I have received notification that Narrow Escape is back dockside in Long Beach Downtown Marina.
At Narrow Escape World Headquarters we echo Doug and Chuggy's comments and thanks to the Race Committee who watched our boys get safely all the way home too!
The LONG Road Home
There is not much new to report. They have been boring as hell on the way back to the mainland.
Typically the winds have been strong (NOW of course now!) and unfortunately adverse of angle as well - for coming back!
Like a mini Transpac they started back heading back a little low of course anticipating a lift as they approached the shore. Reaching with a reefed main and number three they managed some 17 and 18 knots surfs - so getting back quickly - at first.
But the wind angle has not fully cooperated and now they find themselves at a tighter angle and still lots of wind. Doug notes that this would have been an excellent time to use the second reef if the sail had been built that way! They are presently sailing on the Number 3 alone and making decent progress.
They expect to be back on the mainland sometime this afternoon - I would say about 1600PDT.
Typically the winds have been strong (NOW of course now!) and unfortunately adverse of angle as well - for coming back!
Like a mini Transpac they started back heading back a little low of course anticipating a lift as they approached the shore. Reaching with a reefed main and number three they managed some 17 and 18 knots surfs - so getting back quickly - at first.
But the wind angle has not fully cooperated and now they find themselves at a tighter angle and still lots of wind. Doug notes that this would have been an excellent time to use the second reef if the sail had been built that way! They are presently sailing on the Number 3 alone and making decent progress.
They expect to be back on the mainland sometime this afternoon - I would say about 1600PDT.
All's Well
But I am sorry to report that at 1625PDT today I was notified that Narrow Escape has withdrawn from the Transpacific Ocean Race.
The most recent news describes the Autohelm as being completely unable to keep up with required tiller response in the now windy and perfect conditions under spinnaker.
The course ahead also looks perfect and they could not imagine hand steering 24 hours a day for the next 8 plus days.
They report making good progress back towards the mainland.
More information will follow as I get it.
Heavy Hearted Blogmeister
The most recent news describes the Autohelm as being completely unable to keep up with required tiller response in the now windy and perfect conditions under spinnaker.
The course ahead also looks perfect and they could not imagine hand steering 24 hours a day for the next 8 plus days.
They report making good progress back towards the mainland.
More information will follow as I get it.
Heavy Hearted Blogmeister
Manglish
I am sorry to be so long publishing this. I only just barely stopped laughing now.
So I am going to speculate a bit here. Down in the LBC they speak the language with a slightly different vernacular. I expect that Chuggy and Doug picked up on some of that local accent and have taken it to a new level.
I am going to call it Manglish - short for Mangled English! And Chuggy speaks it to you here!
This report came from Cap't Chuggy off the boat, only coincidentally, around Happy Hour yesterday. As is my custom for reports going on the blog I usually try to tidy up spelling and grammatical issues but with this one I didn't know even where to start so it is here for you in original format.
I can just picture Cap't Chuggy and those big sausage fingers pecking away at some key board in those now pitching seas!
I might otherwise have titled this Post: "Chuggy put your glasses on "!
Stealth Mode
Conditions for sailing are much improved on the patch of the Pacific that Narrow Escape is presently transiting. Or have they?
Well we don't know for sure. Because not exactly going to plan our team has switched to Stealth Mode. This morning they failed to provide the Communications Vessel, Alaska Eagle with a position report.
Maybe they are about to undertake a bold tactical maneuver and don't want their fleet to know it. Or maybe it's because they are so relishing the sailing (finally) they just forgot. Or maybe they are both nappytime and "Billy the Stick" is driving (quite well actually). But more likely there is some problem with that haywire, unreliable, glorified Cell Phone, pile of junk Sat Phone!
Here is a teaser from my latest book "Behind the Blog", to be released soon:
"You might be wondering why we have been incommunicado. It turns out that when you go to use the Sat Phone if you enter the wrongy password three times the whole thing locks up you have to return the thing to an authorized reseller to have it reset"! (Evil, what's that password again, Webster).
There has been a running debate between your Blogmeister and the onboard crew as to the merits of new technology. Being old school I advocate SSB Transceiver with a Pactor Modem as the most reliable method of communication not to mention, all important, GRIB file collection. Are those chickens coming home to roost?
Anyways (not actually a word according to Hammer) because of the Transpac Tracker we do know that they are ripping along down the course now.
And what a difference a day makes:
At Narrow Escape World Headquarters we think things out there are near perfect now. The wind is aft of the beam and like Chuggy predicted maybe it is spinnaker time onboard.
Well we don't know for sure. Because not exactly going to plan our team has switched to Stealth Mode. This morning they failed to provide the Communications Vessel, Alaska Eagle with a position report.
Maybe they are about to undertake a bold tactical maneuver and don't want their fleet to know it. Or maybe it's because they are so relishing the sailing (finally) they just forgot. Or maybe they are both nappytime and "Billy the Stick" is driving (quite well actually). But more likely there is some problem with that haywire, unreliable, glorified Cell Phone, pile of junk Sat Phone!
Here is a teaser from my latest book "Behind the Blog", to be released soon:
"You might be wondering why we have been incommunicado. It turns out that when you go to use the Sat Phone if you enter the wrongy password three times the whole thing locks up you have to return the thing to an authorized reseller to have it reset"! (Evil, what's that password again, Webster).
There has been a running debate between your Blogmeister and the onboard crew as to the merits of new technology. Being old school I advocate SSB Transceiver with a Pactor Modem as the most reliable method of communication not to mention, all important, GRIB file collection. Are those chickens coming home to roost?
Anyways (not actually a word according to Hammer) because of the Transpac Tracker we do know that they are ripping along down the course now.
And what a difference a day makes:
At Narrow Escape World Headquarters we think things out there are near perfect now. The wind is aft of the beam and like Chuggy predicted maybe it is spinnaker time onboard.
Bonne Chance Oh Canada!
2011JUL08, 1300PDT
While enjoying now fabulous conditions, sailing the majestic waters of the Pacific Ocean, Chuggy and Doug take this moment to wish Kevy McMeel and the rest of their fellow Canudians Good Luck and Fair Winds for a fast and safe crossing!
While enjoying now fabulous conditions, sailing the majestic waters of the Pacific Ocean, Chuggy and Doug take this moment to wish Kevy McMeel and the rest of their fellow Canudians Good Luck and Fair Winds for a fast and safe crossing!
Barn Door In Jeopardy?
I wanted to start a whole new Post to present the only flicker of Bad News resulting from today's communications and weather forecasts.
All that good news for wind coming inshore to get NE moving today will, unfortunately, also stay around to kick start the big boys who start tomorrow at 1300.
With such a slow start for the Monday starters and a fast one, out of the gate for the faster boats Friday, Narrow Escape's chance of winning the Barn Door for the fastest elapsed time now appears difficult.
Above appears the Optimum Route that Raytech Performance Software generates based on the current long range NOAA Weather Predictions as parsed by Saildocs.com. You get full marks for noticing how the recommended route has changed to an almost classic Transpac Race Route from the atypical one output by the program since before the start.
Please note that the route now begins at their 0600 position and that we have returned to normal 6 hour Isochrones. Raytech estimates that the next 10 Isochrones will average 58 miles each or 580 miles VMC.
According to Raytech, as it interprets the wind speeds and angles embedded in the GRIB File, and applies the Target Boat Speeds contained in Narrow Escape's Polars file, they will be 426.37 miles (approximately!) from the start line when the big boats start at 1300 tomorrow. That means for any Friday starter to beat Narrow Escape they will need to average 24 % faster over the entire course.
And while I am at it Raytech also calculates that Chuggy and Doug will arrive alongside Diamond Head at 1402 HST on Saturday the 16th. So nice another fast afternoon trip down the Molokai Channel and a daytime finish. I'll tell Helen so she can make some dinner reservations - say about 1900 sound OK?
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