Pacific Sail Expo

What a whirlwind that was, Boat Show Week.

It’s our re-entry into boat sales. The Ultimate 20 we were displaying was fresh out of the molds, second boat from the new production line. Lots of jobs still to do finishing up the boat...gear to install, hatches, blocks, cleats, etc. Had to haul the boat up from Southern Cal, fit it with a keel in Santa Cruz, deliver it to Alameda (Thanks Rob and Jeff) for a ramp launch and quick motor to Jack London Square.

We borrowed an Ultimate 24 from a great owner (Thanks Peter) cleaned her up and put her in as well. The Antrim 25 is based on the Ultimate 24 with the addition of the Antrim Articulated Bowsprit, a different main hatch and an improved roller furling deck site. Peter’s boat is fresh out of the yard with a freshly painted carbon spar, sprit and boom. He keeps the boat nearly new so it was perfect for the show. This boat has over a hundred races on it and people at the show were surprised it wasn’t a new boat. Good luck on the Coastal Cup with her Peter!

First day of the show was filled with the usual last minute hustle...all normal stuff. The gates open and viola, Ultimate 20’s are back on the sportboat scene. Woohoo!!! Lots of U20 owners came by to check her out and many, many prospective new owners. It’s obvious that this little sportboat has been sorely missed in the market.

The weather was forgiving (for once, no rain), for at least the first few days, then the weekend turned cold and uberwindy...20-25 in the afternoons. Too much for demos but we still managed some on Sunday, thanks to Trent Watkins for bringing UFO down from Richmond. Trent took a prospective boat owner out on Thursday as well, but broke a 14 year old rudder strap at the weld and had to RTB (return to base).

The show was smaller than in years past, due to the ongoing construction at JL Square but I think this is a good thing. It was easier to see everything and revisit the vendors you really liked.

I attended a preview of the upcoming major film release of the movie ‘Morning Light’ given by it’s producer, longtime sailing aficionado Roy Disney. In a word, stunning. Sailors and those yet to be introduced to our wonderful sport will all love this film. It’s all about the 11 kids who sail the TransPac aboard the Grand Prix TP52 racing yacht after which the movie is named. It focuses on the people, reality style, but there’s non of the back biting that you see in the television version of the real world. This movie is all about teamwork and positive influences...truly inspirational. Make sure you go see it’s early October release.

Highlights of the show for me were; The Andrews 28, a 3800 lbs, trailerable carbon fiber sportboat with standing headroom, inboard diesel and yes, even a private head; The new Catalina 37, replacing the venerable 36 but with many improvements over it’s predecessor; The Hunter 50, certainly the boat Hunter should try to emulate in it’s smaller designs and the Lagoon 42 Hybrid, the wave of the future in sailboat propulsion.

Great people, great parties, great fun....I’m glad it’s all over. I need to get some rest!

The best thing to come for the show for me was be able to confirm the delivery of our first U20. She’s in production and slated for the second week of June !!! More to follow.

New Boats, Boat Show & More

Now Hear This !!  We’re very proud to announce that we’ve been awarded the sportboat sales dealership for the Ultimate 20, the New Antrim 25 and the venerable Antrim 27. A new Southern California production facility has been established and the Ultimate 20’s are cranking out now with the Antrim 25’s to start coming off the production line mid-May. It’s been over 15 years since Spinnaker sold new boats with the last ones being Hobie Cats, Banshees and Gryphons. After a year of serious research, we are so stoked to have this line of boats. Jim Antrim is at the top of our favorite designer list and once you see the boats, you’ll understand why. American production quality, outstanding Antrim design, established fleet and ocean capable...these sportboats are just what the doc ordered to put a huge smile on your face...forever!

Come by the Pacific Strictly Sail show to see all three in the water. We’ll also have Ultimate 20 demo sails Fri, Sat and Sun at the show. Here's a DISCOUNT coupon for Spinnaker Guests. (Kids under 15 are FREE !)
National Class website for the Ultimate 20 http://www.u20class.org
National Class website for the Ultimate 24/Antrim 25 http://www.ultimate24.org
National Class website for the Ultimate Antrim 27 http://www.u27class.org

Strictly Sail Boat Show
April 16-20, Jack London Square, Oakland
http://www.strictlysail.com/shows/pacific.asp?show=pa

We’ll be there selling Ultimate 20, Antrim 25 and Antrim 27 Sportboats. It’s our first time selling watersports equipment since our days in the windsurfing business and selling and sailing Hobiecats. We’re really looking forward to this exciting line of Jim Antrim designs (one of our favorite designers). There will be demo sails on the Ultimate 20 available at the show so make sure to come out and try one of the best sportboats on San Francisco Bay. Click HERE for discount admission !

Fair Winds....Drew

PS - Tell A friend to come to the boat show. Kids under 15 are FREE !!!

Sailing on an Ultimate 20

My friend Garett and and I spent the afternoon sailing the Ultimate 20, UFO with owner Trent Watkins and his pal and fellow U20 owner, Tom Hughes. Another 4 Ultimates joined the action. A small course was setup just outside Richmond Yacht Club and we ran 5 quick races. A LOT of fun and a great way to get initiated to the boat. Trent was gracious and spent the day coaching Tom and us on how to sail a U20 fast. Start, beat 1/4 mile to weather, round a mark, set the asymmetrical kite, toss in a couple of quick gybes and blaze downwind to the finish. Tom put a small video camera on board and hopefully some of the footage will come out. I'll post it if it does.

Prior to the race Trent's routine is to put the boat into a hard crash so everyone sees how easy it is to recover. Well, he's right, we laid the boat over, keel out and she popped right back up. Amazingly he's spun 360° turns with the kite up, on purpose! Certainly a solid testimony to this great boat.

This is the BIGGEST 20 footer I've ever sailed. Felt much more like 24 feet. You can even sleep in the interior if that's your thing. Lots of storage and I looked hard and found no telltale stress cracks. Mind you, this is a 13 year old boat that's sailed hundreds of races, HARD. Very well built, as is typical of California built boats. Deck layout is great, no winches! Everything is pretty simple, though certainly a good workout.

The U20 Class Organization is a fun group of people. There's a real camaraderie among the owners. The best thing is that this boat is now back in production after a couple of years hiatus. Spinnaker will be selling these boats at the Pacific Sail Boat Show  April 16-20 and there will be U20 demos, Fri, Sat & Sun. 

Racing Opportunity Sat. March 15

I race on a Flying Tiger 10 and we need crew for the South Beach Midwinters on Sat. March 15. Race starts at 12:30 so we need to meet at the dock no later than 10:45. Here's a pic of a Flying Tiger in action! FUN Sportboat.

This is a great opportunity to get out on one of the latest generations of sportboats in a relaxing environment, it's just a club race.

May get damp with some rain in the forecast, bring your foulies.

Email me if you can make it. No racing experience is necessary.

Big Daddy Regatta This Weekend - Richmond Yacht Club

March 8 & 9. This is the first of the 'fun' regattas of the 2008 sailing season. Don't get me wrong, still very competitive.

http://www.richmondyc.org/Cal2/EventShow.asp?event_id=102037&event_ba...

Currently 85 boats registered. Should be fun. Race is both Sat and Sun but some boats only race one day.

I'm sailing on 'Savage Beauty' one of the new Flying Tiger 10's from China. This will be the first race in any real wind. We shall see just how many butts it takes to keep her flat. http://www.ft10class.org

The next 'fun' regatta on the horizon is the Vallejo race, May 3 and 4. Probably over 400 boats in that one. It's a HUGE Party!
http://www.vyc.org/vallejo_race_about.html

Check on SFsailing.com for crew spots and make sure to post up your availability on our google groups crew page too!
http://groups.google.com/group/lets-go-sailing

See you out there!

Drew

EVENT - Kame Richards to Speak at the Bay Model

Next Saturday, Kame Richards of Pineapple Sails will be speaking at the Army Corps of Engineers, Bay Model on Saturday, March 1, 12 noon and Tuesday March 18, 7 pm. Cost is a voluntary $15 (cash).

Kame has forgotten more about the tides and currents in San Francisco than most of us will ever know. This is a great program to experience and the Bay Model is a wonderful Bay Area resource that everyone should see, at least once.

I'm going to head to the Saturday program, but show up early as it's BOUND to sell out!

Hope to see you all there.

Drew

When in doubt RACE!

You’re sailing along on a fine reach back from the gate. Off your starboard side a boat appears. You eye the trim, the way the boat heals on the breeze. Next, you glance up at your sails, checking trim, downhaul, outhaul, vang, fairlead position. You gauge your progress down the Bay compared to the boat next to you...that’s it, the race is on. You do everything you can to beat them to Pier 39 and when you do, you’re elated!

Yeah, you need to go racing. Many people assume that the skill set for sailboat racing is demanding and out of reach. They think racing may be too physical or just a bunch of whackos yelling commands at each other. Well, all the above can be true, though generally only at the America’s Cup or one of the many high-end pro/semipro regattas around the globe. In the real world the rest of us just enjoy the casual competition, the camaraderie and yes, the post race events.

What do you need to go racing? Simple answer is, not much. A desire to help, to learn and to exceed are a great start. You’ll want some sort of foul-weather gear (keep it simple to start) some good shoes or better some watershoes or seaboots, gloves are a must. Sunglasses, some sunscreen and a red Mont Gay Rum hat (just add to the mystique.) The last thing you want to do is show up to the boat with a huge gear bag filled with stuff you won’t use. Remember the whole weight issue?

Honestly, at low level club and fleet racing, showing up is half the battle. Many boats DNS (did not start) for lack of crew, last minute.

How do you find a boat? It’s MUCH easier than you think. When I first started racing I would often show up at the local club docks and just bum a ride. You sit once or twice on the rail and then a trimmer or pitman doesn't show up and bam, you’re in the thick of it, but with the added advantage of having witnessed that crew position in action. Latitude 38 has great crew parties every year. sfsailing.com (local) and sailinganarchy.com (worldwide) have very active crewlists.

After your first hitched ride, head off to the Yacht Club for the post race party, meet some folks and I guarantee you’ll walk away with more offers to crew than you can manage. If you look at the numbers, they’re stacked in favor of crew. Even a small 25’ sportboat can need up to 5-6 crew in the Bay area. We have a LOT of wind and need weight to keep the boat sailing flat (which is fast). 35 footers often have 8 or 9 and 50 feet + can have as many as 15 and more. Put 40 boats on the starting line and you have potentially 300+ sailors in action.

So go out, have some fun. You’ll learn so much about sailing each and every time you race. I’ve been racing most of my life and there isn’t a day race goes by that I don’t walk away having learned something and as a side benefit, it’ll make you feel great and give you a sense of accomplishment. Competition can be a very good thing indeed.

A couple of good books on sailboat racing and tactics can’t hurt. Here’s some suggestions.

Getting Started in Sailboat Racing by Adam Cort and Richard Stearns

Championship Tactics: How Anyone Can Sail Faster, Smarter, and Win Races by Gary L. Jobson, Tom Whidden, Adam Loory, and Bill King