the afternoon if we can keep in the pressure.
<br>
<br>Now.. the tough part. How to tell the rest of the crew...
<br>
<br>(sheepishly)
<br>Data.
<br>
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<br>Sent via SailMail, <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-18217154704964354312019-07-18T18:49:00.000-07:002019-07-18T18:50:26.100-07:00Day 6 Bonus Update: Second Gauntlet thrown!Looks like the other J125s have a commanding lead on us... but we're not ones to focus on the negatives. Instead it's currently looking like we'll be finishing on Sat evening. So, new goal... arrive at the dock to have the best arrival party! Hope the crews of the other Js make it! <p>Meanwhile... more fun surfing tonight! Woot!<p>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-13969937219620044862019-07-18T14:35:00.000-07:002019-07-18T14:37:44.982-07:00Day 6 updateWoo! It's been a couple of days now since the last update. All is well here, some relearning of rusty skills and some learning of new ones the hard way, and we are rocketing towards the finish in what should be our fastest crossing yet. For the past two days and much of the nights we've been at max speed. "Drive it like you stole it" is the motto. The boat going down surfs at 20+ kts... not sure how fast because the speedo comes out of the water as she planes clear to the keel. (I hold the maximum recorded speed at 26.87kts as crashed bow into the wave in front sending water clear back to soak my trimmer...oops. Sorry, not sorry.)<p>Of course every act has some karma associated with it. I've been grinding when Scotty drives. He takes pride in having kept me dry during my shift. Alas, on two occasions, my relief was a minute or two late and in that small moment, I've managed to get a wave shipped perfectly as to go up my jacket fill my shirt and squirt out my neck. With nothing dry or dry-able down below, I shivered in my berth, warmed by the knowledge that Scott's record is intact.<p>Oh, did I mention that I'm the driest of the crew? Anyway, all is well... fun is being had. Memories being made. Wish you all could be here too.<p>DataReinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-74986770861061427132019-07-16T17:08:00.000-07:002019-07-16T17:10:43.356-07:00Day 5This is what we came for people!<p>Last night in the Pacific was spectacular. The wind was blowing us towards Hawaii with enough pressure to allow Reinrag2 to surf from 12 to about 20 kts on the smallish 2 to 4 foot seas. The air was in the low 70s, chilly with wind on wet clothes, but pleasant to my New England accustomed senses. Oh, and the moon was full and shining down on all, the white foam of breaking waves, the sparkle of the spray from the bow, and the ghostly white of the spinnaker curl in trim. <p>As I relieved Tom and took my turn at the helm, he admitted understatedly, "Ok, maybe I had fun for a few moments there." Pointing out that there is something here in these moments of driving a small boat across this wide ocean that make it worth the price of admission. The expense, the months of preparation, even for a boat and crew that's done it before, and the time away from family and career. Why do we do it? And why do we come back and do it again? We do it for last night, that feeling.<p>Behind the wheel, I started to think how I can describe it. I chuckle to myself as I think in my SoCal raised way, "it's just awesome dude!" And in a way it is.. a feeling of awe. No, not so much in the natural world around us; it is just too alien. The ocean raging from the trade winds, the tiny sails of the jelly fish, the moon and Jupiter beside it are indifferent to our passing (although the porpoise do check in on us from time to time). No, I feel the awe about the humanity invading this night so far from land. This boat, these five primates on it, riding, crashing, bursting towards Hawaii.<p>I stand behind the wheel, my feet firmly planted on the deck, through which I feel the boat almost as though it were an extension of my body. The pitch and roll of the boat tells me what the waves are doing, though I see only a crest reflecting the moonlight. The boat pitches down and begins to roll to leeward as the stern is lifted by the oncoming wave. Like a dinghy I shift my weight unconsciously to windward and will the boat to catch (in fact I move the wheel to leeward and the boat rolls windward). She catches the wave and accelerates. Tom is watching the sail and grinds in to keep her pulling as the apparent wind shifts forward. The boat is now doing half again as much speed as before and I hunt by feel and moonlight for a second wave to catch, or a clean exit from the one I'm on. Eventually the boat slows and Tom eases the sheet. <p>There are instruments to help... a compass, apparent wind angle, boat speed etc.. but these are secondary checks. Surfing is done by feel. You feel the wave, and you move the boat... and it's a wonder. Standing at the wheel, riding over the ocean is just awesome. <p>Yeah Tom. You did have fun for a moment. And the better thing is.. we just reached the trades. Many more moments and days to come. <p>Aloha!<br>DataReinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-2683160754317059962019-07-15T14:46:00.000-07:002019-07-15T14:49:42.905-07:00Day 3...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUnqvtSvWSFeC0It97pn8Ye59iQxczTV3IWyC1dq4dLbmPfRp84r5ah8CDoVnpSmGidFN1xNibbY4QjQTvfCPk6x1UDaOSJswba3wezFXLlpA09lSWTbXIXgxy7XgmPVEBMOF4zQrjwFk/s1600/image1-783039.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUnqvtSvWSFeC0It97pn8Ye59iQxczTV3IWyC1dq4dLbmPfRp84r5ah8CDoVnpSmGidFN1xNibbY4QjQTvfCPk6x1UDaOSJswba3wezFXLlpA09lSWTbXIXgxy7XgmPVEBMOF4zQrjwFk/s320/image1-783039.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6714010488362129762" /></a></p>Day 2 was a bit of a challenge and the weather was not in our favor, but last night the moon came out next to Jupiter and the big kite was pulling. Today we are into the slot cars part of the race.. and R2 is picking up speed and drying out. All smiles on deck as we surf the blue waves in azure skies. -DataReinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-53983204411569007602019-07-13T12:03:00.000-07:002019-07-13T12:04:05.245-07:00First day!Tough first day, as usual, so all good. Living in the 45 degree slant makes things difficult to do, so this is a short update. Lots of wind and very wet water. We took last night to try to tame a wild mule that snuck aboard somehow, not sure if thats a winning strategy yet. Might seem lonely down here, but we have seen plenty of porpoise.
<br>
<br>More when it gets a bit flatter.
<br>
<br>Dr. Data.
<br>
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<br>Sent via SailMail, <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-14316487333571251762019-07-12T13:19:00.001-07:002019-07-12T13:19:30.218-07:00Start!After months of preparation... we made it to the start line. Clean start and on our way out to Catalina and on to Hawaii. Here we go!
<br>
<br>----------
<br>Sent via SailMail, <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-87874481428387436742019-07-07T11:03:00.001-07:002019-07-07T11:03:06.056-07:002019 Transpac!Reinrag² is sailing in the 50th Transpac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu! We'll be in Division 3, with several of our sisterships. Our start is on Friday July 12. The crew is Tom (skipper), Kevin (co-Navigator), Darren (co-Navigator), Jared (bow), and Scott (runners?). Its gonna be a blast!Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-70518756074658661492014-07-19T19:27:00.000-07:002014-07-19T19:29:50.394-07:0050 miles to go.We're approacing Oahu.. just about 5 hours to finish.. give or take with
<br>current conditions. Just took down our biggest sail as a largish squall
<br>overruns us. Hopefully it will bring us right into the finish line. Its
<br>been a good day.. pretty fast and the crew is smiling.. thinking about
<br>seeing our families and a clean water shower and a drink with ice in it.
<br>(and for me personally.. I'd have like to say I weaned myself from my
<br>google addition, but I'm already itching to look up the kind of birds that
<br>are swooping out on the waves outside.)
<br>
<br>Can't wait for Aloha! Ok.. back to work.. got to pack a spinnaker.. not
<br>there yet.
<br>
<br>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-4156680258941870322014-07-19T08:26:00.000-07:002014-07-19T08:27:13.424-07:00Last Day!Just filed the 0800 (PDT) position report... Just 171 "glorious miles" to
<br>go and we have the boat pointed at the mark.
<br>
<br>It's still dark on the boat of course as we are so near to Hawaii now.
<br>Venus came up and pierces through the clouds with its intense brightness
<br>that seems to change color like a diamond... like Jerry sang, "the spiral
<br>light of Venus rising first and shining best."
<br>
<br>Last night was so beautiful... perfect conditions for star gazing. The
<br>boat moving fast enough to be easy to drive, but not so break neck that it
<br>required a huge amount of concentration.. and the moon didn't rise until
<br>half the night was over. Mostly clear skys let the stars pop out.. the
<br>milky way just parallel with our course on the port side guiding us into
<br>Hawaii. And just to make sure we didn't get lost.. I counted 4 meteors
<br>aiming in the same way off our port bow.
<br>
<br>Just hours away now. See you soon our loves.
<br>
<br>(Keep the bar open friends.)
<br>
<br>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-35381057356325079602014-07-18T20:27:00.000-07:002014-07-18T20:28:57.741-07:00300 miles to go!Just a short update with 300 nm to go. The afternoon wore on with little
<br>change in the heat.. but we did get that squall I was hoping for. For
<br>about an hour it looked like a personal express train to Hawaii for R2. Of
<br>course, it didn't last.. but gave us the opportunity to dry out a few
<br>spinnakers and then enjoy the afternoon under the shade of the big A2. We
<br>joked around and I had to ask for a moment of silence because I haven't
<br>done enough situps to handle the belly laughs.
<br>
<br>We see more birds now... two days ago a lone albatross, and now 6 white sea
<br>birds (terns perhaps?) are flitting about. Clearly getting closer to land.
<br>
<br>Hoping to get in before the bar closes on Sat night.
<br>
<br>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-32250547380678508712014-07-18T13:35:00.000-07:002014-07-18T13:38:12.438-07:00TropicsWoo.. its hot here. It's late morning.. the sun is out, the deck is
<br>burning hot and I'm writing from down below where its a bit like a steam
<br>oven.
<br>
<br>The good part of it being late morning though is that the sun will soon
<br>bring the afternoon wind and we'll be back over 15 kts of wind for the next
<br>12 hours.. it will be refreshing not to mention helpful in trying to hold
<br>on to our position in the race. Not much to be done tactically now..
<br>unless you count on strange rituals as means of bringing our own personal
<br>squall to bring us to Hawaii.
<br>
<br>In the meantime... we tell stories and laugh. Its been a good trip.. just
<br>another day or so with any luck.
<br>
<br>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-51107017985681045062014-07-17T17:02:00.000-07:002014-07-17T17:04:26.059-07:00a female perspective ... by LashawnaWith only a couple days left in this great adventure, a realization occured
<br>to me...I have raced across the Pacific with Team Reinrag four times now as
<br>well as several Cabo Races, but have never contributed to our blog. Being
<br>the only female aboard I figured I might give you the feminine perspective
<br>of living in a 100 sq. ft. petri dish with five stinky boys (I, of course,
<br>smell like roses). First of all, boys have a strange fascination with their
<br>regularity and enjoy sharing information better left unsaid. There is also
<br>the bizarre habit of insulting eachother in a loving sort of way, something
<br>I have not been graciously exempt from. Fortunately, I too know how to say
<br>I love you with four letter words...and, no, I don't mean L-O-V-E. Now that
<br>we are on our 7th day of co-habitation we've really settled into our groove
<br>of sleep, eat, drive, trim. My day goes something like this...wake up at 1
<br>am with a red light in my face saying "Your up"...wiggle out of the "spider
<br>hole" put on all my soggy gear, harness, head lamp...slam a Red Bull...go
<br>on deck, take a face shot of sea water, trim sails for an hour, drive for
<br>an hour, and the last hour of watch usually involves pillaging for snacks.
<br>4 am...crawl back into spider hole, or not, if there's a sail
<br>change...repeat every 3 hrs. All in all it's a good life and there's always
<br>a little angst about the finish of a race. The six of us are spread out
<br>among the East Coast, West Coast and Hawaii and usually only see eachother
<br>to race. But all good things must come to an end the wind is building and I
<br>must go "Hamachi Hunting"
<br>
<br>Aloha,
<br>Lush (AKA J-girl)Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-64133626165582175042014-07-16T16:53:00.000-07:002014-07-16T16:56:33.174-07:00The power!What a fantastic night. Starting just before our party.. we did a sail change and a
<br>sail backwards to remove a rubber 2x4 like object that had wrapped around our keel..
<br>we set out for a squall line. Chased it down but didn't quite catch it for 2 hours.
<br>Then after the party, another squall came through.. JJ set a new record boatspeed at
<br>21.2 kts. The wind kept up in the lulls to 19 kts just about all night. We hauled
<br>the mail.
<br>
<br>Morning came and we awaited the 0800 position report. OK.. admittedly, the 0800
<br>position report was a bit of a disappointment to us. Clearly our competitors to the
<br>North are just as crazy as we are racing this inspiredly designed yacht at the edge
<br>of destruction all night long. Kudos on them.. and there are still 800 miles to go!
<br>
<br>Our day has been perfect. The sun is out in force. (I've got a sunburn through my
<br>shirt). The seas have grown to 2m giving nice launch ramps for surfing. The winds
<br>remain in the 20 kts range. And R2 is just rocketing along. The sheer power is
<br>amazing. She starts off in the 12 kt range and then a gust of wind comes with a nice
<br>ramp and in seconds you are doing 20+ kts.. (I had a record for an hour at 22.1, but
<br>Kevin took it back at 23.1).
<br>The acceleration is immense. I was thinking of trying to calculate the required
<br>power but the nav table is bouncing too much to put pencil to paper.
<br>
<br>Where does all that power come from? Sure, its the solar flux that is measured in
<br>megawatts per meter, causing heating of the water, evaporation, and convection of air
<br>masses both vertically causing the squalls and in latitude causing the weather
<br>systems.. But, still the ocean in a squall is a pretty amazing sight to see. And
<br>maybe still more is that through (ok millenia of) naval architechture and sail
<br>design, we apes got it focused down into a 41' boat.
<br>
<br>Oh.. and another scatalogical update.. this ape enjoyed the head today!
<br>
<br>DataReinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-37622202102340957382014-07-15T20:34:00.000-07:002014-07-15T20:35:04.175-07:00Half way party!Just a quick note.. because this constitutes drunk blogging. Having our
<br>half way party... just after a long squall with 20 miles of 15+ kts
<br>driving.. ( got the record back from JJ who did 21.2 this morning.. I hit
<br>21.2.. silly, but fun.) Enjoyed a bottle of Port between the 6 of us and
<br>we're feeling fine.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-17399362714984403692014-07-15T08:42:00.000-07:002014-07-15T08:44:28.669-07:00Black is the night, and full of FUN!We aren't technically in the tropics yet.. but its starting to get
<br>tropical. The wind is finally "abaft the beam" and the downwind spinnaker
<br>is up. First typical day of racing.. our die is set, our "slot" can't be
<br>changed and we focus on our boatspeed and hope that the wind to the north
<br>with our competitors isn't that much favored.
<br>
<br>My 11 pm watch was... worth the price of admission. Got up in the pitch
<br>black.. moon not yet up and overcast. Lush compared it to driving the
<br>"Space Mountain" ride. Asked about my night driving.. I boasted that it
<br>was better than my day driving. Its funny, but in some ways, its true..
<br>just focusing on the compass course, the curl of the spinnaker lit by the
<br>running lights, and the feel of the sea transmitted through the deck to
<br>your feet and the wheel to your hands. "Use the force, Luke!" On the
<br>other hand, not seeing the world around you does leave you feeling like you
<br>are constantly making a left turn, but just ignore that.
<br>
<br>Did I mention there was 23+ kts of wind and we surfed to 20+ kts. Oh...
<br>yeah. Nothing like it. So exhilarating. (As I write this... Sailor Chick
<br>just bested my speed with 21+ kts.)
<br>
<br>My last watch ended with dawn.. Venus came up first.. just over the edge of
<br>a little squall. Nice misting and a bit of pressure. What a great
<br>beginning of the day. (oh.. and the fresh air reminds me.. time for a bath
<br>today!)
<br>
<br>So.. are we having a good time.. you bet. Thanks everyone for making it
<br>possible for us come out to play.
<br>
<br>DataReinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-82479381682159971252014-07-14T20:15:00.001-07:002014-07-14T20:15:59.695-07:00Balls!You may have heard.. there is a lot of trash and debris out in the ocean.
<br>Mostly we've been seeing small rubber balls (or floats) used by fishing
<br>vessels to hold nets up. Today we saw about 1 per hour. (A running count
<br>by Kevin is up to 25.. and he hasn't seen them all.) But just a bit ago..
<br>we saw a big ball.. over 2' in diameter. And just now.. a huge one 5' at
<br>least. That's some big balls.
<br>
<br>Oh.. in case you were wondering... not the biggest around though. Those
<br>are all on board, baby! Surfing with the big kite up and hoping for 20
<br>kts.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-40646325620627179472014-07-14T08:27:00.000-07:002014-07-14T08:28:51.815-07:00Gears, nets, and the railOk... so yesterday's 0800 position report left us a bit down.. hard to give
<br>up that many miles so fast to your competitors and not go... WTF..
<br>Obviously, they had a gear we didn't have or at least couldn't find. So..
<br>we mashed gears a bit more yesterday afternoon before we found one we think
<br>works.. at least it feels good.
<br>
<br>Just as we found that gear.. after passing 26 rubber plastic fishing
<br>balls.. we caught something on the keel causing an interesting flutter
<br>through the boat. Had to take down our new found gear and sail backwards
<br>for a while. 3' x 8' piece of net. Man this Pacific Ocean has a lot of
<br>trash in it.
<br>
<br>Overcast most of the day.. sundown brought some wind and we found the
<br>rail.. put R2 up on it and blasted away. Found that extra gear.. where she
<br>jumps to 20 kts boat speed in 23 kts of wind... and only 1 meter seas.
<br>Funny thing.. its then that you know you are at a winning pace, and its
<br>then you don't care one bit about the "race".. just the exhilaration of
<br>riding a thoroughbred through her paces.
<br>
<br>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-2849137883845990492014-07-13T08:28:00.000-07:002014-07-13T08:30:22.727-07:00The moon!Great night last night. Getting a little warmer so its not completely
<br>freezing up on the rail. We went through a bit of the laundry as we
<br>finally found the right kite for the conditions.. and just one fat lip for
<br>our troubles (mine.. its not a big deal, but someone owes me a Mai Tai.)
<br>
<br>The moon which was hidden these past days made herself fully known last
<br>night.. it was like daytime on the ocean, with the moon shining through our
<br>vermilion chute making the crew think about tasting blood.. (oh, maybe that
<br>was just me).
<br>
<br>Stars tried to shine too, but Luna was too powerful.. could only make out
<br>the big dipper and part of Cassiopeia. Of course, Orion which graced the
<br>skies in March was nowhere to be found. Maybe tonight before the moon makes
<br>her big entrance, I'll glimpse other celestial figures.
<br>
<br>Oh.. the other big news.... and it is big.. 1/2 the crew has had movement.
<br>Yeah.. I'm talking about the scatological.. you know.. the old number
<br>2... we pooped, okay? (Its a topic that doesn't seem to get old on the 3rd
<br>day at sea.)
<br>
<br>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-6123740461603910532014-07-12T20:10:00.000-07:002014-07-12T20:11:58.204-07:00Finally a kite!At last, the western wind that has been our impediment to a normal Pacific
<br>Cup of downwind spinnaker flying has clocked to the North. So, a day of
<br>Code 0 and now at last a spinnaker. Yes!
<br>
<br>The Pacific is our playground now.
<br>
<br>Data.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-76809803913012664042014-07-11T20:28:00.001-07:002014-07-11T20:28:53.749-07:00Whale sighting!Just a quick update.. there is life out here besides the rafts of jelly
<br>fish.. got a glimpse of the charismatic megafauna. A smallish whale
<br>crossed our bow this afternoon... about 100 feet away. Light colored,
<br>with a small dorsal fin... about 30 feet long. Left Melville at home, so I
<br>'ll just have to wonder what it was.Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-31932039317018582882014-07-11T10:14:00.000-07:002014-07-11T10:16:06.941-07:00Chilly and damp nightNice night last night.. if you like beating towards Hawaii in the mist.
<br>No, really, I mean it. Big headsail up, seas were reasonable.. wind about
<br>10 kts... a big bright moon that we never saw but it made the sea look like
<br>it does in old WWII movies. Windy enough that we wanted weight on the rail
<br>so we took turns getting cold and damp with the occasionally misty fogs
<br>that would roll by.
<br>
<br>Morning did not bring sun, but did bring billions (and billions) of tiny
<br>blue man-o-war.. my brother calls them blue bottles. At first we thought
<br>there were a lot.. perhaps 10 per square meter covering the ocean. Then we
<br>got to patches where they were stuck up against eachother... thousands per
<br>square meter... and carpets of them 10 meters wide by 100 meters long.
<br>Like you could walk on a blue green grass on top of ocean. But.. don't try
<br>that..
<br>
<br>0800 roll call confirms we split from Swazik and Hamachi...Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-8789520246787573122014-07-10T19:08:00.000-07:002014-07-10T19:10:30.423-07:00Start!We have started... beautiful day in San Francisco Bay. Sun was shining and
<br>about 20 knot western wind blowing in from the gate. Start line at St.
<br>Francis Yacht Club did not disappoint as we could not quite pull off a port
<br>tack start. Hamachi, our sister ship pulled off a nice lee bow tack on
<br>us.. kudos to them, although after the gate we seem to have taken opposite
<br>sides of the course.. it will be interesting to see how that develops.
<br>
<br>Picked up a bit of kelp along the way.. was pretty easy to tell as the
<br>boats around us seemed to put on jets while we wallowed... sailed
<br>backwards for a bit to clear it. All part of the fun of ocean racing.
<br>
<br>Just passed south of the southern Farallon Islands. Last bit of land for
<br>2000 miles.
<br>
<br>Aloha!
<br>
<br>Data (AKA Darren)Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234510016400552395.post-63796366882645027832014-07-08T10:34:00.000-07:002014-07-08T10:35:45.397-07:00Pacific Cup 2014!We are doing the Pacific Cup.. and I just remembered we have a blog from
<br>our days past... So this is really just a test message from the boat.
<br>We're doing a bunch of last minute things.. that don't really need to get
<br>done but occupy our minds and let us deal with the growing excitement for
<br>the race. To bad we can't turn all this nervous energy into wind.. but
<br>still a couple of days for the forecast to change.
<br>
<br>Also... the big development.. we'll have the full board of the UAC on the
<br>boat! (Yes.. Capt. Brownpants is coming! Woohoo!)
<br>
<br>More coming.
<br>
<br>Data (AKA Darren).Reinrag2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15613576199776541937noreply@blogger.com0