And away we go

It is less than a week until the start of the 2006 Pacific Cup race. The boat is on its trailer and leaves tomorrow for San Francisco Bay. On July 3rd at 11:00am Peter and I will begin our race to Hawaii. We will be splashing the Keeli Quinn on Friday for her final sail before the start. On Saturday we have the skippers meeting and barbeque at the Richmond Yacht Club. Sunday we provision the boat and attend to the last few details before we set sail.

The start of the race begins in front of the San Francisco Yacht Club.
When the gun goes off we will sail out into the bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge towards the islands.

It seems so long ago that we began working towards this goal. Now, after all of our hard work and time away from family and friends we are about to begin our adventure. I can honestly say that I have wanted to cross the Pacific since I can remember. I grew up on the coast when I was young and can recall looking out on the ocean and wanting nothing more than to just go out there and see what I would find. Finally after years of dreaming and a couple of attempts that didn't work out I am getting another opportunity to go. There have been moments during these last few months when I asked myself if it is really going to happen this time.
Peter and I have worked so hard to accomplish the goals we have set and we are almost there.

This race and crossing over 2000 miles of ocean has been my personal Mt.
Everest. In the last few days I have been feeling very much at peace with myself despite the frantic pace trying to get the last details finished. I know that once the gun goes off that it is for real and that the time has arrived to just go sailing.

I could not have asked for a better sailing partner and friend than Peter. We have become very close over the last two years. I have also become an uncle to Keeli. Seeing Peter and Kathy and their little girl together and happy is a great reward for being their friend.

I am also truly blessed to have someone very special in my life who's love and support has helped make this all possible. Thank you Kimberly with all my heart. I can't wait to see you at the finish line.

Thank you to the local sailing community who has helped me as a sailor and a person. I am proud to be a Portland, Oregon sailor and because of your support and help over the years I now have the chance to fulfill a live long dream.

Follow our journey
Follow us along as we begin the race by checking in with our site as well as going to www.pacificcup.org. There you will be able to leave us messages on the site for us to see once we arrive in Hawaii.

Aloha for now,
Jeff

Next up - sailing

The day is fast approaching when we’ll have to get our boat down to San Francisco for the start of the race. We are just about to get her back in the water after a long winter of work and boat prep, not to mention the numerous events we have attended to raise more awareness for our campaign. With the sails ordered and the mast parts in, we have been busy replacing all of the gear we had taken off. The next couple of weeks will find us very busy.

Once we are in the water, the real fun begins...we finally get to go sailing. It has been hard doing all of this work and not being able to get out on the water. But in just another week or two we will be splashed and out practicing. It will feel good to trim some sails and get our boat up to speed. Along with practice, we also will be testing our electronics and making sure that we have installed everything correctly.

After we have done all of that, we will be heading back to Newport where we did our ocean training last year. We will be setting sail Memorial Weekend to get a few days on the ocean checking our sails and the rest of our gear. Including our freeze dried meals that we will be eating as we cross the Pacific...yum...yum.

So, if you see a couple of guys out on the water sailing all hours of the day in all kinds of conditions that will probably be us. We have lots to do and we are very excited about what lies ahead.

This last weekend we also had the inaugural Pray for Wind Party for our local sailors. We had a good turn out for the first of what will be many years of celebrating the upcoming sailing season by paying homage to the Wind Gods.

Please help and continue to pass the word along about our efforts to help the March of Dimes prevent and treat premature births. Look for us to be at this years Walk America. Go to our local chapter of the MOD for more information and where and when this event takes place.

Again, thank you to our supporters and those of you who have offered your help. It means a lot to Peter and me to have the encouragement of you all.

See you on the water.

Jeff

Preparing - more than just for the boat

Preparing the mind
Well, its been a couple of busy weeks this last month. It started with the West Marine Pacific Cup Prep Seminar in San Francisco in mid February. I was fortunate enough to hook up with Jim Quanci who won the race overall while double-handing a Moore 24. Jim and his wife, Mary Lovely, were kind enough to put me up for a couple of days at their home as well as a night on their Cal 40 which they will be racing this year along with their two boys. Having the chance to talk to Jim about his experience was very insightful.

Held at the Berkely Yacht Club, this location looks out on the bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Once you start the race and sail under the bridge you have truly entered the Pacific Ocean and are on your way to Hawaii.

The following weekend Peter and I went to Seattle for our required Safety At Sea seminar hosted by The Sailing Foundation and held at the Seattle Yacht Club. This course was very informative. The main speaker was Chuck Hawley. He kept the pace, and the other presenters, moving. He even shared a awesome video of the giant 125ft catamaran "PlayStation" which has set several ocean racing records. It was the most extreme video I have ever seen of a boat in such conditions. Just amazing! Good reminder of why we were there learning the latest in safety gear and how best to prepare for any problems should they arise during our long distance passage to Hawaii.

Back to the boat prep
But, what about the boat? Well, we have been busy with her as well. We just finished putting down the new non-skid coating on the deck. Many, many thanks go out to Peter Reese for donating the materials and his time to help us get this important part of the project completed. Peter has a tremendous amount of knowledge with boats, particularly, sailing small boats in the open ocean. He is a huge asset to us as well as a good friend. He has that keen Kiwi sense of humor that keeps us in laughing our tails off during all the work we were doing. Thanks Mate!

What is next? We are now ordering all the gear that we will need to update or replace. Sails, running and standing rigging to name just a few. We will also be installing our electronics and testing them. Then, finally back in the water to do some sailing. It seems like forever since we have had her in the water, and we are both very eager to get some miles under her keel. Most of all practice, practice, practice. Check out the counter on our page and you will see just how many days we have left to prepare for our grand adventure.

"Praying-For-Wind" on April 14
And last. Make sure you have some free time on Friday April 14th. We are having the first annual Portland Pray-For-Wind Party. We have reserved a nice place to hold a gathering of sailors who are ready to begin their sailing season. So, keep checking the PLS campaign website or the local newsletters for more information about this fun event.

Thanks again to all who have signed up for our newsletter and the words of encouragement and support. It really helps to know we have so many caring people on our side that believe in our mission to help the March of Dimes.

We are so much closer now......

No Off Season

Campaign a big hit at Portland Boat Show
Whew! What a crazy time it has been these last several weeks. All of the work that Peter and I spent getting the boat ready for the Portland Boat show was well worth the effort for our campaign. We talked to numerous people at the show about Project LifeSail. It was extremely rewarding to have people stop and listen to our cause. Many of them shared their personal stories as well with regards to premature births and how the March of Dimes helped them in their own lives. Look for some of those stories in our family of the month feature. We also sold almost half of the available raffle tickets that we have available for the trip to Mazatlan, Mexico. So, try your luck and get in on the raffle while the tickets are still around. Check our page for more details about this raffle as well as others we will be making available as well.

Media coverage expands
During the 9 day run of the boat show, we also received a bit of media attention. It started with being included in the main program for the show itself. Peter then had a spot on Good Day Oregon on KPTV 12. Also, we both were interviewed for radio by Bitsy Kelly who has an outdoor show on KUIK 1360AM. The show ran on a Saturday and it was a lot of fun for us to hear it. We even got a nice mention from the Salem newspaper. We were really hoping that being in the boat show would be a great way to start the year and get the word out and we were not disappointed.

Getting the word out
After the last night of the show, we torn down our display booth and got the boat back to the shop where we have been working under cover. The very next night we gave a presentation to SYSCO ( Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon), a local racing club here in the Portland area. The members were very supportive and bought several raffle tickets as well. Thank you SYSCO!

Our next presentation will be Oregon Women’s Sailing Association on February 8th. This club does a tremendous job of bringing more sailing to women in the Portland area. They offer many sailing courses taught by women in an encouraging atmosphere. They also are responsible for the Sail For The Cure. A local sailing event to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. OWSA is a great organization that I would highly recommend to anyone. In fact I am one of only 3 male members of the club. Thank you OWSA!

Winter work continues
Besides getting the word out to all that we can there is still boat work to do. Last weekend Peter and I took off all of the deck hardware in preparation of getting the deck redone with new non-skid – not an easy task, but a very important one. Once we get our deck done then we can really get going. We also are busy talking to our local sail maker, Kerry Poe at North Sails, making sure we have the right sail inventory. We have measured all of our standing and running rigging and are getting that ordered up as well.

So, maybe you can get a good idea of what work we have done as well as what lies ahead. It is a huge undertaking. The days are counting down and every day counts. While Peter and I chose to do this and accepted the challenge, we had a choice. Unlike the parents of a child who was born prematurely and possibly faces a lifetime of challenges. It is important for people to see what the March of Dimes has done and continues to do in their mission to help fund research and reduce the number of premature births. So please take the time to read more about this important work and help when you can.

Oh, by the way, one of the most overheard comments we got during the boat show was "Your going to Hawaii in that little boat? You’re crazy!" Well maybe we are...just a little.

Fair winds.

Jeff

The End of One Season, The Beginning of Another

Well, the local racing season here on the river is over and most of the sailors have hauled their boats out of the water until next spring with the exception of the larger boats that stay in the water year round. Peter and I went down to Newport a few weeks ago and loaded up "Twice Daily" and brought her home for the next phase of our campaign.

First Steps of the New "Season"
We have quite a bit of work ahead of us to get her ready for this coming January's boat show at the Portland Expo Center to be held January 7-15. We are very excited about having our little boat in the show. It is a great opportunity to reach several thousand people during the course of the event. But, there are several things that we need to do to be ready. First, we haul our boat and begin working on her - from power washing the hull to scrubbing and sanding the bottom to measuring for new rigging and lines to rebedding gear. This is just part of the list of work we have ahead of us.

More Than Just Boat Work
In addition to the boat work, we also are getting our presentation materials ready to go. With the chance to reach so many people we want to make sure that we are as prepared as possible. We have just 9 days during the show to get the word out about Project LifeSail and the March of Dimes. So, I encourage you to come to the show and look for us.

After the show we will be re-launching our boat and get back to training for the race. Nights, weekends, any available time that we have will be spent on the water getting ourselves ready.

Now That's The Kind of "Work" We Like
We also want to tell you about a big event that we have started planning. Mark your calendars for June 10th. On that day we will be having the 1st annual Columbia Crossings Cup Regatta. This regatta will be a one day racing event that is being held to benefit ProjectLifeSail and the March of Dimes. Along with the on the water fun there will also be an awards ceremony, food, music and raffles on the lawn at Tomahawk Bay Marina. For you folks that have been there you know what a great venue this is for people to spread out and have some fun.

This idea was brought to us by Ken McLarty, the Harbor Master for Columbia Crossings. He has been helping us since the first day I told him of our plans to race to Hawaii. Ken's help and friendship has become invaluable to us and we could not be doing it without his dedication to our cause. So, a big thanks to my friend Ken.

Well, I think that about covers this month's update. With the holidays fast approaching and all that goes with that, please take some time out and pass our newsletter along to those who you think may be interested in what we are doing. We would like to hear from more people who have had experiences with premature births and the March of Dimes. We would like to share your story with others to emphasize the important and critical work that the March of Dimes provides. Please contact us if you are willing to have your story told. Your support is what helps us keep moving forward.

If you find yourself driving along the Columbia River along Marine Drive, take a look out on the water. Those two guys you see sailing just might be us.

Have a great and safe holiday.

Thanks,
Jeff

Lots of sun & fun...but little wind

Well, now it is just getting to be a bit much. I mean the lack of wind. The one thing about sailing is that you need the wind to get you where you are going. We have a motor, but using that means we’re not sailing. Or maybe it’s just bad timing. Either way, it’s a part of our sport, and we have to adapt as we go along.

Our Bridge to Bridge race last month from Astoria to Newport was a beautiful trip down the coast but...wait for it..."No Wind". All our prep work and still we were only able to get in just a bit of sailing. And that in very light air. No boats were able to finish the race before the deadline. The most breeze we saw was about 5 knots which is not much and certainly not the bigger air we are hoping to sail in. However, we did see more whales than I have ever seen along the coast. Because we were sailing so slow we were able to watch them for hours as they followed along beside us. Mother Nature still has lots to share even if we couldn't convince her to turn on the wind.

Great welcome in Newport
I would say the best part of the race was our great welcome by the members of Yaquina Bay Yacht Club. From the cold beers passed to us from the committee boat as we crossed the bar to the hot towels handed to us at the dock and lets not forget the grilled tuna and salads put out for us at their new club house. I was even the first to use their new shower. The members there were great with their support and we will be back next year to try again. I would encourage anyone that is interested in offshore sailing to try the trip down the coast.

Newport is a great place to sail out of as long as the wind is up. We left the boat there with the intent to get out for some weekend trips. Well, Peter and I went down last week and after getting the boat ready to leave the next morning and after a fine burger and beer compliments of the Rogue Brewery we spent the night on the Moore and dreamed of the fine sailing ahead of us. Well,.....wait for it...."No Wind". Arrrgggg.....nothing like waking up at 4:00am and hearing the fog horns blow. Well, lets see....have breakfast and wait for the fog to lift. Hmmm...finish breakfast and watch the fog come in even more. Well, back to the boat and..hey look the fog is lifting to reveal the beautiful ocean and oh...look..it is flat calm. Well, not much we can do but wrap up what we could on the boat and head for home. Very disappointing but not much we can do about it except try again. Which we will do this coming weekend. Anyone know a good prayer for wind please feel free to send it our way.

Keeping the sailing spirit
I was able to get some sailing in on Flying Colors, my C&C 35. I put together some crew for the Rose City Yacht Club's Long Distance race – a downriver race to St. Helens on Saturday and back to Portland on Sunday. We had a pretty decent sail down finishing 3rd. However, Sunday was our day. We were first boat to finish by almost half an hour. I was very happy to sail my other boat so well. We took a 2nd in class and 5th overall and for the second year in a row qualified my boat for the Winners Invitational in October.

Well, that pretty much brings you up to date with our program. Coming up next will be to get the boat back to town. We have a nice dry warehouse to put the boat in this Winter. We‘ll be drying the boat out and getting her ready to begin the install of our electronics package and other gear as well. Thanks to Ken McLarty for helping us with that. (Ken is the harbor master at Columbia Crossings and his help has been huge for us!)

So here we go one more time....heading out for some sailing and wind...will we find some?....stay tuned and wish us luck.

Jeff

Whew…it’s been one long month

Starting strong
The wind is blowing from the NW at around 18 knots. The moon is half full and setting on the horizon. The Milky Way is stretched across the sky. Shooting stars every few minutes. This is what sailing is all about. Peter and I are helping Bill Huseby bring his boat, Sting, down the coast from Port Angeles, Washington. We left around 9:30 Friday night, picked up extra fuel at Neah Bay, and made the turn out of the Straits of Yuan De Fuca at 7:00 in the morning. Finally, after motor sailing into the afternoon, the wind clocked enough for us to set the spinnaker. From then on, it was about as good as sailing can get. Sailing across the Columbia River bar at sunrise was the best bar crossing ever for me.

We were also fortunate enough to get to spend some time talking with Bill. He has done the Pacific Cup race twice double-handed, and we were able to learn from him some good information on what works and what doesn't. You can never have enough good advice when planning to do a race like this. So, thanks to Bill for the ride down the coast. It is a trip that I will always remember.

Unexpected company
Well, back to our Moore. We have had some visitors staying with us on the boat. It just so happens that our man overboard tube is a perfect place to raise a family of swallows. By the time we realized they were living there it was too late to do anything but just watch them grow. Boy, was mom ever mad at us when we took her kids sailing. We were hoping that they would be big enough to fly out by the time we haul the boat for the Bridge to Bridge race. Well, as luck would have it, mom was teaching the kids to fly last week. And I am happy to say that our visitors have moved on, and we now have cleaned out the nest and blocked it up to make sure we don't take along any unwanted guests.

Gearing up
One week left before our first ocean race and there is much to do. Lots of things to keep us busy up to the day of the race. We have to haul the boat and get all the gear ready to go for our inspection. Get the boat to Astoria. Then get the car and trailer down to Newport so we have a ride home when we get there. A big thanks to Blain Goold for being our support driver. He is giving up a weekend to help us out. It is support like that that is of such great help to us as we practice and prepare for next years race. With every moment spent on the boat either sailing her or working on her gets us that much closer. I would say that our confidence has risen a bit because of the time we have been putting in and we are closer to being on track. We just need to stay focused and continue on with our building momentum.

Expecting the unexpected
Peter and I also had a good reminder of what can happen anytime, anywhere. We were out for a practice sail on a Saturday, flying our spinnaker and having a great sail when Peter had a terrible pain shooting through his back. Enough so to make him stop for a bit until the pain subsided. Well long story made short and after a short hospital stay, Peter passed a kidney stone. This was a very good reminder of what can go wrong and being ready for such things is very important to our safety. It just so happens that I was able to take a first aid course through work this last week. Both Peter and I will be taking additional medical courses so we are ready for any potential problems that may come up.

So, as you can see we have been pretty busy. It feels real good to be making some good progress and I for one am extremely excited about our first trip offshore on our sweet little boat. She is pulling on her lines to get out and run and if the weather cooperates then she will have her chance. We are ready to go and see our girl run.

Jeff