Thanks

We've gotten a _lot_ of help. Thank you, everyone!

SSB

I will let Nathan talk about that one, but Brian did some miracles with the SSB tuner, ordered some parts and got us going. The two of them buried themselves for hours fiddling around with the equipment...

Nice job...and muchas gracias to Brian for his help! (also testing it)

Race to the start

OK - I am now positive. The real race is to the start line. I am really looking forward to the Pac Cup so we can finally relax, enjoy sailing, etc...We end up spending much more time working on the boat than do some actual sailing...Perhaps it's only because it is the first time we are doing the Pac Cup on Elise and there a) a steep learning curve for both of us and b) a lot of equipment to add to the boat.

Jason (from Argo Yacht Rigging) is amazing and a Godsend. He does great quality work and think like a racer so his solutions are extremely elegant. He also knows a lot of people he can hire to help and he's shown a fabulous ability in fitting Elise into his busy summer schedule. We also spent the entire 4th of July weekend working on the boat...

He and his friend (Lela) have also decided to make a donation to BeatSarcoma. They made a cute lightweight custom dodger for Elise and they are donating it to the cause (read: we will pay for the dodger of course but they will then turn around and donate the proceeds to BeatSarcoma). We are therefore listing them as 'sponsors' of our fundraising efforts for the Pac Cup.

Some of the things that were done between Jason and us:
1- tiny strong colorful lines under the forward and aft lifelines
2- SSB mounted (all units) and ground strip run
3- Plumbing done for the water bladder and system tested - also secured but looks like Jason is working on a better system
4- upgraded and mounted battery #2 to > 15 Amp-hr
5- 2nd bilge pump that can be operated from below deck
6- Companionway sliding hatch "locking" mechanism installed
7- New dodger
8- Bought second hacksaw and carbide blade (decided not to take the bolt cutter...a little heavy and clumsy)
9- Refilled spare part bags with lines, turning blocks and shackles and upgraded our sail repair kit
10- Installed LEDs to light up the magnetic compasses
11- Mounted and tried on emergency rudder (we will now try outside the harbor)
12- Connected solar panels/electrical system with the charge controller
13- received the EEEC PC (it's tiny!!!) - I will download some software and play around with it...
14- Secured anchor to the bottom of the boat and added a lot of padding so no metal parts will be in contact with the fiber glass
15- Learned every single sq-inch of the most aft 'cell' of the boat
16- Earned ability to remember every single West Marine employee's first name at the Sausalito store (where the boat was over the weekend). One of them commented that there were better places to hang out than their store...
17- Got another spare winch handle and bucket (Fedex'ed messed up a shipment that went straight back to West Marine...)

Frankly, I just feel like we should be practicing right now, not drilling holes...Someone was kind enough to say that if we really focus and sail hard, we can do really well. I hope he's right but I feel very under-prepared tactically and strategically. I am certainly starting to know the boat very well...

We will use sunblock. Elise will use a sunattract

My mom called this weekend. She was just curious to see where we would fit everything (remember, not much room down below) - I told her that we were planning on having the sails up on deck (except for the spinnakers and storm sails) - her immediate response was: "on deck? Not on the foredeck I hope, you don't want any weight there, it'll slow you down"

Cute isn't it? :)

Pacific Cup - Guess at the First Day

Elise's home port is conveniently close to the start line (basically around the breakwater) and you could see her trailer spot about 75 yds from the start line if there weren't a building in the way.

We'll probably leave the dock between one and two hours before the start (between 1120 and 1220). We'll want to do a basic systems check (rigging, electrical, etc.) and make sure the final repack of all gear is stable, plus maybe a little tuning.

The last thing we need on the start of a cold three day upwind is to be wet, sweaty, or tired, which is what intense practice would get us.

The wild-estimate Pac Cup formula is 3 days on the wind (not necessarily hard on the wind, but a brisk upwind leg) and then a combination of cracking off plus the wind swinging aft gives us the spinnaker leg that most people find more enjoyable (being totally acclimated to the boat motions also has a lot to do with the enjoyment at that point- even barring outright queasiness, being established on the watch schedule and off-watch noises/movement counts for a lot).

Pacicfic Cup Start Times

link valid as of time of posting:
http://pacificcup.org/node/1863

We're DH2, which starts at 1320 Monday, the 14th.

The start line is on the cityfront (STFYC).

There's lots still to do to get Elise to the line...

More Elise pictures at Sarcoma Cup

From Norcal Sailing (www.norcalsailing.com)

Some Sarcoma Cup '08 Photos

Don't forget that you can go to www.beatsarcoma.smugmug.com to buy more pictures. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the pictures go to BeatSarcoma (I did buy these downloads!)
More pictures will be posted shortly as the other two photographers are gathering their pix.

Sarcoma Cup 'Oopsies'...

Credit: www.h20shots.com
You can buy more of these pictures (like I did...) at BeatSarcoma.smugmug.com

Fun at the Sarcoma Cup!

New start times?

Looks like we might be starting on Bastille Day after all...Better hurry up!

Sarcoma Cup T-shirts for sale

Two options:
- long sleeve cotton
- short sleeve microfiber
- both at $15
- 100% of this goes to support Sarcoma research
- please contact the sarcoma cup team: sarcomacup@ (all addresses are beatsarcoma.org)

Another nice post on the Sarcoma Cup

NSL goes racing

Published at June 29, 2008 in Boats.

Today was something of a landmark for me — my first-ever real sailboat race, and what a ride it was! Thanks to schoonerman and owner CazzaRanda, I was able to crew on the Flying Tiger 10m Centomiglia in today’s Sarcoma Cup, a pursuit race around the Bay from Berkeley, round Alcatraz and Angel Islands, and finishing in Richmond. The photo above show us as we left Racoon Straight headed for the finish. (I’ll certainly be buying a print to hang at home.)

I had a great time and learned more in a day than I would in 10 day-charters to nowhere. Pretty cool to see double digits on the speedo, too. A warm thank you to all the crew for their help and patience with a racing newbie.

More boat work pictures

Installing the 'line stuffer'...I like things to be orderly on a boat (and anywhere) but on a boat it is a great safety measure.

My first sewing job: putting together a webbing strap to keep the cooler from opening at inappropriate moments and send its contents flying across the cockpit. We may keep the bottle of wine in there so that's definitely NOT something we want to see happen. It would be such a waste!

My McGyver style "keep cubby hole plank in place" solution...Cute, heh?

I sailed the boat across to Sausalito (Jason's shop) yesterday morning. Nathan drove to pick me up there and give me a ride back to the city. It was a real treat. I was the only boat out there and there was definitely enough wind to make this a super pleasant ride. It was my first time single-handling Elise with sails all the way (when I delivered the boat in Berkeley I started under sails but had to start the engine as the wind died as the sun came down). The cleats looking aft are a blessing!! (it works also for the jib lines of course!)

Oh...and I bought a house...

With staged furniture:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nathalie.criou/LaMaisonTheHouse?authkey=8lWXp7jgeM0#

I am moving in on Monday.

Scrambled Eggs

and all in one basket...called Elise :)

I put in another day of work last week and we are still missing three critical items...

1) mounting emergency steering
2) mounting the solar panels
3) installing 2nd bilge pump (somehow we missed that???)
4) permanent install for the SSB and sea trial
5) sail tune the boat
6) better secure the water bladders

A lot of this is started but with a temporary solution which we needed to replace with higher quality parts, etc... We also need to upgrade one of the batteries. Nathan's on that job.

Jason, from Argo Yacht Rigging is the most helpful person I have met. He sailed an Express 27 in the Pac Cup before and he has offered his help.

Technically he is a rigger but he knows a lot of things about boats and will find some time in his work schedule to fit us in. He will do a lot of the heavy lifting on the emergency steering (we have the rudder...), the solar panel and the 2nd bilge pump. He has copper for the SSB ground strip and most importantly, a friend of his is making us a custom dodger to keep the cabin dry in the first few days of the race. This is great because he seems to be very flexible and able to move his schedule around, very much in control of his work priorities. He will probably also be very diligent in getting the parts. I also trust immensely his ability to do something that work for Elise because a) he's a racer and he will go for light efficient designs, b) he's solved that problem once for another Express for that same race and so far he has always delivered on time.

On another front, the laptop should be here shortly :)

And I need to change the tires of the trailer and put some new brakes on...

I talked to Sarah Deeds this weekend (doing the Pac Cup on a Moore 24). They're also scrambling...

We can totally do this.

Sarcoma Cup

From the BeatSarcoma blog:

We held the first ever Sarcoma Cup this weekend at Richmond Yacht Club and in the challenging waters of San Francisco Bay. We will post shortly a more detailed account of the event but I wanted to share a quick summary with all of you.

We haven't finalized the accounting but our first estimates indicate that we have raised over $10K at this inaugural event.

We have achieved a lot more.
- Andrew, the 16-year-old osteosarcoma patient to whom the regatta was dedicated volunteered at the event and will keep invaluable joyful memories of this experience
- One of our volunteers unexpectedly rediscovered the joys of sailing on Ay Caliente, a Beneteau
- Regatta participants discovered a very talented painter from a tiny nation in West Africa who contributed a beautiful painting to the charity auction. It is one of these rare connections that wouldn't have happened without the magic of this weekend
- A lot of people had an amazing weekend to share with their friends and family
- Many new friendships have started under the auspice of a weekend dedicated to life and hope
- Many people were given an opportunity to give and engage in a deeply rewarding activity. It can be so gratifying to generate a lot of smiley faces

The Sarcoma Cup itself is a beautiful and uncommon piece of work, but what else could best symbolize the richness of these moments.

You can read more about the sarcoma cup on the:

Stanford Patient News

Norcal Sailing

and see pictures of the regatta

Pacific Cup - Offshore Safety Rules

The Pac Cup rules include by reference a rather complicated set of offshore racing requirements. Some of them are deadly serious (such as ability to signal for help or handle an infection) and some are waived (bucket vs real head). They cover everything from hull construction through accessories like motor, radios, and even personal gear (lifejackets, etc.).

There are a LOT of line items to fulfil, and not all of them were designed with design peculiarities of particular boats in mind. It's an entirely different angle having to deal with this versus previous Pac Cups when I'd help out with some boat work but not have to deal with the entire list.

The following are my notes at the moment on Elise with respect to the safety regs.
Ref the annotated offshore rules (including US Sailing and Pac Cup RC mods) at
http://pacificcup.org/node/866

3.04.3, stability/buoyancy
as stock.

3.08.4 companionway hatch
active TODO
swivel hardware, operable from both sides

3.14 Pulpits, Stanchions, Lifelines
stock. Apparently does not strictly conform to 3.14.3 c, 86.6"
max between stanchions (actually ~90 from stanchion to fwd end of pushpit)
Active TODO:modifying to meet 18" high (many E27's only have 12"
stanchions)

3.17 Toe Rail
stock, 1"

3.19.2 Bunks Stbd is for off-watch. leecloths fitted P+S.

3.21.1 Drinking Water
Active TODO: hose, valves, pump
main storage is water bladders
emergency and supplementary is conventional supermarket water bottles

3.22 Hand holds
stock E27 has adequate grap points whatever her orientation

3.24 Compass
Permanently installed compasses P+S fwd end of cockpit
hockey puck compass for use taking bearings

3.25 Halyards
stock has 3: main (aft), jib (fwd, above forestay), spinnaker
(fwd, above forestay)
added: spare external halyard led fore and aft (fractional fwd)
Main, jib, spin halyards confirmed to reach waterline with
adequate length to wrap on winch. spare halyard will likely reach too but isn't run and I haven't measured it.

3.27 Nav Lights
masthead LED tricolor (LED so watts not applicable but adequately bright)
stock bow and stern light (incandescent)
two house batteries allow independent 12V power if necessary

3.28 Engines, Generators, Fuel
Honda outboard, gasoline in normal red containers.
pull start.
protection from heavy weather is its cover
stowed as per stock E27 one design
solar cells (~100 watts total, 3 panels. 60-80 in primary).
required consumption:
tricolor, instruments, SSB
policed as power available:
cabin lights, autopilot, laptop, stereo, etc.

3.28.4 Batteries
2 gel 12V, 1/2/1+2/off switch, 32 AH each

3.29
VHF - masthead antenna, stern antenna. standard 25W marine unit
with weather frequencies
SSB - Icom 710M. slide-on backstay antenna. backup "speaker wire" antenna
handheld VHF - also has weather frequencies
vessel EPIRB
(2) personal EPIRBs

4.02 Hull Marking
1.0 m^2 orange distress flag

4.03 Soft Wood Plugs
plugs tied in bags next to our two throughulls, next to each other fwd:
knotmeter impeller
depth sounder

4.04 Jackstays, Clipping Points
We generally rely on jacklines rather than static clipping points,
though the latter are available at the termination points of jacklines.
standard WM jacklines, configured as follows:
1. continuous "V" with point at bow through tack fitting running aft on each side, inside lifelines to toerail.
2. aft end of cockpit to fwd end, through-bolted padeyes at bottom of cockpit
3. port to starboard, on deck aft of cockpit (for driver)
4.05 Fire Extinguishers
(1) port, aft side of main bulkhead
1) port, just under deck even with fwd end of cockpit (on "torbedotube")

4.08 First Aid Manual and First Aid Kit
(have, need to reinventory. Two non-critical drugs are a few months past their nominal expiry date but all the normal stuff is thereincluding aluminum splints, antibiotics, painkillers, "emergency"seasickness meds, field guides, etc.)

4.09 Foghorn
standard canned gas version.
one spare can of gas

4.10 Radar Reflector
standard (todo: confirm mfctr was Davis) round/two plates type

4.11 Navigation Equipment

4.11.1 Charts
paper Kaneohe chart current (Jul 07 printing)
Calif->Hawaii
paper charts of US coast down to Santa Barbara
mapping GPS

4.11.2 Reserve Navigation System
sextant, books, plotting instruments, universal plotting paper.

4.12 Safety Equipment Location Chart
(TODO)

4.13 Echo Sounder or Lead Line
have both sounder running on house 12V and lead line

4.14 Speedometer or distance measuring instrument
have knotmeter and GPS

4.15 Emergency Steering
have wooden emergency tiller, basically same spec as original.
varnished so we know it won't swell and fail to fit.
emergency rudder mounting on outboard bracket (tiller-steered)
supplies for other arrangements as may be necessary (aluminum tubes, flat boards, buckets, lines)
TODO: trial/signoff, due "prior to starting the race" targetting beginning of July

4.16 Tools and Spare Parts
a variety of electrical supplies (wire, crimp fittings, multimeter, etc.) spare blocks, shackles, clevis pins, cotter pins+ringdings
lines (racing no-stretch and resilient)
bolt cutters+hack saw with carbide blades
TODO: formal tools+spares list

4.19 EPIRBS
(1) 406 vessel EPIRB
(2) personal EPIRBs, one in hand one to be borrowed

4.20 Liferafts
(rented from Sal's. TODO: get fax with full details)

4.20.3 Liferaft Packing and Stowage
most likely to be stored on deck aft, stbd. Will finalize when we see how the boat trim/heel looks.

4.21.2
have grab bag, will blaze and fill as per recommendations- nothing we won't already have

4.22 Lifebuoys
Lifesling with self-igniting light
horseshoe, strobe, MOB pole in "torpedo tube"

4.23 Pyrotechnic Signals Required:
SOLAS red parachute, 6 req'd. Have:
(4) expiring 2010
(1) expiring Sep 2011
(1) expiring Nov 2011
SOLAS red handheld, 4 req'd. Have:
(1) expiring Sep 2011
(3) expiring Nov 2011
SOLAS orange smoke, 2 req'd. Have:
(1) expiring Jul 2011
(1) expiring Dec 2009

Extra:
SOLAS white handheld:
(4) mfg Dec 06, implied expiry 3 years of '09

misc USCG red handheld, orange smoke, some expired some not but all in apparently good condition.

4.24 Heaving Line
sock type, 50 ft WM.

4.25 Cockpit knife
stainless fixed blade dive knife, steel pommel for hammering, hard sheath

4.26 Storm and Heavy Weather Sails
Trysail (not here, delivery promised 6/20 or 6/21)
heavy weather jib: existing #4 dacron jib. hanks, and forestay is bare (no tuff luff), all foresails are hanked.

4.27 Drogue
(TODO: ordered)

5.01 lifejackets
two inflatable models, "pill" type automatic
TODO: spare CO2
backup fixed foam vests

5.02 Safety harness and tethers
inflatable lifejackets have integral harnesses.
standard WB tethers
(1) Lirakis-type harness, double-clip

5.09 Annual Man-Overboard Practice
(done, need to lookup dates, ~ last Nov and sign off)

5.11 Preventer or Boom Restraining Device
(TODO- easily breakable type, thin dacron line).

6.xx Training
Pac Cup safety seminars both crew
CPR certs both crew
Celestial Navigation course but not tested (OCSC, both crew)

Slowly but surely

Hello symphonic fans - hard weekend at work on Elise for a change...And still loads to do but we are definitely seeing the end of it and resolutely crossing off items on the list. From bow to stern, we:

Secured all the "lids" on the V-berth with a combination of bungee cords, wooden 'sticks' through the hole of the lid and sometimes a padeye or similar fitting for the cord in the cubby hole
Secured the stove with a nice big bungee so it doesn't go flying if we are upside down
Latched firmly the two batteries - they ain't going nowhere unless the entire bow is moving in that general direction
Secured the 'head' (read bucket) to its fittings
Added a nice "hook" out of place and behind thick cable so it's not a danger to anyone for practical reasons (say, we need to hang a flashlight or something)
Tied the "lantern" (battery-operated camping lantern) by the stove at the v-berth to provide light. It is unlikely that we will need a lot of light there but it is handy to have ready at our fingertips if we do need some. Remember, everything has to be easy when you are sleep deprived
Taped the through-hull plugs close to the through-hulls, in a nice ziplock bag
Revamped the safety 'drawer', with new cool gadgets such as a 1x1 m orange flag ready to be displayed on deck if need be as per the rule, more spares, etc...
Secured the top of that drawer with strong velcro
Secured the nav table lid with a little mechanical aid
Drilled some holes to secure the SSB to the nav table
Cleared the nav table so it contains only the items we really need...
Installed mesh pockets for 1) various items such as sunglasses or a flashlight which we just need to drop when we check something quick at the nav table 2) all of our spare gloves, etc... 3) cooking ustensils (pretty basic...) 4) toiletry items 5) misc, not assigned and put a bunch of sticky plastic hooks that can become handy...
Installed rolled up flags on the starboard side along the cables we are running...
Bought all of the missing flares we need
Wrote 'Elise' and added some reflective tape on our spare lifejackets and other various buoyancy equipment (that was a hard job...)
Find new ways to stow equipment that is safe, easy to access and more open (the cubby holes were getting very damp and retaining humidity): dock lines and tow lines and winch handles and jewelry bag (no we don't carry jewelry, this is what we need to rig the boat up, turning blocks, etc...) under the port settee. Lines are hanging off the MOB tube also on the port side. Tools + spare parts under the port-side settee
New anchor + 14 ft of chain + aS 200 ft of 3-stranded nylon anchor line...now stowed next to the engine...m njuumh (that was Hershel the cat's literary participation to the adventure)
Finished installation of the wireless remote control for the regular auto-pilot
Devised a way to secure the cooler to the floorboard and ensure that the lid doesn't open up all of the sudden
Fixed the floorboard (one of the mechanical fittings to keep it in place had to be replaced)
Got a Rambo-like dive knife which will be used as a cockpit knife as a safety measure: if lines need to be cut, crew that needs to be disciplined, you know, this type of things...
Got a 50 ft throw line
Got a nice little stroby-looking light for the lifesling with the most annoying "test" mode...
Ordered a 'light list' from the Coast Guard
Finalized our celestial navigation package: almanach 2008, universal plotting sheet, reduction tables...we have the tools already, including the sextant
Got our borrowed first aid kit (it's not a first aid kit, it's a portable hospital)
Got a new pole (we are using the old one as a spare)
Got a new spare halyard (the other one chafed)
Put some anti-chafe tape at the end of the spinnaker halyard
Got a nice second reefing line and installed it
Got some cool pockets to keep lines out of the way and installed fittings for them
Did some varnishing for the emergency tiller...
Devised and built a nice way to get two of our solar panels operational! (Kudos to Nathan)
Got delivered pizza directly on the boat, on the trailer...
Ordered a second bucket as per safety rules
Got a boat drogue (drogues are not designed to stop your boat unlike sea anchors. They hang off the stern and slow down your progress downwind)
Got a 5-gallon gas can...

Still a bunch of things to do...but getting there! Inspection deadline is July 3rd so last leg before the finish on boat prep!

Revised start dates

http://pacificcup.org/node/1863

Boat Name	Type	Entrant	Div	START
Neptune's Daughter	Crealock 34	Ed & Earlinda Polkenhorn	DH 1	Mon
Rubicon III	Contessa 33	Rod Percival	DH 1	July 14, 2008
Plus Sixteen	Olson 911	Paul Disario	DH 1	12:50
Raindrop	Cascade 36	Joby Easton	DH 1
Dart*	Peterson 34	John Crutcher	DH 1
Giant Slayer*	SantaCruz 27	David Garman - Debra Lowell	DH 1

Green Buffalo	Cal 40	Jim Quanci	A	Mon
Azure	Cal 40	Rodney Pimentel	A	July 14, 2008
Shaman	Cal 40	Steve Waterloo	A	13:05
Acacia	Valiant 42	Robert Hinden	A
California Girl	CAL 40	Timm & Victoria Lessley	A
Gaviota	CAL 2-46, Jensen Marine	James Partridge	A
Valis	Pacific Seacraft 44	Paul Elliott	A
No Ka Oi	Gibsea 43	Phil Mummah	A

Le Flying Fish*	Moore 24	Jean-Philippe Sirey & Stephane Plihon	DH 2	Tues
Bar-ba-loot*	Moore 24	Andrew Hamilton	DH 2	July 15, 2008
Moore Havoc*	Moore 24	Mark A. Moore	DH 2	13:30
Moonshine	Dog Patch 26	Dylan Benjamin	DH 2
Mirage	Express 27	Terry Cobb	DH 2
Alternate Reality	Express 27	Darrel Jensen	DH 2
Elise	Express 27	Nat Criou/Nathan Bossett	DH 2
The Contessa	Swede 55	Shawn Throwe	DH 2

Cirrus	Standfast 40	Bill Myers	B	Tues
Compromise	Elite 37	David and Sandy Englehart	B	July 15, 2008
Horizon Hunter	Hunter 466	Charlie Cooper	B	13:45
Checkered Past	Wyliecat 39	Chris Gibbs	B
Pacific High	Catalina 400	Andre Skarka	B
Gavilan	Wylie 39	Brian Lewis	B
Kokomo	Sabre 425	Denny Flannigan	B
Music	Nordic 44	John McCartney	B

Bequia*	Beneteau	Dennis Ronk	C	Tues
Oceanaire*	Tayana 47	Garrett Caldwell	C	July 15, 2008
Ada Helen*	Catalina 42 1/2	Joseph Pratt	C	14:00
Sweet Okole*	Custom Farr 36	Dean Treadway	C
Rabian*	J 35	Vern Zvoleff	C
Urban Renewal*	J 35	Les Vasconcellos	C
Bullet*	Express 37	Michael Maloney	C
Tiki Blue*	Beneteau 423	Gary Troxel	C

Ohana	Beneteau 45F5	Dean S. Hocking	D	Wed.
E. T.	Antrim 27	Todd Hedin	D	July 16, 2008
X-Dream	X-119	Steen Moller	D	14:10
Sleeping Dragon	Hobie 33	Dean Daniels	D
Jamani	J-120	Sean Mulvihill	D
J World	J/120	Wayne Zittel	D
Buzz Off	Henderson 30	Fischer / Rodriguez	D
Summer Moon	Synergy 1000	Joshua Grass	D
Sapphire	Synergy 1000	David Rasmussen	D

Sabrina	Calkins 50	Chris Calkins / Norm Reynolds	E	Thurs
Recidivist	Schumacher 39	Ken Olcott	E	July 17, 2008
Low Speed Chase	Sydney 38	James C Bradford	E	14:45
XL	Antrim 40	Antony Barran	E
Morpheus	Schumacher 50	Jim Gregory	E
Roxanne	J-125	Greg Slyngstad	E
Hula Girl	Santa Cruz 50	Paul Cayard	E

Velos	Tanton 73	Kjeld Hestehave	F	Sat
Criminal Mischief	R/P 45	Chip Megeath	F	July 19, 2008
Flash	Transpac 52	Mark Jones/Peter Stoneberg	F	15:50
Holua	Santa Cruz 70	Brack Duker	F
Rage	Sunrise 70	Steven Rander	F
Pegasus OP-50	Open 50	Philippe Kahn	F

Humdinger	Walter Greene 35 "Acapella" Trimaran	Larry Olsen	Multihull	Thurs
				July 17, 2008
				15:00

We are getting a transponder!

So you can follow our progress....neat!

And please note the NOR thing (for non-racers, NOR means Notice of Race): do NOT give us any information about other competitors' location. We will have a daily position check-in for tactical purposes.

However, it is perfectly fine for you to use this information to ship us some wine. Just make sure the bottles are nicely packaged in a sealed and padded cannister when they are dropped in the water. In the absence of a fridge, we'll probably prefer red.

Satellite Transponders

Thanks to the organizational and research efforts of Vice Commodore Jim Gregory, we have contracted with FIStracking to provide satellite transponders for each and every boat at no additional cost to you (unless you break it, of course). FIS has supported many major regattas, including Vic Maui 2008, Swiftsure, and more.

These will be made available to boats doing the return trip for a modest fee.

Not only does the tracking create a really great viewing experience for those at home, it also provides an added safety element in the event someone needs to find you to rescue you or bring you cookies or something. Please note that PER NOR and SI's, direct or indirect access to the sat tracking information by competitors is forbidden so as to preserve the fairness of the race.

We leave July 15th in the afternoon...

Preliminary Assignments:

Boat	Type	Skip	Club(s)	Division	LOA	Rating	Start
Neptune's Daughter	Crealock 34	Ed & Earlinda Polkenhorn	RYC	DH 1	34.1	PHRF	Mon
Rubicon III	Contessa 33	Rod Percival	DRYC	DH 1	32.7	PHRF	July 14, 2008
Plus Sixteen	Olson 911	Paul Disario	RYC/Seattle YC	DH 1	30	PHRF	12:50
Raindrop	Cascade 36	Joby Easton	Royal Rose City YC	DH 1	37	PHRF
Le Flying Fish	Moore 24	J-P Sirey & S. Plihon	PCYC/SSS	DH 1	23.9	PHRF
Bar-ba-loot	Moore 24	Andrew Hamilton	SCYC	DH 1	23.75	PHRF
Moore Havoc	Moore 24	Mark A. Moore	RYC	DH 1	23.75	PHRF

Green Buffalo	Cal 40	Jim Quanci	RYC	A	39.2	PHRF	Mon
Azure	Cal 40	Rodney Pimentel	EYC	A	39.5	PHRF	July 14, 2008
Shaman	Cal 40	Steve Waterloo	EYC	A	39.5	PHRF	13:05
Acacia	Valiant 42	Robert & Maryann Hinden	EYC	A	42	PHRF
No Ka Oi	Gibsea 43	Phil Mummah	SSS	A	42	PHRF
California Girl	CAL 40	Timm & Victoria Lessley	CYC Portland	A	39.33	PHRF
Gaviota	CAL 2-46	James Partridge	LosAngelesYC	A	46	PHRF
Valis	Pacific Seacraft 44	Paul Elliott	SYC	A	44.08	PHRF

Cirrus	Standfast 40	Bill Myers	KYC	B	40.02	PHRF	Tues
Compromise	Elite 37	David and Sandy Englehart	PCYC	B	37.08	PHRF	July 15, 2008
Horizon Hunter	Hunter 466	Charlie Cooper	Marina Bay YC	B	44.25	PHRF	13:30
Checkered Past	Wyliecat 39	Chris Gibbs	RYC	B	38.8	PHRF
Pacific High	Catalina 400	Andre Skarka	YachtKlubPolski	B	41.6	PHRF
Gavilan	Wylie 39	Brian Lewis	RYC	B	41.5	PHRF
Kokomo	Sabre 425	Denny Flannigan	CYC Tacoma	B	42.5	PHRF





Dart	Peterson 34	John Crutcher	Antigua YC	DH 2	34	PHRF	Tues
Giant Slayer	SantaCruz 27	David Garman - Debra Lowell	TTPCY Seattle	DH 2	27	PHRF	July 15, 2008
Moonshine	Dog Patch 26	Dylan Benjamin	SSS	DH 2	26	PHRF	13:45
Mirage	Express 27	Terry Cobb	SSS	DH 2	27.3	PHRF
Alternate Reality	Express 27	Darrel Jensen	STYC	DH 2	27.25	PHRF
Elise	Express 27	Nat Criou/Nathan Bossett	SFYC	DH 2	27.25	PHRF
Music	Nordic 44	John McCartney	EYC	DH 2	43.1	PHRF
The Contessa	Swede 55	Shawn Throwe	StFYC/EYC	DH 2	52.5	PHRF

Bequia	Beneteau	Dennis Ronk	VYC	C	41.67	PHRF	Wed
Oceanaire	Tayana 47	Garrett Caldwell	SSS	C	47	PHRF	July 16, 2008
Ada Helen	Catalina 42 1/2	Joseph Pratt	CPYC	C	43.8	PHRF	14:10
Rabian	J 35	Vern Zvoleff	StFYC	C	35.4	PHRF
Urban Renewal	J 35	Les Vasconcellos	KYC	C	35.5	PHRF
Bullet	Express 37	Michael Maloney	BYC	C	37.08	PHRF
Tiki Blue	Beneteau 423	Gary Troxel	RYC TeamBlue	C	43.17	PHRF
Ohana	Beneteau 45F5	Dean S. Hocking	SYC	C	44.11	PHRF

Sweet Okole	Custom Farr 36	Dean Treadway	RYC	D	36	PHRF	Wed.
E. T.	Antrim 27	Todd Hedin	SFYC/RYC/PCYC/SSS/CCA	D	27.83	PHRF	July 16, 2008
X-Dream	X-119	Steen Moller	SSS	D	39.3	PHRF	14:25
Sleeping Dragon	Hobie 33	Dean Daniels	SBYC	D	33	PHRF
Jamani	J-120	Sean Mulvihill	SFYC	D	40	PHRF
J World	J/120	Wayne Zittel	SDYC	D	40	PHRF
Buzz Off	Henderson 30	Fischer / Rodriguez	Waikiki YC	D	30.8	PHRF
Summer Moon	Synergy 1000	Joshua Grass	RYC	D	32.83	PHRF
Sapphire	Synergy 1000	David Rasmussen	RYC TeamBlue	D	32.8	PHRF

Humdinger	Walter Greene 35 "Acapella" Trimaran	Larry Olsen	BAMA	Multihull	35	BAMA	Thurs
							July 17, 2008
							15:00

Sabrina	Calkins 50	Chris Calkins / Norm Reynolds	SDYC	E	50	ORR	Thurs
Recidivist	Schumacher 39	Ken Olcott	Seq YC	E	39.8	ORR	July 17, 2008
Low Speed Chase	Sydney 38	James C Bradford	SFYC	E	38.6	ORR	14:45
XL	Antrim 40	Antony Barran	California YC	E	40	ORR
Morpheus	Schumacher 50	Jim Gregory	RYC	E	50	ORR
Hula Girl	Santa Cruz 50	Paul Cayard	SFYC/StFYC	E	52	ORR
Roxanne	J-125	Greg Slyngstad	CYC Seattle	E	41	ORR

Velos	Tanton 73	Kjeld Hestehave	SDYC	F	72.5	ORR	Sat
Criminal Mischief	R/P 45	Chip Megeath	CYC	F	45	ORR	July 19, 2008
Flash	Transpac 52	Mark Jones/Peter Stoneberg	StFYC	F	52	ORR	15:50
Holua	Santa Cruz 70	Brack Duker	California YC	F	68.09	ORR
Rage	Sunrise 70	Steven Rander	Portland YC	F	70	ORR
Pegasus OP-50	Open 50	Philippe Kahn	Waikiki YC	F	50	ORR

Can there possibly be more? Yes. Storm Trysail Team Trophy Entries:

Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland :Raindrop, Rage and California Girl
Saint Francis YC: Flash, Hula Girl, Elise
Encinal YC:Azure, Shaman and Music
Singlehanded Sailing Society:Moonshine, Mirage, Le Flying Fish
Richmond YC Team Blue: Tiki Blue, Sapphire, Morpheus
Richmond YC Team 109:Green Buffalo, Gavilan, Plus Sixteen
San Diego Yacht Club:J World, Sabrina and Velos

And Blue Water Family Trophy Entrants are

California Girl, Hula Girl, Green Buffalo, Jamani, XL, Alternate Reality, Mirage

And why RYC is supporting this benefit regatta

Find out the facts behind sarcoma and sarcoma research:
http://www.richmondyc.org/HOA/assn13823/documents/Sarcoma%20Cup%20NOR%20Appendix%20A_v2.pdf

Sail for Andrew 15-yr-old sailor and sarcoma patient on June 28-29

If you haven't done so, please really consider signing up for the Sarcoma Cup Regatta.

This is really going to be a special event. A lot of Beethovens and very talented friends as well as the folks at RYC have been working overtime to make this a great event. Two bands, lots of food (including free Peets coffee and free wine!), a free drink coupon for every single participant, beverages, entertainment. A long list of trophies... more than what your average regatta would offer, huh? And registration fees are not any higher.

Oh, yeah, there will also be racing in perfect sailing conditions and a very well run event. Fred Paxton's the conductor. So check it all out and get signed up ASAP at

http://www.richmondyc.org/cal2/EventShow.asp?event_id=89406&event_batch=1

We have just decided to dedicate this first Sarcoma Cup to Andrew, a 15 year-old local sailor who was diagnosed with sarcoma in November, 2007. Barring a medical emergency we think Andrew will be in attendance...so, it would be a HUGE boost for his morale to have a big turnout - especially as he is just starting a new treatment. He is too weak to sail right now so we can sail for him. You can read more about Andrew at http://stories.beatsarcoma.org/2008/06/this-years-sarcoma-cup-will-be-sailed.htm

Andrew is taking a break from his flight for his life just for the rush of seeing some sailboats play. We need to be there for him. Great sailing… good cause… great fun. What more can you ask for?

Seriously, please help us make this a great event…. Let’s show up in huge numbers…

Be there!

A little bit closer to the race...and a little colder at the base...

Well, we did spend a little time working on the boat this weekend and our rigger was hard at work during the week...Another Elise's health bulletin.

Rig:
- Elise has a brand-new shiny rig (and according to a weird email about some bulb needing to be changed, the shrouds might be glowing in the dark)
- There is now a second reefing line (and associated turning block), the chafe problem with the external halyard is solved and the lead issue with the outhaul is fixed

Electrical:
- The two batteries are now connected by a switch, which is now solidly bolted. It is therefore possible to switch from battery 1 to battery 2 without cutting the power (through 1+2). It is also unnecessary to disconnect the battery by hand to avoid leaks. All that is required is to put the switch in the 'off' position. Easy or what??

Communication:
- The SSB has now been tested in both receiving and transmitting mode and has been shown to work. It now needs to be mounted, grounded, etc...thank you Brian for being on the other end of the line(less) conversation

Just in case, it isn't very apparent in the picture. Nathan is talking to the SSB and has bought a Harry Potter-approved broom as an emergency escape mechanism if I get too boring.

Navigation:
- The remote control unit for the autopilot is now ready (last thing to do is to bolt on the receiver, but the holes are already drilled for that!). You can now control the autopilot (on, off and any direction, as well as MOB alert) from anywhere on the boat with a small waterproof remote which you can tie on to your gear. This can be quite helpful short-handed!!! Later, it will become possible to install a MOB relay connected to the boat EPIRB. In addition to carrying your own personal EPIRB, it is a nice safety touch if you are single-handling. Also the MOB function of the autopilot is programmed to 1) store the coordinate where the event happened, 2) bring the boat head to wind to stop it ASAP and will calculate the compass course to return to the victim. That can come in handy for people alone on watch who for any reason are not tethered in.

Space Management:
- The anchor will now sit next to the engine
- The space left by the anchor below the port settee will be used to store spare parts. Quite logical since it is right next to where the toolbox is stored
- The leecloths are ready to be installed

Safety inspection checklist:
- We measured anchor length (and will verify with inspector to see if that's OK)
- We counted our flares
- Listed heavy equipment that needs to be restrained, equipment using batteries and Nathan filled out our "energy plan"
- Elise's pole is relegated to the "spare parts" category
- Our water bladders (including the two borrowed ones) will meet the water requirements. We will carry water bottles around too. They are easy to store and easy to carry
- We can borrow a safety kit with up-to-date meds

Measuring the anchor line required knowing how many inches there are in a foot...No one taught me this at school.

Cuisine:
- The eggs rancheros suck
- The "dried freeze" ice-cream sucks. Glad we're not astronauts.
- The pesto pasta tastes nothing like pesto but otherwise good
- The meatball spaghetti tastes good (we had established already that the Jambalaya was OK)

And our specials tonight are some tasteless gelatinous pasta with a creative pesto imitation and 'spaghetti infierno' adding the flavor of confetti spaghetti to the mystery of unknown meat (small) balls

Interesting finding, worth publishing in the journal of medical discoveries that very few people care about:
- The hormone replacement therapy I have to take has "nausea" as a noted side-effect. I have noticed an increased sensitivity to certain kinds of food, car sickness, etc...much more so than before. It may have contributed to my recent adventures.

And we have a a long shopping list ready for West Marine Fleet Night on Thursday.

And Dayne stopped by to say hello!! We pulled Elise out of the water and rubbed her tummy :)

Oh, and summer has come. It is cold, foggy and windy. I am glad we have the stove now!

Latitude 38 June Article about the Sarcoma Cup

there it is!

Looking for crew or looking to crew at the Sarcoma Cup?

Several people have expressed their concern with finding crew for the Sarcoma Cup. There are resources for you! Several people have signed up as available crew, so you could check the crewlist (see below). You can also put your name down as someone who needs crew. OCSC can help match you with some advanced students.

Looking for crew or looking to crew?

Note: OCSC, BeatSarcoma's partner for the Pacific Cup '08 will kindly help match advanced students with skippers.
You can fill out this form
Or check the crewlist
Or contact us