Oregon Offshore 2014 Finish

Turns out they had an amazing trip back, super fast.  Finished second in their division.  I think the whole crew was stoked to discover that Turnagain can sail quite quickly when the conditions are favourable.  Here's hoping they encounter similar winds en route to Mau!

Oregon Offshore 2014 - Update

By Catharine:

Turnagain went off the grid for a while.  At 1720 the Race Tracker indicated they were off Aberdeen at the back of the pack (all the other boats had been updated more recently), but then nothing further was updated until almost midnight.  I finally picked them up on AIS as they approached Cape Flattery, then the Race Tracker updated, showing them approaching the cape shortly after midnight.

Here is what the Race Tracker shows, as of 0200 (note: the super fast boats have already finished the race in record time apparently):

Currently (based on AIS date from Marine Traffic), Turnagain appears to be racing down the Juan de Fuca straight at 11.1kts!  They are ahead of Velocity, Ion and Avalon, and not far behind Kinetic.  Turnagain is the pink boat just above the number 112.  The boats ahead of Turnagain appear to be travelling slower (7kts), so perhaps Turnagain will catch up and then they'll all just drift towards Race Rocks.

Looking forward to seeing how it all shakes down.  I wish all the boats had AIS, or that more boats were updated on the official Race Tracker :)

Oregon Offshore 2014 Update

By Travis:

Turnagain was amped to get off the dock this am. We departed at about 5:45 and made our way to the "Bar". Things were benign at the bar this am with a slight swell of 2-3 ft on the end of the flood tide. It was a down wind start in 15-18kts, which we managed to be the last ones over the line for. Shortly after the start, we hoisted out big A2 and attempted to sail that. We quickly got the active sheet fouled and had to douse the kite. We then went to the little kite for a while. The sailing was awesome, but the wind has increased and we were seeing steady 22-28 kts. After two round ups, we decided the prudent call was white sails only. Adam took over the wheel and promptly got the boat up to 18.1 kts.

Sailing is GREAT and more info to come!

Oregon Offshore 2014 Underway

Oregon Offshore 2014 Race Tracker

After a rolly trip down (sounds like there were swells coming from every direction), it looks like the race is off to a good start.  There are a few boats out in front, then a 'pack'.  Turnagain appears to be mid-pack.  I don't know what the current wind conditions are, but Turnagain is sailing along at around 9 kts according to the tracker.

Oregon Offshore 2014

It's that time of year again...Oregon Offshore.  Travis is currently en route from Victoria to Astoria, and the race starts later this week from Astoria.  Here's Travis' current update:

Travis - 22:00 May 3, 2014 - Just off Victoria BC

The trip down to Astoria started with a sunny "delivery" style commute to Victoria on Friday.  Leaving the dock in Vancouver at 9:30am was a great change from our original plan of a 5am departure.  We spend a fun night in Victoria, RVicYG.  Leaving RVYC at 8:50pm, we have started out to Astoria.  As usual, the weather has not materialized as forecasted and we are motoring towards Race Rocks as I type this.  With the delayed travel, Jason and Mackenzie were unable to make the trip, so we are at 5 currently on board.  The group has been fantastic.  Eric, found on the VicMaui crew bank, has been a fantastic find and has fit in exceptionally well with the group.  Hopefully we get some wind as I know everyone will be frustrated with continued motoring for the next 36 hours if it does not build.

It is typical boating as we leave the dock this evening.  The steering light is really dim and needs to be replaced at our earliest option, the starboard steering wheel has a slight squeak to it that needs tending to - hopefully we can resolve it in the light of day tomorrow.

That is all for now, but many more email updates to come as we have systems to test :)

Race Tracker Map

So the crew is en route, and they seem to be making progress in the light winds.   The Oregon Offshore Race Tracker map (www.oregonoffshore.org) from about 10:30am this morning shows Turnagain in the middle of pack, with the 'purple boats'.   Specifically, Turnagain is the boat pointing the wrong way, so let's hope they find a great pocket of wind and jump to the front of the pack!

Catharine

OREGON OFFSHORE - OFF TO THE RACES

Just a quick note to update you all. Some of you may know more about this project than others, but most know that we have been preparing Turnagain for some distance racing. Our first official distance race is scheduled to start at 10 am PDT today (May 9,2013).

The delivery crew (Steve C, Jason B, and myself) got the boat to Astoria last weekend with minimal damage and some fantastic sailing. Jason had to return to Vancouver on Monday, but Steve and I spent the week prepping all last minute items. The remainder of the crew arrived Wednesday afternoon (David S, Darin F, Keith A) and after our skippers meeting are ready to tackle the course.

Feel free to follow along on the race tracker at www.oregonoffshore.org

The winds are forecast to be light, so it may be a real struggle to keep the boat moving in the right direction, but we are excited to get the race going.

Travis

VICTORIA TO ASTORIA

So Travis, Steve, and Jason left for Astoria (Oregon) on Saturday May 4th from Victoria.   Here is a picture shortly after they left Victoria:

 

 

Travis reported they were sailing under spinnaker and full main at 7-9 kts in almost the perfect direction. 

 

The kids and I watched their progress on the marine traffic website until their transmitter lost contact as they rounded the outside of the Olympic peninsula.  Sylvia and Callum were quite cute, huddled around the ipad tracking Daddy's 'race'.  

It was a little unnerving to know they were out there somewhere (in the dark) but we couldn't see them on the map anymore.  But at least we knew that the weather was favourable, so chances are they were ok.  We picked them up again on Sunday morning, and it looked like they were making great progress.   We followed them into port in Astoria, see the map below:

Looking forward to hearing how the trip was....will have to wait for an official update. 

Catharine