Atlantic Cup Leg One/ The End of the Race!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by spoon

Holy Cow! What a great race! And we won to boot!!

A Couple of Happy Fellas …

We sailed the last 24 hours knowing our two main competitors were both within 7 miles of us. Caught in a turbulent and unpredictable weather system, Matt’s mind was revving at full-speed playing out all sorts of different scenarios. Once we crossed with our competitors though, and knew what strategy cards they were holding, and which ones they were playing – we agreed on the perfect scenario for the situation, which was to do whatever it took to stay between our competitors and the finish line!

The 6 hours prior to coming into the harbor in New York City were pretty tense, as we could see Lecoq Cuisine and 40 Degrees directly behind us, closing the gap as they rode a new wind shift which was giving them a speed edge. At the same time, we knew we would eventually get that same wind, and so be able to hang onto our position. The wind eventually did increase, and when it did, it gave us a nice 20-25 knot push downwind to the finish.

In the course of it, all we had to do was to complete three perfect gybes, which in such winds with a crew of 8 … is doable, but with only the 2 of us … well, it can put you into a kind of death grip and leave you with a helluva mess to clean up. Anyway, the first two gybes went well … but on the third, we had a mess-up when we found ourselves in a compromised position with a huge freighter that was bearing right down on us! Somehow, we cleared it and got out of the way just in time! And in all that, I found time to set up the video camera. I figured we had done two great gybes, and so I thought let’s video the third one to show people. So, during that third gybe, the video was running … right through our near screw-up. I’m planning on uploading that tonight … so stay tuned!

Atlantic Cup Interview w/ Matt & Dave at the Finish Line …

Following that encounter, we opted to throttle back some, took the spinnaker down and put up the jib. We worked our way to the finish, kind of in slow motion … surrounded by ships and pushed back by an outgoing tide. We knew Lecoq was gaining on us quickly towards the end, which forced us to put the spinnaker back up again and close it out that way.

The Morning After …

So, all in all, all is very good – all boats and crew arrived safely … and Bodacious Dream took first place … leaving us with a full tank of memories, more of which I’ll share in the next few days. (Many more things are being shared too on our BD Facebook Page.)

Now for a little wind-down time – off to get some food and then some rest, before finishing up our clean-up of the boat. (Remember Leg 2 of the Atlantic Cup starts this Saturday @ 2pm!)

So, hang tight and we’ll have some videos and photos ready to share here soon.

Thanks again,

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

Bodacious Dream Takes First Leg of Atlantic Cup Race!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by spoon

BODACIOUS DREAM captures the first leg of the Atlantic Cup Race! … 1st across the finish line in New York City at 21:06:15 EDT! Total Elapsed Time to Finish … 79 hrs. I min. 15 secs.

New York, New York – Such a winderful town!

Braving all manner of obstacles, the guys managed to hold onto the lead position all the way from around Cape Hatteras, NC! Way to dream it and live it … Dave Rearick & Matt Scharl … and the whole Bodacious Dream Family!

For real … Statue of Liberty in lower left

#121- Lecoq Cuisine – 2nd across the finish line at 21:14:43 – (That’s an insanely skimpy 8.5 minutes behind Matt & Dave in a 3 day and 4 hour contest! Respect!) Then #90 – 40 Degrees finishes in 3rd position, arriving at 22:01:12.

An AMAZING finish to an amazing race! Congrats ALL around!

Dave and Matt practice hailing a cab …

(More to come soon … you can be sure!)

Once again, thank you everyone … for your ongoing confidence and support!

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

Atlantic Cup/ Day Three & Nearing the Big Apple!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by spoon

A brisk Tuesday afternoon out here off the New Jersey Coast … a sunny rebound from last night’s temperature drop. At the moment, we’re about 40 miles from New York City! It looks like we’ve been leading the fleet for a while now, though the winds have started to turn light and fluky … and as any sailor knows, anything can happen. A five-mile lead can disappear in a wind shift. In any case, it’s going to be exciting going from here on in, and we’re awaiting our first glimpse of the Manhattan skyline.

We hear we are being closely pursued by Lecoq Cuisine (#121) and 40 Degrees (#90) – two great boats with smart skippers. According to the Atlantic Cup Race Tracker, here’s how things are looking at present.

Atlantic Cup Race Tracker – 5.14.13 – 4:20 EDT

Overall, the weather has been challenging for the past 36 hours – some lighter winds, which forced us into mellow sailing, alternating with some pretty complicated and challenging conditions. We had to do some involved maneuvering about the race course Monday, trying to hang onto the goal of a podium finish. We worked ourselves over to where Icarus and 40 Degrees were, and then worked our way out in front of them. The winds have been into the mid-to-high teens, with a good sea state, making for some serious sailing. And did I mention it was cold out here too? Well, it was … nice and cold.

Dave’s Atlantic Cup – Day 2 Recap …

So, while we think we are about 5 miles ahead of the other boats at this point, anything can happen in the approach to NYC. (For you Expedition fans, check out the “Geography/History Explorer Guide” for questions about New York City.)

The winds are scheduled to lighten up and push toward the South, which could well favor the other boats. For our part, we’ll keep sailing as fast as possible … to NYC! But you never know … the tide influence as we approach the harbor may throw us an unexpected turn. Low tide is around 6pm EDT this evening, and it is often very tough to get up river on an outgoing tide and in light winds.

Yesterday, Off Cape Hatteras …

We had a few equipment complications onboard Monday, but I think we’ll be ok with the way things are … at least through to the first leg finish.

Co-Skipper Matt Scharl‘s fully recovered from his bout of food poisoning … which we’re both grateful for. Here’s an audio interview the Atlantic Cup folks did just now w/ Matt.

Atlantic Cup – Matt’s Day 2 Audio Recap …

So, let us see what develops then. And thanks, as always … for following along.

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

Atlantic Cup/ Day Two & Whew!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by spoon

It’s just after midnight on Sunday night, as I write this. A few hours back, we passed Cape Hatteras, the legendary “Graveyard of the Atlantic” … but to no ill effect. Right now, we’re on a nice jib reach sail through the night. A “jib reach” is when you are sailing towards the center of the wind, but not as closely as is possible, which we call sailing to windward or on a beat. So, our sails are slightly eased now, making for a nice somewhat easier sail. As we moved, a fingernail sliver of a moon and one planet to the right lit the early night sky, leaving a dusty trail of moonlight on the water. As those celestial visitors passed below the western horizon, we were left with a canopy of beautiful stars, some phosphorescence … and the disappointing realization that I had forgotten to buy cookies before we set sail, leaving me now with mighty slim pickens for my midnight snack.

Matt & Dave at the start of the race …

The first day of the race offered us some great sailing. My last short update was after exiting Charleston Harbor. Through last night, we sailed with our A3 spinnaker and though it was often difficult sailing, we made pretty solid gains and some time on the boats near us. After that, the fleet split up … taking one of two different strategies. One group stayed closer to the shoreline, choosing not to seek out the Gulf Stream. The other group, which included us, headed straight east to meet up with the Gulf Stream, before turning more northerly towards Cape Hatteras.

Things were moving along quite well … with one exception; Matt had eaten something bad, and underwent a pretty nasty bout of stomach nausea and weakness. We’re not sure the cause, but we think it was some year-old French peanut butter.

Once we made it out to the Gulf Stream, we attempted a gybe – changing course where the back of the boat turns through the wind rather than over the bow … which in strong winds is a complicated enough maneuver with a crew of 8 … and all the more edgy with just two of us. We then furled (rolled) up the A3, which gave us problems when the furl snarled up, leaving us unable to unfurl the sail. After much hard work, we were able to lower the sail and stuff it below decks, and sail on with our jib. This left us in a compromised situation for speed, not to mention that both of us at that point, and Matt with his stomach problem, were pretty exhausted. By about 04:30 hours, we had to make the decision to throttle back and attempt a recover – physically. Not long after that, the winds increased and the jib proved to be a fortunate choice of sail.

So, I guess when I say it was some great sailing, that’s what I mean – not easy, but still great. We eventually got the A3 unrolled below decks and reset it about 08:00 hours and sailed with it most of the day. Lots of sail changes followed and just a little sleep. With Matt partly compromised and mostly staying in the cockpit steering, we both wore ourselves down. As the winds eased up some this afternoon, we were able to regain our energies, and Matt has been able to eat once again. Thank goodness for such tender mercies.

All in all, all is well – it’s just a day in the life of shorthanded sailors pressing to race on to New York. It appears on the last position schedule we saw, that we are still in contention, which we think has been because we were able to use the 2-knot assist of the current from the Gulf Stream to make up the miles we lost with the sail problems. I just learned that we are out front of the fleet at the moment. Well, what do you know? We’ll just have to stick around and see how the rest of the race plays out, won’t we?

BoDream in Leader Position as of 04:35 EDT … (See AC Race Tracker here!)

As it turned out, the Gulf Stream was a bit further off-shore than we anticipated, and it took us a while to get there, but once we were there, it was pretty obvious. Our speed over the ground was greater than our speed through the water, not to mention the warmth of the water spraying in our face as well as the warmth of the air. We saw sargasso grass along the western edge and numerous flying fish playing about. These are all traditional signs that you’re getting close to or into the amazing Gulf Stream. (To learn more the Gulf Stream, check out this Environment Explorer Guide on our Bodacious Dream Expeditions website.)

Cape Hatteras, which we just passed, is one of the most significant barrier island areas on the Eastern Coastline. While we were quite a few miles offshore and so didn’t actually see the barrier islands, we know they are there from other trips when we passed very close to them. The ever-changing edges of the barrier islands were a big problem for the builders of the famous Cape Hatteras lighthouse who had to find a way to build it so that it didn’t get washed into the sea. (More on Cape Hatteras at the History Explorer Guide and the Environment one too.)

So, on we go into the dark of night – straight onto morning. As I write this, there’s about 275 miles left to NYC, and we figure that will take us about 2 more days. This leaves us with lots of opportunities to catch up and pull ahead, or to make some tactical mistakes and fall behind. The Atlantic Cup is a very tactical race – one where you have to take into consideration a confluence of natural events surrounding prevailing weather and currents to find the quickest route to the finish line. That’s one of the interesting and amazing things about sailboat racing. While it requires that you be a good athlete, it’s not just about one’s physical abilities either. As boats derive their power and speed from the wind and course they take through the water, a big part of the game is to harness Ol’ Mother Nature to your advantage, so that you can get you to our destination, quickly and safely. I guess that’s the Mother’s Day message we’ll leave you with; pass gracefully through the world, and be careful to leave no trace in your wake. Try as best you can to maximize your life, and minimize your impact!

So, for now … back to business for us … and a good new week to you all!

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

Race Day is Here!

Posted on May 11, 2013 by spoon

Well, here it is start day … only it’s 1:00 AM, and both my brain and body tell me it’s time to rest. Matt Scharl, my co-skipper and I spent a long day getting the last items on the worklist done to prepare Bodacious Dream for the start of the race at 2:00 PM (EDT.)

We put the mainsail on and got that all set up, made a trip to the top of the mast to mount the wind instruments, moved the last of the unnecessary equipment from the boat into storage, packed away all the necessary equipment and spent some time studying weather strategies. This is going to be a very interesting race, for which I’m sure each boat will have their own strategies for how to get up the coast through what look to be a series of complex weather changes. A cold front that passed through the Midwest will be reaching us sometime on Sunday, which will force us to make a decision as to which side of the course to take. While we can do some planning in advance, we really can’t make a committed decision until later tomorrow when we see just how the racing sets up.

Point a camera at me, and watch me go …

Sailboat racing isn’t just about going fast; there is so much more to it than that. While you might be going fast, a competitor might be sailing a shorter distance … or, while you are going fast, you suddenly find yourself in a spot where the wind drops off, while your competitor who is sailing more moderately keeps pace with the wind for a longer period of time. Your brain is in constant calculation mode, running all sorts of scenarios, each with their unique set of time, distance and speed variables. Then throw in the predictably unpredictable weather, and you’ll typically find the winner has made the right decision about 55% of the time. As we often say, the boat that wins the race usually made the second-to-last mistake on the race course! Once we get on the water, I will try to share explain our thinking and decision-making process as we go along.

Here’s a passing look at our competition …

All the competitors look ready and strong, and as today turned to evening, everyone gathered over at Icarus, the Class 40 sailed by locals Ben Poucher and Tim Fetsch – two very talented young men who have brought their boat, Icarus back to life, after she was lost and washed ashore a few years ago. They stand to do very well in this year’s race. Anyway, we all shared some laughs before going our separate ways to do our last bits of work and planning for tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning will come quickly, so I’m going to keep this update short. We will hopefully have more to share with you by late tomorrow afternoon.

:: Here’s the link to RACE TRACKER – http://atlanticcup.org/race-day/leg-one-tracking/

So, stay tuned, watch the tracker, follow the race and enjoy. I hope our efforts bring as much excitement to your living room as it does to us out there sailing. Without you guys watching and following us, it most certainly wouldn’t be nearly as much fun!

Once again, a Map of the Race …

Be back soon with more … On to New York City then!

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

BoDream Does the Pre-Race Charleston!

Posted on May 9, 2013 by spoon

The Atlantic Cup Race is coming up like a rocket! Bodacious Dream is almost ready. Matt Scharl, my co-skipper is finished planting his fields and is joining me here in Charleston today where we’ll spend the next few days before the start of the race on Saturday finishing our preparations and mapping our strategy to match the weather forecasts. The boats are all gathered now at the Charleston City Marina. I was one of the last to arrive, having been up the Wando River at the City Boat Yard where Bodacious Dream was cozied up for the winter. Thanks to the great crew there and at High and Dry Boat Works for all their hard work getting through the routine maintenance list on Bodacious Dream. If you are in Charleston and need boat work done, these are the people to see!

Like a FiSH out of water …

With the maintenance completed, Bodacious Dream and I left the boat yard Wednesday morning and headed down the Wando River to Charleston. It’s a great trip – about two and a half hours – along the winding river with beautiful salt marshes and some nice homes mixed in with ocean-going shipping facilities.

Along the Wando …

As you get close to Charleston, you come upon the famous Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. This bridge brings a smile to my face every time I drive over it, cross under it, or jog up it. On each occasion, depending on the light, it changes personalities with all sorts of shifting angles, reflections and shadows. Last week I crossed over it at sunset and the entire right side was burning bright pink in the fading light.

A pretty darn bodacious bridge …

Had my hand at a bit of photo fun as I passed under it, framing the bridge’s suspension wires with the rigging of the boat.

Once beyond the bridge, we went by the Charleston Maritime Center, which is where the Atlantic Cup Race will start at 2pm Saturday afternoon. From there, we glided around the corner to the City Marina where the other competitors are docked – flags flying and all! And right in the middle of them, the flag of our sponsor … Newport’s own, FiSH!

I had a chance to meet some of the new competitors this year and reconnect with old friends and fellow-sailors. The great thing about this bunch of competitors is the incredible camaraderie. End of the day is typically time to figure out where everyone’s meeting up for dinner … but last night, I headed back to my hotel to take a nap, and try to bank up on some rest.

I hope you’re looking forward to this race and our next “expedition” as much as we are. We’ve got a whole new Atlantic “Cup” Coast expedition in place over on BodaciousDreamExpeditions.com … with new “Explorer Study Guides” for you (and the kids) to check out. Actually, everyone can learn something on this trip … the Atlantic Seaboard is such a treasure of natural and historical wonders … and we tried to cram a bunch of that info into the Guides, which I’ll also be referencing in my daily updates.

A sample section from our “Environment” Explorer Guide …

Also, this past week, we outfitted Bodacious Dream with fast onboard satellite Internet (whoot!) … so expect more photos and videos along with insightful race commentary from the now well-seasoned duo of Matt & Dave!

You can expect three to four days of exciting racing on the way to New York City. Once the race starts, you’ll be able to track the competitors and check out the standings via the race tracker at www.AtlanticCup.org. And we’ll be keeping you up-to-date on what’s happening with us onboard Bodacious Dream on both of our Bodacious Dream websites as well as on our BDX & BD Facebook pages. On our BDX YouTube Channel and on Twitter too @BodaciousDream. Lots of ways to find us!

And of course, if you haven’t already, check out the polling page on the Atlantic Cup website where you can vote for your favorite team (hint … hint – you don’t even have to register – just click on BoDream!)

And thank you again for your ever-steady support.

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

Approaching the Atlantic Cup Race!

Posted on May 1, 2013 by spoon

Well, it’s just about time now; the start of the Atlantic Cup Race is less than two weeks away! Bodacious Dream is in Charleston, SC getting the finishing touches of maintenance she needs to be as quick as ever, while my co-skipper, Matt Scharl gets the last of his corn and soybean crops in so he can join me in Charleston for the final preparations.

Atlantic Cup Trailer 2013 …

Just as we did last year, Matt and I will team up again against some of the best sailors in the world in this great American race up the Atlantic Coast. Our first leg, starting on May 11th, will be the 648-mile long run from Charleston, SC to New York City. Once on the water, we’ll have to make tactical decisions on whether to venture out to the Gulf Stream and gain additional speed from the fast moving currents, or stay closer inshore where there might be more wind; this is always a tough decision. We’ll cross Cape Hatteras, known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” because of its epic history of forceful weather and unpredictable currents before determining our final strategies for approaching New York City. Last year’s race found us in pursuit almost all the way before settling into third position, finishing in New York City under the glow of city lights, the Statue of Liberty and the famous re-building of the World Trade Center.

A Map of the Race …

We’ll then spend a few days in New York City relaxing, doing a fun Pro-Am race and attending an interesting conference called “Living on the Edge: The Atlantic Cup Presents Coastal Communities and Climate Change.” Then on May 18th, we start the second leg which takes us out to a turn buoy off the coast of Virginia before heading north up along the coast and into Newport, Rhode Island. Those of you who stayed up late to follow last year’s finish on the tracker know what a nail biter that one was. We rounded the buoy in fourth place, and went with a clever strategy of Matt’s that took us out to where we were the furthest east boat of the fleet. The course and wind shifts put us into the lead going into Narragansett Bay where the winds and tide turned against us as we struggled to sail to the finish, while our two closest competitors made up time and ground on us. The best part though was that we still finished ahead of them and everyone else on that leg!

Bodacious Dream under the FiSH sail … (photo from Atlanticcup.org)

Again this year we will be sponsored by our friends at a great restaurant in Jamestown, Rhode Island named Jamestown FiSH. If you ever get the chance, go – complete comfort and style … with incredible seafood, great burgers and a knockout wine list. We thank them for their great support not only to us, but also to the Atlantic Cup which this year will name the finish line in Newport … “The Jamestown FiSH Finish Line!”

Also, this time around and concurrent to our race up the coast, we’ll also be conducting the second in our series of Bodacious Dream Expeditions! On our BDX website at bodaciousdreamexpeditions.com, you can track the race while at the same time augmenting the racing experience by discovering and learning more about the many wondrous natural and historical elements that make this particular course so legendary: the incredible Barrier Islands, the powerful force that is the Gulf Stream, the untamed weather of Cape Hatteras and the rapidly changing urban coastal environment around big cities like New York City.

For this voyage, we’ll have a whole new set of engaging and subject-specific Explorer Guides (for you to share with the younger folks in your world,) which are full of fun facts and interesting questions and problems to work out. Here’s how to Get Involved! So, set your compass and your calendar for May 11th and the Atlantic Cup … and join the expeditionary force!

(Oh … and don’t forget to go to www.AtlanticCup.org/poll/ and vote for your favorite team … we’re hoping it’s us again this year!)

Thank you, as always for your support!

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

BoDream News / Excitement Builds for Cabo & Beyond!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by spoon

Well, it’s getting exciting around here! The Newport Harbor Yacht Club’s Race to Cabo San Lucas is just a few days away. The Captain of Bodacious IV, Tim Eades and I brought Bodacious IV up from San Diego where she has been for the last month getting ready for the race. It was a 70-mile trip and we left at the crack of dawn in a thick marine layer of fog – motoring all the way up to Newport Harbor. The sun burned off much of the fog by afternoon, and though it was a motor trip, Tim and I had a chance to relax a bit and to reflect on the enormous amount of work accomplished in the last month.

With great help from many of the folks in the San Diego Area, we were able to take Bodacious IV from a “taken apart and shipped” state to fully-rigged and race-ready. The great folks at Driscoll’s Yard helped with the heavy work of installing the keel and rudder, stepping the mast and launching the boat. The gang from Rigworks handled much of the rigging and tuning, while Patrick and the guys at North Sails helped to make the sails just right for the boat. Then there was Russell at Seatech who helped us with the watermaker … in addition to the many other good folks in the area who played a part in bringing Bodacious IV back to strong racing form. Many thanks to everyone!

Bodacious IV in the foreground, Dorade second (winner of the 1938 Trans-Pac) and behind her is War Path … previously sailed as the famous Nitemare of Chicago and the Great Lakes. All are here preparing for the Cabo Race at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.

Now onto the race itself! The race is an 800-mile race from Newport Harbor, California to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – down along the coast of Baja, Mexico. This is one of those classic California races and the lineup of competitors is pretty significant. Follow the crew of Bodacious IV right here on the Newport Harbor Yacht Club Cabo ”Race Tracker.”

While I won’t be onboard for the race this time, I will be heading down to Cabo to help return the boat to San Diego, which will mark the beginning of our new adventure … Bodacious Dream Expeditions! … a series of fun, periodic voyages of discovery and learning as we move towards sailing Bodacious Dream around the world! Our plan right now, depending on conditions of course, is to leave Cabo on March 29th. In preparation for the expedition, we have launched a new Bodacious Dream Expeditions website and a BDX Facebook page as well to help us to share the 5-6 day experience with you and also to help bring fun facts and information to kids .. and people of all ages. If you have kids in your life who you think might find this of interest … we encourage you to follow our progress with them. Check out these new pages!

As if to genuinely welcome Bodacious IV and us back to the Pacific Ocean, Tim and I had a special treat on our trip up from San Diego, when we encountered two whales frolicking along the coast. What a beautiful sight to see them swimming along in such immense majesty and grace. During our expedition up from Cabo, we hope to have and share more of these magnificent experiences with you.

And finally … with spring knocking at the door back home in the Great Lakes, I’ll be back in the Midwest this weekend at Crowley’s Yachtapalooza, giving another talk on Saturday, March 23rd at 10:30 am. Yachtapalooza is a great event that takes place at their lakeside boat yard on the South Side of Chicago. They’ll have all sorts of displays and information or just hang with other sailors and catch up on a winter full of stories. Following my 30-minute talk, the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society will be introducing solo sailing to anyone who is interested. So, if you’re looking to get into some of this crazy solo sailing stuff, that would be a great place to start. Here’s the full Yachtapalooza Schedule of Events.

Hope to see some of you there. If you are, be sure to come say hi!

Dave & Bodacious Dream!

Boats to be Sailed, Stories to be Told!

Posted on February 16, 2013 by spoon

I know it’s been a few weeks since we’ve sent an update. I’ve been busy and wrapped up in several things at once. To start, I’m down in Southern California helping to put together a boat (No, not Bodacious Dream) for some upcoming races on the West Coast this summer. In addition to that, I’ve also taken some road trips and had some speaking engagements, which have been great fun. In fact, I’ve got another speaking engagement coming up next weekend on Saturday, February 23rd back in the Midwest at the Michigan City Yacht Club. (More on that below)

I’ve been here in San Diego helping to prepare a beautiful “Santa Cruz 52” called Bodacious IV. (Yup, she’s a sister ship to our Bodacious Dream.) She’s here to compete in the Newport to Cabo San Lucas race at the end of March, and then come July, in the Trans-Pac Race which runs from Long Beach, CA to Honolulu, HI.

In the last two weeks, after her arrival here by shipment from the Midwest, we’ve put on the keel, installed the rudder, put together the rig and stepped the mast, put all sorts of pieces and parts back in place, launched the boat and we’re sail testing it this weekend with the captain, electronics and navigation gurus!

Here’s what it looks like to set up and step (what we call installing) the rig (mast)!

The process looks easy, at least when you’re working with the talented people from Driscoll’s and Rigworks!

The work is almost complete here, and I’ll be heading for home the middle of this week, and preparing for what I know will be a great time … a storytelling session at the Michigan City Yacht Club in Michigan City, IN! This is my home yacht club and home sailing waters, and I much appreciate their asking me to entertain them on a mid-February night with stories, photos, videos and tall tales of my last year. From building Bodacious Dream to shipping her to Ft. Lauderdale, The Atlantic Cup Race, The Quebec-St. Malo Race, Normandy Channel, Mondial Class 40 World Championships and then the solo Trans-Atlantic return trip – I guess I can fill up the time pretty well. If you’re in the area, and looking for some salty diversion next Saturday night, come join us! (Here’s a link to the flyer on the Michigan City Yacht Club website for more information.)

Soon after that, I’ll be heading back to Charleston, SC to resume work on Bodacious Dream to get her ready for the upcoming season of racing and sailing which will start off with The Atlantic Cup Race on May 11, 2013. This promises to be another great event put together by Manuka Sports Management, and we are expecting some very intense competition this year. Two of our competitors from last year, Toothface and Ahmas will have new generation boats that will keep us on our toes for sure!

We’ve got more exciting news planned for the coming few months, and we’ll be letting you know about all that very soon. So please keep a lookout for our updates here, on our mailing list (signup form above) and over on our Bodacious Dream Facebook Page.

Thanks again, and our very best to all of you!

– Dave and Bodacious Dream

BoDream News/ The Solo Crossing in Photos & Videos

Posted on January 30, 2013 by spoon

I returned last week from a quick road trip back to Charleston, to attend to some details with Bodacious Dream’s winter stay. Traveling back through the wintery Midwest was a little voyage in itself. Along the way, I had a few speaking engagements as well, which were great fun … more on those later. After that, I returned to catching up on months of undone chores, and reconnecting with friends and family. Leaving things as best I could, I boarded a plane yesterday in Chicago, and today I’m settling in … as best I can, to the warm Southern California sunshine.

I came here to San Diego to help the captain of Bodacious IV, crewmate Tim Eades, put the boat together, after it was shipped from Chicago to San Diego. Bo “IV” will be participating in two races on the West Coast this summer. The first will be from Los Angeles down to Cabo San Lucas in Baja, Mexico, and the second will be the Trans-Pac, from SoCal to Hawaii. For those of you that followed the last Trans-Pac, we hope to finish it this year!

I won’t be sailing in the Cabo race, but will be helping to bring the boat back up to San Diego, where we will use the opportunity to try out some new and better video and satellite gear and also to initiate some educational adventures for kids. I’m really looking forward to this trip. I took the same route a few years back, and we saw all sorts of incredible wildlife and interesting sea conditions.

As most of you know, BoDream and I landed in Charleston back on January 12th, after a little more than a month-long solo-crossing from Cascais, Portugal. In the time since then, I’ve downloaded a bunch of photos and a few videos from the trip, and I wanted to share some of those with you, in case you cared to see some of what I saw along the way.

Though, I’ve included a handful of photos here, there is also a complete set of direct links below, so you can see everything there is to see at this point – with more still to come!

After nights moving around with only a few lights to keep me from stepping off into the watery deep, the arrival of the sun each morning was always a source of joy.

This is what you might call … functional fashion for my times; a cap, a fleece, a headlamp and a personal floatation device.

On a long voyage, especially a solo one, you spend a lot of time watching waves, getting to know their little idiosyncrasies, and trying to second-guess whatever it is you think they might be telling you about what’s coming just over the horizon.

Next is one of the videos from the trip – this one shot just north of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a few days past New Year’s and after leaving Antigua.

There’s another video which along with this one, I’ve uploaded to our Bodacious Dream YouTube Channel, and also posted on our Bodacious Dream Facebook page.

It truly is a magical world out there on the open water, full of wonder and no small share of danger. These photos were taken while things were mostly calm and I had time to gaze upon how amazing things were. What I have no photos of are the times I was being tossed around like a sock puppet or getting my face and body pummeled by relentless jets of seawater. But that’s the way it should be. Heck, I wouldn’t want to put a dent in anyone’s idyllic reveries of life on the water – not even my own! And the fact is that no matter HOW beautiful you (or I) might imagine the ocean to be, the truth is that it’s even more beautiful than that.

So, if you want to check out the complete set of photos and videos, here are the links …

:: PHOTOS ::
FACEBOOK – Atlantic Crossing Photo Album (Part One)
FACEBOOK – Atlantic Crossing Photo Album (Part Two)

These are “public” albums, so you should be able to see these albums, even if you have not joined Facebook.

If you prefer though, all the photos have also been put into a set on the photo site, Flickr.

FLICKR – BoDream Atlantic Crossing (Complete Set)
(If you view in slideshow mode, click “show info” to see the captions.)

:: VIDEOS ::
And once again, here are all of our 7 Videos …

YOUTUBE – Bodacious Dream YouTube Channel.

While you’re there, check out the new preview video trailer for the 2013 Atlantic Cup Race, where during the top montage, you’ll hear Matt Scharl’s voice, after which, I’m the first talking head you’ll see.

And that’s it for now. We’ll be back before long with news of some exciting plans for 2013 … but until them, thank you as always for your stellar support, and onward into a healthy and peaceful new year.

– Dave and Bodacious Dream

BODACIOUS DREAM

"Maximizing our lives, minimizing our impact."

Category Archives: U.S. Races 2013

Atlantic Cup Leg One/ The End of the Race!

Bodacious Dream Takes First Leg of Atlantic Cup Race!

Atlantic Cup/ Day Three & Nearing the Big Apple!

Atlantic Cup/ Day Two & Whew!

Race Day is Here!

BoDream Does the Pre-Race Charleston!

Approaching the Atlantic Cup Race!

BoDream News / Excitement Builds for Cabo & Beyond!

Boats to be Sailed, Stories to be Told!

BoDream News/ The Solo Crossing in Photos & Videos