George Lythcott
TAZ!!

Express 27

PCR: 129
Homeport: Alameda, CA
Boat: #27

Taz!!

I have been sailing for 35 years. Originally from Boston, my first sailing experience was with my brother Mike on July 4, 1975 on a $7/hour Laser rental at Craigsville Beach, Hyannis, MA. Neither of us knew how to sail but we figured it out after finding ourselves about four miles offshore. I loved sailing and immediately understood the special relationship between a sailor and his boat. The next summer I taught myself to sail on a borrowed 505 in Lagoon Pond, Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard and soon after started racing (rail meat) on a Corinthian 19 out of Marblehead, MA. You don’t know cold until you’ve sailed in the Marblehead Yacht Club’s winter Frost Bite Series.
I moved to Oakland in '81 and continued my sailing adventures. I loved the Bay. I could sail year-round and I found the competition higher and much friendlier. For the next 20 years, I’ve owned two J/24s and actively ocean- and Bay-raced on lots of boats including Etchells, a Columbia Challenger, Islander Bahama, Archambault 40 and Baltic 52.
In 2006 I met Bruce Schwab after he had completed the ’04-’05 Vendee Globe. It was a defining event for me. I was so impressed with him, his tale and his adventure that I decided to start singlehanded sailing and aimed at participating in the Transpac. I bought TAZ!! (formerly 'Meeta') in the same year and since then, I have campaigned her in every singlehanded race I could. During the past four years, I have beefed up her attachment points, added the required race equipment and modified her controls to make sail/rig adjustments easier. I raced in the 2009 LongPac race as the last true test of my desire to attempt the Transpac. After three days at sea, I knew it was what I wanted to do. After the five-day race, I was ready to turn around and sail it again. What I love about ocean racing is the beauty and solitude of the open ocean. You feel so alive when faced with the challenge of knowing that everything you do directly affects your safety, health and success. My major fear is not reading the weather correctly and sailing into a hole. That, and running into a whale or some jetsam/flotsam.
After the Transpac, I plan to ship TAZ!! back to the Bay and take two weeks to re-civilize myself … some of my friends will argue that that is an impossibility. In the near future I plan to enjoy an extended cruise across the Caribbean, through the Canal and on to the South Pacific with some of my Water Babies Sailing Club friends: Phil Donatto, Ron Brown, Al Donatto and Richard Rice.
The 2010 Single-Handed Transpac is my Mount Everest.

George Lythcott
Navigation: Toughbook laptop with a Blue Tooth GPS locator running Coastal Explorer, an AIS radar unit and for back-up, two handheld Garmin 12XL GPS units.
Steering: Raymarine ST4000 S1(G) Tillerpilot hooked up to Tack Tick wind instruments and a Garmin 12XL hand-held GPS unit. I will be carrying two spare rams and various other spare parts.
Communication: Iridium Satphone, VHF radio and hopefully a SSB. I am planning on maintaining a daily blog.
Power: With no motor to charge my batteries, I will be installing solar panels and in case of a failure or no sun, carrying a small, two-stroke generator.
Food: My only cooking will be via a gimbaled butane camping stove under a captured 1 ½ quart pot. All my hot meals will be heated in boilable bags. I’m planning to bring self-made and store-bought frozen boilable meals, oatmeal, dried cranberries, hotdogs, salami, cheese, bread, fruit and lots of energy bars and Gatorade.

Special Thanks: To my wonderful family (Kelsey, Jeanie, Julie, Dan, Sawyer, Avery, Ngina, Mike, Jenita, Elaine and Byllye). You have all humored me over the years and supported my dreams. To my sailing buddies (Steve, John G., Brad, John N., Dave H., Javier, Joe, Pete, Dawn, Lucie, John & Debbie Ratto and the Express 27 Fleet). Without knowing it, you have been teaching and training me all this time. Hopefully you have had as great of a time as I have.
A special thanks to Ben Mewes for taking me under his wing and teaching me some of his tricks. Ben, your mentoring, friendship and inspiration over the years has been invaluable. I’m still trying to learn the lesson of not carrying too much sail (smile).
We Are All In This Race Together.