OMG ! Clawing Off a Lee Shore in a Gale !

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by highseas

The problem with daysailing the Baja is you need to get up at 5 am and motor till the afternoon breeze comes up.Most runs between anchorages are 40 to 80 miles,tough to do before dark,without some motoring.

Indeed. The Sea of Cortez is a pretty tough environment. Incredibly beautiful and desolate.

I spent two weeks sailing around there with a friend in his 90 foot Swan. As I recall, there were 75 to 80 miles between every anchorage we used, with absolutely no shelter of any kind between them - a very forbidding coast. This was in winter so it was blowing all the time (but the locals talked about the afternoon breeze thing), generally about 20 knots. As we made our way North, we sailed 12-14 hours at a time hard on the wind and bashing into a vicious chop, and it was tough even on that boat. And with brand new, laminate sails. That boat subsequently crossed the Pacific making consistent 300 miles days in the trades, but bashing up the Baja coast we were lucky to maintain 7 knots (and we were not tacking; merely hard on the wind). Sometimes the steep head seas knocked us down to under 5 knots. And that's a 90 foot boat! On any other boat, it would have been almost impossible without some motoring.

[boatman61]

BTW I have always had trouble I have skinny legs and a small penis too guys! Really, its like a baby's..... I'm so intellegent, sucessful, and good looking, Everybody wants to feel loved and accepted, even arrogant, concieted ******* know-alls like me.

Thats it......
Mods he's gorra go.... there's only room for one of us here....
I F^"$$ing Hate Competition....:bang head:

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Hogan

But I suspect the "concern" for my safety expressed here is really the result of my opinions provoking a very different sort of worry in certain readers - the anxiety and anger that comes from having too much boat, too many "responsibilities" and not enough time to sail her.

You know deep inside that a smaller, simpler boat would get you out of port and experiencing the wider world - but the rot has set in.

I have not been "in port" for 2 years. So no rot here
This is where I am now.

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Look - I'm just curious as to how you can carry that on a 20ft flicka

There is a guy in my boat club that the anchor he carries extends from the bowsprit, and is lashed to the rail...amidships. It takes two guys to lift it. It must be a great help on starboard tack, but on the other tack he must bury the rail.

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Ha, ha. Well, you're a good sport, Hogan. And very entertaining. Glad to have you around

Concern for your safety was real and sincere, although it was probably more concern for newbies who might read some of your "technical" points and be misled. We guard very much the quality of this resource and the information contained in it. I think that if you came bursting into a serious motorcycling forum and started saying things like: "I don't worry about collisions with cars at all, unlike the rest of you guys, because I ride with my feet on the saddle, and I'll just somersault over a car if a collision becomes imminent, and the rest of you are dipshits because you don't practice your tumbling", you would get a similar reaction -- of incredulous hostility. Some of the things you said sounded just exactly like that to us.

As to your boat -- not a single person insulted your boat, and you shouldn't misunderstand people's comments. On the contrary, surely everyone who knows the Flicka -- and although I have never sailed on one, I have admired them underway and at the dock -- knows what a work of art they are -- beautiful and superbly made by one of the best builders on the planet. What people were trying to point out was merely that some of your ideas of what you can do in your Flicka do not correspond to reality. An 18 foot waterline is an 18 foot waterline, and a full keel is a full keel. There's no getting around that, no matter how pretty and sturdy the boat is. My own previous boat was a Pearson 365, another very sturdy and very seaworthy (for her size) boat of the same era as yours (much less pretty than the Flicka, but with a less porky hull shape so much faster), and with, if not a full keel, a very long fin keel. Well, let's put it this way -- I, like many others here, know from experience how hard it is to make miles to windward in a boat like that.


One of your theses is that anyone who sails a bigger boat with an engine is a wage slave mortgaged to his eyeballs and without any freedom or any balls. Do you really expect them to say: "Oh, Hogan, you're right - my life is miserable. And if you hadn't come along, I would never have known. Thanks for enlightening me." . Actually, I don't know anyone here who fits your stereotype. I don't know anyone here who bought his boat on credit (maybe someone doesn't admit it). .

Actually that describes me pretty well.

[Hogan]

@ Dockhead -

thanks for taking the time to write such a level headed critisim - both the content and scope of it shows thoughtfulness, intellegence, and insight.

I have nothing against people who sail big boats per-se, though one might argue that parading a 90 foot boat in front of the poor fishing villages of Mexico shows a certain....well, lack of sensitivity.

Nomad is about the size of a Mexican Panga.

I traded my Omega for a Sieko for the same reason.

As I pointed out earlier, I'm a decendant of John Alden, and he designed some very large, very beautiful boats - during the age of sail.

And for me, sailing is what it is about.

Engines destroy - for me - the peace and tranquility and spiritual communion I seek out on the water, and electric propulsion is the least evil and most environmentally freindly form of mechanical propulsion I could find, outside of a big sculling oar, which BTW, I'm still considering.

I never presume to tell someone with a larger boat that they should sell it and buy a smaller boat -

Untill they start slagging me about how my sweet, gorgeous little old lady is "too small" "too slow" "needs self tailing winches" "yacht braid" "to lose those tanbark sails" "needs roller furling" "a dodger" and especially "a powerful, reliable inboard diesel", all of which I am repeatedly subjected to by the dockside know it alls around here, who sail thier boats perhaphs once a month - if the weather is nice.

Imagine you are in love with a beautiful, but grey haired lady.

You sold everything you owned, and quit all your jobs so you could spend more time with her. Eventually, you moved in with her. And it was difficult at first - a period of adjustment followed, and most of your friends and especially your family disaproved of your relationship with her.

But you loved her, and demonstrated resoluteness and comittment to her, so she slowly told you all her secrets, and whispered that if you treated her right and respected her, she would make all your dreams come true. Wary at first, because you'd been burned by so many relationships before, you slowly grew to trust her, and to understand that she'd never let you down if things got bad.

Now unfortunately, romancing little old ladies is not in fashion in your community.

Banging fat, materialistic, tempermental, teenage hookers is.

These flashy, bloated whores are paraded as objects of lust and desire in all the magazines, and they have an annual convention in your neighborhood, where they are paraded around like cattle in front of you. They all come with a retinue of servants and seconds who comb thier hair, polish thier shoes, and carry the trains of thier dresses.

Just to look at them you have to supplicate to thier pimps by taking your shoes off!

Now your peers lust after these trashy sluts, and they try to convince you that you need to dump your faithful older woman and marry a materialistic hooker just like they did.

But you are in love, remember?

Besides, from what you can tell, these fat, fast women are never fat enough or fast enough for thier sugar daddies - and as a result, daddy is ready to dump them the minuite a fatter faster tramp struts by and lifts her skirt or batts her eyelashes at them.

Now, how would you feel if that were the case?

Truth be known, I have the cash to purchase a much, much larger boat.

However, I chose a small boat - the smallest in fact - that would allow me to realize my goals.

There is couple I run into here in MDR from time to time.

A charming, beautiful young lady who's with an older, wealthy guy. By all appearances, she loves and is devoted to him.

One day, I overheard them discussing thier cruising plans at a local coffee shop, so I chatted them up, telling them of my plans.

I asked what sort of boat they had.

It was a brand new Jeneau 52 or something - you know, one of those fast, gorgeous boats you cant wear shoes on at the boat shows.

And I complemented them on thier choice, and remarked what a beautiful boat it is ( I didnt say I dont appreciate how cute, comfortable, and fun young fat girls are, I said I'm in love with a faithful, frugal, grey haired little old lady, remember?)

And so the charming, beautiful young lady asked me what sort of boat I had...

"A Flicka" I said.

...and her face lit up, and she said

"Ooooh we looked at Flickas - they are beautiful boats!"

.....but her companion was not smiling. A dark cloud had appeared over his head, and a frown creased his lips.

"I could never live on a Flicka - too small. C'mon - we're leaving"

And he gathered up his woman and his other possesions, and out he walked with them.

I see them ocassionally around town, most recently last week at West Marine. The girl always looks at me and smiles (especially when her man isnt looking) and I always smile and wave to both of them when he is.

But my smile is never returned by him.

So if you want discuss psychology, what is a big boat a substitute for with this guy?

The Sundeer is a great boat. A Dashew design if I'm not mistaken.

There is one that sails regularly here in MDR, and it is truly magnificent with that enormous fully battened main with its huge roach.

There is a Morris 42 that is gorgeous and out and about a lot, and an absolutely spectacular, fast, weatherly Wiley 44, cat rigged with an unstayed carbon fiber mast and wishbone boom that its owner singlehands regularly out on the bay - after short tacking his big thouroughbred up the main channel.

Then there was the older gentleman in his Aerlion express short tacking his way dead upwind back to his slip last week.

And there are dozens of other boats I see out regularly, some large, but mostly small, including an intrepid group of atheletes that paddle tiny, traditional hawiian outrigger canoes on the open ocean - alone, and in all sorts of rough weather, training for thier annual races to Catalina Island across the San Pedro channel.

These folks are true sailors in my book.

People who's boats, while they are certainly proud of them, are are beside the point. They love the sea, and thier boats are thier means to access it - they are not status symbols or an egocentric extension of their penises.

As far as SOC windward work - This is a concern to me. I've been studying the wind patterns, and it seems that it might make more sense to go counter clockwise, hugging the mexican mainland, where the winds tend to flow more regularly from land towards the sea, allowing reaching north, then crossing up around Tiburon and either working north to Isla de la Guardia and Bahia de Los Angeles for the summer, or running south towards Costa Rica to dodge the hurricane season.

Then again, I may just stay put in La Paz for the first year.

or longer.

Maybe I'll absolutely hate long term cruising and sell my boat for a song down in Mexico, and return to LA with my tail between my legs - watch "Yachworld" next spring.

We'll see.

I have no long term goals for my new life, except to take things as they come, and enjoy the beauty of the of the new places and people I'll meet along the way.

I've been bashing to windward my entire adult life, striving for goals against wind, sea, current, and tide.

..... and I'm tired of it. So very, very tired.

Its time to ease the sheets and run off downwind for a while....and to help developing economies, economically empower young women, and support thier industrious entrepenurship by visting local whorehouses.

;-)

[RAW]

Hogan-

With all due respect to your highly entertaining diatribes...I haven't seen anyone here talk about your boat in any disparaging way. They may have discussed, pretty respectfully I'd say, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Flicka. All boats have upsides and downsides.

You are the one who came into this forum suggesting that people who feel that a sound inboard engine is an asset are fools. And then suggested they are materialistic wage-slaves, infected with "rot", to boot.

[Hogan]

Oh, and the final tally is in from this latest wind event - published in Todays LA Times:

Highest recorded wind gust:

97 MPH

200 buildings damaged

700 trees downed

23 flights diverted from LAX

Dominant wind direction Northeast, and extremely gusty - going from 20 to over 80mph within seconds in some areas. An atypical Santa Ana, much more violent than what was forecast.

The event I beat back into the harbor against a couple of years ago was was similar, though much milder, with maximum gusts of around 70mph, 49 in MDR.

I dont ********.

Ever.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Hogan

I have nothing against people who sail big boats per-se,

Me neither, especially if I get invited onboard

But I suspect that a lot of folk are confused by people like you (and me? - works in a suit, outside dresses like a tramp ) - as in own world having more money (and bigger toys) than someone else means they are a better person..........and you be cheating the rules by a) proving that is not the case and b) not giving a sh#t

His loss not yours.

However, I chose a small boat - the smallest in fact - that would allow me to realize my goals.

That was pretty much my thinking. Albeit my answer came out at 30' - but I didn't even consider Electric Engine at that time (5 years ago). The most important thing was the boat would be affordable to run (even when not working) and not so expensive as to feel guilty if I left her unused for a while.

There is couple I run into here in MDR from time to time.

A charming, beautiful young lady who's with an older, wealthy guy. By all appearances, she loves and is devoted to him.

Reminds me years back (mid 80's?) - was in a Toyota showroom looking for a test drive of an MR2 sports car, the MK1 (didn't have the money but got the test drive, it handled like a go kart ).......noticed a somewhat older bloke and a young dolly bird (clearly not his daughter!) dealing with a salesman on some paperwork - he was buying in her name on HP, no idiot that fella ... she f#cks off and the car payments stop.

[Hogan]

Nice post DOJ -

To my other fans:

did you know I have almost 300 Facebook Freinds?

That means I'm totally cool and popular with the younger generation, and even my young, female, earnest Vegan Vegitarian PETA Animal rights Nazi freinds tag my posts on thier walls with "Like" when I make fun of the FDA lifting it's ban on horsemeat with posts like this:

"Everybody eats horsemeat.

Seems there’s a lot of holier than thou posturing about the FDAs recent lifting of it’s horsemeat ban.

Well let me tell you something:

If you’ve ever eaten anything at Jack-in-the-box, you’ve eaten horsemeat.

Even thier vegan salad is made from horsemeat.

Well, that and Kangaroo.

You should see how those degenerates down-under round up and slaughter ‘roos - and ‘roos are WAY cuter than some stupid horse.

Go ahead - Wiki it - how do you think JITB keeps thier prices so reasonable?

That’s why I eat every single meal every single day at McDonalds.

McDonalds is a responsible, caring corporation:

They selectively, sustainably and humanely harvest thier McRibs from giant genetically engineered super-pigs cross bred with supercows, superchickens, and smart-tomato and lettuce plants, then laboratory clonthane farm them by the milions in vast underground secret laboritories run by Mormons and Scientologists in Montana.

These chimeric “Ribinals” are all fat, bacon, hambuger, salad, salt, ketchup and especially, ribs.

They are fed toxic waste and surplus -(the stuff “The Body Shop” can’t use for making thier awful soaps and perfumes) - liposuction byproducts from Beverly Hills plastic surgury clinics.

The resulting life forms don’t have eyes or brains (just like Republicans), and they only scream a little when pruned with a machete or when you bite into a McRib sandwich.

Listen carefully next time you eat one if you don’t believe me."

Seems the younger generation recognizes and appreciates subtly nuanced satire much more than certain fuddy-duddies around here.

;-)

[RAW]

Whatever.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Hogan

Nice post DOJ -

To my other fans:

I wouldn't put it quite that strong

Horsemeat is ok Took me many years to learn what "Steak" meant on a menu in France .....and to realise that they even sold it in Supermarkets. Probably better for you than a sh#te burger.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Hogan

The event I beat back into the harbor against a couple of years ago was was similar, though much milder, with maximum gusts of around 70mph, 49 in MDR.

I dont ********.

Ever.

If you don't "bull $hit" why were you not out "practicing" in the recent winds and making more videos to quell your detractors.....?

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Hogan

I dont ********.

Ever.

Ahem.

[Rakuflames]

"Untill they start slagging me about how my sweet, gorgeous little old lady is "too small" "too slow" "needs self tailing winches" "yacht braid" "to lose those tanbark sails" "needs roller furling" "a dodger" and especially "a powerful, reliable inboard diesel", all of which I am repeatedly subjected to by the dockside know it alls around here, who sail thier boats perhaphs once a month - if the weather is nice."

I don't think roller furlers are terrible -- I miss my hank on sail, but it's not practical on my boat. It's all about compromise. I wanted a boat big enough to live on comfortably.

An outboard would not be practical for this boat. I don't have a problem with having an inboard motor. However, the sweetest sound I ever hear is turning that engine off.

Small boat lovers have small boats for a reason. People with mid-sized boats chose them for a reason. Ditto for bigger boats.

We're all individuals. What my good friend and guru wants in a sailboat is not what I want in a sailboat and he thought I was making a big mistake to buy this boat. I, however, am very happy with it.

There is no right or wrong. There is just individuals with individual preferences.