Dave’s 2013 Transpac Recap!

Posted on August 7, 2013 by spoon

Following a few weeks of doing race preparations on Bodacious IV in San Diego, Capt. Tim Eades, Alan Veenstra and I sailed her up to Long Beach for the start of the 2013 Transpac Race. Along the way, BoIV developed a problem with her mast that nicely upended all our well thought-out plans and schedules for final race prep. But the mast repairs were made, and we were soon joined by the rest of the Bodacious Racing Team, which brought us to full strength prior to the start of the race, which began for us on July 11th at 1:00 pm, PDT!

The whole Transpac had a total of 57 boats competing in three sections with staggered start times, which helps to consolidate the finish times in Hawaii by having the faster boats give the rest of the field a head start. The first start was on Monday, July 8th, and in that start was our friend and fellow Class 40 racer Hanna Jenner onboard Dorade, which is a very special boat, having won the Trans-Pac back in 1936! (I’ll give away the ending of this tale, by telling you that 78 years later, Dorade was once again declared the overall winner of the 2013 Transpac! – of such stories are legends made.)

For this race, we partnered with a wonderful organization called the U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association (HAEA.) They are great folks working hard to find a cure for all those affected by this rare but devastating disease. Our spinnaker carried their logo, as you can see, and in another give-away, I’ll tell you that by the end of the race, over $11,000 was raised … nice work Bodacious Dreamers!

Concurrent to the race, we also supported a Trans-Pacific Expedition discovery “module” here on BodaciousDreamExpeditions.com … this one naturally covered the Pacific Ocean and Hawaiian Islands. We had the usual overview, maps and study guides. Alas, once again, racing took up the lion’s share of my days and nights, limiting my time to explore as we did on our earlier Baja Peninsula Expedition.

Back to the Transpac … there were 9 boats in our division (Div 6.) Each of the vessels was similar to our own in that they are all 50 or 52 foot Santa Cruz racers, and each like us, carried a crew of nine.

The Bodacious IV team just before the start of the race. From L to R … Christer Still, Matt Scharl, Chris Pike, John Hoskins, Jim McLaren, John Ayres, Skipper Jeff Urbina, Tim Eades & Dave Rearick.

The first night, in quiet air, we were surrounded by the constant baying of seals … a haunting call in the dark of night. We also had a visit from some indeterminate species of mammal. It being dark, and most of us being from the Great Lakes, identifying it with any accuracy was difficult for us. Cool and overcast conditions prevailed all the way into Saturday morning, when the sun broke through allowing us to shed some clothes for an amazing day of sailing at around 12 knots of boat speed and essentially down the “rhumb line” (the fixed compass position indicating the most direct route) to Hawaii.

Bodacious IV Sunday arrived like a gift. We set our spinnaker and worked our way down the trade wind route to Hawaii, sailing between 14 and 20 knots. We saw our first flying fish Sunday, which told us the water was getting warmer … AND we had a squid fly up on deck as well, startling the sail-changing crew and leaving some ink stains on the deck.

Ancient mariners used to navigate by such natural signs. They knew that such occurrences indicated they were changing latitudes as the temperatures of the water, smell of the sea, angle of the winds, types of fish and sea life are all somewhat specific to certain regions of the sea … not unlike how various plants and animals on land are recognizably native to particular regions.

Crew spirits remained high the whole trip, with lots of laughs and barbs zinging back and forth. And on top of that, we ate like kings, courtesy of Chef Pierce Johnson! Imagine Beef Bourguignon, Osso Buco, and other culinary delights in the middle of the Pacific!

Our patterns of activity followed closely to our four-hour watch system. And all the while we were attending to our duties, our navigator John Hoskins would be going over the numbers, courses, wind predictions and plot, and then working, reworking and playing out the routing software all to the end of getting us to the right place at the right time. Modern sailboat racing has increasingly become a hybrid mix that melds the very analog physical act of sailing the boat with the methods (and goals) of a digital video navigation game. But you know what? That only adds to the fun of it all!

Bodacious Hands-Free Sailing!

We had some Day #4 excitement when our tack line suddenly blew – instantly turning our giant spinnaker into an immense flapping 1850 square foot flag! We all jumped into action … dropping our gourmet lunches and scrambling to pull the spinnaker, rig a temporary tack line – and hoist in its place the heavier, stronger spinnaker. It took only about 10 minutes I suppose, before we were back up to speed and racing again. Such fire drills are not unusual in long distance races, and checking gear frequently is the best way of minimizing the damage and delay.

Pacific Currents Day #4 was also the day we began to spot debris ourselves: three fishing buoys, one large piece of plastic in a “T” shape, one large log about 15 feet long and a smaller narrow log about 8 feet long and 8 inches in diameter. There is much talk about marine debris, but there isn’t much that can be done about it short of preventing non-biodegrable trash from entering the oceans in the first place. Much of this debris we understood was from the tragic tsunami in Japan, but still it proved a worrisome thing for us to observe as we moved along.

Day #5 saw us learning more about the “squalls” of the Pacific. Squalls are small, localized rain showers that pop up and create stronger wind in front of them and to their left side. But if you make the mistake of getting behind them or to their right, they shut the winds down. We put some good moves on the first of last night’s squalls, and so found ourselves topping out at 20 knots of speed in 25 knots of wind. But as arrogance will always beat you back, just when we thought we were self-proclaimed experts at squall riding, we found ourselves languishing in the next one. So it is, we keep on learning! Every new part of the ocean you visit, it’s Sailing 101 all over again.

Capt. Tim Eades, John Hoskins, Christer Still, Jeff Urbina …

As we sailed, we’d take our watches with four hours on and four hours off. When you are on, you rotate through the jobs of sailing the boat, steering, trimming the sails, grinding the big winch and monitoring navigation. When you change, it might be your turn to clean dishes, cook, check equipment, take care of personal hygiene or even get a couple of hours of sleep! And then, you start over again. It’s a routine, for sure, but time slips by quickly too.

The one thing that interrupts the routine is the call from the navigator to “GYBE!” This call sets in motion a number of things … first, the four crew on deck each take to a familiar job … one drives, one will be on the release of the spinnaker sheet (rope that trims,) another will be on the take up sheet (other side of the boat rope that trims) while the fourth will grind the big “coffee grinder” winch.

The gang gathered around John Ayres at the Daily Grind

Want to try one? … Everyone in place? Ok, here we go! We’re GYBING! The driver turns the boat, the release lets the line go in a timed controlled flow, the trimmer takes up the new line as it comes around and the grinder turns the handles with all the energy he has, to help pull in the new line, at which point, that 1850 square foot monster spinnaker collapses, flutters and then floats around the front of the boat and shifts over to the OTHER side of the boat where it puffs right up again. And all the while, we are wishing we had a fifth set of hands to help with the other lines and such that get pulled and trimmed as necessary. When done right, a gybe is a beautiful maneuver. When done wrong, it’s a bit of a hot mess. We probably repeated this same ritual of actions 50 to 60 times between California and Hawaii!

On Day #7, the Transpac’s Daily Newsletter “leaked” a story about what we were up to out here strategy-wise in our Division …

“Division 6 is going to be a high-stakes gamble: Jeff Urbina’s Santa Cruz 52 Bodacious IV seems to want to avoid his competitors, steadfastly staying to the south of everyone, perhaps in search of more wind in the dying breeze starting to creep across the course. In contrast, the current corrected time leader and past class winner, Jack Taylor’s Santa Cruz 50 Horizon, is content to work the shifts near the rhumb line and keep covering the rest of the class. We’ll see in the next day or two whether the Bodacious gamble will pay off as they all head more deeply into the Hawaiian trade winds ahead, with the finish being about 900 miles away.”

Jim McLaren, changing the blocks for the staysail trim … w/ HAEA on the boom …

Ah, what fun! We were all feeling pretty confident about the strategy over which our esteemed navigator John Hoskins was the primary architect.

You can see in the tracker screen shot above, how we worked our way south of the pack of our competitors in order to catch up with this better wind and more angled direction into Hawaii. So, while it may have looked a little odd to have taken such a different course, there was a plan at work there. But as we saw it at the time, we were “all in!” Our bet was made … and the run to the finish was underway!

Skipper Jeff Urbina at the helm …

Saturday (Day #9) was another day of fast downwind sailing! What incredible fun we were having … though at times I couldn’t help but recall my Dad saying, “Too much of a good thing isn’t such a good thing.” Hopefully, Dad wasn’t referring to open-ocean sailing when he said that!

The water grew steadily warmer the farther south and west towards Hawaii we went. In the change of temperature, we saw a lot more flying fish, and a lot less seaweed and kelp of the sort that you find close to the California coast. Saturday, we started to see some birds too. Imagine if you were an ancient navigator – no GPS, no cell phones, no computers and even a sextant or compass. As the water temperature warmed and the flying fish became more ubiquitous, you would take them as cues for your navigation.

While it’s fun to dream of being an ancient navigator, we are who we are … and modern navigators and sailors use electronic instruments to help us navigate and sail our boats. On our mast we have three big displays that you can see from the cockpit. They show us the boat speed (we call that the “fun meter!”) Presently, our top speed has been 21.4 knots … set Saturday night! Under the boat speed display, you can see our compass heading and below that, our wind speed. These are all important readings that help us stay fast and on course.

First Sighting of Maui

Day #11 arrived and found us in Hawaiian waters with 100 miles to go. We were at that point, into the final hours of the race! We sighted Maui in a distant haze about 4:30 PM Sunday. We continued to add miles to our lead, as our Division 6 cohorts also began to converge on Oahu. At that point, we could see that our “southern strategy” had worked, as the leaderboard had us back in the lead.

During those last 100 miles, just after Midnight (Hawaii Time) – we were caught by a stalking “squall” which zapped us with a 30 degree change in wind direction and kicked the wind speeds from 16 to 25 knots, while at the same time managing to spit a few buckets of rain on us – which threw our groggy crew into “sail or fail” mode! Fast action by Matt Scharl at the helm and by all hands, none of whom were able to sleep through the excitement, kept the boat on her feet and scooting on through the Molokai Channel on the course for Oahu, and Honolulu.

Matt, Tim and Jim … in the islands … on our last day at sea.

Once across the 25-mile wide channel, we sailed down the coast of Oahu, much of it glittering with the lights of civilization, following the veins of the ancient lava flows of the island’s origination.

As we cleared Makapu’u Point still in the middle of the night, light from the bright full moon silhouetted majestic Diamond Head, causing us to focus our final moments of racing on the red flashing light that signaled the finish line of the 2250 mile long adventure. Moments after crossing the indicated finish line, our finish was officially confirmed by the race committee – the first boat in our Division (#6) to the finish!

The Crew of Bodacious IV at the Finish (Photo courtesy of the Transpac)

Even at the hour of 5AM, a rousing reception awaited us at the docks of the Hawaii Yacht Club, as we rolled into harbor and into the traditional and festive welcoming party for finishing boats, which made our arrival in the early, pre-dawn light such a delight for the brined and blurry gang of Bo IV. Leis were placed on all crewmembers and even one on the bow of our beloved Bodacious IV as well. I expect this tradition also serves as a ploy to displace the seasoned smell of 9 men after 11 days of sailing in the confines of small boat crossing the huge Pacific Ocean!

Now as far as the actual scoring for the race goes, the way the Transpac works (and other longer races too) is that boats – even boats of similar length and design, have certain distinctions between them in terms of mast height, keel configuration, etc. and so a handicapping method is used so that once the boats finish, times are corrected to account for those handicaps and from that, final positions are determined. So it was, that while we were the first through the “barn door,” our final placement in our division was third behind Horizon and Medusa.

The week that followed Bodacious IV crossing the finish line in the early morning hours of Monday, July 22nd … some 10 days, 18 hours and a few minutes from when we started on July 11th in Long Beach, CA, was one full of fun and festivities.

Bodacious IV in Honolulu w/ a lei on her bow.

In addition to being graciously hosted to a reception by our friends at HAEA for all our efforts, we also celebrated our great finish with good friends and attended the Transpac awards ceremony, (where we all got to get up and accept our trophy) and we even found some time to relax in the sunshine, eat some ice cream and carry on as tourists!

By Friday, the aloha spirit took a little dip, as our friends and crewmembers individually began to fly back home to families and jobs, leaving Captain Eades and myself to the task of disassembling Bodacious IV in preparation for her trip by freighter back to the U.S. mainland and then across the U.S. to Newport, Rhode Island.

Now that the Transpac is over, our focus shifts to our Single Handed Global Bodacious Dream Expedition aboard Bodacious Dream! Our plan is to leave Newport, Rhode Island on October 1st and to return some eight to nine months later to the very same slip … but with some very tall, wide and wet tales to tell, that we will also be telling all along the way, thanks to our satellite Internet connection!

We’ll begin sending along regular updates here very soon as we move closer to our departure date. We’ll start off with our anticipated itinerary, and hope that it and all that follows will get you as excited about following along as I am about making the trip.

So, until then, you can view more videos from the Transpac Race on our YouTube Channel, catch up with our photos on Facebook and track our blogs post on both BodaciousDream.com and BodaciousDreamExpeditions.com websites.

For now, thanks again for following along with us on this incredible journey!

– Dave and the Bodacious IV Racing Team
Skipper Jeff Urbina, Capt. Tim Eades, John Hoskins, Matt Scharl, Jim McLaren, Chris Pike, Christer Still, John Ayres and Dave Rearick.

Our Awesome Ride to the Finish!

Posted on July 23, 2013 by spoon

When last we spoke, Bodacious IV was 100 miles from the finish of the Tranpac, proceeding along the north coast of Maui and through the Hawaiian Islands towards Oahu. Sailing along at 10 to 12 knots, after so many days, turns things a little less exciting and more mundane as the miles pass and your senses become accustomed to the speed – that is, until nature decides to throw something unexpected in your path.

Matt, Tim and Jim … in the islands … on our last day at sea.

So it was during our last 100 miles. Just after Midnight (Hawaii Time) – we were caught by a stalking “squall” which zapped us with a 30 degree change in wind direction and kicked the wind speeds from 16 to 25 knots, while at the same time managing to spit a few buckets of rain on us – which threw our groggy crew into “sail or fail” mode! Fast action by Matt Scharl at the helm and by all hands, none of whom were able to sleep through the excitement, kept the boat on her feet and scooting on through the Molokai Channel on the course for Oahu, and Honolulu.

During those squally conditions, we sailed 17 miles in 80 minutes … and that was “as the crow flies.” So, actually it was probably more like 20 miles in 80 minutes if you figure in the gybes, which add in extra zig-zag miles. That’s some good fun sailing to say the least, but it also takes a pretty strong and alert crew to take full advantage of all that extra wind speed. As the squall moved on, once more indifferent to us, we settled into a more relaxed sail to the finish. The Molokai Channel, for us post-squall, didn’t quite live up to its reputation for accelerated winds and large surfing seas.

Once across the 25-mile wide channel, we sailed down the coast of Oahu, much of it glittering with the lights of civilization. These shimmering strands provided an interesting perspective from the sea — the lights of the streets and buildings coursing along the veins of the ancient lava flows of the island’s origination, highlighting the major formations as if they were solidified lava flows.

As we cleared Makapu’u Point still in the middle of the night, light from the bright full moon silhouetted majestic Diamond Head, causing us to focus our final moments of racing on the red flashing light that signaled the finish line of the 2250 mile long Transpac Race. Moments after crossing the indicated finish line, our finish was officially confirmed by the race committee – the first boat in our Division (#6) to the finish!

The Crew of Bodacious IV at the Finish (Photo courtesy of the Transpac)

Even at the hour of 5AM, a rousing reception awaited us at the docks of the Hawaii Yacht Club, as we rolled into harbor and into the traditional and festive welcoming party for finishing boats. This made our arrival in the early, pre-dawn light such a delight for the brined and blurry gang of Bo IV. Leis were placed on all crewmembers and even one on the bow of our beloved Bodacious IV as well. Obviously, this tradition also serves as a ploy to displace the seasoned smell of 9 men after 11 days of sailing in the confines of small boat crossing the huge Pacific Ocean!

Now as far as the actual scoring for the race goes, the way the Transpac works (and other races too) is that boats – even boats of similar length and design, have certain distinctions between them in terms of mast height, keel configuration, etc. and so a handicapping method is used so that once the boats finish, times are corrected to account for those handicaps and from that, final positions are determined. So it is, that while we were the first through the “barn door,” our final placement in our division was third behind Horizon and Medusa.

Division 6 “Corrected” Standings

So, after some thick as concrete slumber, it’s time to clean up Bodacious IV; wash the salt from the equipment, dry out the sails, pack away the equipment and prepare her for a reception in honor our friends at HAEA (the US Hereditary Angioedema Association).

As I expect you all know by now, we’ve been sailing this race to bring awareness to this devastating disease. I’ve learned a lot about it in the process, and as I hear more about the effects that attend to someone missing vital blood protein and how quickly it can take away the very breath of life, I am honored to share a part of my lucky life to help bring some awareness to the goals of the HAEA. In fact, this afternoon, we will be sporting our HAEA insignias and hosting them all for a party at the Hawaii Yacht Club.

Beyond that, VIDEOS and more PHOTOS of the sailing and the crew will be coming here and to our YouTube channel here very soon.

I’ll also do my best to get you updates on the various celebrations going on here this week in Hawaii. Least you think that it’s all party time now, Captain Tim Eades and I will be spending the next week or so disassembling Bodacious IV, and packing her up for ocean shipment back to the US mainland and then across land to Newport, RI where she will await her next races. Hawaii though … not a bad place to have to work on a boat!

Until later … many thanks to all of you for your support!

– The most grateful crew of Bodacious IV
Skipper Jeff Urbina, Capt. Tim Eades, John Hoskins, Matt Scharl, Jim McLaren, Chris Pike, Christer Still, John Ayres and Dave Rearick.

BoDream/ Transpac Update – The First Three Days

Posted on July 15, 2013 by spoon

The Transpac started for us last Thursday at 1pm PDT. We had a soft wind start, which created challenges for our breaking free of the California coast. Winds stayed light and variable through Friday afternoon, when they gradually shifted “aft” … which opened up our sails and allowed us to pick up speed.

The Bodacious IV team just before the start of the race. From L to R … Christer Still, Matt Scharl, Chris Pike, John Hoskins, Jim McLaren, John Ayres, Jeff Urbina, Tim Eades & Dave Rearick.

The first night, we were surrounded by the constant baying of seals … a haunting call in the dark of night, to be sure. We also had a visit from some indeterminate species of mammal. It being dark, identifying it with any accuracy was difficult for us. As our crew is mostly from the Great Lakes, none of us are too experienced with the local amalgam of sea life. Once loose in the vast Pacific, you quickly come to realize how inadequate the paltry range of categories for sea life you carry with you are, when put against the greater varieties of species that actually exist all around you out here. It’s another one of those pay attention calls that nature loves to deliver, once you put yourself out there and on the receiving end of live experience.

Cool and overcast conditions prevailed all the way to Saturday morning, when the sun broke through allowing us to shed some clothes for an amazing day of sailing at around 12 knots of boat speed and essentially down the “rhumb line” (a fixed compass position indicating the most direct route) to Hawaii. We were able to do this, because the Pacific High pressure zone had move to the north and west bringing us these great winds.

Bodacious IV

Sunday arrived like a gift. We set our spinnakers and went to working our way down the trade wind route to Hawaii, sailing between 14 and 20 knots … in winds coming from our starboard (right) quarter (back corner of the boat) direction. This was giving us steady speeds with a peak speed so far of 17.2 knots!

We saw our first flying fish Sunday, which tells us the water is getting warmer … AND we had a squid fly up on deck as well, during one of our sail changes, and leaving some ink stains on the deck. Ancient mariners used to navigate by such natural signs. They knew that such occurrences indicated they were changing latitudes as the temperatures of the water, smell of the sea, angle of the winds, types of fish and sea life are all somewhat specific to certain regions of the sea … not unlike how various plants and animals on land are recognizably native to particular regions.

Crew spirits are high, lots of laughs and barbs zinging back and forth. And on top of that, we are eating like kings! Dinner Sunday was a delicious Veal Moscato courtesy of Chef Pierce Johnson * … our French chef friend and long-time crew member who is sitting out the race this year, but who is remembered fondly at every meal.

Appraising the situation, planning the future …

We started our Sunday with the Code 0 sail up, with a staysail as well. Then we switched to the A3 spinnaker, and later to our A2. The spinnakers are those large billowy (and photogenic) sails in the front of the boat. The various sails have different sizes and shapes to use for different wind angles and strengths.

Our A2 also sports the logo of our advocacy partner, HAEA … and we are very proud to fly it. It might seem ironic that we are flying it out here in the middle of the ocean, where only a few of us can see it. But when you think of how many people there are who have never heard of this rare genetic disease, perhaps it’s not so ironic after all. I mean, you can see the photo here, and we will fly the sail all the way to Hawaii in hopes that awareness will have grown by the time we reach Diamond Head.

http://www.haea.org/donate/race

Position-wise … because this is after all a race, it looks like we have moved from 3rd position in our division (#6) into a tie for 1st with Horizon … which is great … but there’s still a long way to go. That said, we’re feeling great and Bodacious IV is performing beautifully.

So looking ahead … here are some pointers …

• The easiest way to follow the race is via the Transpac Race Tracker – and if you have a tablet, download the “Yellowbrick” app … as the tracking works even easier with touch control. On the Leaderboard, Bodacious IV is part of “Division 6” … competing against eight other 50′ and 52′ Santa Cruz racers! What a once-in-a-lifetime thrill for all of us!

• Briefer but more regular updates can always be found on our Facebook Page.

• Also, for our friends at Earthwatch Institute – we’ve been keeping an eye out for debris and wildlife. Not too much to report so far, except for the beautiful and wide-open blue waters of the Pacific as far as the eye can see.

• We have approximately 1450 miles to go … so those of you following along on BodaciousDreamExpeditions.com and working out the math problems on the Explorer Guides, can do another calculation and take a guess at when we might arrive in Hawaii! Send us an email with your predictions.

Thanks to all for your support!

– Dave, reporting from Bodacious IV

* On the chance, that the subject of sailing + food interests you, here’s a Bodacious Dream Expeditions video of chef Pierce Johnson (along with Jonathan Pond) talking about food and nutrition at sea and during races … <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fuGlzt0MTw>

Atlantic Cup Inshore Racing & Last Day Recap!

Posted on May 28, 2013 by spoon

The 2013 Atlantic Cup is over and Bodacious Dream had a fantastic run of it … placing first in the two offshore legs and a respectable second in the third element, the inshore series, which combined to put us at the top of the leaderboard and first overall in this year’s event!

Sunday was the last day of the competition, and it arrived with weather similar to how it was for Saturday’s last race, which we won. Wind speeds were again between 18 and 25 knots with an overcast sky, though fortunately no rain.

Sunday morning before start – Photo by Billy Black

Racing in “sporting” conditions like these is always challenging … physically as well as mentally. The decisions come even quicker and the pure physical energy needed to handle sails in such wind jumps exponentially. Along with that, your chances of making mistakes that can cost you places, goes up as well. Often these regattas are won by whatever boat makes “the second to the last” mistake. There were plenty of mistakes made out there on the water, and we certainly had our share.

Lecoq Cuisine, Icarus, BoDream & Gryphon Solo 2 – Photo by Billy Black

One such costly mistake happened on the last turn to the finish during Saturday’s final race. We were chasing down Lecoq Cuisine who had the lead, when they had a problematic spinnaker takedown while rounding the mark. Their spinnaker caught the water and began dragging behind the boat, which allowed us to pass them and continue on to win that race. This is all part of what makes racing so exciting to watch, but what also makes it painful when it happens to you or to a tough and valiant competitor.

Going into Sunday’s races, we remained in the overall lead, but again we had to keep even or ahead of Lecoq Cuisine in the day’s two races in order to preserve it. Our plan was simple … race hard, not let Lecoq get ahead of us and solidly cement our place at the top of the standings.

We started the first race in a very good position with water ballast in place for the long starboard sail to the first mark off Beavertail Point. I’m pretty sure we were the only ones with water ballast loaded, as we saw Bo surge ahead when the heavy gusts of wind hit, leading the entire fleet around that first mark in what was a rather tricky, high wind gybe. This is a maneuver that can really go wrong if everyone doesn’t do their job exactly on cue.

We pulled that mark off perfectly, and then set up our Code 0 sail, an asymmetric sail designed for a broader angle to the wind. With the sail up and rolled, ready to be deployed, we delayed the decision to deploy it as the winds were still in the high 20’s. All of a sudden, on its own, the Code 0 unfurled and took to the wind, jamming the furling line in the process. This meant we suddenly had way too much sail area up. Crewmember Ryan Scott and I moved quickly to the foredeck to get the sail partially furled and dropped back to the deck where we got it under control. Not only can a problem like this cost you places in the race, but it can cost you personal injury and broken gear as well. We were lucky and only lost three places on that one. We stashed the sail below, but it remained unusable for the rest of the race.

We sailed extra hard for the rest of that particular leg and rounding the next mark, we were again headed upwind – certainly one of Bodacious Dream’s very good points of sail. With Lecoq ahead of us after the Code 0 mishap, we set to sailing the upwind leg as perfectly as we could, and so were able to pass them halfway up that leg! Now back in third place, we chased the leaders all the while keeping Lecoq behind us. We jib reached down to the last turn mark, where we had Bodacious Dream doing over 19 knots across Narragansett Bay. Quite the thrill for all of us that was! Later, we learned that the camera boat was having a tough time keeping up with us! We turned the last mark, set our A3 spinnaker and sailed to the finish, taking a third behind Gryphon Solo 2 and Icarus, but leading Lecoq and gaining one more point on them.

Leaning in … – Photo by Billy Black

Our confidence was high going into the second and final race, and we got a great start which put us ahead of the fleet to the first turn mark … at which point we made a tactical error, which dropped us behind three boats and into fourth place. Frustration almost always leads to determination, and we got our focus together enough to pass two boats on the way to the next mark – one of which was Lecoq! In second position now, we saw that our job was to sail perfectly around the course and to stay ahead of Lecoq. In similar circumstances on Saturday, we did just that, even nearly pulling ahead of Icarus at one point. As we crossed the finish line in this final race of the competition, we knew we had done the job, and cleanly won the overall event with a solid second position in the inshore series, on top of our two closely fought victories in the offshore legs.

Worn out, tired, beat up by the windy days of racing, we were all elated and feeling victorious on our return to the harbor. My abiding appreciation to our hardy inshore crew: Jay Hansen, Jay Cross, Christer Still, Skip Mattos and Ryan Scott, and of course to Matt Scharl for his stellar tactics and fortitude on the offshore legs, all of which combined to bring Bodacious Dream to the podium at the awards ceremony Sunday afternoon to collect her first prize overall in the 2013 Atlantic Cup!

On the Podium … Photo by Billy Black

Not only that, but thanks to you, our loyal fans, we also carried the vote for the “Most Popular” team! What an extra kick that was!

My heartfelt thanks to all of you Bodacious Dreamers out there for supporting us, following us and sharing in this great event.

My congratulations as well to an amazing international group of competitors who gave it their all with some consistently great sailing. The special camaraderie that we all shared here in American waters makes this event a standout event worldwide. We send out a challenge to our friends across the oceans to come prepared for some great racing next year!

The Teams on the Podium … Photo by Billy Black

A special thanks to Julianna Barbieri and Hugh Piggen of Manuka Sports Management and 11th Hour Racing for making this event a truly spectacular one!

That’s it for the moment. It’s time to go give Bo a wash-down and find her a place to stay for a couple of weeks, while I head for home to catch my breath and recover from the amazing events of the last three weeks.

We’ll be adding photos to our Facebook page and right here on our website soon … and I’m sure I’ll have another story here in a day or two, so stay tuned for more coming right up!

– Dave & the Bodacious Dream Team!

Atlantic Cup Leg 3 – Inshore Racing!

Posted on May 24, 2013 by spoon

It’s Friday in Newport, Rhode Island and the weekend forecast for Leg Three of the Atlantic Cup looks to be for some spectacular sailing … and for some not-so-great weather. Saturday will likely dip into the 50’s with a strong chance of rain, Sunday in the 60’s with a little less rain predicted – and the winds both days up there close to 20 mph. So, it looks to be a challenging and a bit of a wild event for sure.

A number of people have asked me about the difference between “offshore” and “inshore” racing. So, I thought I’d try my hand here at explaining what makes them different … and how inshore action adds to the overall scope and excitement of the competition.

“Offshore” racing is open-ocean racing – from a starting point to an ending point, and it’s what we did on both Leg One (Charleston, SC to NYC/ 640 miles) and Leg Two (NYC to Newport, RI /240 miles) of the Atlantic Cup.

Atlantic Cup Recap of Leg Two – NYC-Newport …

“Inshore” racing is course racing, and it’s what we’re doing this weekend on Narragansett Bay. As it involves so many quick and difficult maneuvers, each of the boats will have up to 6 crewmembers onboard. As Matt Scharl had to take off for the Midwest (Thanks Matt for an incredible job!) for this next leg, I will be joined by Jay Cross, Jay Hansen, Christer Still, Skip Mattos and Ryan Scott – stout-hearted competitors and experienced seamen, each and every one!

There will five races over two days … with all seven boats in each race – and assuming we complete all five races, each team gets to keep their best four finishes. These are typically very short races, 15 miles or so in overall distance on a mapped-out course around a series of buoys in the bay, with the legs themselves often less than 2 miles in length.

Here’s how the races are set up. There are a number of “marks” of the sort that the government places in harbors everywhere, so that ships and boats can navigate around them and so avoid rocks and shallow areas. These, along with other marks that the race organizers place in the water (like the one to the left,) are all the potential markers for the course.

At the start of the race, the AC Race Committee notifies us of the particular course they want us to run, and they give us a sheet with all the marks in order for that particular race. An easy example might be a triangle race around three marks finishing back at the start. Another race might be 10 marks, that on the sheet looks like one of those Chinese string games we played as kids!

The scoring of the Atlantic Cup is based on a high-point total with the offshore legs each weighted at double points, while the inshore legs are each weighted in single points. Essentially, the inshore races with only one times the points will still equal half the available points in the entire competition … so it remains very important to do well in these inshore races. As far as the bottom-line on scoring goes for us, for the inshore leg, Bodacious Dream has only to stay next to Lecoq Cuisine to finish in the lead. We don’t necessarily have to win a single race to take the title – but you can be sure we’re going out there to win them all!

The scoring here is pretty complicated I know, but this is what makes sailboat racing so interesting; it’s not just about going fast and winning. There is a lot of strategy involved – which you saw in abundance on Leg Two. Inshore racing works with a whole other set of variables, which add up to intense and non-stop action. For example, tomorrow we may well be changing sails before each turn. Changing sails is similar to changing gears in a car race … except it involves a heck of a lot more physical work! That’s also why the expanded crew … to handle all the additional work required to put the boats through paces that two-person crews can’t possibly do.

Here’s a shot from last summer’s Class40 World Championships – where you can see some of the intensity (and ballet!) that goes on with a larger crew!

Class40 Championships 2012

So, here’s how a typical turn might play out. Let’s say you have a jib sail, the small triangular sail, up on the front of the boat, and you are going to replace it with the spinnaker, the larger, often colorful and billowy sail better for going downwind. You’re sailing at 7.5 knots (making each mile about 8 minutes long,) so this first leg will take you about 15 minutes before you need to make the turn of the next mark. At about the halfway point, you start to set up for your change. The new spinnaker is hauled up onto the bow of the boat (it weighs about 35 pounds!) Next you pull the sheets (ropes) around to tie onto the sail, and then next you move the halyard (the rope that pulls the sail up to the top of the masts) into position and hook it onto the spinnaker. When the boat arrives at the perfect spot – maybe 100 yards from the mark, everyone breaks into motion. The guy at the mast is hauling up the halyard, the guys in the cockpit are pulling in the sheets and setting up the corners of the spinnaker, the driver is driving the boat and the trimmers are still trimming the jib! Oh, and I forgot to tell you that there is usually a boat on either side of you doing the very same thing, but trying to do it faster than you are. If you’ve timed it right, the sail is at the top of the mast at just the moment your driver turns around the mark at which point, the sail (gloriously) fills with air, the guys in the cockpit trim it in and you sail away – except now you are going 10 knots, which means the next turn is only 12 minutes away, which means you no sooner finish one sail change than you are back setting up for the next – which is pretty much what you are doing the whole time you are on the water.

At the same time, you still have to think in terms of your overall position on the race course. Positioning for inshore racing involves finer adjustments and much less distance between boats – which can get hair-raising sometimes too.

Leaving NYC Harbor

So, to sum it all up … this weekend is going to be quite a thrill! The winds will be solid, the rain will be often, we will likely get wet before we grow tired, cold and frustrated – but at the same time, we will be loving it all and going for it each day in every race!

We hope you’ll be able to follow us on the Race Tracker (once live, the link will be here,) on our Website, on our Facebook Page or on Twitter – updates to which we’re expecting will be coming fast and furious.

Stay tuned for more!

– Dave & the whole Bodacious Dream Team

Atlantic Cup Leg Two Win! – The Day After …

Posted on May 20, 2013 by spoon

It’s been a slow morning here in Newport. I’m tired and relieved, my hands are sore and my joints are stiff, and I’m feeling a few assorted aches in places I’ve never felt them before, but put all that against the thrill of winning the Second Leg of the 2013 Atlantic Cup, and it all feels well worth it!

In case you hadn’t heard, Matt Scharl and I aboard Bodacious Dream were first across the “Jamestown FiSH Finish Line” at 8:14 PM EDT last night. And boy, what a race … and what an incredible bunch of competitors!

Crossing the Jamestown FiSH Finish Line! (Photo by Billy Black)

The 14 of us have proven to be a absolutely tireless group of competitors on the water, and an equally dedicated group of friends off the water. Last night, after waiting on the dock for 45 minutes for all the boats to cross the finish line and tie up (Yes, all 7 boats finished the 240-mile course within 45 minutes!) – we all wandered over to a nearby restaurant for burgers and a round of friendly jabs and stories; a bunch of smiling, sleepy, squinty-eyed, wind-burnt faces all laughing about our lives!

Atlantic Cup Dinner
A mighty toast was clearly in order for this crew! (Photo by Billy Black)

With a race as brief and intensely competitive as this one, you have to stay on yourself to run hard the whole time, so that when any opportunity to advance presents itself, you are right there to grab it!

In the early part of the race, on our way south along the Jersey Coast to the turn mark off of Barnegat’s Lighthouse, we kept ourselves busy trimming the sails, driving the boat and managing the course. Being in the lead at that mark only meant that we had to pay particularly close attention to where our competitors were heading, and so try to position ourself between them and the finish line, still some 200 miles away. This is not always as easy thing to do as it sounds.

Later that night, as we moved north, the rain grew heavier so that keeping track of the lights of our competitors, mixed in with those of commercial fishing boats, became a big challenge. We watched as three of the boats headed to the west and three stayed with us. When morning came, we saw that Gryphon Solo II had shifted across the racecourse and had captured the lead from us. At that point, weather conditions became more intense, as we tried to position ourselves relative to Gryphon Solo II, but also somewhere where other boats couldn’t get past us. This kind of thinking doesn’t sound completely rational I know, but protecting second place was important for us, as the scoring for this race is cumulative over three events, not just one. At the same time, we were keeping an eye out for any opportunity to recapture first place.

That opportunity came as we approached Block Island. The important decision to go either right or left around Block Island is always a tricky but crucial one.

Here is where we were around Block Island …

Currents and wind shifts play a big roll in your decision-making process. For us, the decision was to once again try to protect second place. Once Gryphon Solo II telegraphed their course and their decision to go to the right (east) of Block Island – (which seasoned local sailors will most often do) – we choose to stay with three other boats and head west around the island. A number of factors lead to that decision; wind, current, tides and that repeated urge to preserve second place all played a part … not to mention the fact that I had incorrectly entered a navigational point into the GPS, which lead us down a wrong path for a while. In a race of this speed and distance, there’s no downtime … you’re either ON it or your not.

Once we committed to our plan to head left of Block Island, the opportunity presented itself to take over the lead once again. We worked some Midwest hoodoo to slip past Lecoq Cuisine, and then proceeded to sail as fast and furious as we could towards the finish, hoping that Gryphon Solo II had lost some ground coming around the eastern side of Block Island. For an anxious hour or two, we sailed hard, scanning the misty rain for sight of Gryphon Solo II. When they finally emerged from out of the fog, it was to our right and in a position slightly behind us, at which point we knew we had first place in hand!

From there on, our first (and second!) order of business was simple enough … to keep going as fast as we could and to get to the finish line before anyone else. Just about an hour later, we entered the narrowing Narragansett Bay and crossed the finish line; exhausted, elated and excited at winning Leg Two of this incredible 2013 Atlantic Cup. This was also a repeat performance of our unexpected win last year! Matt and I are so very grateful for our great good fortune so far in the race.

Once again, two happy and pretty whomped fellas … (Photo by Billy Black)

We hope you enjoyed watching the race on the tracker or following the updates on Facebook … and that you managed to ride the excitement and uncertainty that the race provided with its ever-changing position changes and close finishes.

Today Monday is an official slow-way-down day. We’re heading down to the boat to do some sorting and cleaning … before meeting up with friends, finding a nice comfy chair and resuming our storytelling!

Taking a breather at the finish … (Photo by Billy Black)

A big thanks to everyone who’s been a part of this, including our sponsors Jamestown FiSH, The Earthwatch Institute, as well as The Atlantic Cup Race organizers and staff and the many race sponsors. Thanks to Elizabeth, our onboard media person, who kept you up-to-date with our progress and with photos. Also a major bushel of thanks to Mark Petrakis over at Firm Solutions, for managing our online activities and our social media. Mark is the magic hand behind all the news you get!

More recaps in the coming days, as well as updates on preparations for this weekend’s inshore racing leg. It’s not over yet!

For now though, thanks again to all of you!

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

Bodacious Dream Wins Leg Two of the Atlantic Cup Race!

Posted on May 19, 2013 by spoon

Bodacious Dream was first across the finish line for the second leg of the Atlantic Cup Race! Matt & Dave crossed it at 8:14 EDT! It was a truly legendary race … and here are SOME of the reasons why.

Lecoq Cuisine – who finished 8.5 minutes behind BoDream in the first leg – finished just 5 minutes behind them in this one! Gryphon Solo II finishes 3rd, just 10 minutes behind BoDream.
Even more amazing is that ALL seven competitors finished the 30+ hour race within 45 minutes of each other!
Weather and wind conditions and variations were extreme and diverse. More on all this soon!
Interestingly enough, this is the same leg of the Atlantic Cup that Bodacious Dream won last year!
Total Elapsed Time for Bodacious Dream was 1 day, 6 hours, 19 minutes and 38 seconds!

Below is a photo of BoDream at the moment she crossed “The Jamestown FiSH Finish Line!”

FiSH on the flag … FiSH on the sail …

And here is a photo – taken late in the race out the back of BoDream. On the horizon, you can make out Lecoq Cuisine. What a relentless competitor they proved to be!

Working hard to keep that half-mile lead on Lecoq Cuisine …

And in this last photo from earlier this afternoon … when Matt was relieved of his turn at the helm, he decided to forego rest and to juggle clementinas instead!

Bodacious talent takes many forms …

And this was a race that Dave thought MIGHT just go till Tuesday morning! Instead it was a full tilt sprint right from the gate.

Anyway, that’s about all we have to say right now. MORE photos and videos … interviews AND “expert analysis” coming soon!

We’ll leave it with BiG congratulations to all the teams in the race, to the race organizers and to the whole Bodacious Dream Team … for a job well-done, and of course, to all of you for your steady support!

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

Leg 2/ An Out & Out Drag Race!

Posted on May 19, 2013 by spoon

Wow, what a race so far! We started out in an unpredictable upwind heading out of New York City harbor with the winds going our way one minute and some other way the next. Then we had to pick our way through ferries, barges, ships, recreational traffic and the constant drone of helicopters, all of which made for some strange kind of energy. We made it all the way to Sandy Hook without tacking, and then were able to clear the point on one tack heading down to the turning mark off Barnett’s Inlet where we pivoted and headed back north towards Newport, RI.

It was a neck and neck race with “Miracle Mike” Hennessy and Rob Windsor on Dragon keeping pace with us most all the way. We rounded ahead of the next group of boats, but only by a mile or two at the most.

Through the long, damp, rainy night we changed sails, back and forth trying desperately to stay in the lead, but the fickleness of the winds kept us all guessing at who was out front.

It’s now about 12:30 pm EST and though one of us might be in the lead right now, I wouldn’t count any of the boats being out of the running.

Race Tracker 12:45 EDT (Link to the tracker is here!)

We have approximately 45 miles left and it’s without a doubt, one of the best and tightest drag races I’ve ever sailed. Just to our left are the pesky gents on Gryphon Solo II, and just behind them are our favorite Kiwi-French duo on Lecoq Cuisine AND between the three of us is 40 Degrees – with Peter the Great and Hanna the Greatest! Outside is Miracle Dragon along with the Rockers of Icarus along with the ever-present Prospects of Pleiad. We also suspect those local boats have a trick up their sleeve for us when we approach Block Island. This one is going to be a nail-biter right to the end!

It’s been full-on and neither Matt nor I have really slept at all or eaten much more than a handful of cookies, carrots or granola bars. Tension is high, which combined with excitement and adrenalin is making for an amazing experience.

Stay tuned for more after the finish. I’m only taking a short moment here to update you all … and then it’s back to sail trim and sail changes!

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

A New York Week & Back to Sea!

Posted on May 18, 2013 by spoon

What a week it’s been! New York is exciting enough on its own, but when you add in time spent with an incredible group of fellow sailors and all the great folks who put on the Atlantic Cup, as well days and nights filled with some super and very worthwhile events … well, it makes you very grateful for the opportunity to live such an amazing and “amphibious” life.

We crossed the finish line late Tuesday night. As it turns out, coming in first gets you a few extra perks … like being followed and videotaped by a “media” boat … kinda fun one this with the towering Manhattan skyline all lit up.

Bodacious Dream’s “Broadway Moment” …

Wednesday was given over mostly to boat cleaning, body resting and food eating. Thursday … was the Atlantic Cup’s “Education Day.” The event was produced in conjunction with the dedicated folks at The Rozalia Project for a clean ocean. Several of the skippers, including Matt and myself had the privilege of going down to the marina, where our boats were all moored, and there hang out and talk to these very bright kids about sailing and about the perils of marine debris.

Getting outsmarted by the kids at the Atlantic Cup’s “Education Day.”

Among the questions that the kids asked, was what we ate on the boat. I had to tell them the unadorned truth – that we mostly eat freeze-dried food – that it comes in a pouch, we boil up a cup of water and pour it in, mix it up, let it sit for about 10 minutes … and voilà! And while it doesn’t always look like what you see on the label, it pretty much tastes like it … and when it doesn’t, we make sure it ends up tasting like something … with a lot of Tabasco sauce on it – the essential ingredient in a sailor’s spice rack!

Among its other achievements, the Atlantic Cup is also the first carbon neutral sailing race in the United States. On Thursday night to help build on that agenda, they sponsored an evening seminar called, “Living on the Edge: The Atlantic Cup Presents Coastal Communities and Climate Change.” Among the speakers were some highly respected voices on the ocean and environment, representing some very forward thinking organizations including: Sailors for the Sea, Global Green USA, Climate Central, Grist.org, Green Mountain Energy as well as our fellow Atlantic Cup competitor Hannah Jenner, skipper for 40 Degrees. All in all, it was a great night, filled with many learnings and inspirations.

Pro-Am race … Icarus to left, BoDream to right … Famous lady in between

Then yesterday, we participated in the Pro-Am race, and what a hoot that was! We were lucky to have onboard with us one of the race sponsors, Lauren and Michelle from Block Island Organics, along with two Rearick family members! While I’d like to say we dominated the event, the truth is far from that. What was interesting though was that the first and second place finishers of the first leg on the Cup race, were last and second to last in this one. But we all had a ball. Hats off to Icarus for winning the Pro-Am event!

Among the many happy memories of the past week, here’s another … a video I shot on the afternoon of Day 3 of the race, as Matt and I were making our approach to New York City.

Some “Champagne” Sailing going on here …

But with all that behind us, it’s time to get back to what’s ahead of us … which is the “second” leg of the race. We take off again today at 2pm EDT for another double-handed round, bound for Newport RI. Whereas the first leg of the race was 642 nautical miles, this second leg will only be 231. The course looks a little slower, with fair weather and light winds, so it may take us until Tuesday morning or thereabouts to get there. Getting out of the harbor first is going to give whoever does that a significant advantage. While we won’t likely be setting any speed records, I know Matt and I will be working very hard to stay in the game. Keep watch, if you can – the link to the race tracker is right HERE! (And there’s an app to for phones or pads … search under “Yellowbrick.”)

Then next weekend, still in Newport, we’ll begin the third part of the race … two days of inshore racing, at which point, we’ll all be joined by additional crew members (up to six per boat.) Those races will take place on beautiful Narragansett Bay … so expect some wild and edgy competitive maneuvering … (and some great night time repasts at our boat sponsor’s restaurant, Jamestown FiSH!)

For those of you who asked about how scoring works in this race, and how they go about calculating a “three-legged” winner, it is a little complicated, but basically the winners receive points for each leg equal to the number of participants, and then from there on down, they subtract 2 points for each additional position. In any case, here to the left is the current leaderboard.

As conditions were so challenging during the first leg of the race, and this week so filled with things to do, I haven’t had time enough to address some of the many interesting issues that we raised in our Bodacious Dream Expeditions Atlantic Cup Coast “Explorer Guides.” As much as I wanted to, and as much as there was to say … the ocean is the ocean, and in the end, it’s the boss of bosses and the keeper of our clocks. Reminding yourself of that, also serves as a humbling reminder of just how completely unique ocean racing is, compared to many other sports. You start at one designated spot on the globe and you end at another … and in between … you have NO idea what will happen. That makes finishing the race, an achievement in itself … and finishing ahead of your fellow racers … well, that’s the special sauce, isn’t it? Anyway, thanks to all of you for keeping an eye on Matt and I … along the way. Believe me, it’s much appreciated.

We’ll be back as soon as we can with more. Until then, have a great mid-May weekend. I know we will.

– Matt, Dave & Bodacious Dream

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

"Maximizing our lives, minimizing our impact."

Category Archives: Matt Scharl

Dave’s 2013 Transpac Recap!

Our Awesome Ride to the Finish!

BoDream/ Transpac Update – The First Three Days

Atlantic Cup Inshore Racing & Last Day Recap!

Atlantic Cup Leg 3 – Inshore Racing!

Atlantic Cup Leg Two Win! – The Day After …

Bodacious Dream Wins Leg Two of the Atlantic Cup Race!

Leg 2/ An Out & Out Drag Race!

A New York Week & Back to Sea!

Atlantic Cup Leg One/ The End of the Race!