12-foot sailboat on the high seas

 

Sailing on the sea and Rounding Cape Pillar in a 12ft open sailboat (RAW AUDIO) - Welsford SCAMP & Houdini... Visit this videos youtube channel and subscribe.

WA360 team FunToSAIL.com

Skipper Miles Moore of FunToSAIL.com will be racing in the 2027 WA360 that take place June 26th. A race around the Puget Sound from Port Townsend WA, past Seattle, to the Canadian border, through or by the San Juan Islands, across the Strait of Juan De Fuca and back to Port Townsend. Approximately a 360-mile round trip adventure that does not allow gas or electric motors, only sail and/or muscle power.

We are posting about this race well in advance in the hopes of securing sponsors/donors, to help with the race and to acquire funding for our accessibility work and suicide prevention.

With this race will be the start of the FunToSAIL.com video and article series about small boat adventure sailing, types of safety and general gear used, Float Plans, etc.

Miles is dedicating this race to suicide prevention. As one who has delt with depression all his life, this effort to expand awareness of resources to help prevent suicide is particularly important to him. Click here for resources.

It's also his goal to stream some parts of this event so those with disAbilities and others following the race can ask him questions live and some of the racing directly from his boat. Miles has a special part of his heart reserved for those with disAbilities due to his own challenges and seeing others struggle but prevail in life. He has been doing accessible and therapeutic sailing for 30+ years. In addition, has been developing an Inland NW marine access guide so those with disAbilities can find access to the water. Click here!

Miles has taught sailing for 40+ years via his sailing school here at FunToSAIL. He is a Recreational Therapist and previously worked for the state of Idaho as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. Before going to college, he worked in the fishing industry in Westport WA.

Click the donation button above if you would like to support FunToSAIL's efforts.

Make comments below

SailGP Racing Results

SailGP Racing Series Tomorrow at LA California March 15-16, 2024

Watch SailGP racing live or via replay on Youtube.com/sailgp

RESULTS... Feb 18-19, 2025, Sydney Harbor Australia

With 2 days of racing team Australia was set to win it all with 2 wins on the first day of racing, and with a series of top finishes on day 2, however due to penalty at the start of the final, they did not recover, coming in 3rd out of 3 teams. Team Britian had great finishes on both days of racing, they won it all in the end, with Canada coming in second.

It appears to me that the new forward T-Foils that replaced the L-Foils used for the first time in this race series seemed to perform well in all conditions, particularly in the strong winds over previous racing all the teams seemed to have better control. The T-Foils also produced better tops speeds.

The bad news is team USA continues to underperform. They outdid their previous horrible performances by not even being able to race due to capsizing on a practice day while not sailing, that is right, they were not even racing or practice sailing in any capacity. They were being towed and one of their idiot crew members allowed the wing to power up and not only capsize but to significantly damage the wing. So, they are the first team to get the Darwin award. On top of that SailGP penalized them 8 points for their stupidity because the capsize was avoidable (read the full story here). If I sound annoyed, that is an understatement. My official position is to cancel this whole team and start new. There is no reason team USA cannot be a top team, but they need to get the right team, like get some sailors who know how to sail a high-performance multihull, not employ a bunch of so slow mo monohull sailors. So, stay tuned, who knows maybe they can get their act together, but at this point I do not have much hope. I should note they did place 3rd in the first racing series of the year, so maybe there is hope.

102 kph, watch the video

In San Fransico Bay on November 15, 2024 SailGP engineers and support crew tested the new T-Foils with the help of team Canada on their F50, they hit for the first time 100+ kph (101.98 or basically 102 kph / 55 knots / 63 mph). Previously Team New Zealand hit 97.2 / 52 knots / 60 mph on Jan 13 in Waitematā Harbour in Auckland. It will be curious to see which SailGP team hits 100 kph / 54 knots / 62 mph during actual racing. We will report it here when it happens.

 

Sail and Fan

I have been asked the following several times by students of mine... Can a sailboat use a fan to make it sail forward? The answer is no, so why not? Because if you have two forces acting equally on each other, then you are going nowhere. The 2 forces, fan and sail, cancel each other out.

If you use the sail only via the wind, then of course you will sail forward. If you use the fan only against the air you get a fan boat and you move forward, stick the fan blade in the water like a propeller in the denser air called water and you have even more density to push against and again you move forward.

So, it's obvious use sail only or motor only with a fan in the air or propeller in the water to move forward.

Mark Rober talks about this in his video "Testing if you can blow your own sail (see video below)." He also talks about the density of the air that also plays into a sailboat sailing and other affects that are quite interesting.

In addition, Mark points out the importance air density, known as air pressure... On ground there is more air pressure because there are more air molecules, higher up like on the top of Mt Everest, there is much less air pressure, less air molecules. Air molecules weigh more down low than higher up. Gravity is pulling on the air molecules. A helium ballon will rise because its lighter than the air molecules around it. Thus, a sailboat will sail better with more air pressure versus less, but for us sailors the air pressure is always good as we mostly sail at sea level or on lakes that are higher up inland but still have more than enough air pressure.

Mark Rober full video is super interesting, so of course watch the full video below. He makes kits that you can buy to experiment on varies scientific and engineering topics. Well worth the cost for kids and the young at heart. Click this link to visit his website to purchase.

Watch the air pressure topic at the 3 minute and 8 second mark.

Watch just the fan and sail experiment at 5 minutes and 42 second mark.

The whole video is interesting to watch and learn from.

Viking Ship R2AK?

Here is a video about a replica Viking Ship that was sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Great video. What intrigues me is their comment about possibly being in the Race 2 Alaska, like the same year my wife and I will be doing it. Would be amazing to see this boat and possibly sail the same year in the race. Hope you enjoy this video.

 

Seven Devils Lake, Idaho County, Idaho

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Seven Devils Lake and Tower of Bab

Seven Devils Lake is located in Idaho County, Idaho, 19 miles up a very windy gravel road through the mountains with the start of this road from HWY 95 near and south of Riggins Idaho USA. The road called Seven Devils Rd/NF-517 takes you to the lake and campground that is next to Seven Devils Mountains, the tallest of which is called He Devil at 9,393', Windy Saddle Trailhead campground and lookout, Windy Saddle Horse Facility and campground, and to Heavens Gate lookout (8,429'). All 3 campgrounds are within a mile of each other and all have vault toilets, but no drinking water.

Wide lookout area before one gets to Windy Saddle, Seven Devils Lake, and Heavens Gate. Car in pic has its hood open to help cool it off as the temperatures were in the 90's even at this elevation. The road is very steep at times.

Seven Devils Lake is next to Seven Devils Mountains the names and highest of which from north to south are... Devils Tooth 7,830', Tower of Babel 9,268', He Devil 9,393', She Devil 9,280', The Ogre 9,210', Mt Belial 8,880' (definition of Belial is a biblical name of the devil or one of his friends), Devils Throne 8,280', Twin Imps 9,005' (Imps stand for small demon), and Pyramid Mtn 8,650'. It's home to a healthy population of Mountain and Mule Goats. Heavens Gate mountain and lookout at 8,429 in elevation that gives you a view of 4 states (Idaho of course, Oregon, Washington, and Montana) is just a few miles east of the Seven Devils mountain range. Once you are near the lake in a saddle area called Windy Saddle that includes a campground with vault toilet (and U shape parking area) the road splits, either taking you to the lake (west) or north (and slightly east) toward the Heavens Gate lookout gravel parking lot. At Heavens Gate parking lot there is a short half mile trail that is a steep hike (5-15% grade) to a ranger lookout tower that you can get on to get a 360 view of all 4 states. The trail to the top of Heavens Gate is single track and steep at times. One gets a beautiful view from Heavens Gate parking lot.

Few if any of the hiking trails (See hiking trails info in lower portion of this article) in the Seven Devils/Heavens Gate area is accessible to wheelchairs or any mobility devices (none of which were created or improved to be accessible). However it is possible to navigate with a wheelchair with/without assistances some of the trails around the Seven Devils Lake and Windy Saddle campgrounds. As you drive up the road before getting to the lake there are two nice wide fairly level lookout areas. First one is when you can first see the Seven Devils mountain range, which is a wide grassy area (nice place for wheeled mobility devices when the ground is dry) and the other is Windy Saddle that sits between the lake and Heavens Gate, also fairly level for wheeled mobility devices when dry. Off road tires are an absolutely must for any wheelchair/wheeled mobility device.

Common low riding road cars like a Toyota Corolla be driven all the way to the lake and lookout. However it can potentially be a rough drive and we so advise driving up with an SUV. Most of the year the road is muddy with lots of ruts, so an offroad vehicle during these times is advised. Most of the road vehicles going opposite ways can easily pass each other but as you near the top that is not the case. Best to drive up late June and no sooner. The road ascends from HWY 95 some 5,500 feet in elevation. Either way it is an amazing drive or ride via ones mountain bike (motorized vehicles or bicycles are only allowed on the designated Forest Service roads, not on trails, off the road). Going down can result in brake heat up so we advise taking your time and stop from time to time to see the views and let the brakes cool during those hot times of the year.

Trail to Seven Devils Lake

Seven Devils Lake is right at the base of mountains, which is part of the Seven Devils Mountains. The lake is surrounded by trees and is approximately 20 feet deep at its deepest. Its a fairly round lake of about 500 ft across. We did not find any official notes about fishing on this lake, even though some indicate there are trout in the lake. One can almost hike around the lake even though on the west side its steep and very rocky where some climbing is needed (not rock climbing). The lake is on the south side of the campground. The trail to the lake exits (south) off the circular gravel/dirt road that goes through the campground. The trail starts with a steep short incline of 15%, then levels out through a small field (may be filled with water or muddy during wet times of the year), then climbs slightly when close to the lake, walking over rocks and some roots. Once you can see the lake then the trail disperses wide and descends down a steep 20% bank to the waters edge. If using a wheelchair you could get close enough with assistances to see the lake. Perfect lake to just chill next to and take in the sights, such as the super high cliff at the lake.

Seven  Devils Campground access road

There is a primitive camp ground right by the lake with primitive 10 campsites. Most campsites you can park next to your tent or small camp trailer (would be hard to bring a large RV or camp trailer into this campground). Its a first come, first serve campground. No reservations are available. The lake sits in a bowl like protected area next to the mountains. So if a wind storm comes this campground is fairly protected. The Lake is on the south side of the campground, 0.2 miles away. There is one accessible vault toilet in the campground area. No fees currently are charged to use this campground.

This is the trail exiting from Windy Saddle Trailhead Campground. One can hike this trail a few miles and turn back or do the loop that is approximately 17 miles long.

There is another campground nearby on Windy Saddle Trailhead campground with no official total number of campsites designated. This campground has few trees and is very exposed to wind. The lack of trees in this area was due to a wildfire a few years ago. There is one accessible vault toilet in this campground and parking viewing area. Because the whole campground is in an open area and fairly level its a good location for wheelchair access/mobility devices. One has to park in the gravel/dirt/mud parking lot and then walk a short distance to ones campsite, so this campground is only for tents. No fees currently are charged to use this campground.

There is east of Windy Saddle what is called Windy Saddle Horse Facility and Campground, where vehicles pulling horse trailers can park on the same mountain as the Heavens Gate lookout. This site is an open area with some leveled out parking gravel spaces. There are 4 designated campsites with room enough for vehicle and horse trailer. This area has few trees and is very exposed to wind. The lack of trees in this area was due to a wildfire a few years ago. There is one accessible vault Toilet. Because the whole parking area is on a slope, its not an ideal place for wheelchairs/mobility devices. The road going through the horse parking area is sloped at 5-15% grade.

This lake, the area mountains, campgrounds, etc. are all not very well known, but still well visited mostly by locals. Was strange as it was hard to acquire information about this area, thus its low visits, and thus one of the reasons we wrote this article, the other reason is to supply disability related accessibility information. Visiting this area mid week or late summer (after school starts) is best if one wants to avoid tourists. Learn more at the Forest Service website who maintain these sites https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/wallowa-whitman/recarea/?recid=51645

Fishing/Wildlife: Fish unknown, Geese, Ducks, Mountain Goats, Mountain Lions, Black Bears, Deer, Elk. Directions:  One-half mile south of Riggins on Hwy 95 turn west onto Seven Devils Rd/NF-517 (there is a tall billboard on the opposite side of the start of Seven Devils Rd on HWY 95). There is a good size Forest Service sign that says "Hells Canyon National Recreation area and Seven Devils" that is posted on HWY 95. For some reason this sign is only visible traveling south on HWY 95, not going north. This road is 19-miles long that has several lookouts, Seven Devils Lake, Seven Devils Mountains, 2 campground, Heavens Gate Lookout, and the Hells Canyon Wilderness area. The gravel road can be rough at times with ruts. During spring or fall, or wet times of the year the road can be very muddy and treacherous. Best to travel this road no early than late June for offroad vehicles and late July for passenger cars. Using an SUV or offroad vehicles is advised.

SEVENS DEVILS LAKE AND CAMPGROUND ACCESSIBILITY: PARKING... Level to mostly unlevel gravel/rocky/dirt/mud small parking areas in and around campground; PATHS/TRAILS... No paved paths. There are primitive single track rocky dirt trails and open grassy/rocky/dirt/mud areas throughout the campground and at/by the lake. All trails have deep descents once near the lake. Also the non wheeled mobility accessible trail 123 exist the west side of the campground to Sheep Lake and He Devil Mountain, etc.; RESTROOMS/FACILITIES… One fully accessible vault toilet; SENSORY... No sensory tactile markers for those with visual and other impairments. DOCKS/LAUNCHES/PLATFORMS… No docks or platforms; DIRECT WATER ACCESS… No access for wheeled mobility devices; TRANSFER SYSTEMS... None; CAMPING... 10 primitive non designated accessible campsites. There are several fairly level campsites that wheelchairs with offroad tires could navigate. No picnic tables; O.T.H.E.R… Oddities/Barriers: Very rocky, dirt, and mud (wet times of year), wood debris; Terrain: Level to very steep; Environmental Conditions: Cold and windy in the winter and hot during the later summer months. This campsite has lots of big trees the supply shade in the hot summers, plus the mountains create a shadow as the sun moves west. Due to its high elevation its tends to be cool most times of the year; Resources: No drinking water available at the campground or nearby. Food, drinks, and gas at town of Riggins off of I95. Forest Service Link.

WINDY SADDLE TRAILHEAD CAMPGROUND AND LOOKOUT PARKING AREA ACCESSIBILITY: PARKING... Mostly level gravel/dirt/mud parking near campsites; PATHS/TRAILS... No paved paths. No designated trails to campsites. There are primitive single track and open space through rocky dirt trails that descend away from campground. All trails away from campground have deep descents due to the campground being in a saddle high on a mountain. Dirt road to Seven Devils Lake and Heavens Gate lookout includes potholes and ruts, road to Heavens Gate includes a 5-7% grade. There are two trails from this area, Seven Devils Trail #124 and Sheep Creek Trail #53 which enter Hells Canyon Wilderness; RESTROOMS/FACILITIES… One fully accessible vault toilet; SENSORY... No sensory tactile markers for those with visual and other impairments; CAMPING... Approximately 10 primitive non designated non accessible campsites. Most campsites are fairly level that wheelchairs with offroad tires could navigate. Once one leaves a campsite all terrain is sloped at 10-18%, and more. No picnic tables; O.T.H.E.R… Oddities/Barriers: Very rocky, dirt, and mud (wet times of year), wood debris; Terrain: Level to very steep; Environmental Conditions: Cold and windy in the winter and hot during the later summer months. This campsite has no significant trees to supply shape, so this campground is very open to bad weather such as wind, rain, etc. Due to its high elevation its tends to be cool most times of the year; Resources: No drinking water available at the campground or nearby. Food, drinks, and gas at town of Riggins off of I95. Forest Service Link.

WINDY SADDLE HORSE FACILITY BETWEEN SEVEN DEVILS LAKE AND HEAVENS GATE LOOKOUT ACCESSIBILITY: PARKING... Level to mostly unlevel gravel/dirt/mud parking for vehicles with horse trailers ; PATHS/TRAILS... No paved paths. There are primitive single track rocky dirt trails throughout the facility. All trails have somewhat steep descents due to the campground being on the side of a mountain of 5-15%; RESTROOMS/FACILITIES… One fully accessible vault toilet; SENSORY... No sensory tactile markers for those with visual and other impairments. CAMPING... 4 campsites on fairly level gravel/dirt/grassy ground with picnic tables; O.T.H.E.R… Oddities/Barriers: Gravel, dirty, and mud (wet times of year); Terrain: Overall from moderate slope of 5% to steep at 15%; Environmental Conditions: Cold and windy in the winter and hot during the later summer months. Due to its high elevation its tends to be cool most times of the year; Resources: No drinking water available at the facility or nearby. Food, drinks, and gas at town of Riggins off of I90. Forest Service Link.

HEAVENS GATE PARKING LOT AND TRAIL HEAD ACCESSIBILITY: PARKING... Level gravel and dirt parking area at trailhead. Parking lot will accommodate about 20 vehicles. Road leading to parking lot from Windy Saddle is 5-7% grade; PATHS/TRAILS... No paved paths. There is one half mile primitive single track rocky dirt trail to and from the lookout that is absolutely not accessible to wheelchairs/wheeled mobility devices with 10 to 20% grade. Once at the top of the mountain there is a lookout ranger building that the public is allowed to access. There are about 20 steps to a railed walkway around the building. Inside of the building is open in the summer typically when the seasonal volunteers are there, otherwise the buildings door is locked. There is a guest book to sign; RESTROOMS/FACILITIES… One fully accessible fault toilet at parking lot; SENSORY... No sensory tactile markers for those with visual and other impairments. CAMPING... No. Camping nearby at Windy Saddle Trailhead Campground, Windy Saddle Horse Facility Campground, or Seven Devils Lake Campground; O.T.H.E.R… Oddities/Barriers: Very rocky, sand, and mud; Terrain: Level at parking lot, other than that the trail is very steep, 10-20% grade. Lots of sand, rocks, mud (wert times of year); Environmental Conditions: Cold and windy in the winter and hot during the later summer months. Due to its high elevation its tends to be cool most times of the year; Resources: No drinking water available at the lookout area or nearby. Food, drinks, and gas at town of Riggins off of I90. Forest Service Link.

He Devil Mountain and Sheep Lake

HIKING TRAIL 123, HE DEVIL/SHEEP LAKE. He Devil Mountain (45.324135°N 116.548418°W)... This hiking section is a work in progress as we will visit this area again in late summer of 2024. This is a full day hike. We have not found this trail noted on any maps offered, other than on the map below that was drawn by a hiker and noted by other hikers. We added the trail to our basic trail map, that shows all the main trails. The trail is noted by the Forest Service, yet not on any of their maps. Also no official length of the trail, we are estimating 6-7.5 miles. We will have an official length once we hike this trail this late summer 2024. The trail is not wheelchair accessible. Progressing toward the mountain the trail is single track to no trail up steep climbs (no rock climbing) and bouldering. This hike requires one to be in shape with excellent leg/ankle strength and balance at times with no hiking stick. Some bouldering requiring to use ones hands/arms. One must use hiking boots, full day+ of water and food, with appropriate clothing for environmental exposure of sun, heat, cold, rain, snow, etc. Make sure you have a first aid kit. Climbing this mountain early summer/June and late October when icy, snow covered, is not recommended.

Some who do this hike will primitive camp along the shore of Sheep Lake to allow more time to hike this and other mountains like She Devil. And have time to fish, etc.

There are several hikes around the Seven Devils Mountains but in this text we are going to focus on the He Devil Mountain/Sheep Lake hike via a trail 123 from the west side of Seven Devils Lake Campground, not from Windy Saddle which increases the length of the hike significantly. One must get off the trail once near the mountain to hike a ridge to the mountain top (9,393 ft).

He Devil from the northeast showing major features, the approximate location of the Sheep Lake Trail(123)and a recommended departure area. It is also possible for some who have excellent strength and steep hiking abilities to leave the trail and climb more straight up.

Closeup of the lower NW Ridge to top of He Devil. The easiest access is up the shallow couloir to the deep notch/saddle on the right. Once on the ridge one will notice a short piece of a trial. Trail does not last due to hiking over rock.

The last bit of He Devil involves a scramble/bouldering to get to where the cairn is with a register in a white tube located at the base of the cairn. Once up at the top there are two elevate spots to view the surrounding area. Takes some scrambling/bouldering to get to and from the points.

On the NW Ridge of He Devil. Lakes below are (L to R) Triangle, Quad, He Devil (with island) and Echo. Devils Canyon in the background.

Some of the hiking info by Bob Bolton and photos via Fred Spicker, August 2008

Visit this link to the following article about the various hikes around the Seven Devils Mountains.

Here are some great videos. We will do our own video in summer of 2024

 

 

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Make a comment here about your experience at this lake or other questions...

Boating Fails

 I know its winter and some of us who stop boating during this time need a little joy at others expense. This video will do the trick.

 

So a few comments because the person who put this video together seems to not know much about boating so I want to comment on a few of the clips in this video.

- The guy who is the skipper but puts the boats on auto pilot and gets on a wake board while another is skiing is so illresponsioble. The skipper falls and the skier tries to climb back to the boat while via the tow line but also falls. Now there is no one on the boat and now the boat is a deadly craft that will end up hitting the shore or worse hit others resulting in injuries or worse. I might add ski/wake boats are suppose to have 3 persons, a skipper (driver), a lookout/watcher on the boat, and then the one skiing. This boat in the video only had two on board, skipper and skier. Crazy to see how totally illresponsioble people can be.

- Throwing furniture off a boat creates boating hazards.

- The red SUV spinning its wheels at a launch is common and happens to the best of us. Algae or other growth on the launch pad is common and makes it tough to gain traction. To avoid slipping only back down the launch far enough just to slightly float the boat and hopefully your front tires are not on the wet launch pad. Bringing a sand bag can help by applying a little by your tires. 4x4 does help. Just be aware that you can get super stuck on slippery launches.

- Securing your boat to the trailer is always a good idea or you will end up like the guy in the video clip.

- Not sure why the guy was sitting so far aft in his boat that he falls off. The lanyard was not used (lanyard hooks to the skipper and motor kill switch) as the motor kept on running with him not onboard.

- Video commentator is right a bailer like a bucket and/or pump is always a good idea.

- Never seen a heavy powerboat being launch via a dolly. Not a great idea.

- Yes low bridges are always a common problem with unaware boaters. If in doubt of clearance do not do it.

- And freak slow the Freak down when your in rough water instead of losing passengers overboard, and creating damages to the boat and passengers. I never get why powerboaters seem like slowing down is a bad idea. The girl headbanging in the video has to have a sore neck. Freak slow down in the marina, near shore, and by other boats. Its the law by the way!

- The clip of the boat on a trailer rolling down the road solo is interesting as it appears the tongue jack is down and obviously the trailer was not secured properly. If you not sure of how to hook a trailer to your vehicle go to a trailer place to learn. Leaving the tongue jack down will certainly put pressure on the hitch to push if off hitch ball even if secured properly. Not all videos on online teach this properly.

- If you see a powerboat filling with water while its being launch its likely the stern is secured to the trailer so when one backs in, the stern will scoop water. Also while on the water this can happen when the stern is direct into the waves. Note to self, pointy end goes into the waves.

- Not sure why the commentator says "this boat is as useful as a surfboard." Actually surfboards are very useful. The small boat in the clip is having a hard time starting the motor but is no real danger other than its a little rough along the non beach/soft shoreline, that can be a problem.

- One of the most dangerous clips is of the two guys in the very small inflatable boat in a super raging river. The shoreline is covered in bushes and low hanging trees. These are called sweepers and they will grab you, pulling you under, and drown you. Really hard for me to believe either of these guys got out of the water alive, hope they did. Can not express enough how dangerous sweepers are.

- Lots of the issues in this video is people simply being unwise or just downright unsafe for their own good.

- Falling overboard has all kinds of issues especially if you fall off at the bow and then get hit by the prop that can maim or kill you. I had a friend who lost is leg to a prop. I know of a grandpa who was pulling his grandkid in from the stern, he did not turn off the motor and the kid was killed by the prop.

- Common in the clips is boats being overloaded by two many people onboard, and their gear adds even more weight causing the boats to swamp/sink. Learn the limits of your boat.

- I hear people laughing in many of the video clips when they should be concerned, they have no clue of the dangers.

The point of this video to me is if you are new to boating take a safe boating class and in addition an on-the-water skills class.

I should do my own videos. Fun boating fails that are not too unsafe and ones that are dangerous boating fails.

Not trying to spoil the fun. Some of the video is certainly fun to watch and some of the clips should make us gasp with concern.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanks Giving!

Planet Sail

Planet Sail reports on the world of sailing, in the realm of pricy costings boats which is the opposite of FunToSAIL.com goal of bringing sailing to the averaged person without millions to spend on a boat, etc. Still Planet Sail does also report on racing and other interesting topic that can increase our sailing knowledge. We will post a monthly Planet Sail report.

Soggy Tandem Island

I have indicated to some of my customers that the hatches on the Hobie Mirage Tandem Island (TI) can leak. Here is a great example of that truth with a TI that is currently in the Race 2 Alaska (2023).

How do you fix this issue. For most trips you will be fine but if you are getting waves over your boat consistently that is when it becomes a problem. To fix it, one puts oil or vacylinee on the seals to make the water bead up and reapply ever so often. Tyten the forward hatch bungee. One can also put an extra seal on the forward bow cover/hatch. See the video below for these and other additional fixes. 

As we see in this video the boat is totally full of water. The sailors indicate the boat did not sink due to the outer hulls buoyancy and mostly that is true, but there is also positive flotation in the center hull that should never be removed.

Watch the progress of this TI in the Race 2 Alaska by visiting this site and also visiting R2AK.com

2022 Hobie Mirage Tandem Island price

We have 2022 Hobie Mirage Tandem Islands still in stock at $8500 while supplies last. Once our stock is sold the 2023 price is $8800. 2022 and 2023 boats are exactly the same, no changes are being made between the model years.

 

SailGP more racing

Great weekend of SailGP Formula 50 racing in Spain just took place on 9/24-25/2022. Very challenging conditions both days but in the end, it came down to a three-way battle between the Americans, Franch, and Australians. France won by just a boat length over the Americans to win the series. This was the closest finish in SailGP history.

Check out both days of racing in the below videos. For quick review check out the highlights vido. Learn more about SailGP racing at SailGP.com.

Next racing series is this November 12-13, 2022.

 

Hobie 14 Memories and Cat lover

This video brings great memories back of me as a kid sailing and surfing my Hobie 14 on Grays Harbor WA USA and over the bar on the Pacific Ocean. The Hobie 14 is fabulous in the surf! Hope you enjoy this video.

Also, my friends know I am a Cat lover, catamarans and actual Cats versus dogs. I need to find a cat like the one in the following video.

 

Malbec 18 First Summer Sail

Saturday, June 25 was the second time I have sailed my Malbec 18, and first time in the summer. I had 1-5 knots of wind during my sailing class I was teaching from noon to about 3, but then after the class the wind piped up to 7-10 knots while sailing with my wife. I cannot express enough just how well this boat sails in very light to stronger winds. The boat will sail with a whisper of wind and handle stronger winds as well.

The boat is easy to rig, taking my time it only takes 20 minutes are so. Less rigging time means more sailing time.

Part of the plan is to use my boat as a RV for camping, a Recreational Vessel (RV). We will be doing several trips soon and will post those experience here. So, stay tuned for more.

 

SailGP Chicago 2022

SailGP came to Chicago for the first time on June 18-19 and was also the first time the F50's have raced on fresh water. The result was the same as many races before with Tom Slingsby and his all-Australia team winning again. Canada with their Australian skipper/driver Phil Robertson came in 2nd with great results throughout the weekend of racing, followed closely by Great Britain, with it's full British team skippered by Sir Ben Ainslie.

What many are wondering is what in the world is going on with team USA skippered by Jimmy Spithill. They finished 8th overall and never seemed to get good starts or good overall speed, etc. If they cannot get their better results, there certainly will be changes on that team.

Chicago turned out to be an ideal location for racing with its near shore stadium racing and large enthusiastic crowd. SailGP will certainly return in 2023.

If you missed the racing watch here...

 

 

comeuntochrist.org

 

 

FINAL RESULTS: 2022 Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix | Day 1 & Day 2

Season 2 is done, and team Australia won it all again (2nd time). What is their key to success? 1. They hit the starts of each race typically full speed on their foils and with a few seconds to spare after the start gun goes off, whereas the other teams seem to want to hit the start like a monohull right as the gun goes off not at full speed. 2. Australia's top speed is consistently faster than the other teams, meaning they have their boat dialed in better than the others. Until the other teams do better in these 2 areas Australia will continue to win.

My hat is off to team USA as they had major challenges this season due to other boats seeming to run into them over and over, which happened again on that last day before the final. Luckily the damage to team USA's boat was repairable before the final.

Team Japan got 2nd in the final race again (3 teams qualify for the big final). They also are a consistent team. Let's hope next year more teams will be dialed in and learn from team Australia.

This year there were 8 teams racing but next year there will be 10, make for even more exiting racing.

Season 3 (2022-23) starts very quickly this May 14-15 (2022) in Bermuda, then in June in Chicago, and so on finishing again in San Francisco on May 6-7, 2023. Learn more by staying tuned here at FunToSAIL.com or for even more information at SailGP.com 

 

  

Last October Sail

Beautiful sail in October during our Big Boat Sailing class aboard a Venture 23 sportboat. Sign up now for our 2022 sailing classes.

 

Americas Cup 1988

This a great video about the 1988 challenge for the Americas Cup via New Zealand. The Kiwi's built a boat they thought the Americans would not be able to challenge due to the lack of time the Americans had to build a competing boat, they were wrong as the Americans chose a catamaran with innovative wing sail that was easy to build in a short period of time. It was amazing how the Kiwis thought the cat was unfair when they tried to steal the cup with a boat they thought could not be challenged. Needless to say the Kiwis lost big time. They did go to court in 1989 to try and get the cup in which the judge agreed the cup should go to NZ, but then Team USA went back to court and the judge agree the Cup would stay in the USA. So NZ lost on the water and in court. Good news is the sailing world learned about the advantages of multihulls and wing sails.

The wing sail has been used since in two more Americas Cups but not in 2021, however the racing series SailGP is still using the wings with great success, allowing SailGP cats to reach 50 knots, no doubt 60 knots is in the foreseeable future.

A fun note is Hobie Cat was involved in the designing of the USA catamaran.

I should not the news videos are heavily biased toward the Kiwi's perspective due to the reports coming from NZ. Regardless its a fun bit of AC history.

 

 

Nice 2020 show the AC 88 cat for sale in 2020

 

SailGP Group Party

Our first Inland NW Sailing activity is watching live SailGP racing at Miles Moore house in Hayden Idaho this Friday the 28th at 7:pm. Please RSVP Miles at the bottom of this post.

To get your sailing enthusiasm going here is a video of SailGP Team USA. If you can not attend visit SailGP.com or SailGP Facebook or SailGP youtube channel to watch the racing and comment below what you thought of the racing, etc.

COMMENT HERE (BELOW)

SailGP Cowes UK Racing

If you missed the SailGP racing in Cowes UK just this last weekend (8/11) no worries as you can watch the racing via youtube.com or on facebook.

Britain was showing great form in the practice races being the first boat to hit 50 knots but unfortunately on the first day of official racing they damaged their boat and were out of the remaining races. The USA team capsize but amazingly they did not damage the boat and were back in the next race. All teams improved in this series with China being voted as the most improved. They did not win any races but came in second and had consistent top finishes.

Team Australia was the winner of the series with no one challenging them in any of the races. In each race they beat the other teams by large margins. They certainly are the team to beat and are showing the rest of the teams how to do it.

It should be noted that Team Japan who had previously been winning most of the previous races (other than the Sydney Harbor races) also damaged their boat but was able to keep racing in spite of it and were able to hang on for 2 and 3rd finishes.

Watch the following video to enjoy the racing. There was only one day of racing due to a storm that hit the area on Saturday. Visit sailgp.com to get more info, etc.