J/145 Katara Race Blog

Thursday, March 12, 2020
Position: 21 30.8N 107 24.5W
Speed: 8-12 kts
Distance to go: 114.3 nm
Weather: Partly cloudy, warmer.
Winds: 315-330 at 12-13 kts
Sail Package: Full main, the A2 running Spinnaker, and the Spinnaker staysail.

It's so close we can taste it - but we have to PUSH. Nights like last night make all the drifting, all the lack of sleep, all the heat/cold, all the wet soggy nights, and all the physical discomfort disappear. Starts you never knew existed. A near full moon that we got to watch rise that light the night up like daytime. Dozens and dozens of satellites that we watched scream across the sky as they were lit by the now set sun. Just incredible.

After sneaking through the dead area near Cabo San Lucas we set the spinnaker and we were off. GREAT conditions for the boat. Plenty of breeze and a decent angle. We couldn't quite make it down to the heading straight at the mark, but our helmsmen did an amazing job sailing their downwind numbers to get us downhill as quickly as we could. Much of the early part of the night was challenging conditions with a sea state that didn't help much. In the middle of the night we got a glorious righty shift that we've been capitalizing on since then. We peeled from the A1 to the A2 for a better angle and windspeed match. It's always fun trying to get one of those monstrosities repacked in to their bags downstairs in the pitch black. Everyone has been great at jumping in to help with the task though.

We've currently got the bow pointed very slightly right of the finish line in anticipation of the lighter lifted breezes near the finish line islands. We gone through our last set of fresh breakfast burritos this morning. I think we're out of fresh dinners - so that's more incentive to get to the finish line.

Based on the position reports and handicapping we've been analyzing we've got a lot of work ahead of us, but we're also still within striking distance of a very solid showing for the race. The boys on deck (Roger's watch at the moment) know what's at stake and they're all pushing as hard as ever.


Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Position: 22 31.9N 109 6.7W
Speed: 8-9 kts
Distance to go: 226.6nm
Weather: Partly cloudy, warmer.
Winds: 290ish at 10-14ish kts
Sail Package: Full main and we just peeled from the A1 reaching spinnaker to the A2 runner and retired the spinnaker staysail to manage the choppy conditions

We're started, we're not, we're STARTED. Good evening everyone. Overnight was another challenge for the KATARA boys. Managing light and continuously changing conditions. In less than 30 minutes we went from the A1 spinnaker to the Drifter to the Code 0 to the Light Medium Genoa. The cabin crew (that'd be me and a few of whoever happens to be off watch at the time) have been doing an awful lot of spinnaker packing. Making sure we get it back on deck for the crew to switch back to at a moment's notice.

We approached Cabo San Lucas in the early morning hours. It was gorgeous, but we may have found ourselves to slightly too close as we had a fair bit of low wind pockets to navigate. We're currently cookin' along with the A2 spinnaker up and Trent is doing a fine job of managing our down wind target angles on the helm.

Saphire Knight, an 85' competitor in our class, has legged out on us quite a bit since they got to the Sea of Cortez breeze sooner than we can. We've got them dead ahead at 130nm, but it's going to be very challenging to make up our time on them.

Dinner is in 30 minutes. More chicken and pasta I believe. Last night of fresh food I think - tomorrow we go on the Freeze Dried rations.


Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 1000
Position: 24 32.5N 112 13.5W
Speed: Not dang fast enough
Distance to go: Too much (438.12nm)
Weather: Gloomy and still too dang cold
Winds: Who knows? Maybe? Sometimes? Every once in a while it sneaks down to us from East...ish at 2,3,4kts?
Sail Package: Whatever will carry. The tweener for now. 6 minutes from now... who knows?

OK. We've had our fun. Jokes over. Someone turn the wind back on.

Overnight was a long, slow, painful drudge for our deck crews. JA's watch is now convinced that Roger's watch has a magic wind talisman. 4 times now the JA/Neil/Daniel/Ron watch have fought tooth and nail for each and every inch we got only for the Roger/Sam/Trent/Louis watch to come up and within what seems like moments the boat will be cruising along at 2,3,4 kts (blisteringly fast, I know... but after 0.0 for 3 hours it feels like you need a seat belt). What JA's watch seems to miss is that this blistering speed invariably poops out about 15 minutes later. There also seems to be some contention that the battery charging schedule (which for those unfamiliar involves turning the big loud smelly diesel on...) is skewed heavily in the Roger watch favor. Captains prerogative, maybe?

I recorded the weirdest strip chart I've ever seen last night. For a straight hour we had winds that went from the beam at 10 kts to the port quarter at 0.5kts on what seemed to be an almost exact 2 minutes cycle. Weirdest thing I've ever seen from wind, and almost impossible for the team to trim to.

We've played with the drifter, we've played with the tweener, heck we've played with the Light Medium Genoa (edit: by the time I'd finished typing this email, that was what was up). At this point they're not even getting repacked. The bow team just kind of shoves the other sails over a little and lays them down on the foredeck for the inevitable call to rehoist them in 10, 30, 60 minutes? The spirits of our primary bow team: Dan, Louis, Trent, and often times Neil, really has been unbreakable. Well sailed, boys.

Today's plan, or what we're claiming is a plan, is "sail less miles". We're just off the tip of San Lazaro and, weather permitting, the goal is to reach down the coast and minimize our mileage by staying on the rhumb line. If you're going to drift you might as well do it with the bow pointed at the finish line. I had to stop typing at this point because I was called up to drive while Trent, Sam, and Louis peeled from the Tweener to the Light Medium genoa - because every good down wind race needs sporadic periods of beating in them. I guess?

The sea life last night was pretty incredible though. We had a whale surface just off the beam and apparently take some interest in us as he swung around and followed us for about 30 minutes. Sam attempted to talk him in to a lift, but apparently his Whale isn't as fluent as he thought it was. Later, several sea lions played around the boat. We tried to lasso them as well and press them in to service but they too were uncooperative. In every race when you start wondering why you're out here something so awesome comes along and reminds you. A good friend of mine emailed us last night thanking me for reminding him why he doesn't do offshore sailing. He must be missing the point, because despite all of it, there's nowhere else we'd rather be. We're a strange bunch, us offshore sailors. Too much salt on the brain?

There are several small Mexican fishing vessels out and about this morning, so it's a nice change to see land and activity.

Now taking bets for our estimated Arrival time. Place your bet: Thursday, Friday, Next Week, Never... If you need us you'll know where to find us.


Monday, March 9, 2020, 1600
Position: 25 24N 113 9W
Speed:  1? 2?kt
Distance to go: 510.6 nm
Weather: Partly cloudy
Winds: Light and variable, generally less than 4 kts
Sail Package: Light Medium genoa for now. Would the Tweener be better? Where's the drifter - we're definitely gonna need that bad boy sooner or later

And so we find ourselves adrift again.

After the most GORGEOUS day of champagne sailing the merry band of sufferers aboard the good boat KATARA find ourselves again at the mercy of the decaying breeze. We had a great day making good time down the course and we knew this was coming. We spent much of the late morning and early afternoon working ourselves towards the position we felt, given the available weather information, gave us the best shot at a decent showing overnight. The next 12 hours will prove that right or wrong. Based on the 4 hour old standings we have access to it has been a good day for KATARA and we're in a good position with the rest of the fleet.

We find several of our class friends along similar lines as ours but at what, for the moment, is a great enough distance astern for us to be ahead of the time we owe them. Our two friends on Cazan and Brigadoon, both in our class, have taken what appears to be an unconventional strategy and are currently nearly 100 miles further offshore than we are. There could be some sort of magic out there we're just not seeing, but for now we feel we have our time on them as well.

We're slowly working our way through Neil and JA's playlists and the jams have greatly helped pass the time. I offered up 80s and 90s country but was told under no uncertain terms would we be playing such nonsense aboard.

Dinner tonight appears to be turkey meatloaf, potatoes, rolls, and roast corn. So far we haven't had a meal that didn't hit as a favorite with the crew, though the chips, cookies, chocolate, and other snack type items have been hit hard and vast. Vastly superior to freeze dried rations is the consensus (we love you to the moon and back, John! You did with freeze dried what no one else could).

I'm told KATARA's sister Shazaam! headed to sea today for her delivery down to the Caribbean to participate in STIR and Antigua Sailing week. Our best wishes and thoughts are with them for a pleasant and safe delivery (with more wind than we have!)

JA's watch came down at 1400 and enjoyed some camaraderie below before setting to bed for some rest before taking over again at 1800. Roger's team is currently manning the watch. There is a lot of tweaking and tuning going on, so I know they're all doing their very best to keep us moving. As I'm writing this it appears the wind has gotten ahold of our playbook because quite literally in the last 3 minutes it's shifted around to smack dab out of the direction we want to go in. Look, I called it above in the synopsis - the Drifter is getting plugged in as I sit here and type. At least we have near 0.0ft seas going for us. The slatting of a becalmed sailboat in rolling seas can drive the most stable of men mad.

I think it's gonna be a long night...


Monday, March 9, 2020, 0800
Position: 26 4.4N 114 3.9W
Speed:  7.5-9kt
Distance to go: 568.8 nm
Weather: Partly cloudy and Chilly
Winds: WIND!!!! Glorious, GLORIOUS, WINNNND! Variable 060-080 @ 7-10kts
Sail Package: A1, wait no, Tweener?, Nope, that's not it either. Light Medium Genoa! Yes! That's the one!! Zoom Zoom

Wind. You glorious, GLORIOUS wind. All yesterday afternoon and much of the evening found Katara attempting to claw her way south in 0-2kts of breeze from what seemed like 600 different directions. At least several helmsmen (looking at you, Neil!) did involuntary 720s as the boat rolled around her keel with no control whatsoever.

Never to be outdone JA's overnight watch pushed like hell and managed to answer Roger's team's 3.5nm (in four hours...) with a terribly sad, but still more impressive, 7.4nm. Redoubling their efforts Roger and his watch of Sam, Trent, and Louis came back from behind with much strong numbers on the following watch.

After midnight things improved somewhat and we're now power reaching down the line near 8kts. The forecast is again bleak starting at or near 1100 and lasting again through much of the afternoon and evening.

I've offered exclusive access to the last box of Oreos for whatever team puts up the best standings today. Those have proven quite popular and here's hoping they're willing to fight for them. Peanuts are the only thing aboard which have been rationed and we've hidden the stash to keep Capt. Roger fed and happy for the remainder of the trip.

Just before sunset we picked up some kelp on the rudder and Dan and Neil deployed the Kelp stick with deft hands to clear our issues and  streamline the water flow again.

It's still cold. Too cold for the Floridians' taste anyways.

Morning position report shows us first in class. While that's certainly helped morale we've got a LOT of sailing left to do and we're keeping everyone focused on the prize. We should hit the halfway point mileage wise here later today.

The cabin is still dry and warm and the sea state, even with heel, makes rest cycles pretty pleasant.


Sunday, March 8, 2020, 2000
Position: 27 35N 115 36W
Speed:  5-7 kts
Distance to go: 696.7 nm
Weather: Partly cloudy and chilly
Winds: Variable 345-005 @ 5-9 kts
Sail Package: Full Main, A1 reaching spinnaker, Spinnaker Staysail. Plugging in the Tweener on its tough luff for probably future deployment

Good morning shore friends!

While you were, hopefully, comfortably nestled in bed overnight the watch standers here on Katara were busy. The early evening hours saw pleasant breeze and good conditions as we played our target downwind numbers and tried to get as much south as we possibly good in an attempt to set ourselves up to deal with this area of high pressure currently descending on us. In the middle of the night JA's watch (Neil, Daniel, and Ron) executed a textbook gybe over to pot tack after we watched the wind shift NW to NNW. We are currently off a polar target plan and are now sailing a heading which should see us intercepting the coast by early afternoon in an attempt to capitalize on a potential land breeze this afternoon while there is near 0 wind further offshore due to this High that's sitting over us.

This is one of the driest races any of us can remember. I don't think we've taken a single wave anywhere on the boat. It's chillier than some of us imagined, and Foul Weather gear is still in use for the wind blocking properties

Last night's dinner was a hit: Grilled chicken, green peas, and rice. The daily breakfast burritos seem to be a crew favorite - we just finished feeding everyone a couple a piece. Sausage, egg, and cheese.

JA's watch just came off for some well deserved rest (that 0200-0600 watch is a tough one) and Roger's team (Sam, Trent, and Louis) are now in charge of the boat for the next 4 hours. Roger is on the helm still looking to be having a great time.

We've sent Trent and Louis to the bow to prepare our Tweener sail for hoist with the anticipation that as this high progresses we will see breeze continue to shift to the right. We've also got a kelp watch set back up as we have seen several clusters come by. The boat is carrying a kelp stick and a flossing line and the first afternoon saw Sam trying to show some of the younger bow guys how they were used. A skill that apparently takes some finesse and practice. I'm sure they'll get it.

If you're the praying type send up a request to help us avoid the worst of the dead zones associated with this high through this afternoon and in to this evening.


Saturday, March 7, 2020, 1845
Position:  29 1N 116 10.7W
Speed:  5-7 kts
Distance to go: 783.62 nm
Weather: Partly cloudy and chilly
Winds: Variable 280-310 @ 5-9 kts
Sail Package: Full Main, A1 reaching spinnaker, Spinnaker Staysail.

What a gorgeous day on the water for KATARA. While it was mostly cloudy most of the day, and even a bit chilly, we had an awesome day. The weather gave us slightly more pressure than we were anticipating and we hope we've capitalized on that to get us south as quickly as we can.

All helmsmen and deck teams seem to be having a great time. I've seen wide grins from Louis and Trent specifically. Another big hit with the crew is the bean bag chair we brought alone for the spinnaker trimmers. In stead of avoiding spin trim duty due to standing or crinking your neck it looks to be one of the more popular postings. We've got a bunch of sails stacked on deck as well which have made for a pretty enjoyable sun bed for those off watch.

We've done some minor house keeping and line management to make sure we stay on top of everything and we've gotten most of the crew several long uninterrupted sleep sessions.

All indications point to Roger having a great time. The report I got was that his birthday at sea was a great one.

The next 36 hours looks less promising. There is an area of high pressure that's being driven by a larger area of low pressure just outside it right on to our race course. As the breeze begins to clock right this evening and in to tomorrow morning we expect to see the velocity die off. We'll be approaching Cedros island sometime in the middle of tonight and will continue to analyze the latest weather files for options after that. Current thinking is that if, as the sun rises, it looks like it's going to be a clear day, we make for the beach and hope to capitalize on any land breeze that develops in the late afternoon. Other than that I think it'll just be a matter of concentration for our deck teams to make sure we keep her moving along best we can in variable conditions.

In a dramatic divergence from previous races we've had a professional chef pre-prepare all of our meals for the trip and then vacuum seal them. Preparation entails nothing more than a pressure cooker with some water for about 15 minutes to heat them back up. Last night was Beef pot roast, tonight was grilled chicken, rice, and green peas with dinner rolls. Everything has been a huge hit with the team so far. I believe two pastas and a pork meal of some sort are on the remainder of the menu.

Wish us luck in dealing with this light air zone over the next 36-40 hours. We all hope you're having a great weekend so far - I know we all are


Friday, March 6, 2020, 1530
Position:  32 19N 117 9W
Speed:  8.5-9 kts
Distance to go: 986.1 nm
Weather: Sunny & Almost chilly - just gorgeous
Winds: 8-11 kts
Sail Package: Full Main, A1 reaching spinnaker.

And we're off! The start today at 1200 PST was light and uneventful. We fetched the edge of the harbor and before we knew it we were cracking off just a few degrees and hoisting the new Tweener Code 0. Trent and Daniel muscled it up and Louis did the hoist. We picked up speed there but it was only an hour before we were seeing the afternoon shift we expected and were calling for the A1 reaching spinnaker.

Roger appeared to have a great time on the helm for the start and first few hours of the trip (It's his Birthday, btw, for those that done know!).

Trent is driving right now with Roger and Louis trimming the kite. We've already got several of the Green watch (JA, Neil, Daniel, Ron) below for their first rest session so they're ready to take over at 1800 PST this evening.

Very very light sea conditions with the breeze fairly light as well. Our current target for the rest of the afternoon is to try and lift off the coast to ensure we don't get stuck in the dead air region near shore overnight We anticipate a gybe sometime in the middle of the night to play back in towards the coast to play with the sea breeze tomorrow afternoon as that builds.

The boat is clean and dry and everyone is in great spirits so far. Less than 1,000nm to go!