<![CDATA[Gizmodo: sailing]]> http://tags.gizmodo.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: sailing]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/sailing http://gizmodo.com/tag/sailing <![CDATA[Anyone Have a Spare $10 Million Racing Yacht Mast Lying Around?]]> A quick glimpse into the life of a software billionaire: When Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing yacht snapped its $10 million mast this week, the ship's helmsman (not Ellison) described the event as a "minor setback."

That's $10 million for a mast. Granted, it's part of a massive structure that's twice the size of a 747's wing, but that's still $10 million for a mast. The Ellison-owned team has two more in reserve, so it's understandable how the helmsman can call the harrowing event "minor" when speaking to we plebeians.

The cause of the mishap is unknown. Weather and stray surfing gadget blog editors have been ruled out, and the team hopes to figure out the real cause and get back to training so they can meet and defeat Alinghi of Switzerland on Feb. 8. [NBC Bay Area]

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<![CDATA[Matte Black Earthrace Power Boat Hunts Those Who Hunt Whales]]> Last we heard from Earthrace, the super sleek 78-ft. power boat that runs on its captain's fat, it was circumnavigating the globe. Today, the ship has a new Batman paint job and a new mission: Hunting whalers.

Specifically Japanese whalers. The same Japanese whalers who were made famous by the camera-happy efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. You know, the group whose anti-whaling, conservationist exploits on the high seas can be seen on a reality TV show near you, right now?

Now, the paint job and wild design aren't just for aesthetics. Nay, they also turn this sleek trimaran into a radar-deflecting stealth boat. Presumably, this will allow the Earthrace to sidle up to unsuspecting whaling ships, where it will then "protest" peaceably.

The boat leaves Perth on December 7 on a three-month journey alongside the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's Steve Irwin to protest Japan's industrial whaling program. Good luck, and be careful. Stealth or not, last I checked matte black wasn't harpoon-proof. [LIFE via Boing Boing]

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<![CDATA[Butterfingered Sea Captains Need These Floating, Loudly Colored Boat Tools]]> Yar! Where be my pliers and braided cable cutters? Avast! There they be, bobbin' in the surf, next to me floatin' massage chair!

And scene.

Anyway, these brightly-colored tools float and accomplish several boat-related tasks—just right for Summermodo adventures you might have planned!

Knock them overboard and they're easily seen and retrieved. Pretty straightforward. The handles help the tools float because they're made of comforting foam. Bonus: The rust-resistant metal is tungsten-carbide, perfect for fighting off the corrosive effects of that salty sea air. Yar. [Amazon via Boing Boing]

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<![CDATA[The Deep Flight Super Falcon Sub is Actually a Private Airplane for the Sea]]> I'd never been envious of Tom Perkins' giant sailboat, the Maltese Falcon, until it received a deployable submarine in its belly. The sub, called the Deep Flight Super Falcon, is a 21-foot electric vehicle, bringing aerodynamic principles to the sea.

John Markoff got a ride recently, and reported the craft as being interesting, even in the plankton fog of Monterey Bay, CA.

Each time the 21-foot long electric-powered submarine plunged, my loosely buckled five-point harness left me sliding out of my seat. Each time we started to ascend, I was pushed back into the seat by the acceleration...Unlike a conventional submarine, which uses ballast to plunge into the ocean depths, the Super Falcon "flies" through water. It is slightly buoyant, and it is the speed of its propeller that pushes it downward in the mirror image of the aerodynamic lift of a conventional winged aircraft.It can operate at depths up to 400 feet, has a top speed of six knots and can fly for five hours on a single battery charge.

Deep Flight is helmed by Graham Hawkes, a pioneer in deep sea exploration vehicles. Among other craft, Hawkes built the Deep Rover sub which was used to film Aliens of the Deep by James Cameron in 3D IMAX, the Mantis, which was filmed in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only and the Deep Flight Challenger, a winged sub built capable of reaching 37,000 feet of depth meant for Steve Fossett to break the deep diving record in.

If you're interested, John Markoff's article has a video embedded in it of the dive and a tale of the first ocean dive in the Falcon with Perkins, where they chased Hammerheads. Below, I've included a video of the Maltese Falcon coming under the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as a video of him testing his prototype Super Falcon.

[Deep Flight, NYTimes, photo by Leslie Terzian Markoff and Yachtpals]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: The Finish and a New Record]]> The Finish: The Pegasus Open 50 sailboat just set the Transpac record of 7 days, 19 hours, 38 minutes and 35 seconds for a double handed monohull ship. Previous Record: 10 days, 4 hours and 4 minutes.

Over the Last Night:

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: Day 6, Power is Back]]> July 12, 5:15 AM PST Sailing along fast. Found faulty regulator and alternator. Good start.

July 12, 6:17 AM PST
Update: We expect/hope to be fully recovered by Noon. Then we'll jibe for a lay-line to the tip of Molokai and have our final jibe there. Trying to minimize jibes. Big relief.

July 12, 7:15 AM PST
Engine fix and Katayama-San' lucky sextant returns

July 12, 8:00 AM PST,
MotionX-GPS guiding Pegasus from L.A. to Honolulu

July 12, 8:45 AM PST
Sunrise and Breakfast Burritos

July 12, 10:30 AM PST
Good Morning, Crusty Takes Over for the Day

July 12, 1:00 PM PST
ETA: From what we can tell, with our electrical back, around 9 am PST ( 6 am HST) is a good guess for our finish, just inside 8 days, something like 7 day, 20 hours and something. Sunrise in the Molokai channel.

There is still a lot of sailing to be done. That's a reasonable guess.

July 12, 5:30 PM PST
Sunshades and generator back running, calling the layline to Kalapapa.

July 12, 7:00 PM PST
Molokai channel

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Log: Rainbows...and We've Lost Power]]> July 11, 9:20 PM PST Lost all ways to recharge batteries, down to emergency battery. Just like an airplane.


July 11, 9:42 PM PST





July 11, 10:15 PM PST

Just enough power to send emails. We have not regained anything yet. Lost some more. Dark and squalls with no electrical - Bad. Safe but bad.


July 11, 10:28 PM PST
All down - Down to flashlighs, mechanical compass and add-on batteries for iPhone GPS [They've got MotionX GPS apps] and hand held iridium. Trying to fix.

July 11, 11:10 PM PST
MotionX-GPS Waypoint: Night falling, batteries not charging

[An entry logged from MotionX-GPS app on the iPhone, which sends out emails (the device is connected using the remaining power on the boat, Wi-Fi and an iridium backup sat phone.)- BL]

Hello,

Philippe uses MotionX-GPS on the iPhone 3G and is sharing with you the following waypoint:

Pitch black night, pure feel sailing in 20+ knots. Crusty working fixing batteries now.

Name: Night falling, batteries not charging

Date: Jul 11, 2009 11:10 pm

Location:

Latitude: 23º 16' 58" N

Longitude: 151º 48' 20" W

Altitude: 0 ft

Click on this link to display the waypoint in Google Maps. This link will be valid until Aug 10, 2009 11:25 PM PDT.

If you are viewing this message on your iPhone or iPod touch, use this link to view the waypoint in the Maps application.

[So they're looking at finishing the race and getting through the nights with no gps and no autopilot. Just celestial navigation using the sextant (which the navy no longer even teaches sailors in annapolis). Philippe is a bit of a math genius, so using a flashlight and the sextant and some paper, he can get it done. And they've got spare charge packs for the iPhone (and its GPS) and the flashlights. But that's about it.-BL]
From earlier in the day, at 5pm PST, a post about navigating with and without electronics:

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Log: Day 6/7, The Wind is Picking Up]]> The wind is picking up, and at the same time, the boat has to Jibe to port to adjust its path towards Hawaii.

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: Day 5/6 and the Moon]]> July 9, 5:30 PM PST Today we are living within the realm of Squalls. Squalls in the the Northeast sub-tropical Pacific are different. They are small, concentrated and powerful. The rain lasts ~20 minutes under them if you're stationary.

We're not.

I love squalls in Honolulu: refreshing, cleansing and replenishing for island precious water.

On Pegasus 50, we move fast at more than half of the squall's speed. My personal interpretation of North East Pacific Squalls is that they are caused by evaporation with subsequent cooling of the rising air and travel with the tradewinds. During their build-up phase, they mostly "suck" air into them as they are highly active building convective systems. The upper limit comes when the ultra moist air reaches adiabatic balance. Therefore, if you are in front of such a building squall, you loose a lot of wind velocity and get a nasty right shift, but if you have one behind you, she "sucks air" that heads you if you are on starboard jibe with a great boost in velocity. The longer you ride that squall the better. Mark caught a short video of one that he was riding to a max speed of 28 knots of wind and 22 knots of boat speed this afternoon . Check it out, passing right behind Pegasus 50. Mark is steering and filming.




Course 270° T, Speed 14 Knots, Lat 25° 54' N, Lon 139° 36' W



July 9, 7:00 PM PST
Tradewind sailing with building squalls, pointing right to Diamond Head




Course 270° T, Speed 14 Knots, Lat 25° 52' N, Lon 139° 40' W

July 10, 2:30 AM PST
Insomniac sailor with a Transpac purpose!





Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Log: Finally, Through the Fog, a Sunset]]> July 8, 9:00 PM PST This is what a sunset looks like in the middle of the ocean, from a sailboat racing from California to Hawaii.






Course 265° T, Speed 13.5 Knots, Lat 26° 03' N, Lon 135° 00' W


July 9, 2:15 AM PST
Windy tonight. On edge and don't trust the pilot on 20+ and big waves. No horizon. Been steering for 3 hours. Crusty is sound asleep. I can't believe that he trusts me!





July 9, 7:00 AM PST
Trade Winds Sailing at its Best!





Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Tour, Part 6: The Kitchen Sink]]> All food on the sailboat is heated on a pivoting stove that self rights to true down, no matter how much it's rocking. It's also the sink, which spits fresh or salt water. All food is vacuum bag sealed.

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Log: Day 4, Following the Low Pressure]]> July 8, 3:30 PM PST Pegasus has been chewing up the miles and we are very lucky for that. Our last two days were 305 and 295 nautical miles respectfully.

We like our heading with a lot of West and a bit of South in it, averaging about 255 true. Tactically and strategically we're able to achieve our goals.

However, we never take anything for granted and keep on crunching a lot of weather information. We've been consistently reading 1019 on the barometer, which means that we are sailing down the 1019 isobar. We feel very comfortable with that.

At this morning's schedule, we saw that a lot of boats were heading North. That would mean a rapidly rising barometer and ultimately a "spin into the high." So we like what we are doing. All the automated routing programs seem to point to a Northerly track. We're contrarians and disagree. We'll know soon enough. *

We're settling into that routine where Crusty watches the days and I watch the nights. It's almost like our day to day schedules! Except that we're riding the wind fast to Paradise!

Course 243° T, Speed 15 Knots, Lat 26° 25' N, Lon 133° 12' W

*Further explanation from Arthur Kinsolving:

Essentially it's about gauging what the weather is going to do and where to go for the best wind. High pressure systems are fair weather and light winds (i.e. slow sailing). Low pressure systems are stronger winds (potentially stormy). So sailors watch the barometer carefully as indication to how the weather is changing around them and to give them clues on where to go. So it's a game of how far are you willing to deviate from the shortest straight line path between L.A. and Hawaii to get stronger wind.

Isobars are like contour lines on a topographic map except they indicate regions of equal atmospheric pressure instead of altitude like they do on a topographic map. So when you look at a weather map and see lots of isobars stacked up very close together, it means that there will be lots of wind there due to the big pressure gradient. So sailors watch the barometer as an indication of how the weather is changing and to give clues on where to go.

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: Night 3, This is What Sailing in the Pitch Black Ocean is Like]]> July 8, 0:30 AM PST We are clearly entering the realm of the tradewinds. The natural path to Hawaii and it's rich seafarer's culture.

The ancient Hawaians were voyaging and navigating thousand of nautical miles in the Pacific ocean while the West was lost in endless gyrations. We are clearly entering the realm of the tradewinds. The natural path to Hawaii and it's rich seafarer's culture. The ancient Hawaians were voyaging and navigating thousand of nautical miles in the Pacific ocean while the West was lost in endless gyrations. As we approach the gateway to Polynesia, we must show respect.

Respectfully asking Kane and his brother Kaneloa to grant us safe passage into the tradewind to Honolulu and the house by the Wailupe Streams. All of our technology and our strength can take us there. But without the supernatural we are nothing. As Ulysses found out painfully.

2 AM Update:
These clouds puff or suck. They all look the same at night. With this overcast sky, there are clouds that play with our minds. Especially as I stand watch alone at night, one hand on the helm, the rest of my senses fully in listening mode. As we are sailing downwind on starboard the clouds that matter are on our right back quarter. Like yesterday, the clouds are tricky. Not that I can change the outcome much.. Speed or becalmed. I noticed that I can start to feel some cold air from the puffers. That makes sense: they suck colder upper atmospheric air and "puff it out in front of them". The suckers seem to do the opposite and becalm a large area around them.

All is well aboard the mighty Pegasus. Challenging sailing conditions. That's what we enjoy.

Course 260° T, Speed 11 Knots, Lat 27° 08' N, Lon 129° 48' W

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Tour, Part 5: Internet, Sat Phones, Kevlar, Heaters]]> The Open 50 raceboat's cabin has three satellite phones, a kevlar roof to pass wireless signals through and even Ethernet. The tour continues here.

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: IPhone Video, Endless Fog]]> Here's a clip, uploaded moments ago from the Pegasus Open 50 sailboat underway in the Transpac race, using an iPhone 3G S, Wi-Fi and Satellite uplink.

July 7, 3:00 PM PSTTactically and strategically, we feel that we are far enough south, sitting on the 1018 isobar, hunting for that elusive 1020 and sticking to it.

When we eventually find it, and when the shift is right, we'll start jybing and surfing our way to Honolulu.

After the full night's shift I finally got 4 hours of sleep this morning. Crusty is happy sailing the boat at day-time. He's hopping around and getting real busy with lots of odds and ends jobs. I can hear his "paws" on the cabintop while I am trying to fall asleep.

Today I thought about the video camera on my 3GS and used it on the bow to put up a little ambiance video. I called it "Making Tracks". It's short and shows how it feels to sail this boat in moderate winds. She's fast and wet. [Lots of splashing comes over the rail, which is very low compared to larger boats.-BL]

The sky is one hundred percent overcast. No sunrise, sunset, stars or moon. It's essentially a huge extension of the California coastal fog. For now we see it as sun-protection. We're happy! Pegasus is making tracks towards the barn.

Course 250° M, Speed 13 Knots, Lat 27° 38' N, Lon 127° 32' W

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: Day 3]]> July 7, 4:50 AM PST A quiet and relatively slow night. Around 10 PM it became clear that the wind was backing off and that we were entering the "Pacific High doldrums ridging zone".

That means large oscillations and significant wind speed changes. These conditions don't wear you out physically, but they do mentally. In fact it's all about patience. At 11 PM we decided that I'd stand watch until sunrise as I tend to be the Night Owl and Crusty would pick-up during day time. In the dark.

The full moon is out, but there is 100% cloud cover, The wind is oscillating between NW and NE. It's tough to take pictures in the dark!

On watch on deck with WiFi live, we have perfectly watertight Otter cases for our two iPhone 3GS. One for each. With the new magnetic compass and iPod integration it's awesome.

Take a look at this screen:
- The Compass points in the direction that we are travelling. (225°)
- The Blue arrow points to the finish line. (251°)
- VMG of 12.6 kts (Velocity Made Good) is the rate at which Pegasus is moving towards the finish line.

According to our app [Motion X GPS-BL]. With Pegasus maintaining this VMG we will finish in 171 hours from now or just over 7 days.

Course 220° T, Speed 11.5 Knots, Lat 28° 28' N, Lon 125° 27' W

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[The Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Tour, Part 4: Barometer, Autopilot, Wind Meter and Keel Control]]> For those interested in how sailboats work, Bruce Mahoney of Pegasus Racing continues his tour of the tech inside the Open 50 Raceboat. Here he starts into the cabin, where weather and navigation are handled (dryly, I might add).

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: Day Two, Heading South and Kulani the Barometer]]> July 6, 6:00 PM PST After we licked our wounds, we made sail changes all day. With just the two of us and a lot of sail area, each change is a major project.



Therefore, we think before we act, and we triple check everything. The one who's steering watches for the one who's on the fore-deck.



I took that picture with an iPhone tracking our progress on our GPS app, while steering, as Mark was hoisting the Code 3 sail.

We spent hours talking about the weather charts as well as our own observations from the boat. Mark and I agree that we should dive deep south to find some compressions with more wind. The weather forecast doesn't agree with us. It rarely doe, but we don't agree with the weather forecast and we have good reasons for that. Consider the following: we carry a highly accurate Vaisala Barometer. This barometer employs 3 different high-end pressure sensors, has the algorithmics built-in to always pick the two best sensors and average them. This is a high precision instrument and we named her Kulani. Well Kulani is telling us that we are on the 1018 isobar and all the forecasts and weather charts are telling us that we are on the 1015 isobar. It's kind of like the weatherman telling you that it is raining, but the sun is shining out of your window. So, we'll follow our own science and sense our way down that 1018 isobar.

We now have a lot of sail area up: full main, staysail and large, strong Cuben-Fiber code 3 tight luff headsail. We're going fast into the night. We're three hours from Sunset and getting ready to sail through one more wet and dark night. [After which, the wind should be at their backs more, and the sailing will be faster and easier and less splashy - BL] Turning the corner of this ridging high pressure system fast is what we want to do.

Fly Pegasus Fly through the night!
, Course 227° T, Speed 14.7 Knots, Lat 29° 42' N, Lon 123° 23' W

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[Pegasus Open 50 Sailboat Log: A Brief History of the Transpac Race]]> What's this sailing race about? The Transpac isn't the biggest sailboat race, but it's the longest of the two oldest. The first Transpac happened in 1906, less than a month after the great SF earthquake, forcing it to start from LA.

From Wikipedia:

In the 1975 movie Jaws, the character Matt Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss, claims that he has "crewed two Transpacs" as a means of establishing his seamanship credentials with Quint.

From the Transpac Race site:

The race was inspired by King Kalakaua, the revered Hawaiian leader of the late 19th century who believed that such an event would strengthen the islands' economic and cultural ties to the mainland. But it didn't happen until Clarence MacFarlane, a Honolulu racing sailor, invited several contemporaries in San Francisco and Los Angeles to race to the Hawaiian Islands. The race was scheduled to start in the early summer of 1906, but when MacFarlane sailed his 48-foot schooner into San Francisco Bay he realized there would have to be a change of plans. The city lay in ruins following the great earthquake 27 days earlier.

But MacFarlane wasn't easily discouraged. He simply changed the starting point to Los Angeles, and except for one nostalgic return to San Francisco for the start in 1939, the race has started in Southern California ever since. The starting line is now off the bluffs of Point Fermin in San Pedro at the southern edge of the City of Los Angeles. The finish is off the Diamond Head lighthouse just east of Honolulu, establishing a distance of 2,225 nautical miles.

The 2009 race will be the 45th Transpac. It has been sailed by 1,700 boats from 17 countries, including 124 foreign competitors. The race is run biennially in odd-numbered years, alternating with the Newport-to-Bermuda race that also started in 1906.

Boats in the first race took about 12 days to finish; the modern record is about 6 days and change, for a single hull, and 5 days and change for a multihull.

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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<![CDATA[The Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat Log: Day/Night One]]> July 5th, 2:40PM PST, 2009, Catalina Islands: Right before the start, one hour on our way, our hydraulics failed. That's the system that helps cant the keel. It's a must have.

Our shore team hustled and made miracles happen. They had just 50 minutes because 10 minutes before the start they have to be off the boat with Crusty and I the only souls on the mighty Pegasus. By the time they hopped into our escort boat, we had half of our hydraulic systems back up. That's enough to take us to Honolulu safely. Thank goodness for redundant systems, and thanks to Gilesie and Zan for a miracle fix.

Now it is just the two of us sailing on our way to Honolulu. We're upwind because we must leave the top of Catalina to port. This is the only mark of the course. Next stop, the Diamond Head lighthouse.

We had a good start, just where and when we wanted: At the boat end 10 seconds after the gun. We are now happily sailling upwind, half way to Catalina. Crusty (Mark) is steering.
Course 234° T, Speed 8.2 Knots, Lat 33° 33' N, Lon 118° 27' W

July 5, 7:00 PM PST, 2009, Catalina Islands




We are getting ready for a wild and wet night. Now the wind is gusting to 25 knots and the seas have grown to 9 feet. Check out this picture taken from the nav station.
Course 220° T, Speed 10.5 Knots, Lat 33° 05' N, Lon 119° 05' W

July 6, 8:00 AM PST, 2009




Mark and I split the night. I stood watch until 2 am, Mark took over until sunrise. We are both wet, cold, battered by waves, yet happy as can be: We sailed fast and smart.

At one in the morning we put up the big Genoa (the big sail up front with about 120% of the usual area), cracked the sheets and stood on 14 to 16 knots. Fast into the night. We saw lights from racers ahead of us, then on our beam (side), then behind us, Then no more.

I saved a life last night. I was hit on the chest by a giant flying fish. I looked at it flapping in the dark amidst the fluorescent krill brought on by the large waves submerging the boat periodically. So, I made a dive for the fish on my way, hit the auto-pilot switch, grabbed the fish, felt a violent right turn, and I got washed to leeward (away from the wind) by a wave. Bloodied nose, bruised knee. The autopilot didn't engage. But I saved the fish. I wasn't going to eat it. It was a male so no Tobiko, anyhow. Now this fish has quite a story to tell his fellows. Mark slept down bellow through all of this.

Pushing hard for the record after a wild, wet and exhausting night.

Course 219° T, Speed 14 Knots, Lat 31° 18' N, Lon 121° 27' W

Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He's also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He'll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Richard Clarke set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]

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