Postman's Holiday

What do we do with a day off from sailing?  More sailing.

Today we took a postman's holiday and went for a pleasant daysail around the bay with pickup crew Merileigh, on loan from Convivia.

The beach party had a new event this year—the boat pull. One of the big cruising cats got stuck on the beach and everyone got involved in the rescue attempt. Paul has some great video of that on the way.

Surfing in Turtle Bay

Paul demonstrates how the stand-up paddleboard is just the thing for making the most of the gentle break here.

A Little Love from Latitude 38

We made 'Lectronic Latitude with our Three Buds costumes. Here we are (at the end of the article) heading out to the start in San Diego.

Two Buds?

Gary found some water in the after berth (the jokingly salty name for the aft cabin) and went in to clean things up and hang the wet stuff out to dry. Paul and I were going about our business in the meantime, reorganizing supplies, coiling every available line into Flemish rolls, etc., when we noticed that Gary had been down there an awfully long time. Turns out he wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere inside and the dinghy and stand-up paddleboard were still on the boat. It only took about one anxious minute before we found him. Slung down low in the forward nets, you can nap there and be pretty much invisible from the aft part of the boat.

Cruising Mode

Drei at anchor, looking like the ultimate cruiser with the surfboard, beachwear, and BBQ.

This was the day when Paul and I rolled every available line into Flemish coils in a fit of obsessive-compulsiveness.  The boat looked like a rug shop.

Taking the Long Road

We weren't the first boat into the anchorage, but we probably get the prize for most distance sailed. DREI, like most multihulls and sport boats, can go downwind faster by jibing back and forth, sailing about 30-45 degrees off from straight downwind. That's the theory anyway, though I'm not sure it improved our downwind speed through the swells and chop. Still, who could complain about sailing more distance than necessary when the weather is great, the boat is skimming along at 11-16 kts, and still arriving early enough to get a prime spot in the anchorage and plenty of R&R time?

Today the DREI crew would like to thank Patsy Verhoeven on Talion for offering to fix the spinnaker we tore on the way here. That's some amazing and commendable generosity.

Arriving at Turtle Bay

Finished the first leg at 10:56a. Now it's time to rest, clean up, and relax in Turtle Bay. That, and see if the dinghy motor still works (fingers crossed).

Dinghy Douche

Closing in on our first stop, Turtle Bay, after two nights at sea. No casualties except maybe the dinghy motor. It was stowed in the bottom of the dinghy, which was lashed upright on the netting between the main hull and the ama, and we swamped it by shipping a wave through the net.

Daybreak

Paul at the helm at daybreak.
The wind improved considerably on Tuesday, allowing us to make up some time on those who motored continuously right from the start. It held strong through the night.

Sailing through the Night

People who haven't sailed offshore often ask how we sleep. Now you know ;)

This is Gary, sleeping in his foul-weather gear off-watch, ready to go on short notice.

A Slow Start

The first day out was very calm. We sailed for a while, but later started up the engine, which we continued to run most of the night. So discouraging to burn up all this downwind distance motoring.

¡Listo, Vamanos!

And we're off—doing a pleasant 6-7 kts and just crossed the border about an hour ago. The TV news station KUSI in San Diego did a short piece on the Ha-Ha as the boats were leaving the harbor:

Next stop is the fishing village of Bahia Tortugas. Until then, we'll be spend what will likely be our only cold night underway, sailing through the wine-dark sea. Further south, the weather gets warmer and the sun and white sand make the water look turquoise.

Wenching vs. Winching

Pirates and wenches were popular choices at the costume party. There were plenty of winches too since the party was hosted by West Marine.

Three Buds

Off to the pre-start costume party (we're going as three buds), then doing some final preparations before tomorrow's start.
The Ha-Ha start draws quite a crowd of spectators in the harbor--we made the local TV news in Dan Diego in 2009.

Hi DREI

DREI, sitting pretty in San Diego. We're doing most of our provisioning today, checking over the sail inventory and deck hardware, then loading up the boat with groceries and fuel (just in case).

Picking a Winner

I booked a Southwest flight to San Diego and, as usual, forgot to check in early to get a spot in the early boarding group. One advantage to being in the C group, if you can deal with getting stuck in the middle seat, is that you get to choose your seat mates.

What's the Deal with Dacron?

No doubt this incident from the 2009 Ha-Ha influenced Paul and Gary's decision to switch out the carbon racing mainsail for the Dacron one:
http://rideonsally.blogspot.com/2009/11/ungratifying-ways-to-spend-money.html
Carbon sails hold their shape really well, but Dacron is much harder to stick your hand through. None of us wants to see that happen again.

Crew Shirts

You'll be seeing a lot more of these over the next two weeks--our fearsome-looking crew shirts, just arrived from the printer.

Getting All Dressed Up for Departure

Yesterday we took the racing main off the boat, and bent on the Mexi-Main. Holy cow, it looks like its been sailed on for a total of about two hours!!

Gary and DREI leave Ventura on Wednesday for the delivery to San Diego. With him will be his two sons, Chris and Pat. Weather looks perfect, and there should be breeze all week.

Wont be long before the Rally crew (Gary, Paul and Jared) are donning costumes for the kickoff party on 10/23.

October is Here. Time to Prepare!

Most boats in the Ha-Ha are on their way to an extended - and usually open ended - cruising voyage in Mexico and beyond. For more than a few this rally is the beginning of a planned circumnavigation of the globe. Needless to say, the level of preparation among the fleet is staggering.

Trimaran S/V Drei is a bit more laid back. Here are a few reasons why: First, this is not our first rodeo. Among the three of us are many decades of sailing and racing all kinds of boats. Jared and I have Pacific crossings and a previous Ha-Ha on our resumes.

Second, Drei is not a complex boat. She can command your attention when the breeze is up, but from a systems and maintenance perspective Drei is very wash and wear. There are a couple of things to do, such as replace the net lashings and move the masthead running backs aft. A half-day of work and Drei is up to sailing to Cabo.

A third reason involves the crew again... Let's just say that there's no ama drama on this trimaran. Gary and Jared are great guys to go to sea with. So here's to

3 weeks left before

3 buds head out on

3 hulls for

2 weeks, making

2 stops and arriving in

1 place in

1 piece

Drei in Tahoe Earlier This Year

Cruising with the carbon racing sails, entering Emerald Bay.  This photo was taken in Tahoe just before our winning performance in the Trans-Tahoe race.