Andy Evans
I've completed my 400 mile qualifier for next summer's Transpac. I can tell
you that I started out last Saturday morning (June 11, 2005) thinking that
it would be something that I just do to get it over with. But it turned out
to be something completely different. It turned out to be a major learning
experience.
Day 1 was a fast beat out the Strait of Juan de Fuca with a jib and 2 reefs in the main. A very pleasurable trip much the same as the Swiftsure race just two weeks earlier. I departed with a strong favorable ebb current, so I blasted down in very good time. (On returning to Victoria, friends said that they were worried about me because of the high winds in the Strait.)
The first real learning experience was the incredible traffic right at the entrance to the Strait, where there were 2 cruise ships, 3 tugs towing barges 1/2 mile back, and God knows how many fishing boats, all at the turn mark at the same time as I arrived. I had one tug flash me with his incredible powerful spotlight, and I illuminated my sails when a fishing boat was approaching without turning. I spent about an hour dodging all of these boats before I finally got out.
I had an incredible day Sunday as I went SW on a close reach, still with 2 reefs. The forecast had predicted winds to drop late afternoon, but my next learning experience was the storm that arose. I had never before experienced 15 - 20 foot, very steep waves, crashing over me and my beloved boat. I lashed the main completely to the boom, but there was no way I was going to the bow to drop the jib.
The next learning experience is this: add grab handles to the deck all the way to the bow. AND, make sure your storm jib is stored in a place you can get to during a storm. Keeping it in the very pointy end of the V-berth is not a good idea if only a contortionist can get there even during fair weather.
About this time my GPS shot overboard. I had it in my hand while below when the autohelm gybed. As I rushed to the cockpit the GPS just jumped right out of my hand. I was not able to leave the tiller again to find the spare GPS, but I was able to steer by the compass, so I had a good feeling for where I was.
I sure am glad that I read Coles' and Dashew's books on heavy weather sailing. As darkness fell the storm was at it's worst. I was aiming up the waves, just like the books told me to. I was not at all afraid, just looking at my mast wondering if it would hold. In the end I ripped most of the leach and two hanks off the jib.
I tried to run with the storm, while still heading out west. Once I reached the 100 mile out location, I turned around and was on a more favorable angle to the waves for the trip back in. On this angle the Raymarine 4000 autohelm was better able to handle the situation, so I was able to catch a short nap. One thing I’m going to do is tell Raymarine to make the “beep” on their autohelm much louder. It is barely audible even if I’m right next to it in a storm.
Regarding naps, I did all of my sleeping on the floor of the cockpit, sitting on a camping foamy with my back against the bulkhead and main hatch, looking backwards. Very comfortable and just a couple of seconds to grab the tiller if the autohelm failed. It did so on several occasions. If I was in a traffic area, I used a digital kitchen timer clipped to my harness to sleep for 20 minutes at a time before looking around. If I was out in the open, I just went to sleep for as long as I stayed asleep. I don't wear a watch, so I can't tell you just how long these sleeps were. Probably around an hour or so.
The wind calmed down nicely on Monday and I was able to pile on the miles with a jib and full main, and then a genoa and main. On Tuesday I had a beautiful spinnaker run back to Victoria. My boat came with 5 chutes, and I had never even looked at one until I pulled it up in the early afternoon. I guess you'd call it a Running Chute. Very broad with a flat bottom. I was going dead down wind, so I had the pole out all the way. The sail is very forgiving, even allowing for 10 degrees or more of sailing by the lee. The autohelm was able to handle things until I was moving more than 9 knots.
The one thing the running chute is not good at is moving to a reach. As I neared the high current area of Race Rocks, moving at 10+ knots, the wind shifted forwards and the boat started to round up. I released the guy a few inches, but even with two wraps on the winch the guy pulled out of my hands completely, leaving a nice rope burn and lots of blood. Then the chute wrapped completely around the forestay. Not just with wraps but with knots! All of this happened as a navy ship passed in the other direction. They must have had a great laugh. It took me 15 minutes on the bow to unknot the mess. Then I just pulled up the Genoa for the last 15 miles to home.
So having gone through all of this I am keener than ever to do the Transpac. I'll be making all kinds of changes to my boat and my sailing tactics over the next year in preparation. A truly great learning experience, and lots of damn good fun too. That's what I'd call my 400 mile qualifier.
Andy Evans Olson 30 - Foolish Muse Victoria, Canada
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