Ted's Log Stardate July 6th, 2008

MESSAGE 15 6 JULY KO OLINA MARINA, HAWAII


ALOHA ALL


WE MADE IT!! AT 0625 HOURS, 6 JULY WE TIED UP AT THE GAS DOCK IN THE KO OLINA MARINA WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF OAHU ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF HONOLULU. IT TOOK US 17 DAYS 20 HOURS AND 25 MINUTES TO SAIL THE APPROXIMATELY 2250 MILES FROM RANGIROA TO HERE, AN AVERAGE OF 125 MILES A DAY MADE GOOD. WE SAILED THE WHOLE WAY ENTIRELY ON A STARBOARD TACK.


FROM THE TIME WE LEFT AUCKLAND ON APRIL 19th, WE SAILED APPROXIMATELY 5500 MILES, VISITED 9 ISLANDS IN 3 COUNTRIES, GAINED A DAY SAILING AROSS THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE, WENT FROM THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE WORLD TO THE TOP AND FROM WINTER TO SUMMER WHEN WE CROSSED THE EQUATOR, SAW SOME FABULOUS PLACES, MET MANY INTERESTING PEOPLE, HAD MANY OUTSTANDING DAYS OF SAILING AND MANY GREAT MEALS BOTH ON AND OFF THE BOAT. I EXPERIENCED SOME OF MY BEST DAYS OF SAILING EVER ESPECIALLY DOWNWIND WITH SPINNAKER ONLY. CAPRICE DID A GREAT JOB IN CARRYING US THROUGHOUT THIS TOPICAL PARADISE.


ALL BOAT OWNERS KNOW THAT THINGS BREAK ON BOATS AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE ON LONG VOYAGES. ALTHOUGH CAPRICE DID NOT HAVE ANY MAJOR THINGS GO WRONG, WE DID HAVE SOME FAILURES, MANY OF WHICH WERE FIXED. THESE INCLUDED: (1) STEERING CABLE (FIXED), (2) WATERMAKER (FIXED), (3) BLOCKS (REPLACED), (4) CHAFED LINES (REPLACED OR REPOSITIONED), (5) PORT HEAD MACERATOR (T0 BE REPLACED IN HAWAII), (6) NAV STATION SEAT (TO BE FIXED IN HAWAI), (7) BIMINI BRACKET (FIXED), (8)THE SAIL DRIVE MEMBRANE (TO BE REPLACED DURING THE NEXT HAULOUT) AND (9) THE TRACK SLIDE FOR THE OUTHAUL (TO BE REPLACED IN HAWAII). ALL IN ALL THIS IS A VERY GOOD RECORD. CAPRICE SHOULD BE PROUD.


ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO DO DURING THIS TRIP WAS TO COMPARE PASSAGE MAKING ON MONOHULLS TO MAKING THEM IN MULTIHULLS. THIS IS MY ANALYSIS.


THE ADVANTAGES OF MULTIHULLS ARE: THEY GO FAST, PARTICULARY IN RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS ( WE WOULD DO 7-8 KNOTS IN LESS THEN 15 KNOTS OF WIND), THEY DON’T HEAL, ARE EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE GOING DOWNWIND AND IN SMOOTH SEAS, FOR THE SAME LENGTH OF A MONOHULL, THEY HAVE ABOUT 50 PERCENT MORE ROOM, MOST OF THE NEW CATS HAVE TWO ENGINES, AND HAVE A SHALLOWER DRAFT ALLOWING CLOSER-TO-SHORE ANCHORING.


THE MINUSES INCUDE: THEY DON’T POINT INTO THE WIND A WELL AS MOST MONOHULLS, THEY HAVE A MORE LEEWAY (AS MUCH AS 25 DEGREES FOR CAPRICE), THERE ARE LESS SPACES IN MARINAS TO BERTH MULTIHULLS, CATS TEND TO “HOBBY HORSE” AND ROLL SIDE TO SIDE, SOME TIMES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME, IN ROUGH SEAS MOST CATS EXPERIENCE “BOMBS” WHICH ARE WAVES SMACKING THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIDGE WITH A LOUD BOOM AND STRONG SHOCK WAVES, AND IN ROUGH AND CONFUSED SEAS, WAVES HITTING THE HULLS IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND DIFFERENT MAGNITUDES CAUSE THE BOAT TO MAKE SUDDEN AND ROUGH TWISTS AND TURNS WHICH ARE EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE.


MONOHULL ADVANTAGES ARE: LESS LEEWAY, WILL CUT TROUGH WAVES INSTEAD OF BOUNCING OVER THEM, POINT BETTER TO THE WIND, RIDE A LITTLE BETTER IN CONFUSED SEAS, AND EASIER TO FIND MARINA SLIPS.


MINUSES INCLUDE: THEY HEAL WHICH ON LONG VOYAGES IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE, THEY ARE SLOWER, HAVE DEEPER DRAFTS, LESS ROOM AND ONLY ONE ENGINE.


THERE ARE PROBABLY MORE ADVANTAGES AND DISAVANTAGES THAT CAN BE MADE, BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT CONCERNED ME.


SO THE QUESTION IS WHICH DO I PREFER. IF I WAS GOING TO BUY A BOAT FOR EXTENSIVE CRUSING, I WOULD VERY STRONGLY CONSISDER A MULTIHULL. THEY GO FAST, MORE ROOM AND OVERALL MORE COMFORTABLE RIDE ON LONG PASSAGES, HOWEVER FOR DAY SAILING IN THE BAY I WOULD STICK WITH MONOHULLS. I STILL LIKE SAILING FOR SHORT PERIODS HEALED OVER WITH A RAIL IN THE WATER AND SPRAY IN MY FACE. THAT’S WHAT I GREW UP WITH.


WELL THIS IT FOR ME. DAN AND CAROL WILL BE TAKING CAPRICE TO ALSAKA WITH DAN’S BROTHER DOUG AS CREW, THEN DOWN THROUGH SOUTHEAST ALASKA TO THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS AND FINALLY DOWN THE WEST COAST TO SAN FRANSICO BAY AND HOME.


AS FOR ME, PAT WILL BE JOINING ME IN A FEW DAYS AND WE WILL ENJOY HAWAII FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE RETURNING TO REALITY.


I REALLY WANT TO THANK DAN AND CAROL FOR INCLUDING ME IN THIS GREAT ADVENTURE. IT WAS GREAT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, BOTH SO VERY MUCH. MEMORIES TO LAST A LIFE TIME.


SO, THIS IS THE END MY FRIENDS


A BIG ALOHA


TED