Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sunday, October 19, 2008
How I became a sailing champion in one year
2. Get the best crew and motivate.
3. Read the best books.
4. Practice and train a lot.
5. Know your strengths and maximize.
6. Always watch your competitiors.
7. Get the best starts.
8. Keep up enthusiasm and keeep eyes on the ball.
9. Anticipate moves.
10. Observe always weather and water.
11. Self check always boat and performance.
12. Win each leg.
13. Winning is at finish line.
14. Review race and learn lessons.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Sigwada wins Championship Series
This is the journal log of the deciding last race in the Championship Series of the International 110 in our yacht club. I sailed my boat Sigwada and won the championship.
Last Race Championship Series International 110
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
China Sea Race, Hongkong to Manila 650 nautical miles
This is a true story of China Sea Race, Hongkong to Manila, an open sea race of 650 nautical miles. I wrote this several days after the race which was years ago and found the manuscript only a couple of days ago.
Sunday.
woke up. took bath. felt good. watched HK clip continually. breakfast with Peter. taxied to
RACE
good we’re not far from line. canon start. I say go to right side, where boats were heeling. left side might be blanketed. Maiden Hongkong and Bumblebee hounded by spectator boats. one trail us and picture us. we overtake Bonatch and threaten Laventura. MH displaying her suit of sails. Tape drive, Red spinnaker. we're not really far from her. KB behind us. approaching rock. La
Monday
kept #3 and reefed main on 130 to 140. saw another to weather of us CHS? disheartened. for some reason went down relative to them why? didn't analyze. tried to catch up another ahead of us. sail heeling. didn't gain. is their helmsman better on waves? but we're doing as well. strange feeling. out here in the waves and storm, you see other boats and you're racing. actually you're 60 boats all spread out. from time we shift reef up or down who's monitoring this? at which time is right one? didn't analyze. speedo broke down. next time do also performance sailing. I should be enjoying and racing this. why am not? am not even eating. lost all gumption. at night very cold, most cold. Almost couldn't bear it. sang songs with Lyndon to drive away cold. but spirit still up pa naman. hardest part is waking up and going up and also sleeping and wet with hardly any food intake. absolutely no concern for tactics at this stage. that's why can't recall too much because things became blase. at least honed my helmsman. versus waves skill. my low strength obvious when I lose helm. I'd get pulled across to leeward. one time P. sleeps and I helm until a wave is struck and I spray him. he tells me he was just thinking how well I helmed with not a spray --- till now.
Tuesday
wind decreasing a bit. about time, this was supposed to be for 12 hours only. we still beat to close reach. a bit of sun streaming in. we get off foul weather gear. but still I don't touch navigation and tactics. What happened? I just helm and sleep. no brain. later we put up spinnaker. wind weakens more. Sun's coming out more and more. for food pala I take eggs balat by Wabs or Johnny. I also take noodles by Johnny. I'm now taking Watson regularly. that's it I really felt sick and I was busy surviving and no time for tactics. out of phase talaga. but in our shift I almost always take half time helming so I practically helm 25% of race (150 nautical miles,) Wabs 25%, Peter 25%, last 25% Albert, Bobet, Lyndon, Johnny. we also don't follow principle of trimming spinnaker. helmsman also does the trimming. in pm wind weakening. dolphins but not so much.
Wednesday
very calm. no satnav no navigating on my part ergo no tactics. didn't even read material. like I didn't start right so I'll just withdraw attitude? looked for holes and avoided them. just sailed where windlines were. rolling seas felt was here before to HK trip. no boats in sight so still downhearted. altho P. regaled us and Boss egged us on. he's still optimistic. in pm we see boats behind us. all of them go up but we remain low. we're not really spinnaker reaching up to the R. line or beyond R. line. didn't check that out. at night I do apparent wind gimmick. Albert calls me apparent wind master. he and Bobet can't do it. we see some clouds and go along with it. chase it beforehand. but going along we go off course down R line. we change to reduced spinnaker fearing squall. Johnny objects no squall. we put up old 3/4. then wind picks up. P. is confident. self vindicating talk. but we still don't beleive entirely. true enough it doesn't last quite long. basic question and we didn't know most of the time where are we? and how are we approaching game. should've pushed and got info.
Thursday
a.m. beat. reason go into wind but we're meeting waves pounding us slow. we see mountains. I tell Peter to take bearing why didn't I do it myself. my you were really spintless. Louie wakes up and say why not go into land. Bobet complies and we speed up, no longer meeting waves. they're right if only for the speed. we're supposed to have local knowledge. why afraid of
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Delivery Manila to Hongkong 650 nautical miles
This is the true story of the delivery of racing yacht Sunset Strip from Manila to Hongkong across the high seas 650 nautical miles in time for the China Sea Race. I wrote it just a couple of weeks after the experience and found the manuscript after so many years.
We sail out Tuesday p.m. Betamax with Tony Gonzales. then footage of us under spinnaker and on the rails. must be good shots. Finally we go on a 650 miles trip. Wind has weakened. We go past Sangley, then we sight San Nicolas. Boss goes down to sleep. Sunset and I take shots with
Saturday, February 2, 2008
International 110 as daysailer
The 110 is a perfect daysailer. It is small enough to be singlehanded. It is also big enough to go farther than a dinghy. Here are my daysailing adventures that I most enjoyed:
1. Going to Cavite Sangley Point. I did this in one of the hookey days I decided not to go to office. For this I had to cross a long route traversing from the yacht club past relatively open seas till I reached the Cavite peninsula. I could choose entering the small cove where the naval base were and observe old ships and old planes as this base is now unused. Or I could anchor beside the old runway and and enjoy the fresher breezes and the more open sea. The water here is now unpolluted and the views natural and provincial. The way to and fro is very enjoyable as the water is cleaner and the waves are bigger so that even if these splash against the bow and wet me, the salty taste is refreshing.
2. Past the breakwater and approaching old ships. I once ventured out to where old abandoned ships were anchored. They were hulking monsters forgotten and left for scrap. But as I approached these I could see their beauty if not mystery. It seems as the waves moved them a bit, for they seemed immobile , they groaned and let out strange deep sounds. The color of their sides were out of this world. a combination of rust, weathered sea grey and blue, cast iron. Especially when the setting sun with its warm colors touched them, they exhibited a palette that is both mysterious and inviting. And the vast size contributed to the fear that I felt as I did not know how near I could sail. I just rounded each several times as each time they exhibited new facets new angles new sounds new colors, like they wanted to tell me their past stories. Fascinating adventure.
Happiness is sailing a 110
My most happy recollections in sailing my 110 are the following:
1. Playing hookey and absenting from the office. I would decide spontaneously not going to the office for the day, wear my sailing gear. I'd pass by McDonald and buy a couple of hamburgers and softdrinks. Then I launch the boat early in the morning while I see the cars in the boulevard building up traffic for the office day. I would gleefully leer at the office workers frowning while stuck in traffic. I go out to near the breakwater and just cruise practice some tacks. I have my small radiocassette and play the song Sailing. When a bit tired I'd loosen the line and anchor and drop it after bringing down the sails. I eat my hamburgers and drink the still cold coke. I just lie down on the deck and laze around enjoying the breeze and the quiet and the lullaby of the wavelets. I again sail around and look at the ships anchored loading and unloading cargoes. Close to late afternoon I call it a day and turn in to the yacht club totally refreshed and at peace with myself and the universe.
2. Sailing upwind in the groove. This is my favorite sailing direction. The hull tracks the water very smoothly as the beautiful bow cuts cleanly into the waves. The mainsail and the genoa work most efficiently in tandem as the wind pass over both sails while the luff threads indicate maximum efficiency. The helm has just a bit of weather feel that tells me the boat purrs like a pet that I caress. My body extends a bit outboard to counteract heeling. Extreme satisfaction .
3. Practicing racing in the early morning when the sun kisses the water and reflects like sparkling jewels. There was one time only me and George went out practicing. We were like birds in Jonathan Livingstone Seagull perfecting our moves and dancing on a vast stage doing our thing and enjoying it immensely.