Hog's breath

I will be there in the Blade. You planning on attending?

I am working some logistics as we speak.

I'm not sure about the Blade. I will still be very new to the boat and a distance race may be too much. Thinking more about sailing the Tiki, just to get a feel for distance racing.

Logistics are a definite concern.

IMHO, a distance race is perfect to learn with a new boat.

Especially if you aren't concerned about winning the first time you do it.

Why would I be concerned about winning now?

No, it's more logistics, with the Tiki I can be self-sufficient for a week.

A week on the Tiki sounds like a great vacation,

It's a REALLY bare-bones boat; think backpacking platform!

Pete, how can you be much more self sufficient on a 21? footer than on a 16 footer?

Robi:

The Tiki 21 is a cruiser, not nearly the performance of the beach cats, but can carry @ 1,000 lbs.

http://www.wharram.com/tiki_photos/show_thumbnails.php?craft=Tiki+21&start=1&images=12

Isnt that boat pretty heavy? Wouldnt it be much harder to haul around than a 16footer? That is where I was going with my question. Sailing the boat is the easy part, its moving it around and about, where it can get hefty.

Yes, it's so heavy that beaching it is not really an option. Docking or anchoring out is the way to go with the Tiki.

The plan is to sail from here to Marathon on Friday, pick-up the racing fleet at some point on Saturday and sail home on Sunday.

Just spectating,not competing.

Just to make sure everybody knows, single-handing is not allowed for the Hog's Breath/Keys 100.
(That won't apply to Pete on his Tiki, because he will not be actually participating in the race.)

I am assuming there is an NOR posted with all the information. Rick helps out some with this race, but it is put on by Calvert Sails.

Attached is a rear picture of part of the fleet right after the start of the 2004 Hog's Breath.

I ran across a boat that looked almost identical to this on St. Helena Island in the South Atlantic. It was about 24 feet and the Australian owner had built it himself of plywood and then spent the next nine years sailing it around the world. He had no electricity, no motor, a custom-made wind-vane for autopilot, and only a cheap sextant for navigation. He used a two-piece nesting dingy to get ashore, which he of course made himself, then lashed it between the hulls when sailing. The galley was an alcohol stove and he had a single bearth in the starboard hull. He had no liferaft, which I thought was foolish, but he was a completely self-sufficient guy who was totally in tune with the ocean and had learned to find his way with the most subtle clues. I suspect that the Tiki will handle the Hog's Breath without too much trouble.

Years ago, some crazy Englishman sailed a Tiki 21 to New Zealand and back!! He was in love and there was this girl... Somewhere along the way, Azores or the Caribbean, he ran into a German guy and they pooled there resources to buy food for the leg from South America to a Pacific Island, mostly bannanas and Tuna! I think the guy's name was Rory Gallagher(?). He wrote an article about it if anyone's interested.

My intentions are rather less adventurous. If the weather is bad, I'll stay home and read a book! At any rate there are lots of places to hide between here and Cape Sable. The only real open water is from the Cape to Marathon.

btw- Thanks, Mary, for letting me know the Hog's Breath is single handed. I didn't find any information at the Calvert Sails site.

You mean NOT single handed

Thanks Robi! I stand corrected!

Having not completed one myself, I can only say that under your typical sailing conditions for that area and time of year, it's a joy to race.

Of course, the weather was A-typical when we tried a few years back, and promptly had to retire due to boat damage in the fierce wind that cropped up right after the start.

I think it is certainly do-able with the F16, even if conditions were slightly less than ideal. Only real issue on day one is the sand bars, but if you're tight with the fleet, you can pick your way through them by following the leader.

Day two is pretty much a GPS run, as you're following the coast on the windward side, and I don't recall many shoals to worry about unless you're within 1/4 mile of shore.

Yes, it would be wise to rack up some distance experience before undertaking this race, but you have to start somewhere! Try the Macho Man & Miami Key Largo, and see what you think.... Then imagine a longer two-day race with more distance...

If I understand correctly the Miami to Key Largo race is half of what the Hogsbreath 100 is. Is this right?

I plan on racing Miami to Key Largo, doing the sailing seminar then race in the Hogsbreath 100, all in nine days.

I would love to join you! I do have other time-off issues and the piggy bank is sounding a little hollow these days. However, if I can sort through the difficulties, there will be two Blades at the seminar!

btw- how long did it take to get your Eurotrax?

Good to know Pete. Hope you can come down to the sailing seminar, it will be a blast with two Blades present. We can share lots of riggin/modding tips. My boat is far from stock now.

As far as the eurotrax, took them five days to get them to my house. NOT bad, considering it came from the Northwest.

I was just going over the chart. I looks like there is a shoal just to the West and South of Pigeon Key, does anyone know if it's passable, or do you just have to try it and find out?