Holiday Classic

The ideal sailing venue for me would be one which offered an above average variety in wind and sea conditions. In terms of wind, I'm speaking of both directions and strengths. I have never played golf. (I have always been either too young to take it up or too old to learn.) But the ideal sailing location would be comparable to always playing golf on a different course, I would think.

Today's race was a 5nm race in winds that never rose over 9 knots. But the key was it was from the east. Because the Race Committee (hope they're not reading this) was unimaginative, they didn't adjust the course accordingly. Consequently, we spinnakered to what is usually the weather mark. Following that we had an extremely interesting beat to our usual reaching mark, and then spinnakerer the last two legs.

It turned out to be an extremely interesting chess match. I enjoyed it mainly on the rail, since Trophy Wife did most of the driving. Das Boot did much better (8th out of 14) than she deserved to in these light conditions, mainly because of her off-wind performance and the fact that all of our brainy crew members are always thinking, and talking (don't say 'arguing') about what to do next.

I have come to value the process more than the results.

Happy Thanksgiving?

(Oil) Platform C Race

Today's race was a 11 mile circumnavigation of Platform C, featuring a long broad reach and a long close reach sandwiched between two short beats. I expected heavy/wooly weather the day after our first rain storm left town. Instead we were gifted with warm temperatures and a steady breeze which moderated around 15 knots at an angle which favored Das Boot. Crew was composed of experienced hands used to working together. After rounding the Platform, I was happy to relinquish the helm. Everyone aboard grasps the tactical concepts Das Boot forces upon us. I was gratified that while I was below, unhurriedly munching my delicious sandwich, we held off the hungry flotilla behind us. We finished 5th out of 16 and corrected to the same.

The day was beautiful. Unbelievably, as ever.

Morning (an Hour Ago)

On one cup of joe. What makes an ordinary morning worth photographing? No morning is ordinary. Every one of them is extraordinary. Especially at my age.

My high school alumni bulletin arrived yesterday and included the news that one of my very small class had passed on. (I'll call him 'Rob'.) Rob was a good sort. Not an athlete, so not of my circle. So maybe I feel closer to him now than ever before. But he was a high-attainer and industrious in his chosen and worthy field. Of great service to his school and community. My hope is that he passed quickly and painlessly, in his sleep perhaps.

For me? Why do I feel impelled to photograph? Maybe because any one of trips down those 84 steps to the beach and back might prove to be my last. And I want to enjoy it forever.

Low Tides

Ballou loves low tides. It means she can run the length of the breakwater in front, on the seaward side. No friggin' leash.

I like this low tide especially, because the pre-storm reconstructive maintenance has blocked off all foot traffic on the breakwater.

That means the two of us are alone, unobserved. That means is that should Ballou do a poop and should I fail to observe it, no self-anointed naturalist would come after me shaking his/her fists, getting after me to bag it up.

Not sayin' Ballou pooped, not sayin' she didn't. I'm just sayin' if she had there would be no witnesses and, by this time, no trace.

As evidenced by the tractors' treads, the beach is also being re-modeled into a giant berm to protect our clubhouse and parking lot from the seas that are expected this winter.

Which is one more reason why there would be no evidence of illegal pooping, had it occurred.

Vendée Globe

The course for the Vendée Globe illustrates the straightforward nature and simplicity of the idea behind this major event. You sail around the world from west to east via the three major capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn. There is a long slide down the Atlantic, the perilous voyage across the Southern Ocean with firstly the Indian Ocean and its crossed seas, then the Pacific Ocean, the world’s biggest ocean. Finally, there is the climb back up the Atlantic to head back to Les Sables d’Olonne, which marks the start and finish of the Everest of the seas.

Watching the real thing, readers should go to Vendée Globe.
To play the simulation,
readers should go to Many Players.

No Going Back (green), a sans options boat, is crossing my Open Container III, 4 miles ahead!

25-Nov 11:25 UTC+1:
Open Container is 67th. No Going Back is in the lead in the central fleet. Contigous and Belladonna are deep in the leading Options yachts.

Let's Go Back to . . .

Bikini Weather!

Cloudless Sky. Steady 15-knot wind in 85 degree temperature. No wonder I was so mellow at the helm. I let the crew to decide on the strategy. In the short windward leg they wanted to stay outside the kelp. With the swim buoys yanked by the Harbor authorities, I wasn't trusted to keep Das Boot off the rocks. That's the only rationale I could extract from this decision. However, I will recall that no other boat went up, through Kelp Straits. In this pursuit race, we caught & passed two boats on the first reach and were not passed. They tell me we took a 6th place. Hard for me to believe we deserved it. Didn't matter to me. All I cared about was being out on the water and partying ashore afterwards.