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Race to Alaska Escort Boat Service: PT to Victoria 6/4/15
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 2:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Duplicate post, Sorry

Harvey
SleepyCMoon


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AstoriaDave



Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 994
City/Region: Astoria
State or Province: OR
PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Harvey,

I think your analysis is spot on. The forecast was definitely iffy. Photos I saw showed no rubber. Even a 3 mm farmer john/jane would have saved lives that day. At 100 bucks, it is cheap protection, with good dry suits approaching a kilobuck these days, out of reach for casual paddlers.

I have paddled with all comers groups, which this one appears to have been, several times. Unless prepped prior to launch on rescue options, and unless leader and sweep are designated to competent paddlers, all comers groups are by far the most tenuous. You don't know what gear anybody has, what they know or don't know about self rescue, and there is no established roundup protocol when things get tough. Even rafting up in groups of two and three would have likely saved lives. Finally, lack of an operable HH VHF made contacting SAR resources impossible while on the water.

Two people did not have to die.

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Astoria, OR
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chromer



Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Posts: 952
City/Region: Anacortes
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 19 Angler
Photos: Checkpoint II
PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dup
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starcrafttom



Joined: 07 Nov 2003
Posts: 7878
City/Region: marysville
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 1984
C-Dory Model: 27 Cruiser
Vessel Name: to be decided later
Photos: Susan E
PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 1:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

harvey is spot on with his review of what happened. This was a case of the unknowing leading the unaware, unprepared. I have been lead by these types before and though I did not even come close to dying It was not a good camping trip.

I always check weather reports, Not just NOAA which is not always right, before I go on the water.

This loss of life on this day is not a valid argument against kayaking the straights on any other day. You have to be prepared, trained and aware. Aware of the weather report and what it means. I am sure that the church group believed that being behind the spit was a safe choice and would provide protection against the weather if they even knew about the weather.

One last point- in western Washington just looking out side or across the straits is not good enough. Our weather changes hourly and you should be aware of the forecast for the whole day not just right now. Also TIDE can change the way the weather reacts with the water and you should have a fair understanding of that if you are going to boat in this area.

Sorry for the people who lost loved ones in this needless event. And even sorry for those that made the discussion to cross the bay with good intentions but were unaware of their own lack of knowledge .

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chromer



Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Posts: 952
City/Region: Anacortes
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 19 Angler
Photos: Checkpoint II
PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 1:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There seems to be a lot of kayaks for sale on Seattle Craigslist this morning.
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 12:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bringing this back up to the top. It is getting closer.

The list of entries is pretty complete, and I have a link to the list and bios. The largest I could find as of May 6 is a 27 monohull sailboat. There is a 25 ft sailing cat, a kayaker that has kayaked Antarctica, a 12 ft Scamp that is a remarkable sailing vessel, a windsurfer who has raced in 50 knot breezes and several rowers like whitehall and similar. The entered craft combined represent best use in pretty varied conditions and optimum in almost opposite ones..

Here is the link to the entry roster. Scroll down a bet when you get there.

http://r2ak.com/stage-1-participants/#toggle-id-23

I should be back in touch with the Race Boss sometime this weekend and will add some updated info after that.

Harvey
SleepyCMoon

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2015 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had a good chat with Daniel Evans, Race Boss, last Friday. He has a lot on his plate. Has an inter-agency meeting coming up this week, specifically re safety concerns, and hierarchy and issues. (The groups mentioned were Vessel Traffic, USCG, LLE, Jefferson Fire/Rescue, Island County Marine Patrol, and there may have been more, just cant remember which.)

Because so often when I bring up questions, he doesn't know, or hadn't thought of that, I volunteered to join with him at that meeting. He said "thanks, hadn't thought of that, and would check on the possibility." I could not get out of him, what safety boats were enlisted yet, except for the officials like Jefferson fire rescue and Clallam County Marine Patrol, so don't yet know the number or sizes of support craft. After this planned meeting, he is planning a group communication, either phone or email, with interested and enlisted skippers.

This is an evolving process, and I made it very clear that at any point that I felt conditions were where I /we were such that assisting another vessel or person could be endangering our own vessel or person, we could opt out freely.

I also discussed some logistical considerations like need to refuel after time, (considering there could be up to 36 hours race duration) before Victoria, and/or the possibility of a staggered start from PT, Sequim or PA to negate the fuel issue.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another side of this tread was addressed in the e-letter in Scuttlebutt today:

http://email.sailingscuttlebutt.com/t/j-l-dktrdjd-ijtlilutd-n/

I would say that this is "The boat to watch" in the race…still a bit unconventional! (as any boat in this race will be!).



This is about the race, and a proa which was designed by an designer sailer: Paul Bieker,

A little search shows some of his most interesting designs, including a36 foot power boat, a 40 foot power boat and a 26 foot cat:

http://www.biekerboats.com/Bieker_Boats/Projects.html




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Thataway
Thataway (Ex Seaweed) 2007 25 C Dory May 2018 to Oct. 2021
Thisaway 2006 22' CDory November 2011 to May 2018
Caracal 18 140 Suzuki 2007 to present
Thataway TomCat 255 150 Suzukis June 2006 thru August 2011
C Pelican; 1992, 22 Cruiser, 2002 thru 2006
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good post and good find on that article Bob. This is going to be one interesting race. Maybe next year there will be some divisions in it. The paddlers, windsurfers and multihulls are really going to be fun to watch.

The safety boat meeting is tomorrow morning. Still early to have a reasonable weather prediction.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Met with the safety boat skippers and the race boss today. Guess what, I'm still the smallest boat in the fleet -- usually the smallest boat on the dock.

There were 12 skippers there, with boats ranging from a CutWater 28 on up to a 60 something sail baot. There's a 40ish Lord Nelson tug, Several in the 30 to 40 range and one RIB fast boat about 20'. US Coast Guard Aux will have a 25, 30 and a 50ish. There will be some Jefferson County Fire Rescue, and County LE. State Patrol is going to provide a plane and air cover for an undetermined time, and There will be a mobile VHF repeater to give full course coverage for the racers and the safety service vessels.

Considerable effort is going into this from the administrative side. There are 60 vessels registered for the race. This is the largest joint marine effort undertaken in Washington state, and there is joint participation from multiple agencies, Vessel Traffic, both US and Canadian, and their Coast Guards also. The date was chosen for its likelihood of fair weather and no fog, (We'll see how good that is) and for a good long ebb tide to ride on and for the length of daylight to allow for long days for the duration of the race.

Most of the boats are bigger, (well all of them really), generally slower, and less maneuverable, so they like the idea of have a C-Dory in the mix.

The Race starts at 0500, and the safety boats will be starting AM radio check at 0400. Won't that be fun. Could be a long day, but then I think, I'm in a warm cabin, out of the weather. Those racers, not so much. This is going to be a very interesting day.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2015 10:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is a link to the facebook R2AK page.

Looks like there will be 12 safety boats for the first leg. 2 sweep boats for the second section, that will leave from the start end, Victoria and/or Port Townsend after the first boat to the finish line arrives in Ketchikan.

I will post as soon as I know, where to go to be able to follow the race participants on line. (Each vessel will be using the SPOT tracking device, in track mode.) I believe there will be a way to see all on one screen, like probably a SPOT screen. This should be very interesting.

Start time is still 0500 Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday June 4, 2015. There is a "fog plan" in the works if conditions require.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 1:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is the link to the site for following the race vessels. Currently it brings up a map with a notation that "Currently there are no vessels to track" or something of that sort. It should be showing active vessels starting Thursday morning, June 4/2015, sometime before 0500.

Race to Alaska tracking link:
http://tracker.r2ak.com/

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 2:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

PS note: The tracker page (map) has the weather stations (NOAA) reports for the current time. So you can track the vessel and see their closest weather condition report too. Rolling Eyes

That sure looks like a long ways from PT to K.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Tracker site will also be linked from the R2AK home page and that is up on the home page now. Here is the link to that.

http://r2ak.com/

Weather looks like damp and mild for temps, A good long strong ebb starts about the same time as the race, winds are light and from the south early, and build to the west 10-15 later.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 7:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was an early morning wake up, and it was a beautiful full moon, just half way down when I looked out of the cabin door from the dock. The sailor’s wind chimes were still clanging at 10 – 15 knots, and it was just 3AM. I woke up before the alarm went off and there was no going back to sleep so up and at ‘em, vitamins and head for the shower. My observers were to be there at 0400, and we were supposed to be on station for an assigned radio check in at 0430. I have a Licensed 100 ton Master for my observer, (a good learning opportunity for me) and his girlfriend. Turns out it was a blessing to have 3 on board and after an introduction to the boat, safety gear, systems and electronics, we were off the dock at 0415 and nearly to our assigned position which was Point Wilson Light to the buoy about ½ mile to the North, the general area of the Point Wilson rip tide. Nearly to our mark, there was an announcement on the VHF, there would be a 30 minute start delay due to weather so we cruise in the very early dawn, light enough to see the lumps in the water, and the white tops on some of those 2 foot lumps.

All soon enough, the warning signals are past and the race is on. The race started at 0530, right after the tide switched to a big ebb from a big flood. Tide range was about 8 feet, and it was essentially the main tide of the day, thus also, the largest rip of the day and close to the largest of the month. The choice was intentional, to take advantage of that huge ebb current for the paddlers and rowers to run west through the Juan de Fuca Strait, to Victoria, BC. It was also intentional that the first 40 miles would be a qualification lap for the second part of the race. Intentional because on this end of it there could be a much closer chance for assistance if needed, and the conditions could be equal to anything the racers might meet with on the next 750 miles of the race.

There were 60 vessels signed up to start but by the time the race was underway, it was down to 55 due to withdrawal for various reasons which may have included sanity. Within about 10 to 15 minutes from the start, we had a fleet of fast moving, sailing vessels of all types streaking by on a beam reach on that 15 knot wind. Some good sized catamarans, trimarans, and then the smaller (18 -20 foot variety) cats and tries, then the smaller, sailing kayaks, then the rowers. The early ones got around in close and before the rip built up. As it built up it also went longer, farther out into the strait. Two to three feet became 5-6, the 20% whitecaps became 80% and that looked like a long, white wall, stretching from close to the light house corner out past the buoy maybe another mile. Even in our area we had 3-5 foot waves on a regular basis and there were racers going through this to get around the point and head west. There was another safety boat (RSV – race support vessel), stationed north of the Point Wilson buoy about a mile out, a 34’ foot cabin cruiser with a USCGAux banner up. He was just at the west side of the rip when an 18 foot tri, developed trouble resulting in loss of directional control. The CHB was standing by, and then was requested to take the tri in tow with the single hand skipper remaining on the tri. Since most of the racers were through that area or were way out to the east of us we opted to stand by during the tow. That was not going easy, now steering control on the tri, and it was filling with water. The skipper was bailing until he was sitting in a cockpit full of water, and the tow was only standing in position against the run of the tide. The sea state around them was at least 6 ft and much of it in the 8-10 ft range with some greater than that. The CHB captain is reporting everything is on the floor, no way to control the tow, and getting through the rip is just not happening. A Jefferson County Marine patrol boat, has come in to stand by as well, and decided to take the tri skipper off his vessel. They move in, the tri skipper jumps, and the aluminum patrol boat back off with the human cargo on board. 3 minutes later the trimaran rolls over and has to be cut loose. That happens about 5 miles in front of an oncoming container ship approaching at 18 knots.

At that point the larger Jefferson Fire Rescue boat comes on scene to stand by the tri because now it is drifting into the shipping lane. Vessel traffic and the oncoming container ship are advised, and Vessel Assist is responding to salvage the tri, which floats at the surface, and stays in the rip.

There were some other did not finish occurrences, from just out of the rip and on the beach next to the lighthouse without a mast, to some landing for overnight in places other than Victoria, like Protection Island or Discovery Island, and a couple along the beach inside of Dungeness Bay. One of the SPOT devices escaped its confines on its kayak and floated to Smith Island where it landed itself.

The first boat into Victoria was a team of 5 “old guys” in a big Cat rigged with a sliding rowing seat on the aft end of each hull. Since there is no sailing allowed inside the “Inner harbor” in Victoria, every boat in the race had to be capable of human power, row, paddle or peddle. The second was a big proa. . They were into the dock in Vic BC before the towing incident in the rip was over. It was a great race, and everyone survived, even the capsized tri was returned to the Port Townsend Maritime Center ramp. A long day for some, and a terrific learning opportunity for most. It was the roughest water I have spent time in, and with a good strong captain sharing the wheel and the radios, it was a real “boat ride” and a rewarding day.

Would I do it again? Yup, would I do it all the same? Nope – I learned while I was out there that my AIS was not working. Did not get that up and working for the entire race. I would have that working and check the day before, like I do the VHF’s. I would also try to sleep a little later too. The old saying that “All’s well that ends well” really applies to any day on the water, but when I can help ensure that not only my boat and I get home safe, but that others can too, it makes it really “All well.”

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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