What say you, sailor?

We don't really taste that great to sharks, so most attacks are single bites - just really BIG bites...
:skullpeak:

:eek: I don't know if we (or scientists) even had the chance to prove that we were not "that great tasting" ... :eek:

As we walked closer we saw that the log was actually a 3-400 pound female elephant seal with about an 18in bite out of her mid-section, and bright red arterial blood was still streaming down the beach - a VERY fresh kill!

... and that the attack had to have happened inside of the outer reef that we were surfing since the cow had made it to the beach before dying with such a catastrophic injury.

Poor creature ... That was informative, graphic and very sad! :sad1:
 
A bit sad, but sharks gotta eat too.


Here's a fun video - all freediving with Roberta Mancino & Mark Healey. At about 5:50 they are riding sharks.


While I don't have any empirical proof that we aren't tasty, I just try to see it from the sharks perspective:
"Hmmm, I'm REALLY hungry. What's that sorta stringy lookin thing flailing around up there? Not my usual sea lion or floating dead whale snack. It doesn't swim very well, smells different, might be sick. It might hurt me if I try for a bite - better be careful if I go for it."
IMHO when they have other choices, they'll take them first. That said, if you ever notice that EVERY sea lion in the area has suddenly left, you might want to as well! :excited:


One more video - Guillaume Nery freediving "Dean's Blue Hole". He doesn't hit the true bottom (663ft), but one of the ledges on the way down - very deep none the less. Still I thought the base jumping style it was shot in was cool.

"Hooch goes Fishing"

Dad thought it would be a good day to see how his dog, Hooch would like sailing in the boat. So Dad, my brother in law Mark & I went sailing with a panting, wagging, happy to be included Hooch. Hooch is a high energy mix of pointer and sneaky neighbor dog; he'd have made a great hunting dog - Sticks, balls, kid's toys & anything else he can bring back to "his people" are all fair game for retrieving in Hooch's eyes.

Hooch had been having fun barking at sea lions, was fascinated by the sparkles in the water, and nearly went overboard when we passed alongside a few strands of floating kelp. After a while he settled down in the aft end of the cockpit, at the base of the wheel where he could still peek under the walk-through to the swim step and see what was happening on the water.

There wasn't a lot of wind, and we were only moving about 2.5 knots - not exactly exciting sailing - so we figured we'd rig some poles and see if we could come up with some dinner. My Dad had just finished tying a sparkly pink squid lure to his pole. As he brought the rod back over his shoulder to cast, I felt Hooch come to attention at my feet. At that moment, Dad whipped the the pole forward and cast the lure far out into the Pacific; and before anyone could react we heard the sound of the big dog's claws struggling to find traction on the deck as we watched his furry black form leap over the lifelines in a long arc over the water. Hooch hit the water with a splash! And popped up, looking just as shocked and wide eyed as we were at what he'd just done!

Mark pitched the man overboard pole to mark the dog's location as we quickly dropped sail, making a mess of lines & canvas all over the deck, but stopping the boat. Dad & Mark cleaned up the deck as I got the little 3 cylinder diesel started and reversed the boat towards the panicked pooch. Putting the engine into neutral, Dad took the wheel while I moved onto the swim step and pushed the ladder into the water so I could fetch the retriever from the briny blue.

Hooch was happy to cooperate as we heaved the soggy dog back onto the deck, wet and shivering, but safe. Having completed our dog overboard exercise, we hoisted the sail and continued on. Even though there was much to see, poor Hooch stayed in the center of the cockpit for the rest of the voyage, his excitement forgotten - until next trip.....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hooch hit the water with a splash! And popped up, looking just as shocked and wide eyed as we were at what he'd just done!

Mark pitched the man overboard pole to mark the dog's location as we quickly dropped sail, making a mess of lines & canvas all over the deck, but stopping the boat.
Ha, ha. *Great story, Rick, as I appreciate you sharing all of these experiences of yours. ;)

"Hooch" caused a lot of excitement that day and I'm sure if he would have caught a CAT fish for you if he otherwise would not have been so PREOCCUPIED, lol. :cool:
 
Again not sailing stuff, but a great video:


This one is from a few years ago, that's me @ 4:27! I'm not entirely sure, but I think that's also me that blows it in the background at 7:05 - it looks like me judging by where I sit when I surf there (close to the rock that you can see, but not too close to the rock you CAN'T see) .


My avatar pic is from the same spot, on a different day.
 
There has always been "something" exciting & mysterious about the sea. ;)
*Our ships are no exception.
Post here anything & everything you would like to share concerning ships &/or sailing. What you may share can include ships pertaining to POTCO, but...it is not necessary.
Non-POTCO related ships are accepted just as well.
This thread is devoted to the "beauty" of all sailing vessels &/or sailing adventures.
:arrrrr:​
love it
 
Had my daughter aboard our kayak for a harbor tour when Flipper decided to check us out.

DolphinSmallimg.jpg


Check out the scarring on her head & the small notches out of her dorsal fin - looks as though she lives in a rough pod!Was watching on TV when this happened. These are the "new" America's Cup AC 72 class (72' Catamarans with hydrofoils). They can reach speed of 41kts / 47mph on wind power alone. This incident happened at about 30kts.

2 crew overboard and a lot of damage to the carbon fiber on the port side (right side of the screen). Oh, did I mention that the boat costs about $15,000,000 to build? :facepalm:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sailing sounds cool and all. I wish I wasnt such a landlubber when it comes to my stomach. I cant sail because I get sea sick oto easily.
 
Was watching on TV when this happened. These are the "new" America's Cup AC 72 class (72' Catamarans with hydrofoils). They can reach speed of 41kts / 47mph on wind power alone. This incident happened at about 30kts.

2 crew overboard and a lot of damage to the carbon fiber on the port side (right side of the screen). Oh, did I mention that the boat costs about $15,000,000 to build? :facepalm:
I had watched that very same race too and was meaning to let you know about it - Rick - but had not done so, thus far.

*I have to say, the Italians did their best to keep competing and I did feel sorry for them as they were forced to make repairs on-site (I waited in suspense as some guy grabbed a 'hacksaw' out and begin cutting off some of the carbon fiber) but alas, it was not meant to be on that very windy day in San Francisco Bay. :sad1:

(As a side-note, I think I have decided to move to the Bay area now, lol. That place is beautiful)!One of my favorite movies. :popcorn: *I need to buy this movie on Blu-Ray...

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Going Up?

So..... Dad wanted to take a friend of his who'd never been aboard any boat (REALLY???) before out to the islands; I was to go along as first mate (means that I get to haul the mainsail up). We get a couple miles out under absolutely beautiful conditions - nice, easy swell, clear water and sky, and a steady breeze from the northwest had us making 4.5 to 5 knots. That's when we noticed that the boom was slowly lowering, so I went to the mast to adjust the topping lift and raise it a bit.

I have no excuse for what happened next - the line simply slipped through my glove and crashed through the plastic grommet into the mast. Our sailing was over for the day...

Fortunately we have a good reliable diesel, so instead of the islands, we motored back to the slip so that we could retrieve the line. While underway, we assessed the situation and came realized that somebody was going to have to get in the bosun's chair and got up to the masthead via the main halyard to feed the line back down.

Well, my Dad's friend was a guest, so that was out of the question.

I went up last time - I'm in very good shape, but weigh in at 185, so it was a struggle for my Dad to winch me up there.

My Dad weighs in considerably lighter, so the short straw fell to him.

We took the halyard from the mainsail and attached it to the bosun's chair, put in some tools, and a harness to hold him close to the mast - which sweeps back as it goes to it's height at 53'

It was a good workout getting him up there! He was doing fine until his friend had to use the facilities in the yacht club - when he stepped off the boat it rocked us a little bit - which translated to a good 7-8 ft swinging motion for Dad at the masthead. After a bit of fiddling, we managed to get the line fished back through the hole in the mast, and securely cleated off while I tied a much larger stopper knot to prevent it's disappearing in the future. We got Dad safely lowered back to the deck, had a good lunch and a good laugh - not exactly the day of sailing we had planned - but "fun" none the less!

Way_Up.jpg
Whats_Up.jpg
 
I always go to the Navy Pier in Chicago twice every year with my uncle, it's usually the highlight of my year. Usually, at the end of the day, we sit on this stone thing, looking out at the lake as fireworks explode in the sky.

Nostalgic for me.~
 
Back
Top