Law of Attraction, YouTube, and Hawaii

vanilladuck

vanilladuck

E32-3 / San Francisco
Blogs Author
Life has it's twists and turns. A little twist was introduced into my life in late October when I was laid off work. I had been thinking about taking some time off to pursue a trip to Hawaii (and back) on Rumour. The Law of Attraction is real, ya know...

As I've been diving into projects, circumventing rain, and doing mental gymnastics to guess if departure is more likely for June 2024 or June 2025, I started another happy distraction: documenting sailing and refitting on YouTube. I started a channel, created some logos, registered and coded a simple website. Would love to hear what ya'll think:

Sailing Rumour

Single-handed sailing and refitting a 1985 Ericson 32-3 sailboat
sailingrumour.com sailingrumour.com

I should have another video dropping soon based on Rumour's 2nd place class finish in the Three Bridge Fiasco last Saturday:
www.sfchronicle.com

West Coast’s largest boat race draws hundreds of competitors, and it’s a ‘Fiasco’

The Three Bridge Fiasco, an annual puzzle for participants and spectacle for those watching from the shore, drew hundreds of sailboats Saturday.
www.sfchronicle.com www.sfchronicle.com
https://www.jibeset.net/show.php?RR=JACKY_T005347597&DOC=r1&TYP=html (results)
 
G

G Kiba

Sustaining Member
We got stuck in a windless hole just east of Alcatraz. Bobbed around awhile watching almost everyone sail past us through Racoon Strait or by point Blunt on their way to Red Rock! We finally got some wind nearing Angel and then passed by you and about 60 other boats already heading south to TI. When we rounded the rock, the fleet (and you) were small on the horizon. We decided to keep going. Got to TI only the find that the fleet was stuck under the Bay Bridge without much wind. I kept the kite up thinking I would just sail by as most had doused and were on jib. Nope! that didn't work. I got stuck in the log jam with all the other boats. Boats of all sizes. Most blocked the wind behind me. I did that for over an hour! Even got bumped from behind by the ama of a trimaran. I kept trying until the ebb pulled us and several other boats in to the Coast Guard restricted area. We retired and motored home. That was about 3:00-3:30. We had fun. But I am not sure what was fun about any of it? What so ever, I'm ready for next year! Bring it on! Saw the results with you in second. Fantastic. Friends in Ultimate 20s class got first (UBetcha, Jeff and David) and second (Uhoo, Mike and Howard).
 
vanilladuck

vanilladuck

E32-3 / San Francisco
Blogs Author
G Kiba said:
.... I kept trying until the ebb pulled us and several other boats in to the Coast Guard restricted area. We retired and motored home. That was about 3:00-3:30.
Click to expand...

I'm about to release a YT video which has some commentary about that USCG area you might get a laugh about... We got stuck in that mess around Treasure/Yerba Buena too, and finally worked our way out by broad reaching away from the pile of boats and keeping our distance from the island.

The pervasive question keeps coming up: why do we do this? ;)

Because it's fun!
 
P

Pete the Cat

Member III
vanilladuck said:
Life has it's twists and turns. A little twist was introduced into my life in late October when I was laid off work. I had been thinking about taking some time off to pursue a trip to Hawaii (and back) on Rumour. The Law of Attraction is real, ya know...

As I've been diving into projects, circumventing rain, and doing mental gymnastics to guess if departure is more likely for June 2024 or June 2025, I started another happy distraction: documenting sailing and refitting on YouTube. I started a channel, created some logos, registered and coded a simple website. Would love to hear what ya'll think:

Sailing Rumour

Single-handed sailing and refitting a 1985 Ericson 32-3 sailboat
sailingrumour.com sailingrumour.com

I should have another video dropping soon based on Rumour's 2nd place class finish in the Three Bridge Fiasco last Saturday:
www.sfchronicle.com

West Coast’s largest boat race draws hundreds of competitors, and it’s a ‘Fiasco’

The Three Bridge Fiasco, an annual puzzle for participants and spectacle for those watching from the shore, drew hundreds of sailboats Saturday.
www.sfchronicle.com www.sfchronicle.com
https://www.jibeset.net/show.php?RR=JACKY_T005347597&DOC=r1&TYP=html (results)
Click to expand...
Congratulations on the finish in that godawful race. I trust you used your anchor to achieve that finish among some 300? boats? My neighbor gave up just as a bit of wind came up. You had to do some fancy sailing to place 2nd in class in that race. What is your PHRF?
 
P

Pete the Cat

Member III
G Kiba said:
We got stuck in a windless hole just east of Alcatraz. Bobbed around awhile watching almost everyone sail past us through Racoon Strait or by point Blunt on their way to Red Rock! We finally got some wind nearing Angel and then passed by you and about 60 other boats already heading south to TI. When we rounded the rock, the fleet (and you) were small on the horizon. We decided to keep going. Got to TI only the find that the fleet was stuck under the Bay Bridge without much wind. I kept the kite up thinking I would just sail by as most had doused and were on jib. Nope! that didn't work. I got stuck in the log jam with all the other boats. Boats of all sizes. Most blocked the wind behind me. I did that for over an hour! Even got bumped from behind by the ama of a trimaran. I kept trying until the ebb pulled us and several other boats in to the Coast Guard restricted area. We retired and motored home. That was about 3:00-3:30. We had fun. But I am not sure what was fun about any of it? What so ever, I'm ready for next year! Bring it on! Saw the results with you in second. Fantastic. Friends in Ultimate 20s class got first (UBetcha, Jeff and David) and second (Uhoo, Mike and Howard).
Click to expand...
I heard the CG warning the racers to keep distance from their vessels on 16. My neighbor hit one of the cutters last year--I think they were a little sensitive about that.
 
vanilladuck

vanilladuck

E32-3 / San Francisco
Blogs Author
Pete the Cat said:
Congratulations on the finish in that godawful race. I trust you used your anchor to achieve that finish among some 300? boats? My neighbor gave up just as a bit of wind came up. You had to do some fancy sailing to place 2nd in class in that race. What is your PHRF?
Click to expand...


Thanks Ray! The E32-3 carries a PHRF of 159. Although we thought about it, we never used our anchor. Below are the results for our class (double-handed, non-spin >= 139 rating). We definitely finished at the very tail end of the entire fleet :cool:

1706830972423.png
 
P

Pete the Cat

Member III
I hope the folks who have been to Hawaii will chime in on your plan. I have done some long passages and, while they are character building and will always test your coping skills, they can also be intensely boring. I much prefer taking the time to go down the coast to the Channel Islands from SF which takes a lump of time and is very nice in the off season--just a couple of over nights each way and good options to stop if you don't feel like creeping along at 2.5kts or enduring 23 kts of wind. I think the sailing books excessively romanticize the actual experience of long offshore passages--but most of mine have been deliveries and that may be different. And I worked in Hawaii for a time and the harbors there are iffy and touristy not really exotic or fun. But others will probably differ. Christian has done the trip a couple times and probably could render a better view.
 
vanilladuck

vanilladuck

E32-3 / San Francisco
Blogs Author
It's great you're mentioning all this, Ray. If I don't make it to Hawaii this summer, the other option I was going to pursue was heading down to the Channel Islands. I grew up sailing in SoCal and spent a lot of time at Catalina as a kid -- would be a real kick to go there in my own boat.

I'm definitely intimidated by the open ocean passage. And, for all the reasons you mention. But there is something drawing me to the challenge, especially sailing back. The isolation is attractive as well. I want to experience the silence, the lack of Internet and social media, the potential hallucinations, the time to deeply connect with myself. I've heard some folks (esp. those in the SSS) talk about the experience as "a lifetime great experience", "deeply moving", and "highly recommended".

At the same time, it's not everyone's cup of tea. It would be fun to memorialize this post and compare to how I feel when I return. Perhaps I won't feel the same way about it. Here's hoping I do though ;)
 
p.gazibara

p.gazibara

Member III
The problem with open ocean passages is…

They call some of us back again and again. Nothing quite like it really. And Hawaii? Sounds like a kitesurfing dream.

Pull the rig and change anything that doesn’t look right. Pull the rudder and do the same. Have a good look at those keel bolts. Besides that, load some food, beers if you fancy, and push off in a good window.

After about three days you will settle into it.

Biggest difference I noticed out there was a more consistent breeze, and on boats like ours, not much mainsail is needed once in the trades. And of course it can be a bit more rolly.

Ponder this - French Polynesia is one of the most stunning places on the planet, and only a couple weeks sail from Hawaii .
 
Vtonian

Vtonian

E38 - Vashon
p.gazibara said:
....
Ponder this - French Polynesia is one of the most stunning places on the planet, and only a couple weeks sail from Hawaii .
Click to expand...
Just curious, I've heard the route back from Hawaii is a few weeks+ via Alaska-ish, what does the route back from French Polynesia look like?
 
Christian Williams

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The Hawaii sail is very accessible to West Coast sailors who're interested. It's a lot warmer than trans-Atlantic, and you're heading for paradise not a seawall at Plymouth. You can do it round trip in a summer, which can't be said for Polynesia.

it requires no superhuman skill or endurance, just a year of planning and thinking and spare gear and a good self-steering system. Ericsons are limited and squirrely dead downwind, which is much of the route out, but the hull form excels in the weeks of windward work required to get home.

The major issue for me has always been hurricanes. In summer they pace yachts on the westerly leg, rolling west from Mexico ten degrees of latitude down, but may at any time turn suddenly north to intercept. That possibility is a constant companion.
 
p.gazibara

p.gazibara

Member III
Vtonian said:
Just curious, I've heard the route back from Hawaii is a few weeks+ via Alaska-ish, what does the route back from French Polynesia look like?
Click to expand...
Assuming you are in the Societies (Tahiti) typically you wait for the trades to have a S component then head for the Tuamotus/Marquesas so you have a reach back to HI, our good friends did it on a 40’ cruiser in about 2 weeks out of Rangiroa. Second largest atoll in the world, the main pass (Tiputa) regularly runs over 7kn! There is a bar with a flat deck over the water at the pass that you can watch the dolphins playing from, they love swimming in that fast moving water!

After that it’s the typical HI - AK and south

You might have seen them, Matt is rebuilding Duracell on YouTube, he’s is very skilled.

Mexico is regarded as one of the best cruising grounds in the world, mostly because it’s very easy cruising, there is lots to see, and the US$ gets you quite a lot. Most people spend all of their time around the Sea of Cortez. Easy to do, Cousteau called it “the aquarium of the world”. I’d highly recommend the mainland and south, the state of Oaxaca is amazing, especially the cuisine.

That said, I have different personal favorite cruising grounds. If I spoke French, we may have never left Tahiti, I’m pretty sure part of my soul is still in FP…

We plan to make landfall back in FP in a few years via the Australs once Coco is old enough to remember it. Something about smelling the sweet scent of exotic flowers with a dusting of smoky coconut husks chased by ripe mangos is imprinted in me after all those days at sea.

NZ has us for a few more years though. Plenty of stunning coast to explore, hopefully dodging the next few winters in Tonga/Fiji.

-p
 
bgary

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Pete the Cat said:
long passages ... can also be intensely boring.
Click to expand...
Can be true. But I'd also note that it's a sublime experience to be on the water with nothing on the horizon and no external demands on your time. When I was doing deliveries I *loved* those days.

(the days pounding upwind to meet a schedule? not so much...)
 
P

Pete the Cat

Member III
southofvictor said:
We're heading to Mexico this fall and are currently planning where to go from there. Interesting to hear others' experiences and learn from them. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Lots of folks who like deserts would like the Sea of Cortez, but I liked the Southern coast of Mexico, especially the smaller cities like Puerto Navidad, Huatulco, and Zihuatanejo. Puerto Barilles in El Salvador is worth a stay if it is still safe--it is up a river but a great place to relax after being at sea-where the wealthy folks of Central America go for their vacations. Costa Rica is good but has a lot of open roadstead anchorages. I would recommend picking up a copy of Charlies Charts of Mexico or the Charlies Guide of the coast to Panama--even an old used copy will be very helpful because this publication was the work of some folks who spent years cruising the coast and know all the good anchorages. It is helpful to get updates from cruisers while you are underway, but the cruising guides give you a chance to identify the kinds of things you want to see and give a lot of info on each anchorage that you just are not going to get from other cruisers. I know getting through the Panama Canal is going to be very hard for yachts in the near future, but the San Blas Islands are my favorite destination of all time if you can get to the Atlantic side of Panama. Going down the Central American coast is a way to get into the trades to cross over to the South Sea Islands if you are headed that way--lots of folks start out from Puerto Vallarta or Acupulco to make the crossing. I am not a fan of these cities, but they are good places to reprovision and get repairs. Seems like there are always boats leaving those ports in the season that one could buddy with. FWIW.
 
southofvictor

southofvictor

Member III
Blogs Author
Pete the Cat said:
Lots of folks who like deserts would like the Sea of Cortez, but I liked the Southern coast of Mexico, especially the smaller cities like Puerto Navidad, Huatulco, and Zihuatanejo. Puerto Barilles in El Salvador is worth a stay if it is still safe--it is up a river but a great place to relax after being at sea-where the wealthy folks of Central America go for their vacations. Costa Rica is good but has a lot of open roadstead anchorages. I would recommend picking up a copy of Charlies Charts of Mexico or the Charlies Guide of the coast to Panama--even an old used copy will be very helpful because this publication was the work of some folks who spent years cruising the coast and know all the good anchorages. It is helpful to get updates from cruisers while you are underway, but the cruising guides give you a chance to identify the kinds of things you want to see and give a lot of info on each anchorage that you just are not going to get from other cruisers. I know getting through the Panama Canal is going to be very hard for yachts in the near future, but the San Blas Islands are my favorite destination of all time if you can get to the Atlantic side of Panama. Going down the Central American coast is a way to get into the trades to cross over to the South Sea Islands if you are headed that way--lots of folks start out from Puerto Vallarta or Acupulco to make the crossing. I am not a fan of these cities, but they are good places to reprovision and get repairs. Seems like there are always boats leaving those ports in the season that one could buddy with. FWIW.
Click to expand...
Thanks Pete! Actually just picked up a used copy of Charlies Charts of Mexico and the Breeding/Bansmer guide for Mexico‘ Pacific Coast since I really like their PNW guidebooks. I’ll check out the Charlies guide too.
 
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