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It’s been a while since my last Sail the Channel entry. My excuse? I’ve been messing around in boats almost non-stop during the past few months. After my excursions in the Caribbean, I found myself committed to quite a few classes on the Monterey Bay. I also spent about three weeks on a mini-refit [...]

Grenadines, April 2008
The Liat turboprop’s engines droned loudly as we cruised over the Caribbean Sea at 15,000 feet. The three hour flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico would bring us to Kingstown on St. Vincent Island—just a short taxi ride from Sunsail’s charter base and our departure point for a week of sailing among the [...]

We consistently sailed in the front half of the fleet. Our starts and beats often had us in fourth and fifth places. We tended to loose places during our reaches. We also lost some boats when our traveler exploded in race 1 and our Genoa sheet exploded in race 2.

I’m back from the Heineken Regatta now and here’s what worked and didn’t work with my ASUS.
Overall the ASUS was a terrific little machine both on and off the water. In addition, it drew lots of attention and when I told people the price, they were flabbergasted!
Pluses

Portability was outstanding. I was able to wedge it [...]

In a gust the mainsail’s leech cord parted just below the first reef. The sail zippered open. The boom dropped. Jaws dropped. Eyes popped. It was our first practice and the boat was disintegrating before our very eyes!

I returned to the boat to find dauntless Team Boston pouring over the equipment, stacking lines, and readying Salaway for sea. She would be our steed and we would ride her hard. If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.

 <== Previous Heineken entry — Next Heineken entry ==>
Gran Case, Saint Martin—-I’m sitting here in my Grand Case apartment reveling in a week of sailing that was among the best I have experienced. The winds blew strong and warm. The race action was instense. The Team Boston crew had a fire in their bellies and, despite broken equipment [...]

Okay, okay! so it was way harder to get online for daily posting than I anticipated. The series is over now and I’m waiting for Monica to arrive for few days R&R. All I can say is that it was the most sailing fun I’ ve had in a long time! Tomorrow I will begin chronicling the event, complete with adventures, misadventures, and pictures. Check back!

Winter storms are raging and the Santa Cruz Harbor entrance is closed . . .

So I started wondering if maybe I could figure out a good reason to keep the thing even if I do have computers coming out my ears, and then it struck me. If I could get my navigational and SSB radio software running on it, it might be perfect for sailing.

Many years ago I would drive up Highway 1 from Santa Cruz to San Fransico with my young son to survey the sea conditions before racing my sailboat along that notorious section of coast. I kept him entertained during the drive with stories about monsters that inhabited the region. In stormy weather, Pigeon Point, the location [...]