Friday, September 16, 2016

More Pictures from the Race

Here are some pictures from the Pacific Cup Start and Finish which
caught up with us after we got to Washington.

Lad

Monday, September 5, 2016

Add your photos Shadowside page on Shutterfly

To Add photos to Shadowside page on Shutterfly, simply email them to:
shadowside.pictures.8@sfly.com


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Friday, September 2, 2016

Video now on YouTube

There were a few very brief videos taken on the return trip. Here is a
compilation of some of those clips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkCwX_YWAmA
Enjoy
Don

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Thursday, September 1, 2016

Photos now on Shutterfly

There are two albums one from the Farallones and one from the PacCup
return trip
https://shadowside.shutterfly.com/pictures
Don

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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Another photo of all of us

In previous post, I posted a photo that perhaps was not the best, and
did not tell the whole story. Standing there in the warm sun, some of
us were reacting to a strange odor we acquired after 23 days without
proper showers. These two might tell the whole story.


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In Port Townsend

Two Photos to mark the end of the voyage. The entire crew on deck and
Captain Lad kissing the deck of Shadowside.


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Saturday, August 27, 2016

Voyage Ends

Good Day Mates!

Yesterday, Friday, August 26, 2016 at 18:30 PDT, the latest Voyage of the Sailing Vessel Shadowside came to an end at 48-06 N and 122-47 W when we secured her in Slip D-228 at the Port Townsend Yacht Haven Marina.

Our voyage from Kaneohe Bay HI to Port Townsend WA has taken 24 days and covered 2591 NM up and across the North Pacific Ocean.

The Crew and I say THANK YOU! to all of you who have followed our voyage. We have a few more things to share with you, so check back in about a week.

DON"T MISS MICHELLE UP THE MAST AND OTHER EXCITING BITS NEVER YET SHARED WITH YOU!!

Until our next voyage and for Molly, Michelle, Lee and Don,

May you have following seas and the wind at your back!

Lad

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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Whales

Here are a couple of pictures from this mornings encounter.

After an interruption to let a tanker pass and to change a fuel filter, the Shadowside is three miles away from the entrance to the Straight of San Juan De Fuca.

Lad

There be Whales Here

Good Morning!

At 07:00 your skipper was rousted from his bunk by shouts of "Whales, Whales". For the next ten minutes the Shadowside sailed past a pod of Hump Back Whales. We counted Ten, but then we are new at whale counting!

More latter,

Lad

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Re: Position Update

Hi Lad:

Great news! It was a pleasure working with you.

Aloha,

Rick Shema, CCM

Kailua, HI 96734
Mobile: +1-808-291-9949
Toll Free: +1-866-882-9949

MOTTO: PREDICT, PROVIDE, PROTECT

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/25/16 07:00 HST
48-28 N 125-22 W
SOG 5.0 kn COG 080 M
Wind 7.5 kn @ 356 M
Clear and Sea 1 ft from NNW
Sailing

21.8 NM from Cape Flattery

Lad

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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Wind Dance

Good day!

104.8 NM out from landfall at Cape Flattery.

You will recall that just a day ago we were motor sailing through light winds. So we (Michelle, Molly and I) decided that we needed a wind dance. As Skipper the task was given to me to choreograph such a dance. As we started in Hawaii, it was appropriate to do a hula. If we would have started in New Zealand, we could have done a haka!

The Shadowside Wind Dance begins with the dancers facing NW. The Dancers extend their hands and turn their palms up gently inviting the wind by rhythmically moving their hands toward their bodies. Next the Dancers portray a gentle wind by turning their palms down and extending their hands in a smooth waving motion. While waving the Dancers slowly turn from the NW to the N and then two our course line to the E. Finally, the Dancers invoke a stronger wind by amplifying their hand and arm movements until on the last movement they strongly extend their hands and arms toward Cape Flattery.

So, late yesterday afternoon the Shadowside Dancers (Michelle, Molly and Lad) performed the Shadowside Wind Dance with great energy! Unfortunately, no pictorial record exists of this unique custom.

Did it work you ask?

Last evening the wind began to rise. At first 15 knots, then 17 knots and we put two reefs in the main. When your captain's watch ended at 02:00 HST the wind was hovering around 20 knots and the sea was running about 6 feet from the NW.

At 03:30, the below deck crew was called to the deck. It was blowing 25 knots and the seas were running at 10 feet. We quickly dropped the Main Sale and furled the Jib down to about half. The Shadowside then charged through the night under Furled Jib and full Mizzen. Winds reached a hight 34.5 knots with seas about 12 feet. Ah! the Shadowside is truly a wonderful sailing vessel!!!!

As I write these words we are skimming along toward Cape Flattery under full sail at 6.6 knots with 18.5 knots of wind and 5 foot seas.

Its a good thing we did not do a haka - we would have likely summoned a full gale!

Have a great day!

Lad

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Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/24/16 07:28 HST
48-41 N 128-12 W
SOG 6.2 kn COG 068 M
Wind 20.2 kn @ 311 M
Clear and Sea 6 ft from NW
Sailing

Lad

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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

The Wind is Up

Greetings!

The Shadowside is reaching straight down the course line to Cape Flattery which is just 237 NM away. The wind came up this afternoon. We are doing 7.3 knots over the ground in 20 knots of wind, which is about as fast as the Shadowside will go.

What do you do when the wind comes up?

If the wind is blowing 15 knots or less. We will be under full sail which includes:Jib, Staysail, Main and Mizzen. As the wind comes up we need to shorten sail to depower the Boat. At 15 knots we strike the staysail. At 17 knots we shorten the Mainsail by putting in th first reef and furl in some of the Jib.

At 20 knots of sustained wind, we put a second reef in the Main and furl in more of the Jib. At 24 knots of sustained wind, we lower the Main altogether and sail under furled jib and Mizzen. Oh the beauty of a Ketch, so many sail combinations to choose from! So far on this voyage, we have flown every sail except the Mizzen Staysail and Storm Staysail.

We are anticipating landfall at Cape Flattery early in the afternoon (PDT) on Thursday. We are planning a fuel stop in Neah Bay. We should reach Port Townsend by midday Friday-- if the wind stays up!

Here are some great pictures of Molly reefing the main.

Best wishes,

Lad

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/23/16 08:10 HST
48-54 N 131-50 W
SOG 5.1 kn COG 049 M
Wind 8.2 kn @ 287 M
Overcast and Calm
Sailing

Lad

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Monday, August 22, 2016

A Perfect Day For..........

Good Day,

So what do you on your another perfect day on the Pacific and your 20 th day at sea. Well if you are Michelle, you brighten the crew's day with PANCAKES!

All is well on Sailing Vessel Shadowside!

Have a great day!

Lad

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/22/16 07:48 HST
48-09 N 134-24 W
SOG 4.5 kn COG 064 M
Wind 4.4 kn @ 282 M
Clear and Calm
Motor Sailing

Lad

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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Turning for Home

Good day,

This morning at 09:00 HST and after sailing 2170 NM from HI, the Shadowside turned East for the final leg of our voyage to landfall at Cape Flattery with 462 NM to go.

It continues to be a great voyage. Last night we came through a cold front with quite a bit of rain. Today the sun is back out and we have a crystal clear, cloudless sky.

Every evening at 17:00 HST we check in with the Pacific Seafarers Net, which is a ham radio net that servers sailors like us who are out at sea. We have made new friends with Peter Z1PWM who is located in the Bay of Islands in North New Zealand, Jane NH7TZ who is located on the Island of Kauai HI and Randy located on the Big Island HI. I want to say thank you to the dozen or so land based stations which participate in the net every day. They are there to log our position, relay messages to other stations, help with medical or other emergencies, or to patch us into a phone call.

It is quite pleasing to your skipper, who installed the radio gear, to be able to hear and be heard loud and clear all the way to NZ.

Unfortunately, we are running out of pictures. We keep hoping for a whale or a big ship or something else of interest to send you.

Have a great day,

Lad

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Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/21/16 07:48 HST
47-42 N 136-48 W
SOG 4.2 kn COG 350 M
Wind 10.8 kn @ 039 M
Clear and Calm
Motor Sailing

Lad

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Saturday, August 20, 2016

Continuing Voyage of the Sailing Vessel Shadowside.

Good day!

At 03:33 this morning the Klingon's attacked from the East. Oops wrong movie!

Another day on the Shadowside. I awoke this morning to an overcast sky. We are sailing along at 6.3 knots on our rout NE toward our turning point for Cape Flattery. About 23:00 today will reach 48-30 N and make our turn for the Cape. Hard to predict yet when we will make landfall at the Cape. Could be Wednesday night. Could be sooner if wind holds up. I will keep you updated. Just put the final set of way points into the chart plotter all the way to PT. The end of the voyage is in sight. At least on the Chart.

Life here continues to be good. Although, crew is getting a little tired. Everyone is in their bunk as soon as their watch is over and some have been seen snoozing on watch.

You can tell we are N of latitude 45. Now need several layers at night to stay warm. At least one trip below during watch to warm up.

It is serprising how fast the days go. And it is quite pleasant watching the sea go by and hearing the sounds of the Shadowside cutting through the water. At night, I have the sensation of flying across the sea. Amazing how vast this ocean is!

Here are some pictures of life at sea.

Best wishes,

Lad

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/20/16 08:16 HST
46-18 N 138-58 W
SOG 5.6 kn COG 042 M
Wind 10.3 kn @ 275 M
Overcast and Calm
Sailing

Lad

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Friday, August 19, 2016

Sailing Down a Moon Beam

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/19/16 08:00 HST
44-51 N 140-56 W
SOG 3.1 kn COG 015 M
Wind 4.5 kn @ 000 M
Clear and Calm
Motoring

Lad

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Thursday, August 18, 2016

Shadowside Update 8/16

Good Day,

We are now proceeding in light air toward our next Rout Waypoint at 47-15 N and 139-00 W. Sailing in light air with calm sea.

Last night it was Tuna Sliders for dinner. A little later the singing of show tunes was heard from the cockpit.

Today we are working hard to keep the Shadowside moving in the right direction. The crew is also using the light air to take salt water showers and do laundry. Even at sea the details of daily living do not go away.

Here are some boat life pictures.

Have a great day!

Lad

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/17/16 07:47 HST
43-50 N 142-07 W
SOG 4.6 kn COG 017 M
Wind 6.0 kn @ 114 M
Cloudy and Calm
Sailing

Lad

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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Just Another Day

The View from the Helm

Good Day,

Well, I know your getting tired of my "another perfect sailing day posts". However, I just report the sailing conditions, I don't create them. However if I could, I would create just what we have! Here are a couple of pictures from the Shadowside's helm station that tell it all!

Best wishes,

Lad

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/17/16 07:47 HST
42-54 N 144-35 W
SOG 7.1 kn COG 056 M
Wind 10.3 kn @ 163 M
Clear and Calm
Sailing

Lad

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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Boat Life

Well Hello Shadowside Followers,

The skies cleared yesterday evening and we are now clipping along with perfect sailing weather.

We are fortunate to be where we are as there is a big low pressure trough from WA down to the CA coast. There is a boat in front of us that will have to heave to for two or three days before they can approach Cape Flattery, The bad weather should be gone by the time we get there. Its also nice that the Crew is still getting along well. There have been some great conversations during the watches.

We are all settled into the daily rhythm of life aboard. Eating, sleeping and standing watches with a little personal time left over to read and think.

We are all just enjoying this experience as it will soon be over.

We have covered 1563 NM since we left HI with 995.7 NM to go to our landfall at Cape Flattery. Then another 85 NM to Port Townsend. We are anticipating making our landfall sometime next Tuesday or Wednesday.

We celebrated crossing the half-way point with a bottle of champagne and some fine chocolate.

So far, we have encountered one single handed sailor on his way to SF and one large ship that crossed our bow last night about 3 NM away.

Have a great day!

Lad

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Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/16/16 07:51 HST
41-46 N 147-14 W
SOG 5.5 kn COG 055 M
Wind 11.5 @ 055 M
Clear and Calm
Sailing

Lad

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Monday, August 15, 2016

Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/15/16 07:22 HST
40-50 N 150-00 W
SOG 4.0 kn COG 055 M
Wind 11.5 @ 055 M
Clear and Calm
Sailing

Have a great day,

Lad

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Sunday, August 14, 2016

Dolphins

There be dolphins here!

Dolphins

Good Day,

Exciting morning aboard the Shadowside as we have passed the half way point of our voyage.

The Crew was rousted to the call of "Dolphins Ho" as a pod of approximately twenty dolphins cavorted next to, around and under the Shadowside this morning.

Lee is preparing to stream his fishing line and we are all hopeful that we will have fresh tuna for our half-way dinner tonight.

Your probably getting tired of this, however it is another spectacular day out here on the Blue Pacific!

Have a great day!

Lad

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Position Update

Good Morning,

Position:
08/14/16 07:55 HST
39-20 N 151-32 W
SOG 4.5 kn COG 055 M
Wind 11.5 @ 224 M
Clear and Calm
Sailing

Have a great day,

Lad

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Saturday, August 13, 2016

1000 NM Pictures

More Pics

1000nm+ offshore

The winds turned yesterday and are now coming from our south west and so now we're sailing downwind wing on wing - ie poled-out jib on the opposite side of the prevented boom.

With the seastate continuing to be calm and winds light and the sun continuing to shine brightly, Capn decided yesterday was our best option before the winds fill in proper to douse, heave-to, refill the smaller diesel tanks from the jerry cans lashed to the deck and go for a swim!

We all took turns keeping a watchful eye from deck for curious sea creatures coming for a looky-see as we jumped in and played in the most glorious blue sea one could ever imagine. I didn't know swimming 1000nm from land in every direction was on my bucket list, but now that I've crossed that one off, I can safely say it was one of the most amazing experiences ever!

- Michelle

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Hygiene at sea

Two days ago we were again becalmed and spent the better part of 24 hours motor sailing through the backside of the pacific high. What to do when the winds are as flat as the sea state? Tend to the washing!

Keeping yourself and your clothes clean at sea is a challenge Shadowsiders are well up to. We don't have a water maker on board so we have to be judicious with our fresh water usage. We have plenty for drinking and cooking, just not enough for each of us to take even a military shower every few days, but we have found ways to tend to our needs!

Molly, Lee and I decided to take a group salt water bucket bath in the cockpit. Since the sea state was near placid, it was safe for us to disrobe from our PFDs, tethers and shoes and get in a good scrubbing. Most soap products don't lather in salt water - our two types of castille soaps and shampoos don't for example - so it takes a few passes to really feel clean. Douse with a bucket or two of salt water to rinse. Thanks to one of the sailing blogs I follow - The Boat Galley - I learned about two useful tools liveaboarders shouldn't do without - a pressurized plant/utility spray bottle and a Scrubba bag. For our freshwater final rinse, we used the spray bottle which does a bang-up job of misting/spraying off just about everything from dishes to solar panels to bodyparts with a whisper of water. The three of us rinsed ourselves off with just one 40oz bottle and had some to spare!

Afterwards we turned to laundry. I also learned from The Boat Galley that Method ultra concentrated laundry detergent suds in salt water, so we bought a tiny 50-load pump bottle for the passage. Small on packaging, big on clean! We Washed clothes in salt water in the scrubba bag (you can get it on amazon), did two salt water rinses and then one fresh water rinse in less than 1L of water.

All fresh for a few more days!

- Michelle

Just about as far from land as it is possable to get.

Position:
08/13/16 07:59 HST
38-32 N 153-49 W
SOG 5.2 kn COG 030 M
Wind 8.2 @ 030 M
Clear and Calm
Sailing



Postion Update

Good Morning!

Position:
08/13/16 07:59 HST
38-32 N 153-49 W
SOG 5.2 kn COG 030 M
Wind 8.2 @ 030 M
Clear and Calm
Sailing

Have a great day,

Lad

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Friday, August 12, 2016

Shooting Stars

Good morning,

Position:
08/12/16 07:50 HST
37-37 N 155-12 W
SOG 3.0 kn COG 030 M
Wind 8.2 @ 018 M
Cloudy and Calm
motored yesterday and last night

Last night was again crystal clear and calm. The Shadowsiders' were treated to a great show as we had a front row seat for the Meteor Shower. To bad there is no way to bring the experience to you.

More pictures and boat life coming soon.

Have a great day!

Lad

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Thursday, August 11, 2016

Sunrise

Good Morning,

Position:
08/11/16 07:40 HST
36-18 N 156-37 W
SOG 5.2 kn COG 030 M
Wind 8.2 @ 118 M
Cloudy and Calm

One picture says it all!

Have a great day!
Lad

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Boat Life

Watching

Good Morning,

Position:
08/10/16 07:45 HST
34-16 N 157-22 W
SOG 5.2 kn COG 008 M
Wind 13.0 @ 076 M
Clear and Calm

Well here we are Day 8. The wind came up yesterday afternoon and stayed steady through the night. As expected it is moving into the east allowing us to bend our course to the NE.

Now what do you do for days on end, heeled over on starboard tack while crossing the back side of the Pacific High. Your right, watching!

Life aboard is ruled by the watch Schedule. Each of us is on watch three times a day, usually for 4 hours. Two of us stand watch at any one time. Our watches overlap in a way that gives each of us time to be on watch with each other.

While on duty, we watch everything, the sea, the weather, the sails, the performance of George, IG and Charles P.. Occasionally we have to adjust something or change sail or the course. But, mostly we watch and have interesting conversations and just enjoy being out at sea.

When we go off watch, we head for our bunks. Its hard to get a good sleep 3 hours at a time. We each feed ourselves breakfast and lunch and of course there are snacks.

Dinner is one of our favorite times each day. We do it at change of watch so that we can all gather together. Our boil and bag provisioning lets us have a good meal with very little cleanup.

Last night was another great night of sailing, clear skies and stars. We are very fortunate to have good winds for this part of the Voyage.

Have a great day!

Lad

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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Don Having Fun

We are "There "

Charles P and the Iron Genny

Good Morning,

Position:
32-18 N 157-13 W
SOG 4.0 kn COG 330 M
Wind 4.7 kn @ 080

The Shadowside is making its way through the backside of the High. The wind deserted us yesterday afternoon.

In the days of the fine wooden sailing ships the ritual of sticking a knife in the main mast was used to summon the wind. Not so easy to do on a contemporary boat with aluminum masts.

By now you all know George our Hydrovane windvane. Although he is a real trooper when the wind is up, George is no help to us here. Therefore let me introduce you to the Iron Genoa and its friend Charles P Townsend. The Iron Genny is of course our own Westerbeke 40 HP Diesel Engine. IG works tirelessly on our behalf as long as we keep feeding it fuel and fresh air. IG is complemented by Charles P. our CPT Wheel Pilot. Charles P. steers us along keeping us on our magnetic course.

Both are nice to have when transiting the back side of the High! Keep up the good work IG and CP!

Have a great day,

Lad

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Monday, August 8, 2016

More pictures

The Stayail is Up

Good Morning,

31-11 N 157-47 W
SOG 5.6 kn COG 350
Wind 070 TWS 9.8
Seas Calm Weather Clear and Sunny

Yesterday and today have been great sailing days with moderate to light NE winds as we work our way through the back side of the High.

I awoke this morning to the sound of the staysail winch on the cabin top above my head. I stuck my head out of the hatch to find Lee and Don smiling in the morning sun. One look at the winch and I knew the Staysail was flying.

The Shadowside is a cutter rigged ketch. This means she has two masts and two forestays. The Jib Forestay carries a large roller furling headsail. The Inner Forestay carries a smaller sail called a staysail.

Now there are few things that are as satisfying to a skipper than to come on watch and find the Boat rigged and sailing in optimum form for the wind and sea conditions. The Staysail gives us an additional half kn of speed over the ground. Its also just a thing of beauty to see a fine ketch with under full sail. Excellent work Lee and Don.

Have a great day!

Lad

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Sunday, August 7, 2016

Back to Dinner

Hi,

From the pictures sent yesterday, you already know that Lee caught a 20lb Mahi Mahi. He also cleaned and prepared it. We feasted on fresh Scheme flowed by mahi tacos. What a great dinner!

We are now starting into the High. 12kn breeze calm sea sunny and warm.

The crew started the day with boat baths and bucket showers. Very refreshed we sail on.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Lad

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Position Update

Good morning,

07:55 HST
29-28 N 157-60 W
SOG 4.5 kn @ 350
Wind 13.3 kn @ 069

Fresh socks this morning. More latter.

Lad

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Saturday, August 6, 2016

Dinner

Behold Lee the Fishermen! Thank you Lee!

Fishing and Noon Sightings

Hello to everyone out there on solid ground! We're doing great here at sea...weather has been lovely and winds steady from the east between 15-20 knots. We've been on a starboard tack for four days, which means we're living our lives on a slant. You can imagine how difficult it is to do everyday tasks, like cooking and using the bathroom when leaning and sliding to the left while also bumping up and down with the ocean swell. It's taken a few days, but we're getting our sea legs! Today we're determined to catch a fish. We're hunting a big one, not just some little guppy. We're trolling our line and hoping for sushi in our future. We're also keeping ourselves busy by trying to take a noon sighting using the ancient technology, the sextant. After much trial and error, we've concluded that we're lucky for GPS and that those ancient mariners had mad skills. Well, that's all for now. Check back in soon for more adventures from the middle of the Pacific. We love you all and miss you.

-Molly

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Finding our Way

Sun Rise

Good Morning!

Saturday 08/06/16
07:50 HST
27-24 N 157-48 W
SOG 5.9 kn COG 002
Wind 075 @ 14.6 kn

Dawn brings the sun and a new day after a very dark night. Yesterday was a good day of sailing. We are now 362.7 NM north of HI.

Molly, Lee and Michelle spent the two days prior to our departure preparing food and vacuum bagging it in individual portions. Last night we had a sumptuous dinner around 20:00. Put the bags to boil in our pressure cooker. No fuss no mess! I had the curry, excellent!

Crew and skipper doing well.

Lad

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Friday, August 5, 2016

Michelle & Lad

Ready to Go

Socks

Good Morning!

10:47 PDT
25-11 N
157-49 W
Wind 081 @15.5 kn
Calm and clear

Just a quick note this morning to let you all know the Shadowside and crew are doing fine. Everyone here agrees that last night was the best yet with calm seas, smooth sailing and the the crystal clear sky with its tapestry of stars.

So what is the most difficult task when living healed over and moving through the water? Putting on socks!

We like your blog comments so please keep them coming.

Have a great day!

Lad

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Thursday, August 4, 2016

The Bash Home

Thursday 8/04/16 - 07:26 HST

22-55 N 157.47 W

Good Morning All,

We are sailing due north under furled jib and full mizzen. Making 6.5 kn over the ground. Winds are steady out of the NE at 20 kts seas are about 6ft,

It is always good to see the morning sun after a dark night at sea. Last night gave us quite a bit of variety. Clear periods with great stars, cloudy periods with squalls and higher winds. The sea gave us some lovely bioluminesance.

The captain and crew are in good spirits and getting used to what will be a long starboard tack.

Have a great day!

Lad

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Back to Sea

Dear Shadowside followers,

Its been a great week in HI, spent getting the Shadowside ready to sail and catching up on sleep.

The members of the Racing Crew have gone on their way and the Return Crew have joined the Ship's Company. I am pleased to welcome Michelle, Molly, Lee and Don aboard.

Yesterday, Wednesday, August 3 we departed for the Mainland. Next stop Port Townsend Washington. This will be a 3000 Nautical mile voyage. We will sail north for about 1000 nautical miles and then turn for Cape Flattery. The wild card is the Pacific High. If good fortune smiles upon us, the High will move east and we will be able to sail around the back side of it. If good fortune frowns upon us, It will stay in its current position and we will have to motor through it.

Thursday August 4, 02;00 HST
22-27 N 167-46 W
Lad

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Sunday, July 24, 2016

Jimmy Buffet gets it

"I wrote a note said be back in a minute,
bought a boat and I sailed off in it, don't think anybody is going to miss me anyway.
Mind on a permanent vacation, the ocean is my only medication, wishing my condition wont ever go away."

Let me elaborate on my previous blog post where I described sailing as an addiction. My mother "carol" recently commented on how hard it seems out here at sea. And indeed, traveling in a small slow sailboat across the biggest ocean on the planet is not for everyone. BUT, for those of you out there reading this blog (ed lynt...) and others, can attest to the absolute thrill of it all. Why else would the sea call to so many generations of writers and poets and adventurers? I myself do find it taxing, both physically and emotionally, but the rewards far out weigh the hardships. At sea your world is shrunken into basic survival. The rigors of the deck watch routine keep a pace at sea that makes sense out of an otherwise chaotic situation. The constant sea state change and wind shifts make the "work" of sailing interesting and passes the hours. You literally sit for hours and hours and watch the sea birds and waves. Passing the time talking to your crew mates about philosophy, conspiracy theories and your favorite Seinfeld episode.. The clouds offer their own set of entertainment. And I cant go on enough about the night sky. If all of you who are suspect of this obsession, I can promise you, that one starry night sky as the boat rocks back and forth sailing into the darkness, with no sound except the wind and the wake of the boat would make you a convert.
And then there is the simple pact that sailors have between each other. We are a boat full of strangers who just met to make this trip, but lifelong friendships have been made. The comraderie that exists between sailors is a bond that can only be understood standing in a yacht club bar after a long passage has been made and the fleet all safely at port. Shadowside hopes to be at the bar soon enough. Our landfall is expected to be early tuesday morning.

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star light star bright

Sailing is an addiction and everyone on this boat is an addict. There is no other way to explain cramming yourself into close quarters with perfect strangers, subjecting your body to gashes and bruises and the occassional scaulding as you try to drink coffee in between wave sets (I dont think anyone has been able to successfly drink a cup yet. But for those of us who are weak to this vice, there is nothing better than the dreamy trade winds and a starry night sky. With all of this talk of a storm raging on the Islands, there is a small sailboat slowly drifting towards its destination, safely out of reach of Darby. We are calmly bobbing through the night. Captain just came on night watch, we let him sleep an hour extra. We are all tired and ready to see land, but in the meantime we are enjoying the less than dramatic weather. Alejndro just came down to tell me the moon is rising.

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Saturday, July 23, 2016

Circling the runway

We are still in a holding pattern. Its not a bad place to be stuck, in the middle of the most beautiful blue sky and ocean. The trades winds are gently taking us toward Hawaii but our sails are reefed n and we are limping along at 5 knots. There will be a weather briefing tonight at 8:00 and we should know then if we are allowed to continue on. At our current rate, we wont be making landfall until Tuesday morning anyhow. So unless Darby decides to stick around longer than expected, we will be taking shower and drinking mai tais on Tuesday.
It has gotten hot here and we are going to try and rig some shade on deck for the watch crew. Its also hard to sleep below during the day, so by th time we get to land I suspect this crew will be all tuckered out and sun kissed.
In the meantime, its great sailing weather and life is good.

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Darby blarby

Welp, no evidence of any tropical storm that we can see out here 495 miles away from the Islands. Actually the closer we have gotten, the calmer the conditions. Currently we are cruising at a conservative 6 knots with a reefed main and jib. We could easily be carrying more canvas but we are not racing as fast as we can towards Hawaii and planning on letting the storm pass until we enter the 120 mile safety zone. The strong winds are not the only concern, its the sea state that can last a few days after the storm passes. And big swell in Hawaii means BIG SWELL. This place invented the big swell. So we are playing it by ear and getting all weather info we can. Fortunately we are a very slow boat, so there is no rush, even if we wanted.
In other news, the night sky tonight is marked as one of my all time favorites. Kathy and I dimmed the instrument lights and were speechless. It was so dark we couldnt see the front of the boat as we sailed into sheer blackness. There is nothing to hit out here in the middle of the ocean, so on night watches you basically just stare into the night and make sure the wind doesnt shift too rapidly. Is become warmer as we head south and we no longer need our foulies. Once this dumb storm gets out of our way, we will be able to see land again. Its going to be weird to stand on terra firma again. My body is so used to lurching and being thrown around.

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Friday, July 22, 2016

These cookies are making me thirsty

N25.36 W148.45 We've have been redirected by the race committee to a way point that is 100 miles away from the storm. All boats that are close enough to get to Hawaii by Saturday are safe to cross in front of Darby, all other boats still racing will proceed with caution and head toward Hawaii Sunday morning. This will make our eta into Hawaii Wednesday morning. The communication boat "Rapture" has been giving us regular weather updates.
The crew is a little tired after a rocky night SLOWLY bobbing around in the ocean. The moon was incredible and the stars were twinkling. We woke up this morning with a beautiful sunrise and very mild conditions. We are headed to the way point and will catch up on sleep and start counting down the days till mai tais. We are safe and in the cockpit making Seinfeld jokes per usual. All is well. Hawaii is far.

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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Darnit Darby!!!

Ok friends and family. Thank you for your concern for us and looking out as tropical Storm Darby is messing up our Mai Tai plans. Rest assured that we are taking precautions. The Pacific Cup staff has been in great communication with all boats and we are receiving regular weather updates. Currently Shadowside is slowing down. We have put double reef in the mainsail and shortened the jib. This will make us slow down and also ready us for any nasty squalls during the night that Darby is spitting our way. There will be more info on the Pac Cup website, but know that all boats are taking precautions and we will resume the race as soon as it is safe to do so. Shadowside might be the ONLY full keeled battle ax of a bat in the entire fleet. All of the reasons we are the slowest boat in the race, also make us the safest in storm conditions. Everyone on board has sailed and trained for storms just like this. We are prepared and will stay safe. I will update the blog twice a day so you will know how we are doing. As of now, we just ate quesadillas and im going to take a nap...so everything is groovy out here in the deep blue.
In other news...Mom, why do you need an "alias" who is carol?

Ciao

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Lad's Birthday Shadowside Pac Cup Limerick

There was a young sailor named Lad
Who wanted the best to be had.
His crew must be limber--
So soon he found Kimber--
Which made all the other boats mad!

Alejandro was loyal and true,
Add to that he could cook and could crew.
He signed up on the ketch,
Found how quick she could fetch,
And away to the galley he flew.

Kathy preferred to just drive.
When asleep, was she dead or alive?
She woke up at the wheel
And steadied the heel
Through numerous Shadowside jibes.

This crew drove her fast through the ocean.
Not distressed, not at all, by her motion.
She rocked them to sleep
With the minimum creak
All happy that Lad had the notion.

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"No one will ever believe you"

Bill Murray walks into a diner, takes a fry off a guys plate and says "no one will ever believe you". That's the theme of tonight's blog. Shadowside is perfectly balance right now. We have her rigged with a reefed main and jib and the wind is directly aft of us propelling us down waves at great speed. Squalls have been blowing through and we even reached 9.5 over ground! We have a little more than 700 miles yet to go and a small storm to the south of us we are keeping our eyes on. Alejandro and I dragged our legs off the starboard side of the bow today and let our feet get hit by waves. We giggled every time they got us. The water was blue and perfect and I got hit by a flying fish. We are still currently last in our division, but we re hoping that because we are sailing one of the slowest heaviest boats in the fleet, that we will still rank on corrected tie. The faster boats are cruising ahead of us, but if we keep chugging along, we still have a shot to rank. Regardless, we are having fun and enjoying some great sailing. Jorge is doing 90% of the steering now, as he actually is more accurate than we are. The wind vane is a remarkable piece if technology. It uses the wind to transfer energy to direct and steer a rudder hung off the transom of the boat. t uses zero electricity and can steer 24/7 forever. We love Jogre. He allows us to eat lunch and attend to other things, like, well, sitting in the cockpit and talking about what other movies has Sally Field been in recently.

Ok folks, I hope everything is good out there in the real world. I know we are excited to be able to talk to our loved ones soon, but also reluctant to enter back into the real world. We have zero idea what is happening outside of this boat. Our lives revolve around wind, waves and gps coordinates. Oh, and Bill Murray came aboard and stole a fry.

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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

If this isn't nice I dont know what is

Today was great. The sun came out with blue sky, and the Big P was a deep crystal azure. The winds were favorable 20knts and we sailed the entire day wing n wing clogging along t 7-8 knot. Jorge did his job and kept us on course, while we talked about movies and conspiracy theories and traveling in Tokyo. Did you know we didn't actually ever land on the moon AND that octopus are smarter than a 5th grader?
Today was captain Lad's bday, which we somehow overlooked his wife's hints to alert us. We were able to gather some items together and have a nice time out in the cockpit just before sunset. The moon and stars also appeared. Kathy and I watched the full bright moon dip and dive behind clouds in a dramatic fashion. Mars is visible too. This is the Pacific Ocean night sky I've been waiting for! A squall blew through and knocked Kathy and I out of our moon daze, Winds picked up to 33 knots and we had full main and headsail flying. It was a hairy few minutes but the boat and crew are fine. The squalls will be occurring with regularity the closer we get to Hawaii. Did I mention Hawaii is far? Its is the most remote chain of islands ON EARTH I am told. Farther away from land than any other islands. We sre more than halfway, and can see the finish line approaching here in just a few days. Stay tuned in. And for those of you leaving comments, we love them but cannot respond back. But keep cheering us on and saying hi, we love it.
I'm going to go back on my 2am watch now and look at the night sky in the middle of the ocean. If this isn't nice....

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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Best Day Ever

I think we are figuring out sail trim on a ketch; George, the windvane auto pilot is treating us really well (he even steer us through squalls); and we are still on course. The sun came out today, there may be stars tonight! So far we have had only one clear night, and a few nights where the moon peeks through dramatic clouds creating spots of light on the ocean.

Thanks again for all the encouragement, especially from you office bound ones. There's no place else any of us would rather be. All systems continue to be highly functional and if there is any "breakdown" the crew is so skilled we get the thing problem solved and fixed within about a half an hour. We hot wired the engine to get it started. We recarpentered a bunk shelf this afternoon.

We have cleaned everything on the boat but ourselves; it's been a bit cloudy until today, when we started sailing without our foulies, even when it's raining. And we love the rain! Shadowside handles high winds (25 to 30 knots is the most we encountered) like a champ, with a real easy, rolling motion.

Tonight or tommorow, sun showers!

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Favorite Bill Murray movie

7/19 Our halfway party was dinner with ribs, chips, and champagne. We toasted to a 1000 miles of sweet sailing and 1000 more to the finish. Hawaii is really far away. The weather continues to be overcast and a few squalls have blown through, but nothing too dramatic. We have all gotten into our watch routines and can shorten sails at a moments notice. Jorge, our Hydrovane self steering system is my favorite thing on the boat. Alejandro and Kathy like to hand steer on their watch. I prefer to snack. Living in a small sailboat with strangers you run the gamut of conversation topics. We have gone through all "best of" or "favorite fill in the blank" questions. I wouldn't want to be with a different bunch of rag tag crew. Kathy is hysterical with crazy travel and sailing stories and ALejandro continues to be the international man of mystery and is our go to guy when we need any help with anything. Captain is calm and good humored even when we accidentally gibe the main violently. We are looking out for j and having fun.
Shadowside is chugging along on a 255 COG at 7.0 knots over ground. She is a sturdy, heavy boat and I feel really safe when the wind picks up. The seas have been 10-12 rollers that toss the boat 30 degrees to port and then back to starboard, sometimes so steeply that my stomach drops. The rest of the fleet seems to be much farther North than us, but we are making good time and might even rank!

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Monday, July 18, 2016

Mind the nachos!

We re all wondering when the sun is going to come out. Its been cloudy and overcast for days and nights now. Every so often the sun or moon will show themselves and we are washed in a brilliant light across the sea. But, even in the absence of the sun and stars, The Big P (Pacific Ocean) is so beautiful. We are currently on a down wind slot running with the main alone until watch change and we will set the jib u for wing on wing which should give us an extra knot of speed. Even while typing this in the nav station, I am being flung side to side with the pitch of each wave. These last few days we have all gotten a fair amount of bruises. Alejandro made nachos for lunch yesterday and they we amazing. While we were chowing down, and probably because we were cowing down, we jibed. "Mind the nachos!" I yelled. Cause, when as sea, you need to watch out for precious resources.

We are halfway and are going to celebrate today! We are also working on posting some pictures, but its been low priority cause we are exhausted from this washing machine of a course we have been on for 24 hours. Ocean sailing is exhausting and at times down right hrd. BUT BUT BUT...then you go sit in the cockpit and watch the waves and move cross the sea with only the wind, literally in the middle of nowhere. Its serene, sublime and surreal, and worth every bruise and lost hour of sleep.

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Saturday, July 16, 2016

Adventures at Sea

It's wonderful to be on a boat where everything works! And if it breaks, Kimber, Alejandro,or Lad can fix it. I'm halfway decent at downwind driving, so I can keep the boat steady while they do what they need to do to set up the spinnaker, wing out the jib, trouble shoot one of two auto steering machines, or write blog posts. Lad makes navigation look easy (since the system was set up by Bill Myers, it is easy!) and we are on course for the partys in Kaneohe. Lad is great at team building and making sure we all get plenty of rest, food, and hydration, and that Shadowside is organized and clean. We are all loving sailing on a ketch--it track so well down wind, the motion is really comfortable (Kimber just said she hates the galley. That may be for any galley under way, so she's strapping in right now to the West Marine kitchen strap.) Fortunately, Alejandro is a chef so we have had iron chef meals from the great provisions organized by Donna. I do want to note that we made such good time the first day because Kimber and Alejandro were all over making the appropriate sail adjustments as conditions changed--reefing, furling, raising and lowering sails as needed in bumpy conditions. Thanks so much for all your comments. We love our ground crew! This is a dream come true for all of us, and it's great to listen to each other's stories on night watch and get to know each other. Cheers, Kathy

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Day 6 and no flying fish

1:17am on 7/16. Our position is currently N 31.26 W 133.35. We are cruising along on a beam reach at 7.2 knots COG 251. Its been overcast and mild temperatures as we head toward the half way point. The moon tonight would occasionally make an appearance and shine a brilliant light on the otherwise black sea. Ill be excited when the clouds part and we have some sunshine and stars. We changed sail configuration a few times today to adapt to some shifty wind. We didn't fly the kite today and instead chose to continue with our downwind set of wing and wing. Shadowside is a heavy boat and takes the waves like a champ. She has a very sea kindly motion and all the crew are always excited for off watch hours to fall fast asleep, even in the middle of the day we sleep like babies. There is a radio hour everyday at 5:00 where all the boats in the fleet an check in and hear undated info and get the latest standings. Regrettably three boats have left our division which leaves only 4 boats to compete against. We are still listed at last place but not by a big margin AND these standings do not account for corrected time. So we have a chance of winning some accolades at the awards ceremony. The crew just keeps chugging along with our watch schedules and reminding each other to drink water and eat some snacks. I wouldn't want to be with a better group of people. Everyone is working together, and given that we are living in a space as big as most of your home kitchens, we are keeping our good humor and rallying together when we need to quickly respond to something happening on deck.
Kathy heard there was a revolution happening in Turkey, but other than that, we are oblivious to what is taking place on land. Our world revolves around the wind, waves and what to eat for dinner.

Until the next witching hour.
Kimber signing off

p.s. Respond to the blog. We really love hearing from you.

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Friday, July 15, 2016

Going where the wind takes us

Howdy land lubbers! Shadowside here with another report from day 4? of he race. Time tends to meld together out here in the open ocean. Between watch schedules, sail changes, and the incredibly hard task of making scrambled eggs in a rolling sea, one tends to forget the day. We are currently N32.09 W131.06 course over ground 225 drifting along at a measly 4.6 knots. The wind has shifted to the aft of and we are waiting for watch shift to set up a whisker pole so we can fly wing and wing. The weather and sea conditions have been favorable, although we are all still dawning our foulies. We can feel the warmer weather approaching, and Ill be able to put away all of my Patagucci technical warm clothing. The night sky is overcast so there are no stars or moon to speak of. Just the black black horizon. George, or "Jorge" as we also affectionately call him, because not only do sailors give their self steering gear names, we also give them nicknames. Jorge has been doing less steering downwind and the actual humans onboard have been hand steering. Its quite a strange feeling driving a sailboat through the dark black ocean.
The crew remain in good heath and spirits. We have been eating well and getting enough sleep with our 4 hours on/4 hours off watch schedule. We are currently last in our division BUT that has not dampened our fighting spirit! We are the bad news bears of the race, the mighty ducks of the Pac Cup!! The era of the ketch is not over.

Hope all is well and good out there on dry land. Until next time. Same bat channel time same bat channel.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Spinnakers and meatballs

Hello friends and family from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Shadowside's current position is N 33 44.880 by W 127 59.634 with a speed over ground of 8.1. We enjoyed much calmer seas today after having our feet put to the fire the first night with much gustier wind and a big sea state. Shadowside is taking good care of us and we are all enjoying sailing a ketch rigged boat with all of the sail configurations we can make. The crew is in good spirits and have settled into life on a 40' boat. With some of the crew having a hard time eating the first 24 hours, our first meal was a real blessing. Pasta and meatballs! For those of you that have never tried to cook at sea, just know that any meal preparation is a trial of defying gravity.
We have set up our 5th crew member, who we have named George. George is a Hydrovane self steering system that will steer the boat for us while we sit there and look at waves, make sail changes, or just try not to spill our morning cup of coffee all over the place. We love George and imagine he speaks in the third person like that Seinfeld episode. "George loves sailing!" We will try to update the blog daily, so stay tuned to more tales of adventure. Until then, know (mom) that we are safe and having a great time. Don't forget you can comment on the blog and we will receive your messages.

Adios and good night from the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
-kimber

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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

2016-07-12-1200 PDT


They are doing great.

On the Pacific Cup tracking page LINK it shows them with 1921 nm to go and moving at 7.3 knots.

That means, only 11 days to go. That would be Saturday the 23rd, a whole week ahead of the finish deadline. Not bad.

LINK to a fantastic starting line photo.

Monday, July 11, 2016

Day 1 - 22;45

78 miles down course - Sailing down our course line under reefed jib and mizzen wind 20-25 knts NW waves about 10 feet.

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Sunday, July 10, 2016

2000 and ready to go

After a challenging day of preparation the Shadowside is ready to set sail. Special thanks to Bill and Donna for their efforts on our behalf.

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GG Bridge, calm and clear.

Less than 24 hours to go.