The Importance of Being Margie

Margie

July 5 at 5 pm

headed more south now as the barometer rises a tad. big reach today surfing big swells. still making good way. I’m feeling better and finding a rhythm now.

July 5 at 7 am

cold grey morn. still moving well but the swells are killing me. haunani is like a hobby horse and it’s hard to even walk around. all is well though as am I

July 4 at 6:38pm

we’ve done over 200 miles so far. it’s still a bit rough but gorgeous and moody. chilly morning! too rough for coffee yest. lets see if I can do it today!

July 4 at 3:55pm 路

we are doing great out here. it’s clear and beautiful. big swells and nice wind. we are moving along at 8 knots on a reach right now. it’s surreal!!! 鉀碉笍

July 3 at 9:53pm 路

first sun of the trip yielded a gorgeous sunset and now I can see Venus. it’s nice to have visibility! still a bit rough but we are cruising along well!!

July 3 at 4:35pm 路

all is well here. we are hauling ass in 22+ knots and huge seas. it’s so exhilarating but I’ll be ready for a calmer ride soon. feeling very positive though!

July 3 at 5:58am 路

very rough and windy night with a nav light issue but haunani and I are well. everything. is wet and cold and it’s hard to maneuver around in these seas

July 2 at 5:09pm 路

5 hours out after a fun and tiring sail out of the bay. saw a whale under the gg bridge. a good omen . it’s chilly but we are moving and I’m feeling good

Haute Cuisine for Ventus

ventus ChrisCartwright_1488 4c_160

A few years ago I came across the YouTube videos of Ronnie Simpson in his Moore 24 Hope for the Warriors. I was impressed by his story. …. Very inspirational

I also remember seeing him eat and drive the boat with kite up at same time.聽聽聽 I thought I want to do that ……. I still want to. Well done.聽聽 I’ll be eating smashed crackers and deck cheese tonight

 

C

How are you doing, Temerity?

 

IMG_0871OK thanks — the position reporting seems a bit irregular.

I set my ‘shy kite’ at 11 AM after about 10 sweaty trips to the bow, and it is actually pretty managable up to low 20s kts.聽 聽It also has reduced shoulders so should be less likely to wrap.聽 I guess we will see how many hours per day I can keep it up.聽 This is a very different experience from LongPac

Cushion working great, a real life saver, thank you again.

D.

May I borrow some Grey Poupon?

Barry Bristol

Today Taz and Fast Lane were near and got together on VHF to discuss the merits of camaraderie through total isolation. Additionally they carried on about trackers and their value. Both are proceeding in fine shape towards the finish line.

Fast Lane as of 1:20 PDT: 34 04’N聽 130 03’W聽 speed: 8.25 knots聽 Heading: 238 Mag

Nav Station: Sitting room only on Ventus

Chris at the Nav table

For me one of the hardest parts is managing other people’s expectations leading up to the trip or managing what I think they except.

 

I have always loved sailing the feel of the invisible force propelling a boat forward.聽 I love a boat that balances out and feels good to drive.聽聽 I ended up with a j/88 because I made the mistake of trying it and loved the feel and responsiveness.聽聽 I didnt purchase the boat because I want to race or necessarily go fast聽聽聽 There is always someone going much faster.聽聽 One of my fond memories was sailing with a friend on sf bay going 4 knots in a j/24 and being passed by and AC boat ygoing 40 (ish)

 

I know many people look at my boat and think fast and assume I am trying to race.聽聽 I am not.聽聽 I am trying to learn about myself and have this experience and it is the boat I have now.聽 I am in the middle of my life (perhaps it is the classic midlife crisis) but I am trying to sort some things out.

I have been fortunate to have had contact with some excellent sailors who helped guide me through the myriad of decisions.聽 Sails electronics n electrical systems and on and on.聽聽 Because of their background most of the stuff and decision most things are go fast oriented.

So far the boat is performing beautiful. And I am managing.聽聽 I have found I enjoy the open water but miss the company of other people both for problem solving and just companionship.聽聽 It is probably a good thing for all of us to develop some comfort with being alone.聽 And this is one of my challenges for this passage.

I saw the tropical storms predicted to cross our paths and thought hard about diverting to Santa Barbara.

What’s in Your oven?

Tortuga stern

Ahoy! Happy Birthday America! Been a windy ride out here on the briny deep. some pretty big swells too. I’ve got everything reefed down and just trying to make offshore miles and stick to the rhumb line. for a couple hours earlier there were some pretty large breaking swells that were pushing the stern down the waves so I cracked off the wind a bit to ease the ride and get some sleep. not seeing anyone else on AIS anymore. Not sure what that’s about. will ask if i show up during ssb check in. just took a cinnamon coffee cake out of the oven and added some of the peaches from Doug’s orchard. Cant wait till that cools off. baking really warms up the cabin nicely, its generally been cold but today the sun did finally come out late afternoon. with steady winds I should be able to get some quality naps in tonight. team tortuga

Fourth of July on Tortuga

tortuga RandyL 4c_160
From Captleasure:
37.25.78N 聽124.1083W 聽S6.2 聽C235 聽working jib, staysail and single reefed main.聽Ahoy! No wind is the story of the day. bobbed around waiting for the wind to fill in most of the day. the sails took a beating slatting back and forth but they help steady the boat and make a little progress. I feel bad for Dave & Gary since they both have new main sails getting abused. sounds like a lot of the lighter boats were able to make it out to where the wind is better and are making good progress. hoping the W32s can still make a good showing at the finish. The only good thing about it is that i was surrounded by 5 other boats all within sight all day so good chatting and joking with everyone on the radio. the wind finally filled in around 1900. Kept my drifter up too long last night getting greedy with my speed and it got torn up a bit. just as well since the winds are increasing more and it needed to come 聽down anyway. (i should be able to repair it with some sail tape) been making good progress the last few hours getting more offshore to the better breeze. Ok, time for a cat nap. xo team tortuga

More from Ventus on July 4

chris on the slant
July 4.聽 No fireworks and able to eat my first freeze dried meal ….yay for the nutrition.聽 聽Now that brain has some
Glucose trying to figure out plan for rest of race.Despite having a fast boat and lots of input from very very good racers my goal has always been a fun sail.聽 聽I am juggling the usual rhumb lines vs what expedition (routing software) tells me.聽 So far I have basically been sailing comfortable angles towards Hawaii.聽 聽Ihave been below Polars in part because I have no crew and probably not sailing to max. I see a couple tropical storms in the future and have some concerns about them.聽 聽It appears I should be able to get in ahead of them.