SECOND REPORT: Newport Bucket

We motored out through Newport Harbor for the first race of the 2005 Newport Bucket on Saturday – a procession of 70’ plus classic and modern yachts, some outfitted for racing and others for well heeled pleasure cruising. I was aboard the S/V Avalon, a 106’ ketch with five professional, full time crew. As our crew T-Shirts clearly indicated, the boat split its time between Nantucket and St. Barths – not exactly tough duty. Our start had been delayed due to a layer of fog that was only just beginning to lift. In the harbor it was brilliantly sunny, all manners of craft on the water including the ubiquitous water taxis, a couple of classic 12 Meters under sail, a swarm of sailing dinghys at the edge of the fog bank under the Pell Bridge. I had a lesson on the primary winch as we motored along. It was push button but the gears were a little tricky so I practiced switching from the faster first gear to the slower second, used when the load was on and only slight adjustments were needed. The professional crew were mostly quiet, only speaking when necessary to instruct or to accomplish a task. The rest of the pick-up crew chatted happily – some knew one another, others had just met…but everyone was thrilled to have the chance to go sailing on a glorious Saturday in Newport. I admired the green sweep of the lawn in front of the NYYC's Harbor Court clubhouse, the precise grouping of buildings and fortifications that make up Fort Adams. The air smelled of brine and diesel. Our American flag snapped in the breeze off the stern. Captain Tom called for a crew meet and everyone gathered on the aft deck to discuss positions and tactics. The breeze had built and we had nearly ten knots true...

Newport Bucket fleet motors to the line, NYYC & Ida Lewis YC in the background - July 16, 2005

FIRST REPORT: Newport Bucket

I was only able to sail the Saturday race at the Newport Bucket Regatta due to familial responsibilities…according to reports I missed the best day of the two but for somebody like me, the ability to get out on the water is hard won and enjoyable no matter what. Conditions Saturday morning in Newport Harbor and waters beyond to Narragansett Bay were foggy, light wind from the SE…not the ideal conditions to move the so called “super yacht” fleet that had assembled for the parade. I came aboard the 106’ ketch Avalon after an early morning drive from CT up 95, arriving at the Newport Shipyard around 9:00 AM. The owner and his family were waking up and having coffee, live aboard crew hustling about the boat readying her for the day and my good friend and old captain on Javelin, Tom Motley below decks in his quarters plotting the day’s course. Tom is taking over as captain of Avalon after several years in the South Pacific running the yacht Coro Coro. We’d not seen each other in three years plus and it was a treat to re-acquaint. The stewardess had laid out shirts, belts and caps for the race crew in the main saloon and I suited up, glanced admiringly about the interior of the yacht and headed topside to introduce myself around. That’s when I learned Ron Holland would be aboard Avalon for the duration of the regatta as our helmsman. One of the world’s preeminent yacht designers, Ron’s firm launched Mirabella V in 2004, to date the largest single-masted sailing yacht in the world... I’ll be writing on my Newport Bucket experience through the week so stay tuned to Zephyr. Many thanks to owner Tom Taylor and his family for allowing me the privilege of crewing aboard Avalon and, of course, to Captain Motley for inviting me.

Crew for 1998 Key West Race Week (I'm at the helm)

The 100 Year Ocean Racing Triumvirate

A good follow-on to yesterday's post is a discussion about the Transpacific Yacht Race (Los Angeles to Honolulu) which began off Long Beach, CA on July 11. Kimball Livingston reports for SAIL Magazine here on the atypical start to this years race - rather than punching through to the usual boisterous offshore sea breeze, competitors langished in Los Angeles smog for two days and, according to the race web site, boats are only now picking up the trade winds that usually provide a sleigh ride to paradise for this classic competiton. This is a 2,225 mile endurance sail. Most boats understandably attempt with a full complement of crew - here's an article that details the record seven boats sailing doublehand this year, meaning a crew of just two sailors. According to the article the doublehanding sailors are just looking for a challenge. ;-)

"I used to run big boats and raced them all over the world for my whole life, and you get bored sailing on big boats," said Bruce Burgess, who will leave for Hawaii today on Two Guys on the Edge. "You get to the point with five people on a boat where it isn't fun. There isn't a whole lot to do."

2005 is the 100 year anniversary of the Transpac...notable in and of itself but worth placing in the context of the 100 year anniversary of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge this past May and the 100 year for the Newport-Bermuda Race next year - together the three of these races practically define modern ocean racing. There's a very good story in this triumvirate on how the past 100 years have shaped the sport and where collectively we're heading with the next 100. One thing is for certain, the proving ground is timeless.

Credit Where Credit is Due

The sailboat winch is surely something I’ve taken for granted – in my time aboard I’ve mostly been too busy winding it to reflect on its origin. But if I pause for a moment and think about it, the winch is integral to my (and I’m sure your) modern sailing experience. From big maxi drums to the smaller Barient on a daysailer…we have Derek Baylis to thank for the modern sailboat winch. Mr. Baylis, 81, died this past Monday - an article in the SF Chronicle details his life and contribution to the sport. According to the article his daughter, Elizabeth Baylis, learned of her father's death 30 minutes before she was about to board a Cal 40 sailboat for the start of the famed Transpacific yacht race from Long Beach to Honolulu.

"We all decided Derek would be outraged if she jumped ship at that point, " Mr. Baylis' stepson, Tim Salz, said of his stepfather's immutable devotion to yacht racing and its traditions. "She's gone."

Go Forward Team Shosholoza

In sailing news today South African Team Shosholoza is challenging the long line of rich, old white men who traditionally compete in the America’s Cup race. The BBC moved a story here with background on the team and an update on their training regimen, profiles on team members etc. Sponsored by shipping magnate Salvatore Sarno, the team is comprised of young black and mixed race men from the streets of Cape Town, South Africa. I’ve posted on blacks in sailing here and discussed Shosholoza team member Ashton Sampson here…this development is part of a welcome trend towards obliterating the homogenous status quo in sailing. Hundreds of years won't be erased overnight but onward, upward and good luck Team Shosholoza.

• A Zulu word, Shosholoza means "Go forward" or "Make way for the next man"
• It is the title of an African song traditionally sung by black convicts enduring hard labour
• It has been recorded by several artists, from Ladysmith Black Mambazo to Peter Gabriel

106' Christoffel's Lighthouse - 2004 Newport Bucket, Newport, RI

Confirmed!

It's confirmed - I'm racing the Third Annual Newport Bucket Regatta, sailed out of the Newport Shipyard this coming weekend. The Newport Bucket is an invitational regatta open to yachts over 90-feet (27-meters) - it's really more of a parade for megayachts than a hard nosed race. I'll be aboard the S/Y Avalon, a 108' Rodney Holland designed, Pacific Yachts-built ketch owned by Tom Taylor out of Texas. For those who followed this earlier post I went for the bribery option...a nanny for six hours on Saturday and a hour long facial spa treatment. I'll get around to bringing the wife and kids along for this type of event, but a three-month old baby and a Newport Regatta don't mix. After racing Saturday they'll do the traditional Yacht Open House where all yachts are encouraged to participate in putting forward cocktails and appetizers for their competition. It'll be a great way to get a rare glimpse of some of the most magnificent sailing yachts on the planet. On Sunday Carnegie Abbey will host the Bucket Awards 8 miles up Narragansett Bay. The entire fleet is invited to proceed up the bay after Sunday’s race and anchor off the clubhouse for the dinner and dance reception. I'm very excited to be able to take part in this - stay tuned for updates.

Megayachts racing the 2005 Newport Bucket include:

The 118-foot DuBois/Alloy Atlanta

The 108-foot Custom Holland

The 168-foot Perini Persius

The 104-foot Bruce King Whitehawk

The 112-foot S&S Zingaro

The Fabric of Sailing

I like to highlight stories outside the mainstream sailing press – we all know and love the big races and regatta events but the fabric of sailing is woven with the thread of people like Mike Rowney. In June of 2001, while working as a delivery skipper in the Greek Isles, Mike sustained an eight-meter fall from a yacht in a boatyard onto concrete and broke his spine. Now a paraplegic, Mike has embarked on a solo around Australia sail in his 26 foot yacht Gypsy Rose to raise funds to make wheelchairs for children in third world countries. I’m incredibly fortunate to have my health and the use of all of my limbs…a favorable condition that in all honesty, I often take for granted. Reading about Mike and his determination to not let his disability stop him from living is inspiring, not just because he is making the best out of a bad lot, helping people who need help, etc…but rather because as much as I would like to think that I could have the courage and fortitude to accomplish what Mike has set out to do with the Around Australia Challenge, I’m not really convinced that I do. When getting knocked about offshore, my old captain and good friend Tom Motley was fond of saying “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” It’s a good thought and one that Mike Rowney is living before our eyes.

2005 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, Day 3
(Photo Credit: Allen Clark)

Westport YC Hosts 2005 Youth Sailing Regatta

I have to give shout to my adopted YC, Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT. CPYC recently hosted the 2005 Youth Sailing Championship. The top 160 14- to 19-year-old competitive sailors from 22 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada competed in Westport from June 23 to June 30^th. As this article in the local Westport paper details, some 150 volunteers helped register, house, feed, hydrate, entertain, photograph, coach and run races for the contingent – three fleets raced: double-handed Club 420s and single-handed Lasers and Laser Radials. Emily Dellenbaugh, 15, of Easton, CT., and Leigh Hammell, 16, of Warren, VT., became the first women in the championship's 33-year history to win the double-handed class in a fleet of 50 Club 420 boats. Today's youth champions are tommorow's Olympic stars so watch for these names as the years pass. I never competed at this level when I was a teenager - reading about these kids makes me wish I had.

UPDATE: Sakae Hatashita Dead

A reporter from the London Times Tokyo bureau confirms and updates on the death of ocean voyager Sakae Hatashita. No new details but good context.

Hana wa né ni kaeru. The flower goes back to its root.

100 Years of the Marblehead-to-Halifax

The 100th Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race will begin this weekend from Marblehead, MA - a gorgeous sea-faring town on the North Shore of Boston. According to this article from the Lynn Daily Item, when the race began in 1905 it was an informal competition among several East Coast yacht clubs. Since 1939, the Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, which is the oldest yacht club in North America, and the Boston Yacht Club, have held the race biannually while establishing it as a staple of North Atlantic ocean racing. The sailing grounds of Nova Scotia and the port town of Halifax deserve a seperate post - tidal swings aside this is a region of pure sailing delight.

And the living is easy...

North Sails Race Week '04, Long Beach, CA: June 25-27

Now try that at home. Don't you fucking love summertime.

Photo by Jack Hardway

Sakae Hatashita Reported Dead

It’s with great sadness that I report news of the death of the ocean voyager Sakae Hatashita. I wrote about Hatashita back in March after learning of him from a story in The Wall Street Journal…

Hatashita was well into his 80's and lived a long and full life. I am glad he died on the ocean. Any sailor would welcome such an end over the many other, significantly less appealing possibilities.

a sailors song

Came across a new sailing weblog authored from one of my favorite places on earth, the British Virgin Islands. "Hold Fast," a shipwright and sailor by trade has posted some fine writing on a sailors song - the site offers local perspective on life in West End, Tortolla. Many readers have been to the BVI and many have probably enjoyed anchoring in the West End...I reluctantly left the Caribbean boat bum life behind years ago and have not been back since...but I remember boozy crew dinners at the Jolly Roger...after work some days drinking at Pussers West End, telling lies and amusing ourselves by placing bets on bare boaters trying to make the fuel dock without loosing their deposit - star strewn, hazy memories of rafting up and rocking out in Sopers Hole. We had a charter guest on one run who was stung by jelly fish diving on the anchor and insisted her husband piss on her leg. I've heard that the BVI are crowded and overrun all year round now. I left in '99 and it was crazy on season but we all expected and made our living off the rush. It slowed up considerably after the BVI Spring Regatta, a welcome break before hurricane season. I can't imagine it's that much different now...

Seeking a Hall Pass

I've been invited to sail the Newport Bucket Regatta over the weekend of July 15 - 17. The event is hosted by the Newport Shipyard in RI - at the moment details are scarce but I'll update as I know more. In the meanwhile any idea of what I can suggest my wife do with our three month old and three year old while I'm off for a weekend of sailing? Initial ideas are 1) have her visit friends on the Cape 2) hire a nanny to help her for the weekend ($$) 3) leave without tellling her and phone her from the race course...

Suggestions/comments are very welcome... Sorry for the slow start after the holiday weekend but we'll be back up to speed shortly.

Happy (belated) 4th of July - flag flying at dock in Sausalito, CA

Sailing the Inland Seas

The Great Lakes don’t get enough chops as a sailor’s haven – at least not from me and so I’m going to remedy this. I’ve never sailed on a Great Lake so I’m not speaking from personal experience but I’ve always wanted to cruise Mackinac, a pine covered resort island of 2,200 acres located between Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas - as well as generally explore the vast inland ocean that, despite my ignorance, has a very well-storied sailing tradition. There’s a recent press release here detailing the summer races that the Mackinac Island Yacht Club sponsors…of these I think that the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is the most renown. The Great Lakes even have their own singlehand society, which, according to local legend began appropriately after the mass consumption of alcohol. So those who crap on lake sailors – recognize that pond, lake, bay or sea we are all one in booze-fueled nautical bonding. Seriously, sailing the Great Lakes has long been considered as hazardous as sailing the ocean - or even more so. As a site on Wisconsin's shipwrecks notes, the ever-present nearby shores leave little room to "run" before a storm. Waves tend to be be closer together, making them steeper on the lakes than on the ocean. And storms on the lake are renowned for their seemingly instantaneous development.