Blog

No picture for this mess!

Well, I had big plans but things turned out differently. Forecast looked good for having an overnight fun trip, light winds today, building up tomorrow. I drove to CaB, spent more time doing small jobs, and finally mustered enough energy to get going. Pushing CaB off the docks and casting off solo worked just fine. We motored out, hoisted the big mainsail, and turned off the engine. The plan for the day was to try the Code 0. There is no trying, only doing, says the tiny one.
The Code 0 came out of the bag, the tack went to the furler, the head to the halyard, and sheets to the clew. And that’s where things stopped working cleanly. Twists in lines caused all sorts of mess:
1. When I pulled the tack to the end of the bowsprit I noticed that the tack line was getting all twisted on its own. Also the furler had been rigged incorrectly and the exit was facing forward instead of aft. Oh well …
2. Next I hoisted the sail. More twists went up the halyard as I hoisted the sail but I did not notice.
3. I unfurled the sail, turned a bit downwind and we took off. Ah, the fun of this boat picking up speed!
Now I was left with the obvious problem that I was going South, that the wind was going to pick up, and that I wasn’t sure what to do with the sail now. It looked like I was not going to be able to furl it back. So I spent some time riding the tip of the bowsprit and ultimately was able to roll the sail up.
It’s now that things really got problematic. I tried to douse the sail by easing the halyard, and it wouldn’t come down.
I decided to turn around and head for port. Someone was going to have to go up the mast and figure out what was going on.
Lucky me, before leaving, I came across Michael LG, with whom I worked in the past. As I was motoring back, I hit him on LinkedIn asking for his help to get me up the mast. And he gracefully accepted! He saved the day really! I couldn’t let the sail up with the expected wind on the forecast.
So up the mast again, only to discover that because of tons of twist in the halyard, it was wrapped around itself (the code 0 is on a 2:1 halyard). And the friction in those wraps was enough to prevent the sail from coming down! I eased the sail down, spent another several hours getting the boat back in order, and finally drove home.
A long day …
If anyone knows of a way to remove twists from a 2:1 halyard without taking it out … let me know …

10 days later

It was only 10 days ago that we made landfall in Half Moon Bay. It feels like such a long time ago. Here are a few updates about what got done after 6 trips to the boat. We’re writing the first chapters of volume II of Changabang’s new life, and it’s a little boring I gotta say!

Changabang’s mast.

A solid mast

After his return from Turkey I was able to check in with Sebastien AUBRUN of PRO-FIL Composites. He built the carbon mast of Changabang. He shared that the mast was designed for the high seas, with an intention for performance but without any compromise for reliability and longevity. Wearable hardware was reduced as much as possible. And it’s painted in white, which makes visual inspection for stress damage much easier. So that’s all good news.

We moved

We originally settled in slip G44 in Pillar Point Harbor, which was on the commercial side. I had been offered a slip on the recreational side but was originally not keen to change. That’s because I must admit that the commercial side feels much cleaner/nicer than the recreational side of the harbor. But after chatting with a few locals I was strongly advised to move because that other slip is a downwind slip; and with strong westerlies/northerlies blowing 75% of the time in the area, it would be much easier to come in and dock alone.

So I moved today and indeed, although the slip is a little tight, I was able to dock alone. Well, to be specific, I was so eager to move during a small lull between rain showers and wind gusts that I overlooked many things: forgot to disconnect shore power before starting the engine; started the engine in forward gear; forgot to set docking lines on the (new) dock side; stepped off the boat with the engine still in reverse. None of this had major consequences. Just a solid reminder to plan, not rush!

Big empty and big clean up

It took 3 trips to empty the boat of everything. And it took 3 days to deep clean her inside. That’s done and I am really happy that’s behind me. Now begins a slow process of moving stuff back into Changabang. I’m quite overwhelmed with the list of jobs. The past week has been seriously draining. I am longing to set the sails again and practice the good stuff.

She looks good in orange!

Sails arsenal

This is not exactly a strong point of Changabang. There are 3 recent sails that were built in 2018 and saw quite a good amount of usage already: mainsail, reefable genoa, staysail. Then there’s an old mainsail, a trashed solent, an old staysail. There are 3 storm sails: a trysail, a storm jib, a smaller storm jib. And last we have 4 free flying headsails: a masthead spinnaker, a fractional spinnaler, a gennaker, a code 0.

Not many lines here …

Lines poor

Similarly, Changabang’s stash of lines is fairly poor and dated. I’m not even sure which one is which! There is plenty of an old sort of lines, somehow twisted on its own.

CaB’s anchoring gear.

Heavy stuff

I cleaned (somewhat) the anchoring gear too. The heavy anchoring gear is stashed in the aft compartment, and it’s a battle to lift it out of the tiny cubby it’s stored in! I had to purchase a couple bits of hardware to complete the light anchoring gear setup. Both are back on the boat; and I pray to not to have to use the heavy anchoring gear! Since we’re talking buying; I’ve got a dehumidifier and a small fan underway, to keep mold at bay. And now, I’ll also need another shore power adapter as the recreational side of Pillar Point Harbor runs on 50A.

I also discovered a home made sea anchor aboard Changabang. Similarly, I hope to never have to deploy it. It’s good to know there’s one though!

And that’s not all … CaB’s gear is all over the house!

Great progress, what’s next?

I’m glad you asked:

  • Reseal the stern hatch and re-secure the life raft in there;
  • Adapt to 50A shore power;
  • Repair engine throttle (may require a complete new kit);
  • Fix port backstay clutch;
  • Fix forward hatch leaking handle;
  • Cross-check all battcars ball bearings;
  • Repair all sail damage;
  • Fix aft ballast scoop leak;
  • Install a new Windex wind vane;
  • Organize boat paperwork;
  • On the electronics side: review everything and identify why NKE pilot is/was not working (that in itself may end up being a couple of weeks of work);
  • Clean, triage, sort, package and re-load all the boat’s gear.

And then there are a few required upgrades:

  • Install solar panels;
  • Install hydro-generators;
  • Continue investigating the feasibility of an emergency rudder;
  • Install messenger lines up the masthead;
  • Figure out water storage, catchment and manual desalinator;
  • Replace sat comms with Iridium GO;
  • And of course all that I don’t know yet …

When do we go sailing?

Maybe next week? This weekend?

Oh, I forgot to say: on AIS, we’re now “CHANGABANG SOLOSAILR”.

A fast trip up the US West Coast

On our way from San Diego to Channel Islands Harbor we burned a full tank of diesel. So when we left Channel Islands Harbor we had a full tank and 3 jerry cans loaded with diesel. We needed only half of that to get to Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, and some of that was for charging. Once again the usual “if you plan for it you won’t need it” happened, which is a good thing. Other unplanned for events happened too, which were not as good. Read on.

Unexpected crew saves the day!

Making plans

We arrived in Channels Islands Harbor Wednesday morning. Lee had family affairs to attend to, and Rob had similar business to cater to. I had the day to myself to tend to small jobs on the boat, and to start thinking about the next leg. My neighbor in the harbor, Ollie, was very friendly and invited me for dinner a couple of times (and to sleep with them as well, but I wanted to start to know Changabang so I slept in my bunk).

The forecast looked good for a departure Friday (as discussed with Robert M.) but I would have to do it alone, which is something I was warming up to but had several concerns about. Faith had it differently as a Facebook post alerted Kathi of my presence on her sailing grounds. Kathi and I go back to our Clipper days. We met up and talked about good old days Thursday evening, then decided to have breakfast together Friday morning. One thing led to another, and she was signed up to sail with Changabang on the trip to her new home, about 285 nautical miles.

285 NM going North

Best sailing ever

After loading gear, food, water and fuel, we motored easily out of the harbor to the oil rig Gina, where we made our first turn for Point Concepcion. Wind was forecast to always be behind the beam and maxing out at 20 kts (with most models showing less than that). This is unusual as most often sailing up North means beating in strong Westerlies/Northerlies.

Dolphins escorted us for a long while, possibly helping us avoid hitting a whale?

From there we sailed and motor sailed every time boat speed was dropping below 5 kts. Saturday was a wonderful day with lots of wildlife (dolphins, whales, birds). Wind was variable but most often between 8-13 kts. As evening approached wind started to increase and, after unseamanlike hesitation from the skipper, we dropped to one reef and geared the genoa down to the staysail. Models were still showing good wind behind the beam below 20 kts.

Very smooth sailing.

Bang as in Changabang

The night proved all models wrong and it also proved that CaB is a very seaworthy sailboat. Wind started piping up to 20 kts, then 24 kts then fluctuating between 24-28 kts, with gusts above 30 (max I saw was 33). We dropped to the second reef and kept going with boat speed between 8-12 kts, most likely dragging plenty of kelp along. As the wind angle clocked between 120 to 70 of port, Changabang remained mostly flat and was skimming on the big sea. It was amazing how it was; a flying carpet is what I thought of. The old B&G autopilot was handling just fine so Kathi and I remained inside, cozy in our bunks. We experienced the classic videos from the Vendee Globe with water gurgling over the coach roof, as we crossed swell and wind waves. This continued unabated for the night and as we approached Pillar Point we were still seeing 20-25 kts.

Where does trouble happen?

We had had a wonderful and fast ride. Changabang showed she likes offshore sailing. Now it was time to make landfall, and as most sailors know, land can be trouble for boats. We started preparing the boat for landfall, dropping to 3rd reef. We started the engine, pushed it into gear, throttled up and … Nothing happened. The throttle cable was not working. Changabang is not a boat to make landfall under sail in a small craft harbor! Certainly not with a skipper who doesn’t know her well. Her turning radius is very wide too.

A line to the throttle lever kept in place with a bungee cord.

From then on it was very much a case of a cascading series of problems, including a few hail calls from a concerned harbor patrol. I fiddled with the cable and got nowhere. I thought to heave to and that caused all sorts of troubles, with the autopilot somehow getting stuck in tack mode. We tried to take the mainsail down (I was hoping that the idle would be enough), only to have top battens entangled in the lazy jack and the running back. Throughout all of that I was picturing Changabang on the beach and funny newspaper articles! I got a little cranky and Kathi took the brunt of it (of which I am not proud). Finally we got things sorted out and were sailing South under staysail alone. I made a call to Skip, whom among other things suggested to jerry rig a line to the throttle lever on the engine.

MacGyver to the rescue

Safely docked.

After going through the trouble of jerry rigging that line, we decided to make our approach to Pillar Point. So I get the engine in forward, push the throttle and, oh miracle, it starts working!?!? I’ll skip through the bit of troubles we had docking, only to say that in the end, all is well that is well.

The trip was by far one of my best sailing experiences. It was fun to be along with Kathi; Changabang handled like a dream (with boat speed well below polars; much to learn still); wildlife experiences were everywhere. And best of all it only took us a day and half to get home. Brilliant!

What’s next?

Well, there’s plenty to do. I’ve started emptying the boat to deep clean her. The job list grows; and we have much to add. So keep on following us for future updates, including pictures and funny videos.

Project Changabang: end of Volume I

If this adventure was a book, we’d have a few chapters under our belt already, maybe in this order: I Genesis, II Research, III Finding a vessel, IV Buying Changabang, V Shipping Changabang to the Pacific.

Making contact

Last Friday we took possession of Changabang in the Port of San Diego. It was a long night. I had arrived the day before and met with Lee to reconnect after the 2018 SHTP and discuss the next days. I’ll admit that I was anxious and may not have been the friendliest guest. With the very little information that we had received about the discharge of Changabang we started making plans. Lee would drop my at the terminal gates and would go back to his boat Morning Star to motor down to the port terminal. Lee was going to rally help from his buddy Captain Chuck.

As Star Lima made her entry in San Diego Bay we had been told by SSA Marine to show up at 5pm. I hired an escort service to be escorted from the Port terminal gate to Star Lima, where we waited for Customs to release the ship. At around 6pm we (me and another hired skipper) were allowed access to our cargo. With trepidation I went over to Changabang and was quickly reassured that the loading in Antwerp and been done really well. The deck and everything was filthy and covered with a sticky, brown grime. Luckily the batteries looked like they would have enough charge to start the engine.

Waiting game

During this little inspection, stevedores had started unloading containers. Next they prepared the catamaran to be offloaded. In a way it was good that we were second as it gave us an opportunity to see how things would unfold. Now it’s 10:15pm and the stevedores go to lunch, with a planned return time of midnight! I had been outside in the cool wind for over 5 hours now and decided to as the crew of Star Lima if I could wait inside. They were very friendly and even treated me to pizza, a drink and a charger for my phone!

Midnight rang and the stevedores started working on Changabang. Because San Diego is a small port they don’t have as good equipment as would have been preferred. It felt like they were basically singing it and interfered many times when things were going in the wrong direction.

Welcome to the Pacific

Finally Changabang was in the sling and I was sent to the docks to find a ladder along the concrete to board Morning Star. We did just that; Lee motored slowly close enough for me to grab his shrouds and step aboard. Next we motored slowly to Changabang to put aboard. After a few interesting maneuvers Lee backed into Changabang’s bow, where I was able to grab the headstay and switch boat.

My mission was then to start the engine and depart, which I did. The Volvo Penta started within 10 seconds, without glowing the injection chambers (I had not seen the button, silly me!). But Changabang was not fully in the water and when I was look for exhaust water there wasn’t any. A little overly excited I yelled at the stevedores, now standing high on Star Lima (4 story building), to further drop the boat in the water. Finally, we had water coming out.

Now it was time to release Changabang from her slings and move on. I knew of a problem with gear shift lever and of course as soon as we were free from the slings, I couldn’t engage forward gear. Thanks to the previous owner’s instructions I knew how to fix this but now Changabang was drifting towards Star Lima’s hull. I threw a line to Lee who was standing by and we were off on a slow tow. A few minutes later I was in gear and released the towing line! Boom: Changabang is sailing in the Pacific!

The next day

It was past 3:30am when we were docked at the SGYC and headed for hotel Morning Star for a well deserved rest.

Saturday morning Lee and I did good work of cleaning Changabang and making her look nice again, just in time as she started to attract interested visitors. Unfortunately, as we really wanted to leave Monday/Tuesday, it was necessary to limit conversations. Saturday evening, Lee had arranged for an informal presentation of this adventure. That’s when I was able to share more about my intentions with SGYC members. The club was very welcoming and kind, and a good night was had for all.

Rob joins the party

Sunday Rob joined and added great energy and experience to the preparation team. We did quite a few things: cleaning of course (5 hours on my knees scrubbing), reset the bowsprit, reset the lazy Jack’s, reset the mainsail, repair a cam cleat, fix a batt car (missing ball bearings), a good engine check, adjust shore power plugs and charge batteries (we think that they’re healthy!), tape the spare battens, fix a deck level nav light, provision, refuel, and more small jobs, which continued unabated until Monday evening.

En route!

Tuesday morning we felt ready to depart and the weather was cooperating. So we did!

We motored out of the San Diego channel. As we exited the channel, we hoisted the mainsail to the third reef and sailed like that for a while, with the wind astern, between 13-18 kts. When I was ready for it we went to the second reef. Then again later we went to the first reef. It was a full moon. Crew was great, we hoisted the Genoa as wind was dwindling down. And finally the engine came back live.

First landfall

I’ll skip through the rest of the day only to say that we made a safe landfall in Channel Islands Harbor, where a friendly slip was awaiting Changabang. It was really perfect to have Lee and Rob aboard for this first trip.

Lee returned to his home and Rob did as much. I slept on Changabang. I’d be omitting an important part of this story if I was not talking about Ollie, who’s right next to me. He’s an sailor with tons of miles under his belt, including racing boats like Changabang and work for JP Mouligne and Cray Valley. He and his wife were super friendly, invited me for dinner (which I obliged) and for a sleep on their super comfortable Morgan boat (which I did not). In fact, I have been invited again!

Thursday work

Today I did small jobs again: did a bit of shopping at West Marine, replaced worn out shock cords on decka, addes missing spinnaker sheet retrieving line, replaced third reef tack block, replaced chafed handhold lines inside, re-adjusted lazy jacks.

As the day progresses one of my buddies from the Clipper race picked on my Facebook post and showed up to reconnect and see the boat. I really liked my time with Kathi during the Clipper training. She’s so much fun to be around. As we brought up the subject of bread, she came back with a baguette! I love boating, such a great community.

Change of plans?

One thing I learned from Skip today is that there is now a record to beat:

“Here’s one for the record books and for PJ to challenge: The World Sailing Speed Record Council has just confirmed a record time for sailing solo around the world westabout in a 40-foot boat. The elapsed time of 258 days, 22 hours, 24 minutes, an average speed of 3.48 knots, was set from June 2019 to February 2020 by Bill Hatfield sailing Brisbane, Australia and return via the Canary Islands and Cape Horn on his Northshore 38 L’EAU COMMOTION. It was Hatfield’s 3rd attempt.

Bill lived on strict rations at sea. “For fresh water I had a desalinator, and my daily diet was a third of a tin of beans, a tin of tuna, 100 grams of rice and flour and oats, and 150 grams of milk powder.”

Bill Hatfield is 81. At one point he fell overboard without a tether. But managed to grab the toe rail, work his way aft, and climb back aboard using his water generator as a foot step.”

Good! It means that now I know it’s possible!

Friday departure?

I’m considering departing from Channel Islands Harbor tomorrow. I’ll look at the forecasts tomorrow again. It could be a bit of a stretch as a second sail to go solo. I need to think this through.

I’ll post this now and will follow up with another post with decisions, maybe.

Home stretch!

MV STAR LIMA is only a few days away from San Diego now. After checking with San Diego port operations it is likely that Changabang will be discharged this Friday (with a small probability for Thursday evening). I’m driving down Thursday, picking Rob T along the way, then meeting with Lee J, who’s graciously offered his hospitality and more in San Diego. We may be hosted by the Silver Gate Yacht Club while we get ready for the trip to Half Moon Bay’s Pillar Point Harbor. I’m both excited and anxious!

D-12?

A small update for today.

The shipping folks told me March 6th. The San Diego port arrival list says March 7th. SV Star Lima, carrying Changabang, is due in the Mexican port of Mazatlan on February 26th. I’m still without information about how things will proceed in San Diego. So, let’s call it D-12. To get to San Diego, my plan will likely be to rent a car one way so I can pick up Rob T along the way and carry all that I need to take with me.

I know I said last time that my paper charts were all ready to go but that may have been a small lie as I wanted to have container for it all. It probably sounds like I’m belaboring this point; the reason is simple. It’s really the first item I’ve been able to check off “the list”. So here goes:

Paper charts all neatly bagged.

Into the vast Pacific Ocean

A few days ago Changabang entered the Pacific Ocean, still on deck of MV STAR LIMA. She’ll then stop in Guatemala, Mexico and finally in San Diego, maybe on March 7th 2020. The shipping company has gone silent so I have no information about how things will proceed in San Diego: communication is not their forte!

Paper charts

I think I’m done with the paper charts I plan to buy. Besides small scale charts for all oceans, I have bought medium scale charts for Torres Strait, Cape Horn. Some of the small scale charts are from NGA and pretty outdated, and although, I don’t think that any islands or rocks are born on the open sea, offshore buoys have been deployed .

Electronic charts

I’ve downloaded Navionics charts on two iPads, which is good except that iPads don’t have GPS. I also downloaded the charts on my small Android cell phone. I want to download them to another tablet or two. To protect them from water and shocks I plan to store all electronics hardware in a somewhat waterproof/shockproof case, maybe each wrapped in aluminium foil.

Not alone

Gaetan’s Class40.

I don’t know what it is with Belgians but there’s another skipper who’s preparing a Class40 for a circumnavigation. His goal is to beat the current record and his boat is much faster than Changabang, but then we don’t have the same problem. He needs to be beat a record, and, if anything, I’m just cruising along hoping to make it safely back home. I’m talking about Gaetan Thomas. He’s much more experienced, younger, stronger, has a better boat, a solid team, etc. His odds are higher by at least an order of magnitude but wouldn’t it be nice if two Belgians were to hold the Class40 records, one in each direction. Dream on, baby, dream on!

Friendly support

I continue to reach out to companies and parties who can help us with donation, discounts, used material. It’s really great to see folks being enthusiastic and supportive. Although there has been no recent development I’ve listed our supporters here for now. In fact, if you’re interested in joining Team Changabang and are willing to commit to helping get us to the start line and onto the finish line, please drop me a note. If there are enough of us maybe I’ll think of some sort of merchandise, a T-shirt maybe?

Night sailing version 🙂

More supporting friends!

PredictWind has offered their forecast, weather routing and other weather related services. I’m really happy to have them contribute to this adventure as their expertise is highly regarded in the sailing community.

We continue to taste the good food of our friends at Backpacker’s Pantry. So far my taste buds are happy with what we’ve been trying.

Changabang appears to make it to the East side of the Panama canal.

And I’ve updated the Navigation page, summarizing what my choices have been, considering what I have and what I can afford within my budget. Hopefully, you’ll find it an entertaining read.

Verified by MonsterInsights