GHEDI Fall 2014

Griffin Hill Equinox Disc Invitational (GHEDI)  

September 20, 2014

It happened and was as good as it could be!  (submitted by Count Enrico Ferrari)

29 of the 30 players made the documentation photo.

Weather report:  At 9:30 AM (registration opened) we had about 66F and full sun, no wind.

Organization:  The shotgun start actually started on time!  10:00 AM due to the efforts and skills of our most excellent registration team of Stranger and the Score Keeper (aka Devil Mon, Doorman).

The Assistant Score Keeper, Stranger and the Score Keeper in their concentration mode.

There were several new players that came to throw and the donations to the prize box were amazing.  Lots of loot to be had for the awards and lots of new long arms that amazed the rookies and gave us all some to ooh and ahh over!

As to the LLR (Low Litter Rate) there were two filters found in the drive, one 16 oz Busch Lite on a post, mostly full, a PBR empty near it by hole 18, and a half filled water bottle by the pump house.  All in all a good day for the environment.

Food:  A mention must be made as the potluck feature resulted in too much food!  As usual the theme was a soup and condiment with side snacks and desserts.  Lined up for consumption were 4 crock pots with a beef noodle veggie, clam chowder, crab bisque (with only a few bits of shell), and a cold but very tasty gazpacho.  Added to that were multiple plates of corn muffins, corn bread, donuts, some totally amazing chocolate chip cookies, chips, cup cakes, fruit plate and other grazing foods.

The Bloody Marys came out to play before registration so many players were out throwing some practice holes and feeling good!

Shown is the back of white Suburban from which issued many alcoholic beverages.
"Eye" is showing he can still feel the air.

The fire was lit and approved by the Fire Marshall.  A serious disc hazard.

The play for the GHEDI has been formatted and is as follows.  A singles round of disc on the 18 hole pitch and putt course opens the tournament.  Scores ranged from a -15 (a new course record, set by AJ (who is only 17!) to a +18 by Smells Different and Dingus who tied  with the most strokes.  (+18 is the highest score you can get as we stop counting at 18).  For the individual round the scores ranged from -15 to +18.

AJ winning the coveted silver tree award for the Best Round on the 18.
Plus he took a $25 CTP on hold 15!  A good day!

After the 18 is played, the scores are reported and the teams are assembled for the Best Disc round on the 10 hole championship course.  The best scoring individual team up with the most challenged thrower are paired through a very difficult scoring process.  The system seems to work  as the team scores for the 10 hole ranged from -5 to a +2.

The Count explaining the cowbell as it would be used to gather all around
for some sort of data exchange.

The assignment of teams takes a bit but the food is a good distraction.  In fact many groups took a break as they played past the clubhouse and had a libation or snack before carrying on.

Sunshine, Moammar, Stranger, the Score Keeper and Hawkeye put the doubles together
after the singles round was completed.

This disc golf course is unique for the area having many gates and horses on the course.  There is a huge penalty for hitting a horse.  Banishment was suggested.

Zephyr, Ozzetta and our oldest at 24 years, Rosie.

Players were encouraged to send out a wrangler to move the ponies if needed.  There were many time when the play was slowed due to horse or other players being in the way.  Safety was encouraged as catching a driver in the teeth would not be fun.  All players were very courteous and followed PDGA protocol and deferring to the higher numbered hole when needed.  It is great fun to see the discs come zooming in.

Do you need Extra Reading on Disc Golf?  Here is a new blog site written by a first time GHEDI player, John Synco who wrote about the GHEDI on his own, complete with photos.

Click here to read Disc Golf Blog

(You should scroll down to the GHEDI article if that is all you want to read about.)

Awards:

Many players came but at least one needs mentioning.  This tournament is held to encourage newbies or challenged disc players.  Dingus has been invited many times but finally showed up.  He shot a +18 (he was a bit late for the start) (There was no WFM) but since he has had 8 surgeries in the past year, including a heart by pass and pig valve implant in his heart it is remarkable that he is vertical!

Dingus winning the Furthest Traveled Award
taking home a disc and award certificate,
suitable for framing.

Hawkeye winning the Nutcracker award.

The Count explaining why Sunshine (on right in blue) deserved
the Clean Sweep Award.  (removal of dog poo!)

John winning an undocumented award (?)  Maybe someone will
be able to update the Count on this award.

Moammar winning the Straight Shooter Award for
most Aces and he won a $25 CTP on #10
He had a good day on the course!

Stranger accepting the UPtown Award for best dressed.
A standing ovation by most!

The Polisher receiving the UP in Smoke award and the Forget Me NOT
award, which he forgot to take home.  Is there a correlation here?

The Wind Princess receiving the 2nd from Last Trophy by scoring a +9 on the 18.

Shawndog receiving the Hot Shit award for his improvement from a +5 to a -5
score on the 18.

A. Hill getting the Take UP another Sport Award!
His score went from a -10 to a still respectable -6.

Smells Different accepting her Best Rookie Award with a +18 score
on the 18 hole course.  Her first disc golf experience!

The Count and Smells Different showing why this tournament is held!

B-Eh! accepting his treasured 7th Place Award.  No pain being felt here!

A. Hill and NicBro accepting the 2nd Place Trophy after a 5 team playoff.
They both also won the Most Regular Award (Costco's finest roll stock) for
being right in the middle of the scores on the 18 round.

the Hot Chick Award for best score by a girl.

Kok accepting the Skywalker Award for finding the a path
where one should not have been.  His first GHEDI but we hope it is not
his last.

The Fire Marshall accepting an unknown award (until someone tells me what it is).

The bottom line:Fun was had by all!

Please try and leave a comment.  I know it is tough but they are appreciated.

Photos taken by Waffle Dough

-Count Enrico Alfredo Ferrari-

Land Sailing History

NALSA and FISLY are the governing bodies of modern Land Sailing but before them there were many other attempts.

A great article by Nord Embroden in 1998 shows some great photos of early American Land Sailing.

Link to article on American Land Sailing

Another good article is from Lola Jones and talks about the basics of Land Sailing, including some ancient historical references that assert the Chinese, Egyptians and other older civilizations had some form of a land boat.  Land Sailing in the USA

In current online publications Sailing Scuttlebutt Editor, Craig Leweck has been publishing articles on land sailing since 2013 and has been ramping up his coverage with an extensive number of articles on the World Land Sailing Championship of 2014.

This event  was held on the Smith Creek Playa in Nevada, approximately 70 miles from Fallon or 25 miles from Austin on Highway 722 with the boat launch ramp installed in June, 2014 by the Nevada DOT to make a smooth entrance to the playa.  This ramp may be the longest launch ramp in the world at nearly 1/2 mile.

Once on the playa, one has to drive about 2 miles to the event center that was established with a large 40' x 100' tent, large diesel gen set, shower hut, many sani-cans spread out for the 170+ competitors that came from all over the world.  Flag posts were installed for the countries that showed up as an edging for the racers to come home to after zooming around on the 4 mile by 6 mile playa.

The French team starts assembly of the fleet taking things out of the shipping container and fitting it all together. 

Here is a good article that was found on SailingScuttlebutt.com   Link to article and photos

Landsailing Worlds: Dirt, heat, and community

by Eric Sorensen

The Land Sailing World Championship is in Nevada this week (July 13-19), a rare occurrence for USA, and one that won’t be repeated again, due to event protocol, for another 24 years. So I took the drive from upper Washington to witness dirt boating.

With over 170 pilots on site, the world is well represented. Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherland, New Zealand, and the USA are all here. With closure now to the FIFA World Cup, early book likes the Germans.

In order to offer a World Championship, each landsailing class must have at least 16 pilots from 5 countries, representing at least 2 continents. The team racing is a bit more convoluted with teams of 10 pilots designated prior to racing as country representing pilots. The top three places in each team of ten count toward the trophy. A bit much for this newbie observer.

The 8 classes are (listed from fastest to slower, as none are slow):

International FISLY Class 2, 18 entrants, 90 mph top end

International FISLY Class 3, 23 entrants, 87 mph

International FISLY Class 5, 10 entrants, 70 mph

Standart Class, 22 entrants, 65 mph

Promo Class , 22 entrants, 65ish mph

International 5.6 Mini Class, 40 entrants, 65ish mph

Manta Twin Class, 50+ entrants, 60 mph

Manta Single Class, 20+ entrants , 47 mph

The course and race/camp compound is located on the Smith Creek Playa, approximately a 4 mile by 6 mile dry lake bed which is very smooth and flat. Most of the foreign racers have never been on a course so wide, typically hosting their regattas on the beach when the tide goes out.

Alan Wirtanen is the top USA speed demon, piloting a Class 2, with those classes starting racing on Tuesday, July 15. He has been a favorite in many USA competitions, including this one if the winds are steady. He is using a soft sail behind a shaped rotating mast and is competing against many solid wings that may be the latest innovation.

Carlos, from Brazil, is a very entertaining character, representing his country on his own. He has attended each World’s since 1998 and is one of the senior pilots at 68 years old. The Belgium, French and German teams have brought in containers of boats and gear and are very serious about this. Everyone is friendly, sharing ideas, shade, and libations. However, I am told the racing is as brutal as the desert venue is harsh.

In terms of design, as the boats go faster, less sail area is desired as it adds drag. You need some sail area for the start, but not so much after that. Many classes are one design and some are full on innovation. Sail selection is just like wet boats; important to get it right before the start. The apparent wind is way forward after the boat hit 14 knots. Spinouts at the turning marks, especially the leeward mark, are the danger spots, but the pilots are belted in so there is not much danger of injury if they tip over. Just got to figure out how to undo the seat belt and get to the ground.

Land yachts are capable of speeds 5 times the wind speed in light, steady winds. High performance water catamarans are capable of twice the wind speed. As the true wind increases, the ratio of boat speed to wind speed goes down. In 30 mph winds, the fastest land yachts are typically sailing off the wind at 2.5-3 times the wind speed. It takes real skill to pilot the top classes and not crash.

In the Manta Twin (~$3000 for a new one) class, the largest class by far, a reasonable top speed would be a bit over 50 mph although they are not sailed much over 40 and have reached 65 mph in a record setting run. Other racing classes in a lot of wind will go 70 or 80 mph. The fastest race boats can go a little over 100 mph in a 30 mph wind. For purpose built speed boats, the Greenbird currently holds the record at 126.2 mph. This was done in a wind of approximately 30 mph.

I can only imagine what the venue looks like from space. Vast miles of barren hardscape oddly populated by a circus tent with 100+ RVs and land yachts filling a small bit of the playa.

There are no pretenders out here. No one is here to sip gin and tonics. There are no tony yachting clubs. This is about dirt and heat. This is about community. This is about landsailing.

Event website: http://www.nalsa.org/Worlds2014Splash.html

Entry list: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07

Road Trip to the World's Land Sailing Championship

Day One:

The Uboat started out driving the 50 miles to Braindamage Island and picking up the two other passengers.  JP the Photographer and JT the Creative Director, add in the Journalist, Count Ferrari and you have the population of our moving road trip going to Austin NV.

We ended up at the Dalles in OR.  We are at a ShiloInn.  Very nice.

We took the road over Cayuse and Chinook Passes which had great vistas of Mt. Rainier.  We stopped at the top and had crab that Joe had caught and cooked the previous day.  That was a great lunch.  Then in Yakima we had a couple of tacos at the taco bus.  This will be tough to beat.

Then down to the Dalles and disc golf at a great course in a very nice park overlooking the Columbia.  That was 6:45-9:00 PM.  Dinner was salads for all at 9:30 just inside of closing time.

JT found a disc and called the owner but got some French recording.

Disc Golf Scores:
JT= -6 with a par 5
JP= -5 with a par 4
CF = +6 with a par 3

JP did a Priceline.com thing and we got the Shilo for $100 plus tax but he lost the receipt so we will not believe anything he says and figure JP will cover the cost.  He says the tax was $18 off his internet pages, but the question is.... Do we believe him?

It was 97F most of the day yesterday and the Uboat was a heaven of AC.  We were able to access all of our stuff an cruise in comfort.

Today we are going to go by Crater Lake and end up south of there somewhere.  These guys have not seen it yet.

We have a point system and so far JP is +1, I am +1, and Joe is -2.  Explanation later for this system.

The Three Road Trippers

Crater Lake OR, ~ 7000 ft elevation.
Wizard Island shown on right side.

Count Enrico at 8500' in Lissen National
Volcanic Park.

Joe looking very Arabic for the 1st day.

The trip went from Seattle, to the Dalles,OR, to Klamath Falls,OR, to Susanville,CA, to Fallon NV, and finally to Austin,NV.

We found Crater Lake at 7000 ft was a bit cold and windy but magnificent.  

We played disc again in Madras OR on an excellent desert course with 9 holes.  Joe won again but will now be playing with a par 4 instead of the par 5.   JP also plays with the par 4 so now they will play head to head.

El Joe of the desert, note there is no explosive wrapped
on his body.

The mileage on Day 4 started in Susanville and we found many roads that were dirt and potholed.  There was a bit of rain as we drove through Lake Tahoe so the car started to get trashed a bit.  Tahoe was crowded.  We did turn around on one to find a paved alternative.  JP tested his Go Pro on the hood for the first time.  Moderate success.

We had lunch in a small town of Slaterville (?) with fresh BBQ pulled pork in a salad for CF.  We fueled up with 91 octane and headed out the wrong road which totally took us away from Joe's destination of Nevada City.

The Uboat (enroute to Fallon and to kill some time) did end up on some 'scenic byway' that was dirt and had a company that does destructive quality control for the military.  They specialize in mostly the Marines but do stuff for other services too.  Most of the staff are ex-military.  An example is to take a tank to -50C and see if it still works.  There were several tank shells in the field.

We got to talk to an HVAC repair dude who told us it was coming up and a bit about it.  We got there after 5PM, closing, but were able to talk with one of the project engineers and a security guy.  Both were great and very forthcoming.  They even have a test track, like a Nascar track, where they do high speed testing.  The company also sponsors a race car and uses that track for practice.  The company is on 3500 acres and away from anything but kind of near Ft. Churchill.

Ft. Churchill is a park with some buildings without roofs or floors.  The wood parts are long gone but the 2' thick walls are still standing for the most part.  I am guessing it was part of the Indian wars?  It is located on the path of the Pony Express as was the QC company (Quality Control).

We are on day 4, a Friday as this is being written.  Fallon NV in a  Best Western that actually had a room with 3 queen beds.  Cost was $91 including a reasonable breakfast.

 The experience with hard water here in NV was a new one for us.  Soap just doesn't rinse off easily.  I suppose hard water is better than no water.   Joe noted this is the best shower pressure and head we have found so far.

We will be provisioning for a day in the desert today.  All the UV clothes will be tested along with sunblock.  Count Ferrari will be shod with running shoes, denim pants, long sleeve UV shirt and a big sun hat while trying to get a ride on a wind machine.  His companions may have him beat for car speed on the road, JP= 135 MPH, J = 110 with CF at 100, but the experience in sailing at speed will assist CF in getting and keeping a new sailing personal best speed record.  In excess of 35MPH is the goal.

A great article on the history of Land Sailing is found here, click to go.

Catalina Rendezvous at Roche Harbor/Sucia 2014

Roche Catalina Rendezvous 2014

Party tent where the "End of the Dock" jewelry sale was held.

Photo by Deon

Wednesday, April 30

What a glorious day!  Sunny and warm.  We have gotten used to rather wetter conditions for our Spring Rendezvous but this was inspiring.  We departed the dock in Anacortes at 12:43 PM.  On board was the Countess and myself.  Solaria was still at the dock with the crew scrubbing the decks.

Solaria being readied for the Catalina Rendezvous after a winter off.
Ken, Rita, and Geoff find new uses for toothbrushes.

The current was going with us out Guemes Channel and we got to Thatcher Pass by 1:44 

and then hit a full knot of anti-water and 15-20 knot winds on our nose. We went up between 

Willow and Blakely straight into the wind and then reached off for a bit until we got to 

Shaw where we had to motor.

We ended up in Deer Harbor with the interior of Jah Mon at 73F (without the furnace)  with full sun and no 

wind. A great place to anchor. We had stopped at Blind Bay but the wind was blowing 

at 12-16 knots and it was cold! The only redeeming factor there was a free mooring buoy. We 

eschewed it because of the cold wind and motored on for another 45 minutes. We were glad we kept goin because  Deer Harbor had LOTS of sun and very little wind.

After hooking up in 38’of water with 125’ of chain out and a good hold, popcorn was 

made while rum and hard apple cider was poured over ice. We had an excellent cocktail 

hour reading our books and then we each took a nap.  After naps, showers and then a dinner of burritos we spent the evening in the cockpit watching the sunset.

. Life is good!

Thursday, May 1

Jah Mon motored to Roche Harbor in the sun with only a short 15-20 minutes under sail trying to get to 

Spieden Channel. In the channel we found 4 knots of ‘pro-water’ current running West from the big 

out flowing tide. With the motor near idle at 1500 RPM, we made 9 knots of SOG (Speed Over 

Ground).

Friday, May 2

Another nice day, slightly overcast but dry and warm.  We were located at the end of the guest dock and had a lovely covered pavillion with tables and chairs and a heater for our meeting space.
The attendance count by the Count came up with 10 C-42s and 1 C-34.

We invited other Catalinas  on the dock to join us like the "Smelly Boys Weekend" group which consisted of 5 boats, three of which were Catalinas.  Some came out for boat tours but missed out on the other bits of fun.  One hopes we can improve the size of the fleet for next year!

Several of our ladies are into jewelry making and set up a "show and tell" in the pavillion.  Lots of gals from another rendezvous down the dock came to look and buy.

End of Dock Jewelry:

The Countess, Anne, Judy, and Sonia all displaying their wares.  They had a good time selling and talking about
jewelry.

We had 10 C-42s and one C-34 for this outing with room for more.  We will try for more Catalinas of all sizes next year.
Maybe when they see this blog we will get more boats showing UP.
Photo by Deon

Disc Golf Outing with the Count:

Not being into jewelry, six of us guys walked out to the 18 hole official disc golf course near the end of the air port which is a great place to play disc.  It is a tight course with lots of trees and only a couple holes with a totally open fairway.  Advice is to watch your disc all the way into the bush.

We decided to play in teams of 2 and do 'best disc' rules which means you play the best throw in the partnership.  Kasee and Dan, Bob and John, and Greg got stuck with the Count....

Six really tired guys returned to the dock in the late afternoon.........  just in time to relax and listen to Vince Townrow speak about sails.

Bob showing good body English on the putt.

John going in deep for a lost disc.

First time disc golfers, not sure what they are in for.
Bob, John, Kasee, Dan, and Greg

Greg, Dan and Bob trying to figure out the best lie.

Ullman Sails with Vince Townrow:

Vince Townrow, from Ullman Sails in Anacortes, came and talked to our group about the various types of cloth that are used in sails and the various types of cuts used to shape the sails.   He talked about sail trim and costs of various sails including chutes, headsails, and mainsails.  It was an interesting and very informative talk.  Based on feedback, it seems he was a hit!    I do know that  the Count is looking forward to getting his new Ullman Sail.  He ordered  a 140% Tri-radial, Endurance cloth, leech and foot cords with hidden velcro clamping, with two telltale windows and furling reinforcement.

Thanks, Vince!!!

Friday night Wine and Cheese by Bristol Yachts of Oak Harbor:

Curt , of Bristol Yachts in Oak Harbor, put on an amazing wine and cheese spread for us on Friday evening.

.Curt brings a wealth of knowledge of all cruising yachts.  As a former charter captain, he has extensive experience with actually sailing Catalinas of all sizes.  He is both a listing broker, and importantly a buyers broker.  A buyers broker brings knowledge of boats that the buyer doesn't have, both in evaluating target boats, and in providing context for how a boat compares to others of its type, other similar boats, and in the context of the market.

. 

Thanks Curt for a delicious evening.

Kurt of Bristol Yachts with his amazing spread of snacks and good tasting wines.
He just does a better job each year!
Go to Oak Harbor to buy a boat.  He does know his boats.
Photo by Ken

Sunset at Roche with bit of dark cloud that gave us rain at night.
Photo by Rita

Saturday, May 03, 2014

THE GREAT POKER WALK

The poker walk commenced early for the Count this AM. The cards were shuffled, 3 decks worth, and then cut into random 7 piles with a few card scavenged for an 8th location that was for contingencies

The cards were distributed in zip lock bags as described below.  The 'served' cards were dropped off with a request to give poker walkers a hard time.

Roche Harbor Poker Walk 2014

Created by Count Enrico Alfredo Ferrari

Pick up the playing cards at the various hinted locations, best poker hand of 5 cards wins, 

There are 7 locations for cards plus a reserve location on demand from the coordinator.

Self Serve = Honor System, retrieve your own card from zip lock bag.

Served Cards = Smiling Staff will give you a card if you explain to them who you are and 

what you are doing.

This is a 2-3 mile walk so bring liquids as needed. Dress accordingly.

Route (in any order you choose)

1. Dock Master’s Office (Self Serve)

2. Upstairs Retail over store

3. Grocery Store

5. Alligator Mouth in Sculpture Garden

6. Mausoleum (follow signs for the longer walk ~adds a mile or so to walk~) The 

sign that says “closed” should be ignored and just walk by it. Stay to the left on 

the access dirt road. Look under the trash bin.

7. Tennis Court Entrance.

Note the reflective water and hard shadows.  The tennis courts were next to this tent.

Photo by Deon

Poker Walk Anecdotes:

Tehilliah:  Bribing the Count with the offer of a mooring buoy use in Maple Bag in 

exchange for access to another card. Not only did he rifle the deck for the card he wanted 

to fill the inside of his baby straight but he took the entire resource of cards. It must be 

said he did go and return the cards for others to find.

Satarie:  Getting handed a Joker (an official no count card) and not being able to talk the 

source into getting another card. They were sent to find “the seat that John Dallas never 

sat in” in the Garden.

Chevy:  Made to bring a muffin to the dockmaster. (Could have been in exchange for another card but then were told no muffin was needed.)

Wanderin’ Star:   Had to tell the name of their boat and what the history of the name was.

Solaria:   Had to tell the name of their boat and what the history of the name was

Jah Mon:  Had to tell the name of their boat and what the history of the name was.

.

Ken having troubles retrieving his card from the Scupture Garden.
Photo by Rita

Don (from BC and 77 years young) and the Count wait in
the heated party tent for the 2.5 hour Poker Walk.

Performance Art: 

Chevy:  Singing a duet: You Are My Sunshine

Solaria:  Had to tell a joke. Had to sing a song and they chose Row Row Row your Boat 

but were told to stop shortly after stopping.

Tehilliah:  Had to dance at the Spa to live music, Walk Like an Egyptian. (Don sent his 

crew, Deon, out to track down the cards.)

Wanderin’ Star:  Danced to a hummed waltz in the Spa and started to sing but were cut 

off before starting at the Grocery Store.

Jah Mon:  Sang Happy Birthday in the Grocery Store, danced a Cha Cha at the Spa.

Comocean:  Sang Happy Birthday with a twist, Sonia danced a strip tease in the Spa.

5 fat C-42s lined up for fun!
Photo by Deon

Roche Harbor Marina Guest Dock.  We were at the end of the dock on the right.

Adventure Walk:

Deon off of Tehilliah (in his first C-rendezvous) and the Count went for a 20 minute walk to locate the elusive distillery.  That was great fun! We encountered at least 3 locals who live here in Roche but had no idea this Distillery was here.

The Count waiting for a gin tasting at the San Juan Distillery.  (Tough to find but worth it).
Photo by Deon

The still and gin tasting counter.  Very fun with lots of tastes one wouldn't expect.

The hard apple cider tasting counter.  There were 4 flavors of the cider made from the apples grown on site.
Photo by Deon

Winch Maintenance Seminar:

This  winch work was scheduled and rescheduled over the weekend but we pulled it off last minute (actually the last hour before our Saturday night potluck ).  The guys watch and learn as the Count disassembles, cleans, lubes, and reassembles a winch.

Count Enrico taking apart his primary winch, showing how to lube and check a winch for annual maintenance.

It was an appreciative audience who assisted with handing parts and tools and most important,

paper towels!

Photo by Deon

Potluck and awards:

Amazing food in our lovely heated tent.

Brock, Heather (of Chevy), Don, Deon (of Telhillah)
John and Jan (of Chevy)
and the Countess (from Jah Mon)

Ruth and Mike (of Wanderin' Star) Greg and Sonia (in pink)
(of Comocean)
John and Anne on the right (of Satarie)
Kasee and Dan (of Ritidian) at the end of the table.

Mike and Russ (of Le Jouet) and
Ken, Rita and Geoff (of Solaria)

Don of Tehillah, being congratulated by the Count chooses the free night's moorage at Roche
for his first place prize.  His crew Deon went to the extremes and
ended up with a baby straight to win the Poker Walk.

Other awards given out  were two $100 discounts on haulouts from Cap Sante South Boat Yard in Anacortes, a $20 Ace Hardware card, a couple of bottles of wine, a lighter and some LED flashlights.  No one went away with nada!

The winning hands were one baby straight to 4-8, Queens over Jacks full house, Sevens over Kings full house, a pair of Kings, a pair of 10s, a pair of 9s, and a hand with Ace high stuff.

Deon preparing his hand by choosing his best 5 cards for poker,
taping them on a paper with the boat name for the final submission.

Sunday May 4, 2014:

'Racing' to Sucia in the San Juans:

We started with coffee and pastries in heated party tent.  Nearly no wind visible, but no rain in the AM after coming down all night..

We were off the dock around 9:00 AM with several boats going home but 5 of us ended up sailing to Sucia in a kind of a 'race'....

We were bucking a 2-3k current of 'anti-water' in Speiden Channel and no wind but once into San Juan Channel we found 10k of wind and the sails came out to play.  Solaria was the last to leave the dock but motored to the end of the fleet, hoisted her sails and ended up 3rd to Sucia.

Satarie with John and Anne found they were too slow with just a headsail but when they went to put the main up the wind came up as well!.  24k made them go to the lee of Orcas to hoist but even with the loss of about 3 miles they were still 2nd to arrive.

Chevy, a new boat (6 months) to John and Jan, with a green crew of Brock of Heather, found themselves rounding up two times when the winds piped over 20k.  They were very excited about their trip to Orcas and nothing broke except his dink's  motor shear pin so all was good.  They were 5th to arrive.

Jah Mon was the first to arrive and the only one with a smallish headsail (115%).  It was a perfect reach all the way for us.  The rail threatened to dip a couple of times but dumping the traveler all the way got her feet solid and we trucked along, hitting a noted 9.2k through the water.

A video of our National C-42 Commodore, Ken Fisher,  sailing single handed off of Waldron Island in the San Juans.  He models ideal racing form for a cruising 42.  The steering is done by 'Otto'.  He is our invisible crew and very helpful!

Click here to watch a bit of sailing

Boats in attendance and in order of arrival for Fossil Bay on Sucia Marine Park:   Jah Mon, Satarie, Solaria, Comocean, Chevy, and Journey.  Journey had a busy social schedule going from Roche to Deer Harbor for another rendezvous with Anacortes Yacht Charters, and then back to join us at Sucia.

 

Adding in 5 gallons of diesel to get the furnace working!
Borrowed off Comocean for a very good price!
A major improvement in living on Jah Mon once that was lit.
~50s F at night!

The Count, John, Geoff, Ken, Greg, Sonia, Rita, Lori, Jan, Heather, Anne
Brock, and John.
The campfire at Sucia on Sunday night.
There was a bit of rain but it is the NW in the spring.
Photo by Rita (on a timer)

For a rare video of oddness: 
 (Demry (sp), Donna, Larry, and Lori are the stars...)
Click here to see singing at the campfire

Next Year:

We have booked Roche Harbor for the first weekend in May again.  We hope to see many more Catalinas there of all sizes.  The party barge is heated and large enough for 2-3xs the number of bodies we had this time.  Roche Harbor really went all out on the support with the tent, garbage pickup at the tent, water, power, tables, chairs, furnace, and all with a $.90 a night/per foot charge for each boat.

Put this on your boating calendar as a must do!  Tell your friends!

The Poker Walk will be enhanced with more challenging clues and tricky clues.

We hope to get the Cat Toss back in the fray.

It is thought that we will have a pre-rendezvous gathering at Sucia on the Tuesday and Wednesday prior to going to Roche on Thursday.

Here is a mystery image, if you can see it you have a good system:

Roche Harbor Store and Lime House Cafe behind the gardens.
Photo by Don

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