26 hours, 39 minutes, 19 seconds

[*KK*]

http://nosa.org

Our uncorrected finish time in this years Newport-Ensenada.

First ocean race I've ever done, and while there were some moments, especially the one where we sat for 4 hours without moving more than 200 yards due to no wind at all, with a pair of sharks swimming around our boat, I'll definitely do more of them.

If anyone had told me even a month ago that I would be able to spend more than 20 of those 26 hours actively sailing -- nearly 14 of them trimming the spinnaker alone, I'd have said, oh sure, anyone can do that.

But when you're racing hard all night long, and you can't see anything but running lights randomly scattered around you, it's very hard to force the concentration and inspiration that you need to keep on doing your absolute best to win your class or beat the boats you decide you're racing against. You have nothing to measure against like you do during short daylight races and boy does it beat you down with 2 hours on and 2 hours off during the 8 pm to 8 am hours.

We drove the boat back up to San Diego over night as well, so that was another 11 hours of 2 on, 2 off.

I'm beat, and I don't think I smell too hot ;) I'm off to get in a real shower and then crawl into a real bed.

I'll post some pics in a couple days if anyone wants to see them --

[*KK*]

Oh I guess I should mention that while the race results haven't been posted yet, judging from the number of boats in the harbor when we got in, I think we finished in the top 100 boats or so, and that includes the monsters like Roy Disney's Pyewacket, which is 86 feet long and only took 16 hours to get in :)

[TheEnforcer]

Sailing is one of the greatest things in the world to do and can be quite taxing to do. It's an absolute joy to do though. If you ever want to try a fresh water race I suggest you try the Chiacgo to Mackinac race.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Chicago+t...1-fp&fl=0&x=wrt (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Chicago+to+Mackinac+Island+sailboat+race&ei=UTF-8&fr=slv1-fp&fl=0&x=wrt)

[*KK*]

Originally posted by TheEnforcer@Apr 24 2005, 08:00 PM
Sailing is one of the greatest things in the world to do and can be quite taxing to do. It's an absolute joy to do though. If you ever want to try a fresh water race I suggest you try the Chiacgo to Mackinac race.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Chicago+t...1-fp&fl=0&x=wrt (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Chicago+to+Mackinac+Island+sailboat+race&ei=UTF-8&fr=slv1-fp&fl=0&x=wrt)
The Mac is a huge race, no doubt about it, but I think I'm hooked on offshore now in a big way. We do buoy races nearly every weekend and they beat you up in a totally different way than distance races...

We've got a short ocean race to Catalina later in the summer, and then of course I'll do Ensenada again next year, and hopefully Sydney to Hobart next winter. If I can do that one, I should be able to manage anything ;)

[Hell Puppy]

Sailing may be the only "sport" that is more boring to watch than golf...

[Trev]

Originally posted by Hell Puppy@Apr 25 2005, 08:00 AM
Sailing may be the only "sport" that is more boring to watch than golf...
I'd rather watch Cricket on teletext...


I get hellish sea sick so not for me thanks :(

[Mike AI]

Nice accomplishment KK!!

[Peaches]

You have truly found a love in this, KK - glad to see it and many congrats!!! :)

[TheEnforcer]

Originally posted by *KK*+Apr 25 2005, 12:15 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (*KK* @ Apr 25 2005, 12:15 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-TheEnforcer@Apr 24 2005, 08:00 PM
Sailing is one of the greatest things in the world to do and can be quite taxing to do. It's an absolute joy to do though. If you ever want to try a fresh water race I suggest you try the Chiacgo to Mackinac race.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Chicago+t...1-fp&fl=0&x=wrt (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Chicago+to+Mackinac+Island+sailboat+race&ei=UTF-8&fr=slv1-fp&fl=0&x=wrt)
The Mac is a huge race, no doubt about it, but I think I'm hooked on offshore now in a big way. We do buoy races nearly every weekend and they beat you up in a totally different way than distance races...

We've got a short ocean race to Catalina later in the summer, and then of course I'll do Ensenada again next year, and hopefully Sydney to Hobart next winter. If I can do that one, I should be able to manage anything ;) [/b][/quote]
Very cool KK!! I'm happy to know someone else here has discovered the joy of sailing. As i said I've been sailing simce I was a kid and have gone on many a trips. Sailed up into the North Channel (part of Lake Huron) and into the north channel when I was a teenager with my parents and sister for 5 weks in a 30' Cape Dory which had a refrigerator that had to be kept cool with blocks of ice and a very small head and water capacity with no radar or any of that stuff. All dead reckoning navigation. http://www.sailingtexas.com/scapedory30b.html It's very nerve racking going through shipping lanes and passages in a dead fog with no radar knowing there are oar boats very close by.

A couple of years later my parents bought a yun sung 35' sailboat (known as a Mackinaw 35 in the states) made out of Taiwan but for the life of me I've never been able to find a picture of one online though I've tried a TON of searches with no luck. There were very few brought over to the states though. It's an incredibly beautiful boat that has a whole lot of tique wood on it. My parents get a ton of compliments on it as it takes an enormus amount of work to keep it beautiful. It's definately not in the racing style at all but sails wonderfully.

[TheEnforcer]

Originally posted by Hell Puppy@Apr 25 2005, 02:00 AM
Sailing may be the only "sport" that is more boring to watch than golf...
Not at all.. sailing is quite enjoyable to watch.

[*KK*]

Hahaha, HP is right, watching sailing on television, especially if you aren't into racing, is about as exciting as watching paint dry on a Friday night.

Being on the starting line with nearly 600 boats (this is the largest international ocean race in the world) going every which way is just a zoo. They divide the boats up into 20 some odd classes based on size and speed, and then they do a rolling start with the classes at 10 minute intervals.

Nothing like seeing a 60 foot boat bearing down on another one, each weighing 10 tons or more, trying to push each other over the line early so that they have to circle back around and start again. On the other hand, sitting on the bow of a boat when a 10 ton raceboat is bearing down on you, trying to push you out of the way while your driver plays chicken with them, that is racing ;)

Here's a pic of our boat coming to the finish line in Mexico -- we're the plain all white spinnaker in front of the more colorful ones --

http://nosa.org/05_photos/fin-spins.jpg

[*KK*]

And here's a pic of us on the way out of Newport Harbor to the starting line --

http://www.da-woody.com/05newport2ensenada/05n2e6030.JPG

[Newton]

Well Done KK :) Congratulations.

[grimm]

awesome KK, thats quite an accomplishment!

:rokk:

[Hell Puppy]

I'm not sophisticated enough for sailing yet I reckon.

I need a cigar boat to get my blood pumping.

[Peaches]

My brother and I got dragged by my Mother into taking sailing classes as kids. We both crashed our little boats and even though we got trophies (??!!) neither of us can sail to this day. :(

[*KK*]

Originally posted by Newton@Apr 25 2005, 03:42 PM
Well Done KK :) Congratulations.
Thanks :)

My long term goal over the next two years is to the '06 Sydney to Hobart Race. I think it's a pretty realistic goal, I've got good small boat racing experience from my Tulane days and now with the bigger boats. The hard part to learn for me, I'm sure, will be the navigation and weather patterns. They make all kinds of nifty GPS plug ins and laptop software but at the end of the day you still have to know how to use a sextant and circle plotter to do the calculations.

Sydney to Hobart is often a very wild ride tho, and it would be totally worth doing all that math...

[Gabriel]

Sweet pic KK, I'm jealous. Looks like your typical Newport overcast.

Red sky at night sailors delight, Red sky at morn sailors take warn.

[Steady]

Nice looking boat KK. Looks like you guys had fun. :awinky:

[*KK*]

Originally posted by Steady@Apr 26 2005, 07:28 PM
Nice looking boat KK. Looks like you guys had fun. :awinky:
It's a Schock 35, stripped down for racing. Not the most comfortable boat to spend 3 days on, but weight is always an issue ;)

We're doing buoy racing off the San Diego coast this weekend.