ICON Sailing

2010 Swiftsure Start Video...

We are in the process of compiling all the footage (stills & video) we shot during the Swiftsure Regatta. Here is a brief section of footage from the start...

Stay tuned - more to come later...

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2010 Swiftsure Wrap-Up

Here is a brief synopsis of the 2010 Swiftsure as I remember things ...

Upwind start in 20-25 knots with reefed main & #3 in center groove. Ian nailed the start - first boat, favored end, on top of our competition. Winds built out to the Race - downshifted to #4 (starboard groove) which pulled out of the foil. Immediately launched the #5 (starboard groove) - also pulled out. Did an emergency hank-on using the #5 (it was setup for this) and re-launched. Ran the #5 out through the Race with a massive ebb. Sent Seamus aloft to sort out the halyards (Brian had them crossed). Winds lightened and we put the #3 inline using the center groove - it held this time. Might be an issue with the starboard groove.

When we hit the beach on the US side in further lightened winds we put up the #2 (starboard groove). Used this all the way to Cape Flattery (Derek was driving - superb close hauled speeds - at times nearly 10 knots). At the Cape we continued to head up in diminishing winds. Downshifted to the #1 (centerline) until we could hold the Code 0. Rode the Code 0 to the Bank - furled up, put the #1 up for the rounding, unfurled after the rounding. Our Code 0 work is getting better.

At the Bank we were about 1 hours corrected over the Car and 2 hours corrected over Strum - a very nice lead!

We knew the winds were going to go light and transition to a SE, but we wanted to get as far up the Strait as we could before this happened. We rode the Code 0 down the middle to midway between Cape Flattery and Clallam where we went up with the #1. Flew the #1 until near Sooke - our competition what completely out of sight!

At Sooke we were riding a little vein of wind about 2 miles offshore when it completely shut off hanging us out - put up the drifter. Winds went to 0 leaving us exposed in the middle with no current relief - drifted for about an hour forwards (covering 1.75nm), then backwards in the ebb for two more hours! There was wind behind us and the Car & Strum appeared (very lucky for them as we had hours on both of them).

All of us tried to get to the beach. Strum make it first about 1 mile behind and immediately anchored. We beat the Car to the beach using the drifter and proceeded to lead them up the beach to the Race in very light air using the #1. At the Race a lot of boats were anchored just inside as we arrived with the Car in tow. The boats anchored there had tried for hours to get through the Race and had given up - when we arrived they broke out the bubbly to watch the show - and what a show it was!

An Olsen 30 was trying to get through the Race about the time we arrived. We were the first to try getting through the Race in 3 knots of wind and about 6 knots of current. The first two times the current caught our bow and we spun out of control and had to re-try. The third time we were determined to not make that mistake again, this time limiting our tacks to 2-3 boat lengths while keeping our bow out of the current. Each tack we made about 3-4 feet up the beach. It took us 71 tacks to get through according the HAL (Expedition). The Olsen was quickly flushed and the Car made several attempts, but in the midst of our tacks we successfully covered them, effectively shutting the door. They then made a last-ditch attempt to go fast and wide, but spun out!

At long last we made it through the Race and continued to the finish upwind. Eventually a line of wind moved down to the Race and Strum & Car were able to make it through - however, we were now 20-30 minutes ahead. We had a nice lift to the finish with a big header & diminished breeze at the end. Line honors!

Ended up with 2nd, losing to Strum by 20 minutes corrected. About 65 boats retired due to the heavy seas & wind at the start and later drifting conditions - a little bit of everything - however upwind both ways for us!

Here is a picture of the start -

Upwind both Ways...

The results from our recent Swiftsure adventure are not in yet, but we do have some pictures and some interesting statistics! Here are some that I would pass on:

The winds at the start were 15-20 kt, quickly building to 25-30 kts.
We experienced a maximum current of 5.1 knots passing through the Race after the start
Our maximum recorded windspeed was 33.6 knots while passing through the Race
On the way home near Sooke we drifted for 2 hrs and 45 minutes, covering 1.54 nm forward and then 2.75 nm backwards in the current
It took us 71 tacks to make it through the Race on the way home, some of which only gained us 3-4 feet up the beach with each tack.

While on the way out to the bank we ran into Sean Trew who took this great picture while Derek was driving! More details on the race to follow, along with some great video!

Round Saltspring Scoring Analysis...

You know you have truly arrived racing boats under PHRF when you start whining about your rating. Just for fun we re-scored the Round Saltspring race using both time-on-time (TOT) and time-on-distance (TOD) to see what would have happened - here are our conclusions...

Icon scored 27th overall under TOT and 5th overall under TOD
The top three finish positions were the same under both scoring methodologies
Both scoring systems exhibited a strong bias towards faster boats, although TOT was less so.

Here is a graph of the analysis. The X-Axis is the PHRF rating, and the Y-Axis is the corrected elapsed time under TOT and TOD scoring:

The Round Saltspring Adventure...

Icon competed in the annual Round Saltspring race this last weekend. This events starts and finishes in Ganges and races around Saltspring using a direction selected at the last minute by the Race Committee. This year they selected clockwise as it would favor the slower boats. At last count there were 92 entries - a relatively large race by local standards.

Since this event was being scored time-on-time we did not hold out any expectations of doing well, but instead we were using it as an event to tune up our light-air technique and tune the rig. We had a great start (easily in the first three over the line and probably the first) and stretched out on the fleet until the first parking lot near Fulford Harbor. There the wind brought the leaders down to us and we had our first re-start.

In a building rain-shower we got back into the game and had a nice duel with Lawn Dart and Strum (with Strum being our closest competition). We were the first to the Narrows and did a nice job getting through until we hit the convergence zone. At the convergence zone the southerly switched to the northerly and a number of the faster small boats caught us, along with Strum.

For a while the smaller boats managed to get ahead of us until we could get on the breeze and zoom ahead. For a while we were side by side with other boats, but on the opposite tack! Go figure!

Once we got back into a consistent breeze we managed to leg it out and did a great job down Trincomali Channel horizoning the fleet. After transiting Captains Passage we hoisted the kite and ran to the finish. Shortly before the finish we were headed and had to take the kite down and finish under a headsail. We proceeded to hook a crap pot and had to use the kelp cutter to get free.

Our elapsed time was 9:02:15, which gave us 12th in our division and 27th overall - not particularly stunning, but we will take it given what we were trying to accomplish.

Here is a picture of our overall track around the island:

Here is a picture of the convergence zone in Samsun Narrows. Note how the wind clocks from the SE to NW in a very short period of time:

Here is a picture of the big easterly shift north of Samsun Narrows:

Stuck in 4th...

Our recent SYC Vashon Island was an exercise in frustration - we sailed very well (probably the best that I have seen), but still ended up with 4th thanks to not one but two parking lots. Each time we got stuck we were passed by nearly all the boats in the fleet and had to sail back to the front, only to get parked up again.

In the end we simply didn't have enough time to get back in the hunt despite leading the fleet for most of the race. A good friend of mine said that he never does any race with the word "Winter" or "Vashon" in it - I can see why!

Here is a picture of our first parking lot event near Robinson Point - this was near the leeward mark for the short-course fleet and we ended up spending some quality time here with our old friend DragonFly!

Here is a picture of our second parking lot event in Colvos Passage. We rode the southerly up the passage where at some point we knew it would switch to a northerly. As it ended up the northerly (which was a cold wind) was at the ground level with the southerly up higher - total wind shear. We ended up stuck with the top half of the mast sailing in the southerly and the bottom half in the northerly - the end results is that we didn't go anywhere. At the same time ALL the smaller boats all passed us looking like flaming geniuses. After about a frustrating 20 minutes we managed to get going again, only have to work our way back through the fleet again.

SYC Smith Island Convergence Zone

I finally had a few minutes to replay the SYC Smith Island race - very interesting to watch how the currents and wind changed over the course of our track and during the day.

Here is a very interesting picture of our start (the track on the left) showing consistent southerly winds of 20-20 knots. On the right is our return track - at the top of the picture you can see our painful upwind progress in less than 5 knots searching for the wind. In the middle you can see the sort-of tacks as the wind clocks nearly 180 degrees as we pass through the convergence zone and into the southwest winds of 10+ knots.

In talking with the other boats they never encountered this flat spot, and looking at the race logs this is where we went from an easy 2nd place to 4th given the amount of time we wasted getting through this hole...

AYC Hein Bank Race...

We recently participated in the 2010 Anacortes Yacht Club Hein Bank race. As the designated start boat we were able to see the entire fleet off, then start by ourselves 10 minutes later.

This event consists of a race from the west entrance of Guemes Channel down Rosario Strait to Davidson Rock, then a hard right-hand turn and out to Hein Bank in the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. After rounding the Hein Bank buoy you then return to the start line - the total distance being around 40 nautical miles.

We started under a full main and a J2 headsail in about 10 knots of wind and a strong ebb current of about 2.5 knots. We caught most of the fleet off Green Point (Washington Park) and then headed down the rhumb line to Davidson Rock. We elected to stay high of the mark as we expected a westerly and wanted to have plenty of height for this transition.

After rounding Davidson Rock very wide we loaded up the blast reacher and went directly to Hein Bank. The closer we got to Hein Bank the less wind we experience (now down to about 4-5 knots) and diminished current. We rounded Hein Bank around 12:20 and then took a reciprocal course bank to Davidson Rock, again using the blast reacher - unfortunately on the way back the current was on our nose, slowing our progress down.

On the way back the wind started to back and we loaded up the Code 0 - after we fiddled around with getting it properly loaded we quickly horizoned the last remaining boat (another Perry design Night Runner) and rounded Davidson Rock in less than an hour.

We then launched the A1 kite and ran VMG angles up Rosario Strait against the remaining ebb. We first crossed over to the east side, but the winds were lighter and current still strong so we headed back to the west side. Once we reached Bird Rocks we then crossed back over to the east side and tried to take advantage of the back eddy currents near Washington Park and Shannon Point.

After rounding Shannon Point the rain started to fall heavily and the wind dropped off - with a couple of quick jibes we managed to lay the finish, ending up with an elapsed time of 4:52:50. We later heard that many of the boats were becalmed at Davidson Rock on the way home, so I guess we will see how we did...

Here is a quickie video of the event...

2010 SYC Smith Island Regatta...

This last weekend we participated in the Seattle Yacht Club Smith Island Regatta. This event is a distance race from Shilshole out and around Smith Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and return. The total course length is around 85 nm - the longest event at SYC.

The start was downwind in 20-25 knot winds. During the start in a wild gybe we managed to break one of our wheels and destroy some railing so we had to sail the balance of the event from one side. We kept pace with the lead boats until Point-No-Point where we managed to get into the lead and stay there for most of the race. At Marrowstone Island the winds died in our first restart - Flash and Dark Star managed to catch us there while we anchored to avoid going backwards...

After Marrowstone we reached deep into the bay at Port Townsend, passing Flash in the process. At Point Wilson we elected to head west while Flash crossed over to Point Partridge. When the hoped for westerly didn't appear, we headed north and crossed with Flash again near Point Partridge. Both of us then short-tacked the beach until we could reach out to Smith Island. We reached Smith Island only slightly ahead of Flash.

After rounding Smith Island we set the kite and headed back to Point Partridge - we elected to head down into the bay at Port Townsend while Flash headed down Whidbey Island. On our way back to the finish we used every opportunity we could to escape the current, crossing from side to side in Admiralty Inlet when needed.

We were expecting to hit a southerly sometime before finishing, but it never came. In the end all we got was a no-wind convergence zone just at the finish - we wasted about 30 minutes there before it filled in so we could finish.

The net-net was that we came in 4th in our division and mid-pack overall in the event - this was not a big boat day given the winds and currents. Despite all this we were only 2 minutes out of third and 5 minutes out of second - all things considered a good race.

Here are a few video snippets of the event:

Oldie but Goodie...

Here is a video we just uploaded from a trip last summer with our friends the Siapco's - this trip involved sailing from Anacortes to Sucia, Stuart and Todd Inlet. The weather was great the entire trip:

AYC Viti Rocks Race...

This event was an interesting one - it is a pursuit race where we start approximately two (2) hours after the first boat. The advantage of this type of event is that we can observe what everyone else is doing and not make the same mistakes (we get to make new ones). In addition, the thermal breezes typically build later in the day, something which the early starters may not get...

Anyway, in this event the winds were light and the first boats got off to a very slow start. We milled around and started about 10 minutes after the last boat (Cat Sass -32 rated cat) using our J1. At Huckleberry we launched our A1 kite and ran our polar numbers north. Winds were light, but thanks to good instrumentation we chose the correct lines and managed to start passing boats by Vendovi Island much to their surprise!

On the north side of Vendovi there was a parking lot where most of the boats were drifting around. We jibed over and sailed through the fleet (horsepower & mast height really helped here) and jibed again on the lay line for the mark. We had a good drop, hoisted our new J2 and tacked around the mark while avoiding the rocks immediately to the north.

The J2 was a little heavy to start with, but it looked like the wind would be building so we stuck with it. As it turned out the winds reached nearly 20 knots on the beat home, so it was the right sail after all. On the way back we threw in a reef to reduce power and had a nice sail home.

At the end, the only boat we could see was Cat Sass with the rest of the fleet being a long way behind. Our elapsed time was 2:05:35 at an average speed of 7.45 nm/hr. Being a pursuit race and that we finished first we earned another bullet!

Here is our track rounding Viti Rocks...

Ready to Roll Again...

Our next race is coming up April 17 - the AYC Viti Rocks pursuit race. Given our rating we can sleep in since we start approximately two (2) hours after the rest of the fleet - the way this is structured, if we finish ahead of someone we beat them!

Due to the start time of this event the current will be stronger and the winds lighter earlier in the morning, plus we get to see what the fleet is doing - this could be a big advantage for us! Several boats have complained about this, but it is kind of nice (for once) to have this in our favor! My memories from Van Isle 360 are still fresh when each morning we would start early against the current, only to have a building breeze from behind bringing the fleet down to us!

We also have fixed all the broken bits from the Straits blowout - the three major items needing attention were 1) the broken steering wheel; 2) bend railing; and 3) a seriously worked over J4 (which was one of our oldest sails, so I am not terribly heartbroken about this)...

We will see how we do - another interesting development is that the may (repeat may) have our new GoPro HD video camera onboard which should result in some exciting footage...

Southern Straits Rescue...

The news about Incisor is starting to filter in - here is an article from a BC newspaper that puts the event in context...

BC News Post...

Icon Back in Anacortes...

We left Northwest Bay around 7:00am in the morning in light NW winds and calm seas (quite a difference from the day before). When we got out of the bay we raised the main and then the J3 and essentially reached all the way down the Strait to Anacortes.

Throughout the delivery home there were logs in the water EVERYWHERE and we were very glad that we stayed until daylight - tagging one of those at high speed would be bad news!

The wind died just north of Sinclair so we started up the iron sail and motored home, arriving around 4:00pm. Customs took about 45 minutes to clear (next time I think we will send the crew list in ahead), and then back to the barn for a much needed rest.

Two weeks until our next race, so we should have time to fix everything we broke and fight another day!

Southern Straits Race...

More details to follow, but here is a quick synopsis of the event...

Due to the extremely rough weather predicted (storm force winds in excess of 50 knots) many boats decided not to participate in the event. We decided to go to the start line and make our own decision on the water. At the start the winds were E 20-25 - gusty but manageable, but we knew there would be more wind out to sea.

We had a somewhat late start, opting to be really conservative and not get caught in a mess or collision. We quickly left all other competitors behind with the exception of Strum whom we paced for about 10 miles.

Strum was sailing with a a full main and masthead kite - we opted to put one reef in the main and fly the A5 (our smallest kite). Midway across the strait Strum blew up their kite and we quickly passed them. We were pacing the ferry into Naniamo when we finally crashed as well.

From off Naniamo we gybed around and headed a warp speed over towards Lasqueti, hoping to be the first to catch the westerly (which didn't come until the next morning). Winds intensified along with the seas. Dropped down to just the J4 and a double reefed main. Winds & seas continued to build. Dropped the main completely and went with just the J4. Seas continued to build. Rigged the inner forestay and put up the storm jib, then dropped the J4 which was taking a beating.

About 4 miles from Sisters after hearing the carnage behind us on the VHF we decided that things would likely get even worse before better and that we should seek cover and let things die down before continuing (since this was looking to be more like a war of attrition). We then headed back to Ballenas to seek shelter. Amazingly we were able to make 6+ knots upwind in the slop under storm jib alone!

The sea calmed down considerably near the lee of Ballenas, but the winds were very strong stilll as we beat our way up the lee shore towards Northwest Bay. We then received a call on the radio that the race was abandoned. After a couple more tacks upwind we then started the motor and headed as deep into Northwest Bay as we could with the intent of spending the night.

In Northwest Bay we found a little marina and they were gracious enough to let us tie up - power was out, but we were at a dock! The majority of the crew decided to catch a taxi back to Naniamo and take a ferry back to the mainland - the Horseshoe Bay ferry was on weather hold so they went to Tsswassen and took a bus back to Coal Harbor to pick up their vehicles.

On the radio we heard about a boat sinking, people in the water, dis-mastings, etc so we made the right call to seek shelter. Later while at the dock we heard from Kinetic - they had rounded Sisters around 5:30pm and heard from the race committee when they called in that the race was abandoned.

We learned a great deal on this trip - first that the boat is a lot tougher than we are, and that good preparation and practice (in advance) for heavy weather made things a lot easier; plus we had a wonderful crew who never failed to get the job done even while feeding the fish...

Here is a stripchart from near Ballenas from the ship computer...

Here is a video put together of the event by Joy:

Icon Delivered to Vancouver...

We just completed the delivery of Icon to Vancouver - we left the dock in Anacortes around 10:00am and arrived in Coal Harbor around 4:00pm. Sailed most of the way. Customs ended up coming down to the dock and physically inspecting us - took a long time.

We had a great pre-race crew dinner at the Westin, although the weather is not looking very good for Friday. If this storm does not blow through in a timely manner we are in for a nasty day on the water.

Crew Practice

We had a great crew practice day for Southern Straits on Sunday, March 28 - the weather was blustery with winds from the SE 20-25 knots - exactly the kind of day we needed to get things sorted out before the race.

After leaving the marina we jib reached out to Huckleberry and then set the A3 and ran down towards Bellingham at speeds up to 16-17 knots in 3-5 foot chop. In the downhill run we tried various crew positions and turn rates.

In Bellingham Bay we switched to upwind mode and experimented with sail crossovers between the J3 & J4 and our reef positions. Seems like we are better to go from the J3 to reefed main, then to the J4. We are not sure after that since the winds were not that strong.

A little tricky putting the boat back in the slip - took two tries given the SE 25 knot winds - all things considered it was a great day on the water!

AYC Round Guemes Race...

This last Sunday we participated in the annual AYC Round Guemes race - this is a very interesting race as you have to decide which way around Guemes Island you want to go.

We were planning to go counter-clockwise, but at the last minute decided to go clockwise as the breeze was predicted to die and go westerly. We also thought most of the boats would go this way and we wanted to cover the fleet. As it turned out most boats went counter clockwise and only a few went out Guemes Channel like us - this as we later found out was the deciding factor in the event!

We had a good start and immediately set the A1 and ran to Cap Sante Head. We then switched to the Code 0 (albeit very slowly as it was new to the crew) and rode the building ebb down Guemes Channel. Unfortunately the fleet that went our way were right behind and things were not looking very good. We ran up Bellingham Channel with the A1 against the current in a S-SW breeze of about 7-8 knots - where possible we ran beach in order to stay out of the current. Around the north side of Guemes we dropped the A1 and went to the J1 - partway up the backside of Guemes we launched the Code 0 again and immediately gained some speed.

Near Huckleberry we went back to the J1 and beat for the finish with no boats in sight. As we finished we saw the Hobie Tiger (not in the race but running the course anyway) just emerging from Guemes Channel - they had passed us the other way in Bellingham Channel and looked like they were going to clean up.

In the end we finished first (the first of the season I might add) by a huge margin. I guess the lesson is that you don't mess with Guemes Channel in a diminishing breeze!

2010 Lawson Reef Race...

This last weekend was the running of the annual AYC Lawson Reef Race - the race is from the west entrance of Guemes Channel down Rosario Strait to the Lawson Reef buoy, then across Rosario Strait to the west channel marker and return to the start. In total the race is about 19 nm - not very long!

For this event we had a lot of new crew joining us - for many of them both the boat and our systems were new. Our plan was to use this race as a training run, plus use it to test out our new 3Di J3.

Winds were SE 15-20 and very blustery close to shore. We were the start boat so we started 10 minutes after the rest of the fleet. We set the J3 & full main and beat out to the Lawson Reef buoy with a 2.00 knot ebb pushing us. At the Lawson Reef buoy we turned west and set the A3 kite. Just before the west channel marker we doused the kite and jibed onto our course to the finish. In the run to the finish we jib reached which then turned to a beat near the finish.

We completed the event in 1:54 with an average speed over 10 knots - unfortunately this was only good enough for 3 out of 4 in our class and 8th overall - somewhat predictable given the favorable currents and the short race.

In retrospect we should have kept the A3 up on the run home, peeled to the A5, and then jib reached to the finish - this would likely have saved about 10-12 minutes and considerably improved our finish position.

A Nice Afternoon...

Saturday afternoon, March 6 we took Icon out for a few hours of cruising (even though we were in race mode). The skies were clear and winds were 10-15 knots from the Northwest. We headed north of Guemes Island and beat our way towards Bellingham at 10-11 knots boatspeed.

Once we got to Vendovi Island we turned downwind and ran back to Anacortes - made it back to the dock by around 5:00pm - a wonderful day on the water and another chance to test the systems on the boat. We have a few things yet to work out, but we should be in very good shape by the end of this week.

Our next event is the annual AYC Lawson Reef race on March 13...

2010 Foul Weather Race...

February 27, 2010 was our first "event" of the 2010 racing season - the 14.91nm ride to Friday Harbor from Anacortes. The race started at 9:00am in the morning in mixed weather. We had a pickup crew and were very short on experience which hurt later in the race.

We had an okay start being a little rusty, plus the computer was acting up. We quickly left the fleet (there was only one start) and jib reached across Rosario Strait. Last year we got stuck in Thatcher Pass for a couple of hours - this year we managed to slip through with little fuss. After transiting the pass we loaded up the A3 and headed for Upright Head.

During this passage the winds built from 12-15 to 30+ knots - the boat speed steadily increased to nearly 22 knots in a lumpy seaway. Using the computer I was counting down the minutes left until we impacted Orcas Island at a high rate of speed - 6 minutes, 5 minutes, etc all the while hoping that we would be able to get the kite down while short-handed. We managed to get it down using a letterbox drop, followed by a hard gybe which broke one of our stanchions.

We then jib reached around Upright Head and over to Friday Harbor - the winds were really puffy and we were knocked down a couple of times which made it interesting for our novice crew! Instead of setting the kite again for the final run we simply reached for the finish.

All things considered we earned a 4th place finish and were about 12 minutes out of first - not too bad, especially given the fact that we were light on crew and didn't sail very aggressively. We did however set what may be the fastest trip by sailboat between Anacortes and Friday Harbor - 1:23:17 elapsed time!

One other thing - our winter weight reduction program is paying dividends and we should be very, very fast this year!

Icon is now a sailboat again...

We put the mast back in the boat today. The weather wasn't the best but we managed to get it installed before the rain and wind arrived! We started at 8:00am by pushing the mast (in its cradles) down the road from the shop where we were working on it to the dock. At the dock the crane was waiting and we managed to put it back in without too much trouble (only took about 2 hours). We then temporarily attached all the shrouds and moved the boat back into its slip. We now have to re-tune the rig and put on the boom, install the hydraulics, plus install all the halyards, etc.

Our new communications & GPS rack is also now on the boat - here is a picture of what it looks like. By tomorrow we should have it all functioning. We have less than two weeks before our first event of the 2010 season - the annual Foul Weather Race from Anacortes to Friday Harbor...

New Instrument Arch for Icon...

Icon's new instrument arch is nearly completed - for now it will be used to mount the following equipment:

KVH Satcom
Dual High-Resolution GPS units
Sternlight
High-gain Cellular Antenna

Hopefully we will be able to install it this week!

Mast & Boom Done, Prop Fixed...

Icon's mast & boom have now been sprayed and the MaxProp has been re-pitched enabling us to reach maximum speed and RPM's....

Now we have to complete our interior projects plus re-build the mast and put it back on the boat. If all goes well we should be back sailing again in a couple of weeks - say by mid February. Our first "event" is the Foul Weather Race to Friday Harbor.

Mast Spraying Today...

Today we started spraying the mast with clear-coat. The mast and boom should be done by next Monday and ready for re-assembly.

Here are some pictures of the work in progress...

Icon Splashed Today...

We returned Icon back to the ocean today after completing our indoor refit. Everything seems to be working properly, except that when we put the MaxProp back together we set the pitch incorrectly - we will need to adjust this so we can reach maximum speed & RPM's under motor.

Here are some pictures from our launch & sea trial:

Inside work almost done...

Our inside work on Icon is almost done - today we did the final deck painting and touch-up. Next week we will remove the tent, put the lifelines back up and put the boat back in the water on Thursday. The mast & boom are completely stripped and hopefully will be clear coated next week...

Our first race in a little over a month - will we be ready?

The End is in Sight...

We are nearing the end of our winter projects - the decks have been repainted, the bottom pimped, the sail-drive fixed, and the portlights replaced (to say nothing about all our other little projects)...

It looks like we will be back in the water (sans mast) around Jan 21. It will probably we late January before we complete the mast re-finishing task and put the stick back in the boat.

Everything is looking great and we hope that each of these changes will make us even more competitive this coming racing season!

Inside Work Nearing Completion...

Icon is still in the barn, but the deck work is rapidly nearing completion and we expect to be back in the water early next week. The only hitch might be the saildrive repair - we managed (somehow) to bend the shaft and it will have to be replaced. This appears to be the critical path item at this point.

Once the boat back in the water we will focus our attention on putting the mast back together and other punch-list items which can be done outside!

An update on the refit...

Icon is still in the barn and we are hard at work taking care of all the items on our punch list - here are a few pictures from the battle.

It doesn't look like much of a boat at this point, but we are rapidly finishing things up! Here is what the boat looks like from the ground floor of the shop:

Here are the steps which you take to get up to the boat:

Here is the view of the cockpit:

Here is the view of the foredeck being prepared for painting:

Ian rebuilding the cockpit hatch:

Icon's Mast in Shop..

Icon's mast is now in the shop for a complete refit. Preliminary inspection results don't show anything out of the ordinary...

Icon in Hanger...

On December 3 we removed the mast from Icon and moved the boat into the North Harbor Diesel hanger on 30th Avenue in Anacortes. Given the recent cold weather this looks like a brilliant move!

The crew is now working hard on the following major projects:

Replacing & adjusting the lifelines
Inspecting, repairing & refinishing the mast & boom
Repairing the main hatch
Replacing/repairing all the hatches & portlights
Building a new rear arch (for GPS, Satcom, etc)
Refinishing all the non-skid
Rebuilding the sail drive

We are planning to be out of the shop by the end of January - so far we are keeping to schedule!

2009 Race Results...

Now that the 2009 has come to a close it is time to take a look and see how we did during the racing season.

In 2009 we entered 19 events. We completed all of these events but one was cancelled (Winter Harbor to Ucluelet leg of the van isle 360). We were the first to finish in all but three of these races, and collected the following silverware:

Shaw Island Winter Classic - 3rd
Southern Straits - 5th
Round Whidbey - 1st
Swiftsure - 12th (we really screwed up this one)
Van Isle 360 - 2nd
Northern Century - 1st
Lawson Reef - 2nd
Round the County - 4th

We also set a couple of elapsed time records:

Round Whidbey - 9:41:49
Van Isle 360 - 63:55:44 (monohull)

All things considered it was a great year - we learned a lot and are well positioned to do very well next racing season. Here is a quick peek at the details...

2009 Race Results & Analysis

Winter Projects...

We will be hauling Icon out of the water for the months of December and January. Northern Marine has kindly consented to let us put her inside (with her mast removed) so that we can get our punch-list finished out of what is turning out to be a wet & wild winter!

Some of the items on our punch list include:

Inspecting the mast
Replacing the backstay
Rebuilding the forward head
Replacing the portlights
Replacing all the lifelines
Replacing the kevlar rub strips on the boom
Building a new Satcom & GPS arch
Fixing the main hatch
Plus many little items

We plan on being back in the water by the end of January and in time for our first event in February (the AYC Foul Weather Cruise)...

Round the County...

Icon's last race of the season was the annual Round the County event circumnavigating the San Juan Islands.

The race started in a driving squall with a blistering downwind run from Lydia Shoal to Pt. Lawrence. Both Icon and Braveheart (a turbo TP 52) opted for the starboard end of the line and took off at approximately 20 knots. The wind and rain died on the north side of Orcas in the long reach to Patos Island with BraveHeart slightly ahead. In the beat up Boundary Passage Icond caught Braveheart and managed to beat them to the line and take the gun in an epic tacking duel to Roche Harbor.

On the second day we had a very poor start and made a mistake by going outside. By the time we got back to the beach we were mid-pack and had to work our way through the fleet by short-tacking the beach. We ended up passing everyone (including the Car) and the fight was between Braveheart and us. They took the inside route over Salmon Bank and made some gains - we took the outside route with Flash. We were gaining on Braveheart at Davidson Rock when they set their kite and accelerated away barely under control. We opted for a blast reacher until Kellet Ledge when we set the A3. Our backstay immediately blew and we went into damage control.

Thanks to great driving by Scotter we were able to save the rig and hook up a temporary backstay. We then set the A5 and lumbered on to the finish behind Braveheart. We ended up finishing 4th in our division and 6th overall, plus our race record remained intact by 22 seconds!

A great finish to a wonderful season!

Fall Fling - Princess Louisa Trip

Icon just returned from a fast trip to Princess Louisa Inlet. For those of you who haven't heard about Princess Louisa Inlet - it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and can only be accessed by private boat or seaplane.

We left Thursday night and sailed all night (kind of rough off the Sand Heads with a building westerly and the Fraser River outflow), cleared customs in Vancouver, then sailed on to Pender Harbor. Leaving early the next morning we made it to Malibu Rapids in time for the high slack and then had two days of wonderful weather in the inlet with only a few other boats for company. While there we went swimming, hiked to the trappers cabin, and generally played around.

Leaving the inlet early the following morning at low slack we sailed down Jervis Inlet and then over to Naniamo in a building gale - kind of lumpy (6-8ft waves, some bigger). Nearing Naniamo we went to the assistance of a sailboat in trouble and towed them back into Naniamo.

The next morning we sailed down the Strait of Georgia in a building NW breeze and spent the night at Poets Cove. The crew especially enjoyed the pool and hot tub! The following morning we crossed over to Roche Harbor (cleared customs there) and then sailed on home to Anacortes.

A great trip with about 500 miles of sailing spread over 4 days (while at sea)!

Icon Wins Northern Century...

On August 28-29, Icon competed in the 2nd running of the Northern Century. The Northern Century is a grueling yacht race (mostly at night) that runs from Anacortes to Point Roberts, Stuart Island (Turn Point), Hein Bank (in the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca) and then home to Anacortes.

The race started at 7:30pm Friday night with two divisions - a double-handed division (we came third in this event last year with Schussboomer), and a fully-crewed division. Icon competed in the fully-crewed division.

The winds were light at the start, but gradually built to 15-20 knots. We ran the A1 and upshifted to the A2 for the run to Pt. Roberts at ~15knots boatspeed. At Point Roberts we changed to the J2 and beat to East Point in moderate winds. At East Point the wind started to go light and we upshifted to the J1 and reached down Boundary Passage. At Turn Point we footed over the the Canadian side of Haro Strait with numerous light spots to avoid.

Just east of Discovery Island we managed to catch the building westerly and put up the A2 and ran down to Hein Bank. At the bank we wrapped a bunch of kelp around the keel and rudder. We should have backed down immediately, but we struggled home with it flapping on the hull.

From Hein Bank we ran our angles to Davidson Rock and then onto the finish off Shannon Point in light winds. We finished at 8:54 am to a nice sunrise with an elapsed time of 13:14:30; narrowly correcting in front of the C&C 110 (like Schussboomer) with a final time of 15:09:30.

Great trip and thanks to Ian/Joy for preparing the boat and the crew for making it go...

San Juan Islands & Buchart Garden Trip...

We recently completed a nice 4-day trip with a group of other boats to the following stops:

Sucia Island (Echo Bay)
Stuart Island (Prevost Harbor)
Todd Inlet (Buchart Gardens)

The weather the first night was a little blustery, but things calmed down from then on. We had our friends the Siapco's on-board, plus friends on other boats who were travelling with us. At Stuart Island we hiked to the lighthouse. On Saturday we motored over to Bedwell Harbor and cleared customs, then sailed down to Todd Inlet. We had a great fireworks show at Buchart. On Sunday we cleared customs at Roche Harbor, then sailed into the Strait and home to Anacortes.

A great weekend...

4th-July Cruise...

Now that Icon is back in cruising mode we took her out for a spin on the 4th of July around Fidalgo Island. Winds were light (unfortunately). Managed to fly the kite back down Guemes Channel. Anchored in Fidalgo Bay and watched the fireworks - a nice relaxing day!

Icon back in cruising mode...

Now that Icon is back from the van isle 360 we have converted her back into cruising mode - this includes putting the interior back into the boat, removing all the racing gear, installing the dodger, etc. Thanks to Ian & Joy for making this happen!

Our plans now are to take the boat on several day trips and weekend cruises. In addition we are planning a trip to Princess Louisa Inlet and Desolation Sound late July or early August. Stay tuned for more updates...

Icon Back in Anacortes...

Icon departed Naniamo after the van Isle 360 awards party and motor/sailed to Roche Harbor where we managed to check in before customs closed at 8:00pm (the boats behind us probably didn't make it). We then motored home to Anacortes and tied up shortly before 1:00am...

It was a wonderful trip and it finished well - the inside legs were discouraging as we couldn't get on the podium due to the winds building behind us - but we did very well on the outside legs, so all things worked out well...

Icon Takes Second in the Van Isle 360

Icon had a great run from Victoria to Naniamo - we along with DragonFly held back at the start to avoid the mayhem & crashes (probably a good thing as the wind was up considerably). We quickly passed the fleet on the heels of DragonFly at 16+ knots. We took the inside route to Naniamo (Baynes Channel & Porlier Pass). Managed to sneak ahead of DragonFly near Stuart in a big hole as the rest of the fleet sailed up to us. Near Ganges we caught the new westerly and had a very fast reach up to Porlier - managed to transit before the currents shut the door and finished in Naniamo 12 minutes behind DragonFly...

Ended up with 2nd in our Divison (a really comeback) and 2nd to DragonFly on elapsed time - those guys sailed a great race with many challenges. The entire crew was exhausted...

Icon Wins In Victoria...

The run from Ucluelet to Victoria started out with light winds that steadily built as we got closer to Victoria. We (along with Flash and DragonFly) went way offshore again and took the great circle route to Cape Flattery in the fog. The whales were breaching everywhere and it was a magical time.

We managed to get to the freshening breeze first and so legged out on everyone except DragonFly who beat us to Victoria. Ended up finishing first (way ahead) in the early morning, down about 7 minutes on Dragon Fly...

If we can win first on the leg to Naniamo we could get a podium position if some of the other boats fade a little...game on!

Race Cancelled to Ucluelet...

The Race from Winter Harbor to Ucluelet was unfortunately cancelled since only a few boats were able to finish - this really hurt our standings as we would have easily earned a second place plus put about 20 hours on DragonFly in the elapsed time standings...

We will have to put the hammer down on the next leg to Victoria to gain some points...

Icon Safely in Ucluelet...

Icon safely arrive in Ucluelet at 16:04 today after a 138 mile drifter from Winter Harbor. We had an okay start (we were over early but quickly re-crossed the line) and then the wind shut off. It seemed to take hours to get around the Brooks Pennisula.

We took a risk and went way offshore (approximately 20-30 miles). We were so far out that we couldn't contact Tofino Coast Guard Radio for our required check in appointments. The winds were okay and built the next morning as we headed back to the beach.

We were the first to arrive in Ucluelet, so we will get another white flag and will pull off a significant lead in the elapsed time contest. As far as the corrected time finish results we will have to see...

Icon Safely in Winter Harbor

We have been quiet the last few days - busy sailing and getting the boat ready for going around Cape Scott. But first an update...

From Campbell River we motored up to Deepwater Bay (~10nm) through the infamous Seymour Narrows. Flash popped their forestay at the start and had to retire. Had a good run to the Hardwicke Island fish farm in light winds - finished just slightly behind DragonFly.

From Hardwicke to Telegraph Cove the winds were light but we managed to pick some good lines and finished well ahead of the fleet despite adverse current - got another bullet.

From Telegraph Cove to Port Hardy the winds were also light - swapped places with Flash a couple of times and successfully threaded the rocks at the entrance to Hardy Bay to provide a good show for the spectators. Were welcomed to the town by the Indian Chief and given permission to land - another bullet.

From Port Hardy to Winter Harbor we had moderate winds beating up Golettas Channel. Crossed the infamous Nahwitti Bar in drifting conditions against adverse current - was a very light reach across to Cape Scott. We managed to roll DragonFly in this leg. The wind picked up down to Winter Harbor - DragonFly regained the lead passing us fully wound up (25-20 knots). We performed a couple of spinnaker peels and horizoned the fleet, finishing just slightly behind DragonFly averaging ~16-18 knots in the last leg...

Now to prepare for the trip to Ucluelet...

The View from Campbell River...

After a frustrating couple of days with the wind building from the back and bringing the fleet down to us we had an upwind leg and managed to get a bullet. Today's leg was from Comox to Campbell River. Ian drove another great start and we accelerated past the fleet into a freshing northwester. We paced Flash over to the Sunshine coast when they tacked back - we followed them back, but then sent Karl aloft and decided to head back to east in a very high risk move to stay in pressure. The wind amazingly gave a 180 degree lift and we were able to lay Cape Mudge without tacking and without getting swept into Desolation Sound.

The results are not in yet, but we probably corrected to second - a big help from our poor performance from the last two days!

More to come...

Icon safely in Naniamo

Icon arrive safely in Naniamo late last night after a long motor from Anacortes. We lucked out with a nice spot at the head of the dock. We just went through the coast guard safety inspection this morning and off-loaded all the extra gear into the crew van. The weather is really warm with not much wind...

This afternoon we have a skippers meeting followed by a welcome reception. The winds are supposed to be SE 15-20 tomorrow which will make the first leg very short...

More tomorrow...

van Isle 360 Delivery...

Icon will be leaving Anacortes for Naniamo on Thursday June 4, 2009 around 13:00 - just as soon as some of our crew arrives in from the airport. We will motor/sail to Nanaimo and hope to arrive there by 10:00pm. We plan on clearing customs in either Bedwell Harbor or in Naniamo.

The crew van should arrive in Naniamo several hours before we do... Our Spot transciever will be active whenever we are on the move, so you can follow us if you desire...

New Communications Gear...

We are in the midst of preparing Icon for the 2009 van Isle 360.

In case you haven't heard about the van Isle 360 - it is a 10-stage event circumnavigating Vancouver Island. The race starts and ends in Naniamo and has a well deserved reputation as being one of the most difficult yet rewarding races in North America.

In order to facilitate communication we have installed a new KVH Fleetbroadband system on Icon so that we can exchange e-mail, post blog entries, and check weather. You can also call us at the following telephone number...

011-870-773-151-714

We will have the phone on throughout the event...

Swiftsure Wrap-Up...

The crew of Icon had a great time at Swiftsure with eleven boats participating from the Anacortes Yacht Club. As expected there was adverse current in light winds at the start with a wild dash to make it through the Race before the door was slammed shut.

We were second to the Race in 2nd place immediately behind Glory. All the big sleds immediately headed over the the US side and short-tacked the beach up to the Cape. The further west we sailed the heavier the swell we experienced. Several boats retired during this leg due to the lumpy conditions.

We rounded the bank at around midnight in 3rd, but quickly regained 2nd place until we sailed into a fog bank and the wind died! While drifting around in the slop a number of smaller boats got around us. Eventually we headed back to the US side (carefully crossing the shipping lanes) and caught a little wind. We then followed the wind back to the Canadian side while looking for our competition.

When the first glimmers of sun started to show we saw Strum in the distance and worked hard to catch her. We eventually did and managed to pass her while short-gybing the beach against an ebb through the Race.

The run to the finish inside Ogden Point was predictably unpredictable with those boats going wide and reaching up to the finish gaining considerable ground. We managed to inch out Strum and finished 5th in our division and 11th overall.

The crew were upset as we should have been able to get 2nd had we not lost track of our competition during the night - however, being this was our 3rd big race with the boat we were pleased how we did.

Below is a picture of Ian absolutely nailing the start with Icon clear ahead of the entire fleet!

Furuno MaxSea Time Zero...

As many of you know we have a computer onboard Icon and that we use B&G Deckman and Nobeltec Admiral for navigation. While these two products have their own merits, unfortunately they are not integrated with our Furuno NavNet 3D glass helm at each wheel station - as a result the navigator down below does not have access to real-time radar, sounder, route information and AIS targets.

In talking with Furuno they decided to let us test the new MaxSea TimeZero for use with our NavNet 3D glass helm. Icon will be the very first North American vessel to use this system and will be reporting on our progress with the system during the van Isle 360 (June 6-20).

Stay tuned...

Icon Splashed Today...

Icon was splashed today (May 20) after having her hull pimped to perfection plus some minor propeller repairs to fix the damage when we hit a log during our record "Round Whidbey" run. With a little more work she should be ready to rock during Swiftsure.

We will be leaving at 9:00am Friday morning for Victoria - there are many things to do before we are ready to leave (this is a Category I race requring full offshore safety gear), plus we will need to stop by the fuel dock to get some more diesel (main tanks are completely empty)...

Thursday, June 3, 2010

2010 Swiftsure Start Video...

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

2010 Swiftsure Wrap-Up

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Upwind both Ways...

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Round Saltspring Scoring Analysis...

The Round Saltspring Adventure...

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Stuck in 4th...

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

SYC Smith Island Convergence Zone

Sunday, May 2, 2010

AYC Hein Bank Race...

Monday, April 26, 2010

2010 SYC Smith Island Regatta...

Monday, April 19, 2010

Oldie but Goodie...

Sunday, April 18, 2010

AYC Viti Rocks Race...

Friday, April 16, 2010

Ready to Roll Again...

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Southern Straits Rescue...

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Icon Back in Anacortes...

Southern Straits Race...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Icon Delivered to Vancouver...

Monday, March 29, 2010

Crew Practice

Monday, March 22, 2010

AYC Round Guemes Race...

Monday, March 15, 2010

2010 Lawson Reef Race...

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

A Nice Afternoon...

2010 Foul Weather Race...

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Icon is now a sailboat again...

Monday, February 1, 2010

New Instrument Arch for Icon...

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Mast & Boom Done, Prop Fixed...

Friday, January 22, 2010

Mast Spraying Today...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Icon Splashed Today...

Friday, January 15, 2010

Inside work almost done...

Monday, January 11, 2010

The End is in Sight...

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Inside Work Nearing Completion...

Thursday, December 24, 2009

An update on the refit...

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Icon's Mast in Shop..

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Icon in Hanger...

Sunday, November 29, 2009

2009 Race Results...

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Winter Projects...

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Round the County...

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Fall Fling - Princess Louisa Trip

Friday, September 4, 2009

Icon Wins Northern Century...

San Juan Islands & Buchart Garden Trip...

Monday, July 6, 2009

4th-July Cruise...

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Icon back in cruising mode...

Monday, June 22, 2009

Icon Back in Anacortes...

Icon Takes Second in the Van Isle 360

Icon Wins In Victoria...