SHTP: Free Wind Tomorrow

The racers seem to see this sign every day.  There is still light wind even though the fleet is turning the corner into the Trades.   It looks like the trades winds may fill in on Wednesday.  Hopefully these guys will get the full down wind experience for the finish.  See the latest updates at Latitude 38, position reports, log reports, and the Oceanslogic blog.

Plastic Suck(s)(ed)

Electrolux wants to use recycled plastic from the oceans to build new vacuums.  More details over at Sea Fever Blog.

The Spill Continues

SHTP - News from the General

 Ken (The General) Roper has posted his first log report.  It is clear that he is squeezing all the performance out of his Finn Flyer, Harrier:

All is well aboard Harrier. Having found a "heavy" glass bottle of Pacifico, the skipper is forced to sit in the cockpit watching the the breeze pick up and consume said bottle of beer in order to lighten the ship and pick up that extra knot or two. Watch out! all those with bets in place!

The General, who used to be an Army General, is participating in his eleventh official Single Handed Transpac. Apparently he sailed the course another time without entering.  He is believed to be 81 years old.

Check out all the skipper's log reports.

Building Pharaoh's Ship

PBS's NOVA documents the building of a 4000 year old style vessel from drawings found in Egyptian ruins.  The ship is held together only by mortise and tenon joints. Ships such as these were thought to make 1600 mile round trip journeys on the Red Sea.  You can watch the show online.

SHTP - Wind Update

Here are some of the 0900 positions over the 1000 wind for Saturday 6/26.  The winds are picking up some.

The Trades look like they will strengthen by Wednesday.

Around the Horn

A nice short about sailing around Cape Horn. Remember your helmet and your rum. Best in full screen mode.

Resurrected Ingrid - Alajuela !

BitterEnd has a post about an Alajuela 38 that was raised after it sank at the dock.  Seems somebody left the loo on.

SHTP - Light Winds

Here are some of the Wed 9am positions plotted on the 10am wind forecast.

SHTP - The Washing Machine

 The General's Harrier Outside the Gate - Photo by JohnS

It sounds like it has been a very rough couple of days for the fleet. The causalities include blocks, halyards, wind vanes, and electrical systems, not to mention lunch.  It has been blowing 28 to 30 knots or more with confused 10 foot waves. It sounds as though the windy reach is calming somewhat.  Hopefully it will not calm too much as the Pacific High drifts south. Good Luck guys.

Check out these news sources:
Adam of Blue Moon's Oceanlogic.com
Ronnie of Warriors Wish's Open Blue Horizon
Adrian of Idefix's Idefix Ship Log
SHTP Position Reports
SHTP Competitor's Logs
Latitude 38 - Lectronic Latitiude
Tiger Beetle's Pre-race photos
Start Picture Wrap-up
Norcal Sailing
Photos of Dave King and Saraband
Westsail 32 Message Forum
AJ of Second Verse's Sponsorship 

SHTP - The High Moves South

SSS member Pogen posted this interesting overlay of the weather and the current boat positions. The majority of boats have been running near the rhumb line. The Pacific high is moving south to intersect the rhumb line.

Hecla declared his intention to sail as deep as possible, but then he has the speed to make up for the extra distance.

I noticed that AJ on Second Verse seemed headed off towards Santa Barbara last position check. I was hoping that this did not mean a problem. Now it looks as though he may be trying to skirt the high.

It is sad to hear that Bandicoot has retired and that Mirage his heading back after starting a second time.  I hope there are no injuries or major damage.

180 SOUTH

180º SOUTH Trailer from Woodshed Films on Vimeo.

180 degrees SOUTH - Conquerors of the Useless is a great adventure movie that combines sailing in the South Pacific with climbing, surfing and conservation in Patagonia.  It interweaves the journeys of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins in 1968 with Jeff Johnson and friends this decade.

Beyond great photography and adventure, the film focuses on the development woes of Chile and Patagonia.  The story of Conservacion Patagonia's founding by Doug Tompkins is told.  The film makers document  the beginning of Sin Represas, a grassroots fight against the damming of Patagonia's rivers.

The movie is now available on DVD and Netflix on demand.

Sin Represas Patagonia Without Dams from Woodshed Films on Vimeo.

Photos of Racers Leaving the Gate

Erik Simonson of h2oshots.com has posted his professional photos of the racers between the start and the Gate. You can see them here.

SHTP Start Photos

The following pictures were originally posted by an SSS member Tinker, here. I edited them a bit to get some close ups of the boats.



Larger photos from the slide show are here or click for a larger show.

SHTP Position Reports

You can track the racer's positions here.  The positions should be updated twice a day.  Currently they are reported at the starting line.

SHTP Starts Today

A reduced fleet of 15 boats will start the 2010 Single Handed Transpac today at 11:05 off the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon.

Some of the readers may not have heard that I withdrew about a month ago.  Early test sails were rough and I did not feel that I had enough time to practice before the qualifier deadline.  It has been very disappointing, but I am already looking forward to 2012.

I want to wish all the racers great luck and hope they have a blast on the crossing.  I did not get to spend that much time with them, but I really enjoyed the group.

Winds are predicted at 12-1 knots at the SF buoy today, so it should be a great start. There should be enough wind for the fleet to get away, but also allow them an easy transition into the routine.

KTVU.com had some pre race coverage.

I hope to see some of the finishes in Kaui in a couple weeks.

The Cruising Black Box

I ran across a great essay on the fifth essential element for successful cruising. It was written by John Vigor and he calls it the Black Box Theory.  The first four elements are:

1. A well-found ship
2. A good crew
3. Adequate preparation and maintenance
4. Seamanship

 

 

Read on the find out the fifth.