Commander #155 'Mephisto Cat'

[Rico]

A quick one to share a bit of news: The Mephisto Cat now has a slip at the Berkeley Marina!
I've managed to snag a slip in a great location...

A short video of the great sail I had on my way down is here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...-Video-Gallery

The move is about 16 miles to the South West as the crow flies - or a 30 mile sail from the Vallejo Marina in San Pablo Bay (North San Francisco Bay) down to the Central Bay.

I am really looking forward to spending much more quality sailing time in the middle of San Francisco Bay... I found that although I really enjoyed the day-long sail down to the bay, it seemed that I spent most of my sailing on the trips back & forth and only spending typically 1/2 day cruising SF Bay... as it seems that my crew thought it to be a bit too much sailing at once -apparently...

In any case, I am eaker to explore some of the central bay's offerings. Plus I'll be sailing with a lot more company since everyone flocks to the central bay...

Just in time for the great weather... Actually, we are looking forward to 4 days of rain next week!

Just on my very dock, there are TWO Ariels and one Commander. One of the Ariels is right next door! (See Picture #1) Usually, I'm lucky to see one on a dock somewhere, or see one sailing off in the distance.

The Ariel next door ('Ya never know'; A-192 / CF 0583 KX) is in Excellent condition - Lots of upgrades, and very well maintained. I've had a few nice chats with the owner Jerry when scoping out slips. He continues to keep her up and sails often when he is in town. (UPDATE: Jerry has decided to take the boat down to Moss landing -deep in the Monterrey bay between Santa Cruz & the town of Monterrey.)

The Commander ('Galatea'; C-??? (hull number is higher than 223 as it has a bridge deck)/ CF 6957 SL) - It looks old, but it is in good shape and all the bits are there... This could be a great boat. I've been told that it serves as someone's self storage locker. That's all I know. It sits there very lonely... (UPDATE: This boat has been chained-up and will be likely sold by the marina. I never did meet the 'former' owner...)

The other Ariel ('Horizons'; A-35 / CF 1234 CA) - well... it is not pampered as much... It sits unrigged with a pulpit sitting upside down on deck... I've noticed someone spending nights occasionally. No contact yet...

A few pictures of the new digs:

Picture 1 'Ya never know' and the 'Mephisto Cat' share a double slip. We agreed to tie the boat's sterns together in order to keep the boat off the single fingers. It works beautifully. The Mephisto cat has its cover partly off as I was working on my latest project... (I am almost done!)

You can also see a few of the lovely trees that block the wind making this a very calm area in the marina. Gotta love it.

Picture 2 Looking Northwest towards the yacht club building and the harbor entry.

Picture 3 A view to the Northeast of the secondary fairway where my dock is located. I like this fairway becasue the main fairway can be quite busy. The Entrance to the harbor is directly east of the Golden Gate and the wind typically vigorously blows directly into the harbor. Most everyone likes to have all sails hoisted on entry and exit to ensure staying off the seawall!

Picture 4 View to the north. These boats are between the secondary fairway and the main fairway.

[Tony G]

Good on ya! living vicariously through others is what I'm currently about!

[Commander 147]

Rico

Maybe if we can help you get C-187 sold you could buy the commander/storage locker and go at it again. You do such a nice job of the rehab on these boats. Your helping to keep these fine boats sailing and we all appreciate your efforts.

[Rico]

Hey Jerry -
Thanks, but working on your OWN boat CAN be entertaining - but I'd still rather be sailing... Working on a second boat is much harder work as it keeps you from working on your boat AND keeps you from sailing! C-187 is coming along nicely though!


The Mephisto Cat & Crew participated in the Hoppe Regatta (Pictures & general recap available in the Sailing & events section thread link below):
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...-HOPPE-REGATTA



Picture 1: The Mephisto cat & crew finally cross the line in ligth winds. - There was not a lot of wind at the start / finish line, but this was not the case at the far and of the course of this year's Hoppe Regatta!


----------------------------------------------------------------------

We also joined in on the festivities for the 'Plastic Classic' regatta held by the Bay View boat club. "A drinking club with a boating problem"
http://plasticclassic.com/

This is the Mephisto Cat's second appearance in this VERY fun event.

I am happy to announce that the Mephisto Cat managed to do quite well...

3rd Place in the 'Single handler' category in the Concourse D' Elegance
1st Place in PHRF Non-Spinnaker (18 Boats)
1st Place OVERALL (64 Boats)
1st Place Fastest Pre-1970's Boats (?? # Boats)
1st Place In Class (?? # Boats)

- Woo Hoo!!

The last two categories in RED I found out about only when I received the loot! (medals & trophies in the mail)

I did not manage to get a slip close-by for the night following the race so it was a nice long day of Sailing activities as we sailed there and back... The only downside was that I could not hang around for the festivities and the awards cerrmony...

Shoved off from Berkeley at about 6:45am headed to the Bay View Boat Club's facilities just south of San Francisco's South Beach neighborhood. Half my crew was on board and we sailed nicely in about a 12kt breeze.

We arrived at about 9:30 am and hung around until the judges came around. Then we hung around for a while longer waiting fot the rest of the crew to show-up... They finally showed as we were dangerously close to missing our start! (We started 15 minutes late last year! but this was due to a tactical error!). We waited until the last minute because this was the part of the crew that was responsible for the food & drinks!

We shoved off in a hurry headed to the start line and got the boat ready to race just in the nick of time. I struggled with an urge to go with a larger headsail, but I decided to stick witht he 100% jib despite many boats carrying sails in the 130% to 150% range... I was hopeful that the wind might pick-up a bit more and considering the course, I thought that our ability to point would be key to a good showing...

We had a relatively good start in very light air and crossed the line within a couple of boat lengths of the first two boats. We were on port tack and had to tack clear just before the line... Grrr.

The breeze freshened to a steady 5-6 knots just a few hundred yards from the start, just enough to get us moving properly towards the first mark. My able crew was focused - on passing around snacks & drinks... Two of us were racing - the other 3 of us were socializing... (I have a VERY relaxed crew!)

We were racing in close quarters with the lead boats all of which had 130%+ headsails. We barely managed to stick with the group and then started to slowly reel them in as the breeze freshened and we were able to plot a better course to the mark... Very exciting stuff for those of us racing...

We positioned ourselves to windward right after the start, and by the time we reached the 1st mark we were in the lead and pulling ahead in the freshening breeze now in the 10-12 kt range.

We enjoyed a great run to the 3rd and southernmost mark. Admitedly, after a slight panic trying to figure out where the next mark was! After rounding this mark, we felt the effects of the flood tide/current which was reportedly in the 2 kt range and came almost perpendicular to our course. We (I) did not plot the best compensating course at first, and we lost a bit of ground there... An Alberg 35 and a couple of Tritons were now threatening... but we were still in good shape.

We were the second boat around the 4th mark and I think that our choice of course as we headed back to the 1st/5th mark in the prevailing wind/tidal conditions was the key to our good showing. We were being reeled in by a Triton just before the turn, but then we called a tack to veer off to the next mark (this time taking better account of the current) and next time we saw them, they were quite far behind...

The last couple of markers were a repeat run, so we dialed it in as we headed to the finish.
We crossed the finish-line in heavy traffic of boats finishing and boats that started later (and perhaps a few boats that were trapped in the area where the mark sported a motorboat populated by scantilly clad (or not clad...) women...) As it turns out, this is a bit of an obstacle course!

I dropped off my crew at the Club to enjoy the festivities, while I enjoyed a nice single-handed sail back to Berkeley. I made it into my slip at about 7:00pm - too late to try to make the awards presentation. This was necessary because I was leaving town the following day.

I knew we had done well, but I did not expect it to be quite THAT well. It was a great outcome to a great sailing day...

As I made my way back to Berkeley, I spotted C-151 coming up behind... I waited a bit and we enjoyed a nice chat while we sailed along until the crew had to peel off to head to their homeport.

I have no pictures OF the boat this time, so here are some pictures FROM the boat:
Picture 2: A Picture of C-151 just after they peeled off towards Treasure Island post race.
Picture 3: A Bit of Racing; 'Nemesis' beating a nice triton to the first set of marks.

[Commander227]

Rico,

Thank you for spending so much time getting a Mid-Westerner out on San Francisco Bay.
I've read about sailing on the famous bay my whole life, what a hoot to finally get to sail on it.
The Mephisto Cat is a beautiful and capable boat.

We had a great time in your fair city. Highlights:

1. Searching for street art by graffiti artist Banksy.(Found 4 and the spots where 2 have been painted over) A great way to see all the cool neighborhoods in S.F.
2. Biking across the Golden Gate to Sausalido.
3. Independent film by local artist at The Castro Theater.
4. Watching the hang gliders at Fort Funston.
5. And of course, sailing with Rico.

Thanks again Antonio, send me a PM with your address, I got a little somthing I'd like to send you.
Mike
C-227

[Triton106]

Rico,

In your third picture you were beating "Answer", one of the best Tritons in the Bay Area owned and sailed by Dave Wilson. Dave works at Svendsens and goes out all the time. If you are beating Answer, a larger boat with an experienced captain, that is saying something.

[Rico]

Thanks T-106,
The Picture is of C-151 'Nemesis' racing along with 'Answer' at the approach to a mark. The picture was taken by my crew after we had rounded that mark. At this point we were a couple of hundred yards ahead...

I think we were lucky with the breeze early on, and on the outcome of some tactical decisions. Despite a few things we could have done better, we managed to hold our lead...

I do remember 'Answer' clearly. In addition to being a beautifully kept boat (nice color too...), they managed to reel us in later in the course.

We could see them creeping up from quite a distance on a long port-tack reach. I remember deciding to climb-up above his course shortly before they overtook us as we were planning our tack into a close hauled (starboard tack) course towards the next mark. If I recall correctly, 'Answer' continued further on her course before tacking into the wind. We benefited from a very nice lift on that run, and I also believe our ability to point higher was crucial in the wind & current experienced that day.

I lost track of 'Answer' after that, but was surprised to see them down in the course when we finished as they'd been so close to us.


Dinghy Sailing

Recently, I've finally completed the construction of my little Cat rigged sailing dinghy. You may recall this dinghy as my intended 'tender' for the Mephisto Cat (see post #18 on this thread), but since then, I've decided to go with a tiny 6' zodiac inflatable dinghy. This size is not made anymore, but I managed to find a used one...

The inflatable is not so nice to row (I do not carry a motor for it), but it makes-up by being VERY small when deflated (or when inflated for that matter!) and it does quite nicely carrying two people... I am very happy with it.

Since the hard dinghy was already prettied-up (to match the Mephisto Cat - by the way); I decided to make it into a nice sailing dinghy. I installed a mast tube, and new gudgeons for a rudder and spruced-up the convenient hinged retractable keel.

I found and fitted an old 14' wood mast (two piece) and boom from an old dinghy and spruced that up by rebuilding the rub surfaces where the mast is joined by the connector tube, and where the base of the mast wears as it spins in the mast tube.

I also fixed-up and adapted a nice aluminum hinged rudder. (The hinged design proved its worth while sailing in close quarters in Tahoe!)

Add a few control lines, and a little block -or two, and we wre off sailing! The pictures are of my solo maiden voyage - very exciting! My little nephew joined in the fun later... My Girlfriend & I spent about 2 hrs tootling around in the dinghy later that weekend - it took more wind to move the both of us, but it was fun. You just have to pay attention as the winds are very shifty and gusty at Lake Tahoe... and can spill your beer! (and the water is cold!)

[Ariel 109]

That is so kool!

[Rico]

That is so kool!

It is a TON of fun. It really gets going too!

C38 - I opted for the inflatable because of convenience. The little inflatable fits in a nice bag that is easily stored below when we need to take it on the boat. It is small & light (<35lbs) - It is just big enough for two people - and maybe a dog. I only have it with me when needed.

It does not row very well (no inflatable does...) but I only use it to get from a occasional mooring buoy to shore or a dock while overnighting somewhere. It does this job sufficiently well enough and I think it is the right choice for this purpose.

On one occasion, I forgot the pump - and after thinking it was a horrible, horrible, trip-ruining mistake as we were on a mooring, but I actually blew it up by mouth in less than 15 minutes - breaks included... - it was not that hard to do!

The hard dinghy, I'd have to tow behind the boat as it is too large (8' LOA). A sailing dinghy is definitely the best use for it. This must have been its design intent as it has a nifty retractable keel - which I quickly learned to REMEMBER to lower after going DDW since sailing without a keel is quite difficult!

The little hard dinghy can still be used as a dinghy without any effort; All I do is pull the mast out (It is held in the tube by gravity and secured with a small line in case of a capsize), pull the rudder (secured by a clip), retract the keel, and detach the mainsheet. And Viola, is is now a plain dinghy again...




2010 Sailing Highlights:

Picture 1
A bit of Sailing with the pooch... She is quite good on the boat shifting to the low side on her own. Still I believe she is a bit large for the boat - and the paws also tend to slip a bit much. She is fine in light weather, and just snoozes in the sun, but I don't imagine she'd enjoy a typical SF Bay sail in the Summer.

Picture 2
Ahhh - Spending the night on the Mephisto Cat... One of the great joys of having a little boat. Sausalito is one of our favourite destinations.

Picture 3
Some more spectacular sailing weather in SF Bay. We have some of the fastest fog around! (Obviously not apparent in the still picture!) We had planned a meeting up with some other boats on Angel Island. This boat turned out NOT to be my friend's blue boat. I did get lots of pictures of it though!

Picture 4
The Mephisto Cat at the entrance of Racoon staits on a calm day

Picture 5
Running south under the asymetrical on the 2010 Baja-ha-ha. (San Diego to Cabo Rally). Here we are some 500 Miles south of San Diego some 80 miles offshore. (Right... I did not do this on C-155!)

[Rico]

2010 Sailing Highlights (Continued...)

Picture 1
Assisting in an offshore distress call during the Baja ha-ha. We were relatively close (1 hrs sail) by and went to help out. This was sorted out, but the next morning we got another call from another boat in the group. A sailor from SF Bay who was actually heading north had missed his alarm and ended up on the beach... There are some tricky currents in that area and the beach is littered with hulls... Efforts by the locals to pull the boat back in were unsuccessful. At least there were some 50 people that volunteered to take as much equipment off as possible... This is just North of Isla de Cedros in Baja.

(Note: BTW - No, we did not do the Ha-ha in my Commander! It was a friend's nice big cruising sailboat)

Picture 2
A nice sunset at anchor...

Picture 3
Arriving in cabo at sunrise - 10 days after setting off from San Diego... This is the arch at the tip of the Baja Peninsula. The conclusion of the 2010 edition of the rally... The snd of a sailing adventure is alwas a bit sad.

Picture 4
Nice group during 'racing start' practice... This is how the pros do it!

I had the opportunity to do a bit of sailing with some top bay sailors (some big name world-class ones too!).
We also helped with some of the TV telemetry testing of the systems to be used for the America's Cup races in SF in 2013. Pretty nifty stuff... It is quite exciting to sail with some of sailing's most serious rockstars! - I was very focused and made sure I did NOT screw anything-up!!


Picture 5
A bit of a tour of Alcatraz Island.
I always sail around the island, but rarely get close enough to really have a close-up look... Pretty neat!

[C38]

That dingy looks great! Why the change of mind to buy an inflatable instead for your tender?

[Rico]

The "Mephisto Cat' has done two (Singlehanded) races this year; The Three Bridge Fiasco and the Singlehanded Sailing Society's 'Corinthian' Race. We've also done a bit of daysailing / touring around the bay despite the persistent cold / wet weather.

I am happy to report that Spring has officially arrived in the Bay.

Pictures and recap of the 2011 3Br Fiasco race are in the 'events section' - Post #8 here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...-Fiasco-anyone

As usual, I decided to undertake a project at the most inopportune time... A week or so before the 3 Br Fiasco, I decided that I HAD to replace my main hartch sliding rails BEFORE the race. My rails worked fine, but I was not completely happy with the way they'd turned out originally. - I'd lived with them perfectly well for a few years, but suddenly they'd become a priority.

Since I was removing the rails, I took advantage of the opportunity and reinforced the area around the fasteners by drilling BIGGER holes and filling with thickened epoxy & a bit of chopped strand. I drilled new screw holes in the same locations. Although I may add an additional (3rd) fastener on each side later just for added 'snugness'.

I applied some epoxy to the rails and the interior trim pieces, and then added a handful of coats of Varnish (Epifanes clear - of course!).

The hardest part is fitting the rails in the right location so that the hatch rails ride securely in the hatch sliders. Obviously the rails need the be parallel; but if the rails are placed too close together, the hatch won't grab, and could come loose / fall off. If they are to far apart, the hatch will not fit or will be too tight to slide.

Since I made my rails a bit beefier that the originals, I ended-up in the too tight range. But a bit of fine tuning made things work out nicely.

Picture 1:
The rails and trim pieces all pretty & ready to be installed

Picture 2:
Fitting of the pieces. You can see a hint of my need to renew the varnish on the rest of the companionway. It is not as bad as the area where the board slide, but it is time for me to spend a bit of time on this... My coambings with 10+ coats are still looking beautiful, but I did only 3 or 4 coats on the companionway and I'm paying the price now... (will be taken care-of shortly!) When it comes to Varnish; getting lazy clearly leads to more work!

Other pictures:
Nice company during a day sail...

[Ariel 109]

Thanks for the pictures Rico. I sanded, refasten, bedded and varnished my Ariel's companionway woodwork last month. It was all raw weathered wood when I started but ten coats of varnish later and it's almost beautiful.

I love the Herreshoff H-28, one of my favorite of Francis' designs. I sailed on a California built Francis Herreshoff designed Didikai double-ender out of Newport Beach back in 1994. Similar boat, just a different stern. My friend Hans later sailed that boat from Newport to Miami, pretty good for a boat that could have been in a B. Traven story.

The International One Design was the "boat" on Long Island Sound when introduced back in the thirties. They still race on the Sound with the other one design keel boats, although their numbers a dwindling at the moment. Beautiful boats!

[agua dulce]

Really beautiful pictures, by the way, but my recycled rat terrier has stolen my heart.

[agua dulce]

Rico, I think I may have the same make of pooch, with a different paint job. Mine adopted us after being lost/abandonded? in the woods. Is yours a rat terrier?