Thursday from Condor

In the warm weather and sun protection is key today.

Let me take you on our Tuesday evening ride 11pm -7am PST.  My watch starts at 11 and I wake up to Condor on rails.  1.5 is up and we are in 18-23 kts running 95 apparent.  Speed avg in the 15-16 range.  Night is black and waves are confused from three angles.  No worry she steers like a dream and thrives on hard conditions.  Kame is steering ahead of me and I am right behind him on port jibe on the rail trimming.  Kame is dialed and is first to break 20 kts boat speed and very active on the tiller.  Twin rudder boats are very different to steer when close to flat and rolling.  Both rudder are in and canted 15 deg.  So you are in a push pull mode and dropping in waves you can’t see with squalls everywhere.  These squalls are Pacific high with no elec just rain and up/down draft winds that change quick.

60 min into driving Kame says time for you to drive the buggy.  Sheet in my hand goes to David standing at the primary which is right in the center of cockpit and next to us.

I grab the tiller and realize this is what I love.  30 degree shifts and you have about 10 degree you can steer so be on it when the shift hits, and as I said you can not see the waves.  Riding the Condor in all her glory.  Thank you Buzz for sharing your toy, and thank you Jim for drawing a fantastic boat, and Kame putting fuel in the engine.

30 min into my driving David who is my trimmer which makes me a lucky boy says, “squall coming and we are lined up”.  Two min later wind is up to 24 and she takes off not going below 18  now I am also over 20 kts boat speed.  Then wind is 28-29 and steering is full concentration.  All of the sudden elevator down we go bow down on a wave we can’t see.  Can’t go up and can’t go down since both ways are wipe outs.  Then we hit the back of the wave and 4 feet of water comes down the deck at 20 kts and lifts both David and me off the deck and tethers go tight and my life jacket fills.  Two min later back at 18-20 and all in control.  Ok below to repack the Spinlock, always bring spares.

Next watch 5 am and she is still on rails.  Same process all over again but we are use to the upper end and 1.5 is amazing sail.  Condor is tough and one of the more forgiving boats I have raced in my 45 years of racing.

Another squall and we prepare.  But something is different just before the wind goes up.  Wind was more unstable then we have felt, then wack wind is at 32  from 22kts in 10 sec then 10 more sec and it is at 39 and she is a hand full but we are going so fast I stopped looking at the the knot meter at 22 and could only drive.  Then I notice the head stay is moving around 3′ yes three feet and side water spray puts us in a box.  Hit the bottom of the wave and inst on the mast are gone with water coming over the house.  We hold on and before I can say easy David is buzzing the sheet out then she slows down too much from water impact and we round up.  Sheet blow and I have a main sheet on cam next to me.  Less then 10 sec in the wipe out and 1.5 blows up.  Oh yea my life jacket went again.

Shit fight cleaning up this mess then back to sailing with A3.  Next morning boat inspection found crack in for fore foot area,  She slams very hard like a skiff but this was from hitting something on the other watch going 18.  Loads of garbage out hear and at night you just go.

So we inspect.  Cut up a foam composting floor board and make a frame.  Install and are now sailing toward the finish since we do not know if there is outside skin damage.  Keeping her under 12 if we can but she does not like that so another fun challenge.

Team CC till tomorrow.