Amphibious Weekend (Sun)

Today, we got more errands done in the morning, then we rigged HOO-YAH!!!! up for a sail.

Launched at East of the Long Beach Yacht Club. The boat drag from the parking lot to the waterline was not bad. After rigging (40 minutes this time), we set sail and made three runs out and back. With both kids and La and I onboard, our best speed was 10.5 mph (average 8). Marlon was feeling a little green around the gills and Noe couldn't stay awake (past her nap time). La was having a blast! Until we jibed and the sail took her favorite hat off her head. We tried rescuing it, but failed - our first offering to the Gulf of Mexico.

The windward ama would fly pretty easily - Marlon was amused by the splashing water. Splashing really warm water. Splashing, really warm water and the really warm air. Nice warm day, in and out of the water. You probably get my point. But nevertheless a great day - sunny weather, puffy clouds in the sky and the family hanging out together.

I took the family in and went back out to see just how fast I could go - got 11.9 mph out of the boat. I'm not sure of the wind - but according to the websites that produce wind speed/direction charts, the wind didn't break 15 (on the gusts) and was averaging 12 - so the Weta was close (if not spot on) to matching wind speed.

We tried using the screacher - but will probably have to do a long downwinder before getting better results.

This is going to be a good substitute for the readily available surf that Port Hueneme had. Hopefully we'll be able to sail on the weekends more now.

Aloha!

Amphibious Weekend (Sat)

We are still cleaning the house and getting it set up. More pictures on the walls, eternal laundry, moving boxes around in the garage to get organized, but on Saturday, we also took a couple of hours to go paddle.

The kids were digging holes as usual, and they found some hermit crabs again.

I modified one of the suction cup handles I had used to carry the old Naish 11'6" SUP to hold my Garmin 60CSx. The setup worked perfectly! Top speed into the wind 4.2 mph (working my butt off) with an average of 3.2 mph. Downwind was a much different story - 5.9 top speed with an average of 4.5 mph

Oh and a bonus - we ate at the Panda Palace Chinese Food Buffet. The kids and I love Chinese food (we ate a lot at Panda Express back in California). La on the other hand HATES chinese food - especially from buffets - so this was a big deal.

We got a lot done around the house and had a good time at the beach too!

If money is an object...

This is most likely the intermediate boat (the one between our 14'5" Trimaran and the 55' Catamaran - the 31' Corsair Trimaran.

With this boat, you can spank your racing opponents and take a nap immediately afterwards and finish the day off with a good surf (very shallow draft - excellent for coming close in, but still behind, the breakers).

This one is in striking distance (maybe before the kids get out of high school)....

Globetrotter

If money were no object, this is what I would be sleeping in.

It'd have three bedrooms, an office and a storage room for equipment (boards, kites, scuba gear) as well as a nice galley and living area in the central nacelle.

It'd also have photovoltaic panels and 2 wind turbines for electrical power.

And a front and back mounted 240G Automatic Rifle to scare away the bad guys (I don't think I can legally get my hands on a MK-19 grenade launcher, but that would be a good weapon for reaching out and touching the pirates before they could get into RPG range - the standoff distance alone would save us from having to fire the 240, but alas I don't know any arms dealers and heck - I don't even have a big boat to defend) - (THIS IS A JOKE, I AM IN NO WAY, SHAPE, FORM considering acquiring any heavy weaponry).

What isn't a joke is the boat, but it is a ways off yet. This is the one I'd get if I could - the Outremer 55. There is a lot of unridden surf out there....

Nice!

Oh dang it!!!>>>....

Man these are nice....

If I lived on Oahu still, I'd have a shallower wallet...

Oh the thoughts going through my head now....

And yes, I know you read this La - don't worry, I'm not sneaking around your back and buying more boards....

Oh but the thoughts running through my head....
;)

Reverse Order

Oh - and if you couldn't tell, this series was in reverse order (I didn't pick up on that until I looked at the blog) - Gomen Nasai

Picked up HOO-YAH this weekend

Here she is!!!

Her name is HOO-YAH!!!! (with four exclamation points - one for each of us).

Picked her up from the Richmond Yacht Club on Thursday - had to pick up the trailer from Pacific Trailers before we went to get the boat.

It's late so I'll write more tomorrow - just wanted to get the blog started!!!

HOO-YAH!!!!

More pictures

Ok - I can't sleep knowing this boat is finally in the garage...

Here are more pictures from the day we picked up the boat.

First Sail!!!

Took HOO-YAH!!!! out today for the first run!!!

AWESOME!!!

There was windswell coming through as well as a short period south, so the launchings (two) were exciting, but not too bad (timing is everything).

Nick crewed for the first run (just in case the shake down run produced problems). We waited for a lull in the sets and made our way out with no incident. When the puffs hit (pushing about 15 mph), the boat took off on a plane and burying the leeward ama was common (with the windward flying). This boat truly is a skiff on training wheels (for the record, I love training wheels and I will publicly display myself riding watercraft with training wheels from here until someday long into the future). Made ground fairly quickly and got to surf the swell downwind to setup for a landing. Again - timing is everything. Came in to switch out the crew (Nick for La). Beaching was really smooth - this boat is graceful in the water and on the beach (and to an eye with an affinity for hydrodynamics - even on the dolly/trailer).

Made the crew swap and launched again. Pretty much the same run characteristics (good puffs to fly the ama, some holes in the wind and some chances to ride swell downwind). La was very excited to be sailing!!! For the record again, I love my previous BMW R1200R, but not having a regular sitter to watch the two kids kept La and I from enjoying the bike together - when we get to Gulfport and surf/swell are no longer factors - we will all be able to share in the enjoyment of HOO-YAH!!!! and for that I truly LOVE this trimaran - but I still love the BMW too - we'll call it an even exchange for the better.

Oh, La and I both pee'd on the boat, so yes it has been properly christened in the spirit of surfers!!!

PAU

BMW Oracle Trimaran

I didn't plan this, so it isn't as cheesy as it first appears...

With our purchase of the Weta, I did a lot of research on small craft - Hobies (Tigers - oooooohhhhh yeahhhhhh, 16s), Megabytes, Nacras, 420s, Lasers, etc - but I forget to check in on what is happening in the world of big boats.

For one, big boats are way out of my budget. Somewhere between Neptune and Pluto's orbits.

I was also not paying attention because the America's Cup litigation - Now that the courts have settled the issue and the race is impending, the clubs and teams are starting to reveal the vessels to be used - Huge Multihulls.

Ok - back to the subject at hand and the explanation for my earlier comment - what do you get when you merge the two craft I have listed on this blog - the lovely BMW R1200R I recently sold (and posted pictures of earlier) and the Weta Trimaran we just brought home????

With the pictures attached, I make the answer obvious. This trimaran is the contents of my garage, squished together and pumped up with anabolic steroids.

Oh, and their garage is also on steroids - huge does not do it justice.

I know this is not a post on HOOYAH - but how can I resist??? I'll make an exception for this boat and the boat it will compete with (Alinghi's Catamaran).

It will be very interesting to see the developments over the next few months and leading up to the races next year.

These boats bring lots of funding, technology and crew experience - should be a catalyst in the resurgence of recreational sailing. I know it worked for me - subliminally even -

BMW moto in the garage + Trimaran = me routing for the BMW-Oracle team

Photos credited to Goli and the BMW/Oracle Team.

PAU

More Pictures from yesterday's sail

Launching

Cat Line Up

Off the beach -

Hanalei offered what appeared to be an awesome launch for beach cats - as evidenced by the boats lining the waterfront above the high tide line.

One of the craft sitting on the beach was a double outrigger canoe with a sail rig - in my years living on Oahu, I never saw one of these. I think I prefer the standard version of the Sailing Canoe.

There was a Hobie Wave plying the waters among the anchored boats, but not much else going on the day I drove through.

This would be an awesome trip to undertake one day -

Alinghi Defender

OMG!!!

This is an incredible vessel...

This upcoming America's Cup battle is going to be the best ever!!!!

Photo credit to Carlo Borlenghi/ALINGHI

Second Blog Dead

I am transferring some of the posts from the second blog I was running - HOO-YAH the boat log is not generating the posts I would want it to (not enough material, and not much prospects of more until I get the truck and trailer registered in Mississippi and the wind picks up down here).

So - here are some of the better posts from No. 2.

Aloha

Cool Logos

Really cool logo from a shipping company operating out of Port Allen, Kauai.

Credit for the logo to the Shipping Company

Spray (from Hoo-Yah)

Joshua Slocum was the first person to make a solo circumnavigation. Performed around the turn of the 19th Century, he was a sailing man in the wake of fossil fueled vessels.

On our way across, we stopped at the Houston Maritime Museum and I saw this model of "Spray" - the boat Slocum took on the 3 year voyage.

Caridina Shrimp

These guys are troopers -

They made the first trip out with me from Port Hueneme to Gulfport and not a one died. They spent a couple of weeks in a 5 gallon bucket waiting for the trip and then when we arrived, they spent another few weeks in a temporary tank.

Well - their wait is over - today they got back into their regular home.

In the last house, they lived in the loft (so neither kids had the benefit of having them exclusively in their room. Here, Marlon has them because his room is setup for it (his desk).

The kids are using a magnifying glass to check them out.

Four out of the 35 or so are carrying eggs so the colony looks to have expansion potential again.

If you don't remember from my very early posts, I started with 5, went down to 3 and at their peak numbers - upwards of 70. We had 3 die off when the filters didn't work while I was on travel. I don't anticipate traveling at all in the job so the shrimp should be good to go.

Lazy Paddling Day

Finally got around to downloading the pictures I took this past Sunday with the GoPro.

La and I took both Point to Point (P2P) SUPs out each with a kid onboard.

Everyone had a great time! We saw a bunch of Brown Pelicans dive bombing the fish schools and got to ride some tiny windswell on the way back to the starting point.

I am really surprised SUP has not caught on down here. This is the perfect place to run fitness clinics (like they do at Ala Moana lagoon), distance races and beginner lessons on surf oriented boards.

Oh well - I bet once we move from here it'll take off (my typical track record).

One last thing - Big M is a camera ham.

A-lo-ha!

Jimmy's New Board

The next best thing to getting a new board is having a good friend get a new board.

Ever since I got a Stretch Fletcher Four Fin Bat Tail back a couple of years ago, Jimmy has been hunting one down.

After several months of juggling priorities, equipment requirements (EQUIPMENT, NOT TOYS), and missing bargains, his patience has paid off!!!

There is a story behind this - one of connections and favors, but I'll spare the details.

For now, behold a brand spanking new 7'4"x2.75"x20" bat tail quad.

Being in a land deprived of surf, I can only mind surf this board - ahh to carve the faces of head high peelers at Lani's with this sleek, wave destroying weapon.....

I need help or I need to surf...

Gulfport SUPing

In between getting used to the new job and unpacking the house, I have managed to get out a few times. I've mapped out a couple of distance routes, so far on either side of the Port of Gulfport. There is downwinder potential here, but until I find another SUPer to share car shuttling duties with, I'll have to paddle up to paddle down.

Bathymetry wise, this area is really shallow. And here at the end of Summer, the water is hot - not warm, but HOT. Mix that in with the flat water, and Marlon and Noe are no longer scared of the water.

I did find a spot that shoals in a way that reveals wind swell. I'm not talking Maliko run sized swell, but when you are as wave-energy dependent as I am, you will tell yourself anything to keep your sanity. The swell was close to 6", but enough to catch with the distance SUPs.

I will have to get creative to keep from falling apart over the next two years... Again - if there are any SUPers out there in cyberland that live in the Gulfport area, sound off so we can get the scene going here!!!

Bass Pro Shops

I don't quite know for sure how my family got infatuated with BPS, but we are. The one in Las Vegas (south of the strip) is really cool - large indoor waterfall, and as part of the casino, there is a large indoor saltwater aquarium.

The stingrays especially entertained the kids.

Mandalay Bay

One of the stops we made along the way was Las Vegas.

We got a good deal on a room at the Mandalay.

Played in the pool and checked out the Aquarium (but of course).

Nice stay!

UCT TWO Change of Command

Best job I'll ever had - Skipper of UCT TWO.

This is me turning over the reins (very reluctantly - but knowing that the crew will be in great hands *Jay*).

HOOYAH TEAM TWO!!!