Profligate's Regress
April 27 - Antigua
Our winter season is over in the Caribbean.
It's time to dash to Panama in order to make it up the Pacific
Coast to California before the start of hurricane season on June
1. We have a crew of 11 aboard the 63-ft cat, and hope to make
the San Blas Islands, about 1,200 miles, in just under six days.
It all, however, depends on the winds. This late in the year,
they generally aren't as strong, but we'll almost certainly have
the swells and current with us on what almost always is a downwind
sail.
Thanks to a new Skymate system, we hope
to sail in touch by email, and thanks to a Nobeltec navigation
system, we hope to be able to tell you where we are.
Morning Glory chases Pyewacket in the first race
of Antigua Sailing Week. You have to see these boats outperform
'normal' yachts to believe it. This is what they ought to be
racing in the America's Cup, as they offer spectacular performance
and are extremely nimble.
For the last two days, we've been watching
the action at Antigua Sailing Week, which is featuring three
of the hottest boats in sailing. Two of them are the new MaxZ86s,
Roy Disney's Pyewacket and Hasso Plattner's Morning
Glory. What a spectacular sight to see these canting keel,
canard rudder boats go at it. They point so high and run so fast,
it's just dazzling! For full-on racers, it seems you'd have to
have the canting keel, canard rudder technology to keep the pace.
To date, Morning Glory has been showing her stern to Pyewacket
more than vice versa, but it's always been close.
Making things very interesting, however,
on a boat-for-boat basis is Mari-Cha IV, Robert Miller's
Briand 144 modern schooner, which smashed the transatlantic record
the right out of the box. She was able to get the better of the
86s in the first race, which was a destination course with lots
of off-the-wind stuff. She's a bit of an odd looking boat, but
the monster can move. She wasn't made to point, however, so in
the last two Olympic style courses, she was beaten boat for boat
by the two 86s.
The middle part of the 140-ft schooner Mari-Cha IV.
The business end of Mari-Cha, flying to weather. We'll
have more photos of her on Friday.
Morning Glory and
Pyewacket, which are nearly identical, have been having
great boat for boat races, with Morning Glory having a
slight edge. Also showing well again here in the Caribbean has
been Roger Sturgeon's Santa Cruz-based TransPac 52 Rosebud.
A still photo of the MaxZ 86s makes them look just like two other
giant yachts, but they're not.
We did the first race aboard Mike Slade's
R/P Leopard of London, which despite a full-on interior,
was, up until a short time ago, one of the fastest boats in the
world. She's still darn fast, but can't compete with the stripped
out boats with the canting keel, canard rudder technology. She's
the largest boat we've ever raced on, and boy does it take muscle
to make her go. Think of four sails laid out inside the boat
from the companionway hatch to the bow. Each one takes about
10 guys to move. They need the bottom one on deck ready to set,
then five minutes later they need it stowed down below. And what
a sweet-sailing yacht, particularly to weather. We were tacking
in just over 80 degrees, something we cat sailors can only dream
about. Owner Mike Slade is as personal and relaxed an owner as
you're going to find, and Chris the captain's responsibilities
are incredible. It was a great day of sailing.
Mike Slade, at the wheel of Leopard of London. Chris the
captain is just to the left of him.
Leopard of London charging alone on the second day in
about 18 knots of wind. She looks lovely.
We're off to the San Blas Islands to see
those little Kuna Indian rascals again, and do the canal. We'll
try to let you know our transit time so you can watch over the
Internet.
More Antigua Sailing Week photos:
You'd hardly think that an Olson 30 would be a good boat for
all the upwind stuff in the Caribbean, but Jamie Dobbs has made
his a consistent winner for years.
We were most impressed by the consistent spacing of the rail
meat on Paradis, one of the many yachts that is as lovely
as she is big.
Smaller boats race at Antigua, too, and the action is just as
tight and exciting.
Tom Hill's Titan, a R/P 75 - like Disney's old Pyewacket
- has been sailed extremely hard and well.
Approaching the weather mark.
Photos Latitude/Richard
April 28 - Caribbean Sea
Update dispatched from Profligate at
12:30 pm PDT: First 24 hours out of Antigua for crew of 11: hot
and breezy with what the French call 'agitated seas'. First 24
hours run was 240 miles under reefed main and tiny jib. Today
hit 21.9 with reefed main and tiny jib during squall. It was
a little much, so we've backed off. Did we mention it was steamy
hot?
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