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2007 OceanPlanet News
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| Whether you
are looking to win a local race or to safely cross an ocean, you
can put the experience of 2 circumnavigations and a lifetime of
racing, rigging, and project management to work for you. |
| Oops! In an editing mistake, I left out two of the Round The World (RTW) races that I had meant to write about. These are both NEW races that are being added to the collection of globe-circling endeavors, but both actually fill respective gaps. |
| To the uninitiated, sometimes the array of Rround
The World (RTW) sailing events can seem confusing. So I thought I'd make
list of the current events, and then give a bit of News and links about
them. |
| On Tuesday, August 14, I bicycled up Mt. Diablo in memory of my
youngest brother, Chris. We used to ride and race up this mountain...many
years ago. |
| Sometime last Saturday evening, my youngest brother, Christopher Thomas Schwab passed away. We shared a lot in the past, but had not been in touch for some time. |
| If you are in Maine, I'm expecting to see you this coming Wednesday night, July 25!! |
| Don't miss it!
July 25th is the Northeast Harbor Fleet's FLEET NIGHT 2007 with special guest speaker...yours truly. I will doing my full video/audio/slide show after a casual buffet that starts at 6pm. |
| I'm writing from Sausalito, California where for the past week I have been training a small group of women sailors for ocean sailing and general preparation. It has been great fun, and really great to be back in the S.F. Bay Area. What a special place...although I certainly don't miss the traffic! The only other bad thing is there's never enough time to see all of my old friends here. |
| Looking at grass instead of water:
I am finally back home in Maine, where summer is in full swing. When I left for France on May 8, spring was just beginning. It's amazing how much things can change in the time it takes to cross the Atlantic in a sailboat...even in a fast Open 60. |
| After a few days of reprovisioning, rigging, misc.
repairs, and getting 2 new crewmembers, we ready for the final leg on Tim
Troy's Margaret Anna from Bermuda to the Chesapeake Bay. |
| Just after lunchtime on May 30, Margaret Anna and her crew of OceanPlanet supporters arrived in Bermuda. We had a rollicking ride the last day, broad reaching in sunshine and nice waves. Which was a very welcome change from the murkiness of the low pressure center we had plowed through on the previous day and night! |
| ith the Azores cleared several days ago, we are still negotiating the
southwest corner of the high pressure and light winds. Beautiful sailing, but not very speedy. Had a few squalls yesterday but now very clear. Nice to have some smooth sunny stuff before we get moderately pummelled by a low before we approach Bermuda. Shouldn't be too bad but will have to be careful. On the bright side we will get to do some real "Open 60 Zooming" on the top of the low. |
| Today was beautiful, finally some sun. We weren't quite halfway (that will
be late tonight or early tomorrow), but we had a sort of "halfway party".
We cleaned up (bucket baths, taking turns for privacy), the guys shaved,
etc. I finally got my Martin "Backpacker" guitar out and played some tunes. |
| We escaped the Bay of Biscay and the notorious shipping lanes of Cape
Finisterre late Friday night, by crossing the shipping lanes hot on the
heels of a ship going the same direction. The wind had picked up, so with
the ship as a "blocker" we just matched their speed… |
| Slow going so far, we left last evening at 5:30pm
France time...into a stiff headwind and choppy seas. Spent the night
pounding away under staysail and double=reefed main. Several upset
stomachs aboard but no mishaps other than some irritating little leaks and the
general bashing. |
| Help! I'm emailing from an internet café that I've been trapped in all night. No, I'm not joking, although it IS a funny story. After a very late dinner with crewmembers Mike, Carina, Anna, and volunteer Thomas, I came here to catch up on email and download some large weather files. I stayed right to closing time…and there were three people in the café when I went into the bathroom to use the john and brush my teeth… |
| I am in La Rochelle preparing Margaret Anna for the
transatlantic delivery...it will be a few more days of preparation. No
matter how many times I've done this, it is amazing how much work it takes to
get boats ready to cross an ocean! |
| Spring has sprung here in Maine with an explosion of morning bird noises, bugs, sun, and green. It is so beautiful it seems crazy to leave (Tuesday, the 8th) and head to France for another sailing trip.
But hey...it's a job! If you forgot, I am delivering Tim Troy's Open 60 Margaret Anna from La Rochelle to Annapolis. Also coming along for the delivery are four fine crew that are great supporters of OceanPlanet and shorthanded ocean racing. |
| Just a quick note to my S.F. Bay Area friends, that I'm in Oakland for a few days. I'll be working with Euromarine Trading at the Strictly Sail Show at Jack London Square, and will be in town until the eve of Monday the 23rd. |
| Some of you may remember my somewhat famous old boat, the 1930 Abeking & Rasmussen built 30 square meter "Rumbleseat". This is the spruced-up classic little yacht that I sailed to 1st in the 1996 Singlehanded Transpac. You might also know that in 1998 (or was it 99?) I sold Rumbleseat to Dr. Robin Tattersall of Tortola … |
| If you have noticed how quiet I've been lately...my nose has been to the grindstone looking for sponsors and partners for OceanPlanet II and the 2008 Vendee Globe. |
| In the otherwise empty marina at Robinhood Marine Center, there quietly sits an Open 60 that has successfully raced twice around the world. |
| Many people ask me how I prepare physically for a solo around the world race like the Vendee Globe. Now that I'm looking for sponsorship to return to the next Vendee, (and this year's Barcelona World Race), I'm making it a point to be in the best overall shape I can. Of course it is always hard to find the time, so I must make the most of it when I do. |
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