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OceanPlanet News - 2008
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| After more than a year in storage, out of the water...OceanPlanet is inside the shop at Robinhood Marine Center getting repairs and repainting! If all goes to plan, she will be ready in only a few weeks. |
| The bad news: If you were thinking of signing up for February's rigging seminars at the Maine Advanced Technology Center (MATC), you're too late. The classes filled up so fast, we had to add a 2nd set of the two-day seminars, and then those filled up too! |
| You may have been wondering what I've been up to, it's a long story...
too long for this update! However, you will see more OceanPlanet news soon. |
| 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. |
| We think it's time to get more U.S. entries
in in international ocean sailing events…the Volvo, Vendee Globe, Barcelona
World Race, America's Cup…you name it. How about you? For this to
happen, it means getting more U.S. companies behind the sport of
sailing. |
| What, you missed my last show at the Chesapeake Sailing Club?! If you haven't been to one of my Vendee Globe presentations (or even if you have), you might like to see some of the videos used in the show. |
| Holy smokes. After Alex Thomson's (on Hugo Boss) keel failure and subsequent near-capsize, he was rescued by Mike Golding on Ecover. All then seemed well aside from the sad abandonment of Alex's boat… |
| Some great articles came out last week here in Maine, on the cover of the Sunday paper! |
| I have a new interview online, with some great southern ocean footage, and with me talking about the history of solo ocean racing...and more: www.t2p.tv. |
| I am sitting in the press room in St. Malo, France at the Route du Rhum race center. Just a few days ago I arrived in France from Spain where I had been assisting Tim Troy in his effort to make the start of the 5-Oceans Race. |
| I arrived late last night in Bilbao, Spain after a redeye transatlantic flight (and a 7hr layover at Heathrow), feeling surpisingly chipper despite the trip. So we had a late night "briefing" with our team of OceanPlanet Alumni here to help Tim Troy's last minute rush to the start of the 5-Oceans race. |
| Hello! A lot happening these days. BIG Thanks to those of you who attended my presentation last Thursday. The venue (Hannaford Hall on the USM Campus) was a great place, with fantastic audio & video facilities. We had a good turnout and everyone had a great time. If you missed it, watch these updates and I'll try to keep you posted on what's coming up next. |
| Wow, what a regatta! I've just arrived back in Portland (Maine) after an epic 7 races at the St. Francis Yacht Club's Rolex Big Boat Series (Sept 14-17). What a treat it was to be sailing on my old stomping ground, San Francisco Bay, after missing this regatta for several years. I was brought back to the Bay as tactician aboard Steve Madeira's "Mr. Magoo" in the competitive J120 class (10 boats), and was also able to visit many friends while in town. |
| Whether for solo racing, doublehanded, or with crew she is a great boat and something to be experienced. However, if you're racing fully crewed and long distance, you may want to add some more bunks! Whatever ocean race or sailing trip you've been dreaming of, OP may be the boat for you. |
| Bruce Schwab has spent much of the summer aboard sailboats across New England, joining both classic yachtsmen and grand prix racers in regattas from Downeast Maine to the Cape. His latest success was as celebrity tactician at Nantucket Sailing Week's "Celebrity Invitational Regatta" aboard International One Designs (IODs), August 17-18. |
| Better late than never: Thanks to all who attended my OceanPlanet II talk at The Inn on Peaks Island (July 18) or the Third annual OceanPlanet Lobstah Dinnah at the Osprey Restaurant (Aug 21). |
| You already should know about the "Third Annual OceanPlanet Lobstah Feed and Video Show" at the Osprey, this Friday, July 21st. (check here if you missed the announcement).
Now, for those of you near Portland (Maine), there is now a special Free Happy Hour reception at the Inn at Peak's Island, on Tuesday, the 18th. There will be some very special people there...it will be a good chance to rub elbows with some rather influential folks in Portland and Maine...;-) |
| Oops! Here is the latest on the event at the Osprey Restaurant, with the correct date of Friday, July 21… |
| What's that guy been up to? You know, the nut who sailed that crazy Vendee Globe race?
I've sort of been wondering that myself. So let's try to sum it up: |
| After sailing from our fantastic stay at North Cove Marina (in the heart of Manhattan), and a day in Newport, Rhode Island, OceanPlanet is on the last leg to Portland Yacht Services in Portland Maine. |
| The overnight ride from NYC to Newport aboard Orange II was in great conditions...WNW at 20-30kts, so despite using a double reef and trinquette (aka staysail/small jib) this turned out to be a really thrilling ride. |
| After a fantastic landfall in the Big Apple on Friday eve, OceanPlanet is happily moored at North Cove Marina in New York. It has been amazing how many people recognize the boat and come down to visit. What is also amazing is how many "around the world" boats have been in town lately… |
| After pulling out of Charleston the evening of May 9, much of the next day was spent motoring in light air. Running the engine so much makes it hot inside the boat, however the sunrise of the 10th almost made up for it: |
| Track the position of OceanPlanet with Global Marine Networks new Vessel Tracking!
We are just about to leave Charleston, SC on what should be a fast run to New York City… |
| Well, there are a few projects still to do on our repairs (like our final paint job), but we have escaped from Key West at last! We left (with supporting crew members Laurie Sampson and Beth Perry) on May 4th, and now I'm writing to you from the navigation station while at the dock in Charleston, South Carolina. |
| It's about time! OceanPlanet is almost ready to leave Key West and head north. It has been several months of work to do most of the repairs (our haulout for final painting will have to be later)… |
| It's been very busy in the OceanPlanet world. The repairs of the Key West damage has been going well, albiet a bit slower than predicted. |
| Over the last weekend, exactly one year after my memorable finish of the Vendee (wow, has it been a year?!), I visited fellow solo ocean racer, Derek Hatfield, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Those of you who followed the 02/03 Around Alone race (now known as the Velux 5-Oceans Race), might remember Derek as the hardy Canadian who finished that race 3rd place in class 2. |
| Repairs to OceanPlanet will be underway soon in Key West, Florida. I was originally hoping to ship her back to our home at Portland Yacht Service in Maine, but trucking costs and logistics didn't work out. |
| After a successful Key West Race (Ft. Lauderdale to Key West), the yacht OceanPlanet was damaged against a concrete seawall in a storm. |
| A nearly full moon is rising as we head into the final night at sea of our voyage to St. Augustine Florida. We just left Charleston, SC a few hours ago..... In many ways this trip, which was supposed to be a short jaunt down the coast, has been an epic little voyage. |
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