Vic Maui dodgers and other marine canvas

Given that this is a marine canvas blog we feel it's appropriate to discuss the canvas of the Vic Maui boats.

 Straight Express jumps out as having the most luxurious (for a racing boat) dodger and bimini. For a long race like Vic Maui with cold/hot extremes it would really make a difference in comfort level to have a set up like this.

Red Sheilla has a nice smaller dodger, that would help as well especially in the weather that confronted the boats  in the first few days of the race. We love the color too!

Sonsie also opted for a smaller racier dodger with what looks like a hard top, plus a foldable bimini for the tropical part of the journey.

The super star of the race Terremoto! has a neat hard racing dodger.

Terremoto! also has abundant organizational bags and soft lockers. With the chaos that a racing in rough weather can bring, this is a great idea.

Delicate Balance is finaly in San Francisco

Delicate Balance is at the dock in San Francisco and the crew is starting to work on fixing the boat and preparing it for delivery home.

Delicate Balance – Slooow

The wind dropped to 5 knots, the engine doesn't work, sailing under the spinnaker, but still too slow. With the engine out of the equation and the wind dying San Francisco is getting further not closer. They are working on trying to fix the engine, if it works they have enough fuel to motor to port.

Delicate Balance gets renamed - Diabolic Bastard

Looks like DB will have to rename the boat (LOL)

They have 300 miles left to SF. The boat will need repairs. The engine won't start and they are charging batteries by towed generator. They have 12 knots of wind and are going at 7.5 knots. Expecting to get to SF Friday night.

DB quote of the day:
....Love from all on DB (aka Diabolic Bastard)....

All is well – joking as usual....

Tracking Delicate Balance

Something to keep in mind:
If you don't see a position updated on the spot tracker (hasn't been updated in 4 hours) don't worry it's likely b/c they are conserving batteries (or out of batteries). Russell said that they are ok and fairly comfortable (only slightly dump at this point).

Terremoto! - we are thinking of you

As previously reported 2 other boats in the race have injured crew on board.

Susan from Terremotto! suffered a pretty serious injury.

From Tettomoto! blog
[.....the boat immediately leaned over and Susan  fell 8 feet straight down on the lower edge of the cockpit.  She was harnessed into the cockpit but the harness is designed to let the wearer move across the cockpit freely.  So, nothing stopped her fall until her left side slammed squarely on the edge of the cockpit.  She looked like an egg that had just been cracked of the side of a frying pan....]

[.....Since her fall we have kept Susan still.  But, today, 3 days after her fall, she is able to sit up on her own and her smile says she is actually starting to mend.  She is one tough woman.
Each morning we discuss pulling the plug on the race and heading back to the west coast.  Susan is the strongest advocate for continuing on to Maui. When she was first injured the prospects of beating upwind to get back to the west coast in gale force winds we not something she wanted to do.  It would have taken another couple days and it made that option sound like torture rather than help.   So, we continue on.  We have slowed the boat to try and minimize the stress on Susan from any pounding caused by the big waves along our route....]

[.....We have adjusted the watch schedule and reduced sail area to a point that we think it is best for Susan.  Each of us naps during the day then goes on deck for two hours with the other two getting 4 hours of rest in a row.  This system is allowing us to rest enough to get us all to Maui.....]

It's interesting to note that even after slowing the boat down and not really trying to race anymore, just trying to keep Susan comfortable, Terremotto! is going faster that any other boat in the race. With just 3 crew.... they are tough!!

Paul Bieker (the designer of this Riptide 35) must get busy with more people discovering how amazing this boat is performing.

Delicate Balance - some explanation

At 8:30 am we got relatively detailed phone (!) report on what happened to Delicate Balance. And some insight on why they pulled out of the race.  Apart from rough seas DB experienced multiple problems with their electrical system. They had trouble with their generator, so charging the battery was a challenge. They have solar panels on board, but there was no sun. Considering that all their navigational instruments run on electricity that was bad news. They also had some huge waves that drenched the boat inside-out and problems with the stove as previously reported.
They have concluded that the likelihood of future technical problems is too high, and when the next problem arises they wanted to be closer to shore. But the shore is still ways to go. They are expecting to arrive to San Francisco on Saturday.

Vic Maui 2010 - not a smooth afair

"Reading crewmember’s accounts of their journey you’re reminded Vic Maui isn’t a pleasure cruise. It’s an endurance race. There are many pleasurable moments, but sailing a small boat in the open ocean with 3 meter seas and 25+ knot winds is a draining, and sometimes dangerous endeavour.  Delicate Balance and her crew are heading to San Francisco having pulled out of the race.  The details aren’t clear, but the crew reports everything in the boat is wet: bedding, clothing, food --- everything. Delicate Balance hasn’t suffered any damage, and there are no reported injuries but she has changed tack and expects to sight the Golden Gate in 2 or 3 days.
Crew members on at least two boats have sustained injuries in the high winds. Aboard Teremoto! Susan cracked or broke some ribs on day two of the race. After consultation with a doctor ashore, and on the insistence of Susan, Terremoto is continuing to Hawaii. The boat is running fast and has less than 1600 miles left in the race.
Aboard Black Watch, Shawn has injured her hip and one of her feet in a fall that sounds similar in nature to the mishap aboard Teremoto! The injury however may not have been as severe. Black Watch is still Hawaii bound, and by all accounts everyone is wet but well fed. With the boats approaching the half-way point of the race everyone hopes the roughest weather is behind them and they can run downhill to Maui, enjoying the tropical sun."
Via  http://www.vicmaui.org/

Sad news - Delicate Balance is pulling out of the race

Delicate Balance is heading to San Francisco. It appears that the crew is just too uncomfortable to continue. With the interior of the boat completely drenched and no hot food, the journey seems to turn into a hellish affair.  Maybe this X-One Ton is just not cut out for this.
They are 450 miles from SF - averaging 7 knots.

Delicate Balance - WET - Day 4 - Vic-Maui

The crew of DB are reporting some miserable conditions. Yesterday, there was a gale warning issued for the area (gale warnings - winds reaching 34 - 47 knots). They are in rough seas and the boat is thoroughly soaked including most (or all) bunk beds. They also lost their ability to cook hot food, as the alcohol for the stove is locked in the cockpit locker and they are not daring to open it.
DB quote of the day:
".... Are we fun yet?
No danger, just uncomfortable.
42N 16.42 speed 9 knots course 209...."

Good speed! Go faster DB! (or the misery will last longer)

+ photo of Russell from the start
via VicMaui.org

Some General info about Vic-Maui 2010 and Delicate Balance

Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race (Vic-Maui) is the longest off shore race in the Pacific Northwest. It starts in Victoria, BC and ends in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.  The boats have to cover the distance of approximately 2,308 nautical miles. The race runs every second year.

Vic Maui 2010 started on July 1 and ends on July 22. This year is the first year the race has a staggered start. This means that the slower rated boats started first (on July 1) and the faster rated boats started later on (July 3). The idea behind this “experiment” is that it would make for a better party in Lahaina, Maui, as all the boats will arrive closer together.

This year 9 boats participate in the race.

Delicate Balance (the boat Russell is on) started on July 3 among the faster rated boats. However, Delicate Balance is the slowest boat among them (sorry if it’s confusing). Each boat’s place in the race results is determined trough a calculation of the time it took her to complete the race relative to her optimal speed (rating).

Delicate Balance – Day 3 - feeling rough

Delicate Balance had a rough night. Wind as high as 35 knots. They were sailing as fast as 12 knots during the night. Some of the crew members are still seasick.
Currently they are 115 miles off Newport, Oregon, sailing carefully under small jib only at about 7 knots.
DB quote of the day:
"...DB crew wishes you were here--instead of us! ..."

Delicate Balance – Day two

Delicate Balance is going steady and are now off the Oregon coast. They are reporting seasickness among part of the crew, but it is under control  (patch and green apples). They have no visual connection to any of the participating boats.

Some more photos from the start + tracking.

Delicate Balance – Day one of Vic-Maui Race

Delicate Balance had a good start and, judging by the photos, the crew are in a good spirit. It's really difficult to track the boats on the Vic-Maui tracker for now because they are close together. Also the reports are delayed by 3 hours. Delicate Balance has a nifty gadget on board called 'SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger'. It allows us to see the boat progress in (almost) real time – 15-minute intervals.

Go to:

SPOT tracker 

Photos via blue book of boats

Russell is off to race in the Vic-Maui

Russell is off to race in the Vic-Maui International Yacht Race. He is part of the "Delicate Balance" team.
http://www.vicmaui.org/teams?itemid=27

You can follow Russell on:
http://trackinfo.fistracking.com/2010VM/

New sleek dodger for Beneteau

Seams Fair just completed a new cool dodger for a cool boat.