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Race 2 Alaska Preps


ecgossett

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Just starting a topic about the extensive modifications I'm doing on my CS17 #260 name Forty-Two for the 1st stage of the Race to Alaska http://www.r2ak.com.

 

I've been slowly gleaning best of tips on many things, including a conversation with Graham for some small upgrades on how I handle my double reefs, and bending out the SS pins for a better angle for rowing. I'm going to start posting a page on my website www.foggysailing.com with all the preps and everything, I didn't really want to put the CS17 upgrades on my build blog. I'm also using some of Rogue Paddler's tricks for a tiller tamer, and battery (I may not do the electronic system).

 

The race PR writeup on me, yes it's a little tongue in cheek, and yes at breakfast in the beer tent for part two of the conversation Graham Brynes was actually present (he didn't realize it).

Team name: Team Foggy Sailing
Team captain: Ed Gosset
Total onboard: 1
Race vessel: Core sound 17

Team Foggy Sailing’s watery trajectory is one of the few we’ve seen that takes a bell shape curve from sailing canoes on Colorado lakes, through navy training and submarines, then returning to surface sailing small boats in a big way- the biggest was the 2012 run at all 1500 miles of the 2012 Everglades Ultra Marathon.

Their name might be Team Foggy Sailing, but Ed has a singular clarity about preparing for the worst: personal skills, getting his boat ready for whatever the sea might throw at him, emergency supplies, and at least a few end of days style scenarios. He’s a medic not a doctor, but he considers himself a prepper and he and his lady work to prepare for the worst. He’s a prepper, she’s a prepper, and after going over his logic we don’t know why we wouldn’t want to be a prepper too.

Ed also has the distinction of being at the very table, at the very beer tent, at the very moment the R2AK was conceived. We’re going to skip past all of the shudder worthy possibilities about the moment of conception- we’ll just call him “family”.

Welcome to the R2AK Team Foggy Sailing, best of luck on your preparations

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You are lucky in the US to have a range of racers aimed at small boats. I haven't found anything like it at all here in Australia. Okay we have the Sydney to Hobart which is for much larger yachts and the same for the Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race at Easter. I know that a lot of people are surprised when and where they see me sailing my Spindrift 12. I think most people expect you to only sail around a few markers and back and stay within site of the boat ramp in such a small boat. I can't wait for Graham to release the plans for the Coresound 17 MK3, as then there will be no stopping me. I hope he hurries up as none of us are getting any younger and if it doesn't come I will just build the standard CS17. Let me know if you need a crew member.

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Ummmm, you do know that there is one of these registered right?

 

12′ Goose (stretched  version of a Puddle Duck Racer)

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?141323-8-Puddle-Duck-12-Puddle-Goose-10-Eider-Duck

 

Whoever questioned your choice of boat for the first stage must have either had a really bad experience in these waters or hasn't seen what other people are planning to bring. 

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It might be the people questioning who've actually read the coast guard pilot for these waters.. http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/coastpilot/files/cp7/CPB7_E47_C12_20150505_0645_WEB.pdf

 

My favorite quote from the Coast Pilot: In few parts of the world is the vigilance of the mariner more called upon than when entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 

Just some of the weather descriptions of different situations have made me write down some careful escape plans.

 

Tasks complete:

1) Oars, tips scraped, bleached, sanded, and then holes drilled in length wise and epoxy inserted with syringe then ends relaminated. 3" 6oz tape of glass folded over tip for reinforcement.

2) Jenn hand sewed new leather for me to project thwart from mast chafing.

3) Leather ready to be sewn in place on booms for chaff protection from masts.

4) Tiller stained, and first coat of varnish applied.

 

Upcoming:

1) Another coat of varnish on tiller and spars.

2) More varnish on anchor roller board, I don't intend on redoing it anytime soon.

3) Drilling oversized holes and filling with epoxy on boom, then installing cheek blocks and camcleats on each boom for easier double reefing then taking the end of the sail off of it.

4) Installing two pulley's for main down hull, running aft to make it easier.

5) Installing rudder lock system, to assist with single handing

6) Reinstall board, and anchor roller. Use 3m 4200 under it, and bolt back in place.

 

This weekend in Gig Harbor:

1) At Gig Harbor boat shop find some meranti or similiar scraps (2) 8x4x1 for forward oar socket mounts. I enjoy the 1" height so they are same level as coaming and comfortable to sit on.

2) Rig the 9' 8" oar locks to proper positions.

3) Bend some copper sheet scraps for chafe protection on aft deck from mizzen sheet cleats.

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Tiller handle is varnished and back together, anchor roller support is revarnished.

 

Oars are glassed on tip, and have had two coats of epoxy applied on blades. I'm going to test them out tomorrow, then next week after they have cured hard sand and apply a third coat.

 

Does anyone know a good stopper knot for 3/16 12 strand spectra rope??

 

 For the blocks on the boom, I've tried the ashley, and stevedore knot and am worried they slip to much under load with slippery rope, am considering the EStar Stopper however it supposedly will not ever come undone after a load has been applied which could be bad if I have to take anything apart. I don't mind doing whipping on the trailing end to prevent slippage for the right knot.

 

I'm using the spectra because of the strength, even after knots have been tied, I had a thicker line before, but it didn't rotate well in the hole, and the blocks need the ability to spin if the kids or I set the boat up wrong.

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I finally settled on using a anchor hitch to the blocks off the booms. I drilled a hole that was oversized then filled with epoxy and drilled out again. The spectra is tied to the block then through the hole with a stevedore stopper knot to finish it off, and both tails are whipped. 

 

I tested this configuration under a lot of load using a wratchet, and then I was able to undo both knots. The spectra once tied well does not slip.

 

I also used Wes's tiller lock plans from roguepaddler.com which turned out great!

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We tested out the oars and everything else today.

 

Video and photos are http://www.foggysailing.com/2015/05/r2ak-1st-day-of-practice.html

 

My only problem was an extreme low tide at the end and running out of boat ramp, and two year old steering. I will be rigging some simple control lines through the eye bolts for the tiller tamer and lead them forward to let me do some small rudder tweaks when rowing to compensate for wind, etc. That would beat asking a little girl to do it for me, and having her get mad and putting us hard to PORT versus STBD.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rough and wet until lunch. That was first water I drank most of day, and salt had contaminated my drinking pouch, so it was a mouthful. I considered at one point breaking out dry suit or mustang suits, when arms of rain gear finally got cold water in. Layers of fleece jackets under really helped. Never NEVER buy the WORTHLESS West Marine Insulated sailing gloves that where soaked through in first hour.......

Moisture, no standing water in tanks, even from waves. Fwd compartment had half cup of water, and aft comp ac few drops.

My mainsheet track will be getting reriveted, a couple of fasteners are in iffy shape after some of lift we where getting off waves then crashing down.

I need a better system for controlling staysail, my small light control line is uncomfortable, and I used a rowing pin to assist me in holding line. We had staysail up for last couple hours. It was the only reason we made progress against 4.5 current.

We did not intend to wind up over hirch back, and the blender that it was (if the curious read the cg pilot chart that describes straight and that bank).

Our plan leaving Port Townsend was to go hard west as wind would allow then ride incoming current into victoria.. We could point further to nw but where jumping crashing through big waves. We have it up for the comfortable angled approach.

On r2ak.com site you can view track, and replay.

Questions?

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Canadian Safety boat came along side and ordered us closer to shore because we where in a shipping lane and big ship was supposedly coming along at 15 knots. We never saw a ship, and course change put us into Nasty near shore current. Deepzoom.com shows good animation of those currents.

Pushed backward was us tacking and sailing away from rocks. It face is better vector in, but against current where doing 1 knot. Sure from wake we where 5. Current ended by big concrete harbor marker, what a burst of speed as we crossed bubbly line.

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