2015 Transpac – Previews from Nor Cal boats and crews

by pressure-drop.us on 12 Jul 2015 2015 Transpac – The first of several previews from Nor Cal Boats and crews participating in the 2015 Transpac:

Vivianne Fagrell kindly plays question and answer in regards to the 1D35 Alpha Puppy

PD The Alpha Puppy Crew has been doing the Offshore program for some time now, Can you give us readers digest condensed version of the offshore adventures?

VF The offshore stuff has been some of the most fun sailing as well as harrowing at times. It's very different from bay racing in many ways. You get to see conditions that you just don't see in the bay and so this increases your sailing knowledge and skills tenfold. I'd say the biggest 'gift' it gives you is learning to really be master of your universe. You must take care of yourself 100%, be completely self-sufficient. That takes a lot of skill, effort, tenacity and wisdom.

PD Races competed in?

VF Coastal Cup, OYRA races, HI races (Waikiki Offshore.) We plan on checking out other races if possible like MEXORC and whatever else is of interest and makes sense from a time, logistics and money standpoint of course.

PD Trips to Hawaii?

VF Transpac twice, this will be the third.

PD Regular crew for offshore?

VF Some, yes. We have international crew from Australia that did this with us last time and will be joining us again. We also have regular crew that has been sailing with us both in the bay and offshore for a while now (>five years.)

PD 1D 35, how did the program come together?

VF It started with the crew from the previous boat owner. Then they slowly migrated to other adventures and so then we started a new crew which had a core group that sailed with us for about five years. Then with the Transpac we shuffled some of the players again (it eats up about half, if not the whole season with prep work.) But now we have a new core crew and many new players as well.

PD Mods to the boat for offshore?

VF Initially the turboing was not offshore specific but has turned out to make the offshore sailing an absolute gas. The 1D in its original stock config is just a completely different experience offshore. This makes for some spectacular downwind surfing. Last Tpac we plumbed a permanent watermaker onboard. For this Tpac there are more specific mods. We went higher and bigger with the kite and installed some high-speed winches. The winches will help with the kite trimming in heavy air, the bigger kite will help with the light stuff.

PD Decision making and navigation, is that a consensus program?

VF Not anymore. We have discovered that it is too hard to do it that way. We've learned by trial and error that while we want to be inclusive and hear people's opinions, that sometimes that is just not the best thing to do. Too many cooks in the kitchen when doing a 2000 mile crossing leads to too many complications.

PD Best memories thus far offshore racing?

VF Some of the night time sailing has been just epic. I don't think I have ever seen such a big sky and some of those starlight evenings and moonlight evenings were ah-ma-zing. There were some squalls that were a gas as well. The first Tpac when we arrived at the Molokai Channel we were carried in all the way by a 30 kt squall that led to some of the highest and lengthiest speeds runs we have enjoyed. There was a lot of hootin' and hollering and giggling that night as we surfed for hours. Alex loves to tell people how easy the boat was to drive on a continuous plane at 21 kts. The next Tpac we got to see the legendary channel during the day. It is so gorgeous. One of the crew quipped 'Oh I see, you forget about the first seven days because the last three are just amazing, that's what brings you back!' I also love the reception that each boat gets when you arrive, I think that is a fine, fine tradition.

PD Hopes and intentions for 2015? Are the weather gods smiling?

VF A little more wind than the last one, and more varied conditions is also desirable. And a better weather window for our start. We have been getting the worst ones so far which don't favor us. I don't know if the weather Gods are smiling, I'd better run off and make a due offering!

Extreme H2o With Malcolm Park

The second in the series or 2015 Transpac Preview interviews with Nor Cal representing boats and crews! Malcolm Park gives us some scoop on the kitted out Gunboat 66, and what she is capable off!!!

PD The Gunboat 66 Extreme H2o has a sistership in Phaedo and a nieceship in Chim Chim, but Extreme H2o has been kitted out nicely with the assist of Morrelli and Melvin. Can you give us some insight on the upgrades?

MP Sorry for the long answer but there is a bit to cover with this question...

The owner has always held the vision that that his boat was to be a fast cruising boat. What has changed, since we picked up the boat in South Africa three years ago, is how to use advanced design, construction and ergonomics to improve the almost 10 year GB66. The most significant design changes from a stock GB66 are the 4.3m deep 'C' foils that provide nearly four tons of lift at 20 knots of boat speed, a generous sail plan that allows us to fly a hull in as little as 12 TWS, a rotating mast with a cross beam and longeron all built by Southern Spars that allow us to carry up to 8 tons of luff tension on our furling sails. Some of the ergonomic changes include a proper curved traveler mounted on the aft beam along with tiller steering.

The owner also wanted a hybrid boat. Without going into all the details, there was not a hybrid system on the market when we started this project that was more than a pipe dream for a boat this size. It was also impossible to envision a system that would weigh any less than two diesels for propulsion plus a generator for AC power. The only way to bring the hybrid system into reality was to make the entire boat run off of the 300 volt / 28.5kwh battery bank. This would mean that all motors for hydraulics, winches and appliances would run on the highest AC voltage available. Using this technique essentially eliminated all other battery systems and reduced the wire weight by about 270kg.

In the end we ended up with a boat that weighs about 1.5 tons less than Phaedo in Transpac configuration and this includes a great deal of 'luxury items' that Phaedo is not carrying on board for the race. Extreme H2O will carry four refrigerators, four Air Conditioning units, two water heater three refrigerators, one freezer, three full heads... I think you get the idea..

PD How much change in the vectors will see between Phaedo and Extreme H2o?

MP We have only sailed against Phaedo in the race to Cabo and I am not sure how they might have changed their sail configuration since that time. I would hope we have something on them in less than 10 TWS. But in Vmg running the delta might not be that large.

PD Top projected sustained speed?

MP Our running and reaching numbers are similar to a mini-maxi. We are quicker reaching they have better Vmg running. Our peak speed so far is just over 30 knots... we can sustain in the low 20's but it requires a flat sea state.

PD With four boats in class 0 and one of them being Lending Club, what's it gonna take to correct out ahead of a 105' Maxi trimaran?

MP My focus used to be all about corrected time. The last program that I won Tranpac with was in 2007 with the TP52 'Rosebud'. We won the race by about 40 minutes. Twenty of those minutes could be atributed to change we made to our mainsail girth that credited a larger upper girth.

Now we are seven days from the start of the race and I still do not know our rating! The good news is that the multihull fleet has taken their rating out of the PHRF realm and we will be racing with VPP ratings generated by Harry Dunning using the Transpac wind Matrix. The ratings were generated using scale weights for the boats and supplied weight declarations for the gear that will be on board for the race. This will be the first VPP / TOT racing I have done on a multihull and I am optimistic that this will be the future of handicap rating for multi-hulls

PD The Gunboat affords a lot more protection from the elements, how critical is that in keeping the crew rested and fresh?

MP Have you been in the forward cockpit of a Gunboat when it is going 20 knots! It is perhaps the wettest place I have been on a boat. We started with 6 drains in that little cockpit and now we are adding two more monster drains. On our way to Cabo, I was up there with 2' of water in that cockpit! The good news is that when you come off of watch, you can take a hot shower!

PD You have the assistance of Matt Noble and Trevor Baylis, two very astute Nor Cal sailors on board, how big is that and how do they compliment the additional seven members in getting the most out of the boat?

MP Matt and Trevor are on the boat not just because of their experience sailing but their experience in sailing Multi-hulls. Trevor brings his experience with 'Playstation' and 'Team Adventure'. Matt brings his experience from the MOD70 'Orion' and ORMA 60 'Mighty Merloe'. The 'other Californians' we have on board are the owner, Pat Benz, Kevin Miller and Eric Chowanski 'Chewy'. The remainder of the crew are Tom Addis as Navigator who is stepping off of VO65 Vestas Wind, Jac Vincent who you might know from 'Hydropere', Steve Caulder from North Sails and Hannah Jenner who is the boat captain.

Lending Club 2 with Skip McCormack

Local sailing legend Skip McCormack cut his sailing teeth via the San Francisco Junior Program and worked his way up the ranks where he now sits at the top of the call list of many major sailing programs, but even at the top level, getting the chance to crew on a maxi trimaran like Lending Club 2, which is on the verge of the sailing in the Transpac is still a rare opportunity. Skip gives us some insight on the program and how the opportunity presented itself!

PD You must be pinching yourself about now, a full fledged member of a maxi trimaran about to embark on a record hunting expedition on one of the fastest boats on the planet. For the edification of those unaware, can you provide a short synopsis of how this all came to be, your relationship with Ryan and Nicola which led up to this opportunity?

SM This has been a pretty special opportunity and experience for me. This year has been a bit of a dream come true; from being asked to sail with Howie and Dan Phillips on the skiff for the JJ’s and then getting asked to sail on this program for the Transpac record, I have been humbled and honored to sail with these incredibly talented people.

Ryan and Nicola stayed with Jody and I while Ryan prepped the original Lending Club, the modified 73 foot trimaran owned by John Sangmeister. We became fast friends and both Jody and I appreciate and enjoy Ryan and Nicola’s friendship. I was in Australia when I heard that Ryan had been asked to manage the LC2 program and I sent an email literally asking to “throw my hat in the ring”. Ryan responded positively and here we are.


PD You have been sailing on Lending Club 2 for several months now setting a couple records along the way, how has that experience been thus far?

SM I actually joined LC2 in New York after they broke the N2B record, so I’m not able to say that I have broken a record… yet! But the experience has been amazing. As I’ve said to many of the guests who have come on board, this has been an incredible opportunity for us. It never gets old, no matter how many times we go back and forth, each of us are giddy when we feel the boat accelerate under our feet.

The part of the project that I’ve participated in has been PR sailing in New York, the delivery from New York to San Francisco, PR sailing in San Francisco, and finally we are gearing up for the Transpac. The delivery through the Canal was wild. Three Days 20 Hours from New York to Panama and 10 days from Panama to San Francisco. Unreal. I got a chance to make some great friendships with the guys on the boat, even learning some French along the way: “Polly View En-Glays???” and “Baguette” and “Brie”… (Okay, google Translate is an incredible application…)

PD Apparent wind sailing is something you have grown to embrace in recent years, beginning with 49er and then the 18' skiffs and numerous high performance big boats, including Orion, how important is that in understanding the dynamics of sailing a maxi trimaran?

SM That’s a good question. I think the best way to answer is that I have been blessed to have had opportunities (and the option to take advantage of those opportunities) over the years which have gotten me to a point where I can add value to a program like this. Each and every experience has been invaluable to sailing on LC2.

As for the dynamics of this boat in particular, it certainly has been wonderful to learn the boat. The experiences of sailing all the other boats only gives you so much. I had to rely on the experiences of others around me like Ryan, Jan Meyer, Stan Del Barre, JB Le Vaillant and the rest of the talented crew to learn the specifics of this boat. Nobody jumps on a machine like this for the first time and instantly understands the dynamics. The loads, the choreography of each maneuver, the feel of the helm; it all takes time to learn.

The week of sailing in NY was invaluable for being safe offshore during our delivery to SF. I think during the delivery is where I became comfortable with the boat, but still hadn’t felt the boat pushed to its limits. During our photo shoot on Monday where Ryan pushed the boat to fly the central hull I got a chance to feel the limits of the boat and how hard it can be pushed. Now the next steps are to keep the hammer down the entire way to Hawaii.

PD The ORMA 73(?) Tritium you sailed with Ryan was a different animal, with the canting mast long sprit etc, can you compare the similarities and differences when sailing the two?

SM The Tritium and the Mod both implement hydraulics to manage the loads and canting rigs to gain additional power. The LC2 doesn’t have either. The idea was to simplify systems and lighten the boat. Can you imagine the size of the rams needed to cant the rig? And the boat certainly does not need the additional power a canting rig could provide. The boat is very simple, very basic and 100% human driven in the handles!

PD You have been doing back to back to back trips on SF, exposing nearly 1,000 guests to the thrill of sailing on a maxi tri, how rewarding has that been?

SM It’s been spectacular. All of us on the boat have commented on the progression most of the guests go through from the time they drive up in the rib to the time they get off. A little bit of awe and apprehension of the nets and where to walk. By the time they get off they are smiling and comfortable walking anywhere on the boat. It’s cool to see and hear the excitement they have from the experience.

A majority of the guests have never been sailing before, so we watch each of them go through a transformation. Ryan is incredible at interacting with people on the boat, making sure the shiest of the group are some the first to drive. As the boat rips around for the first few minutes of each session, people begin to get more comfortable with walking on the nets until they are running around the boat from the bow to stern, downstairs and into the dark caverns of the waterproof bulkheads to see the lavatory and storage space. Rhys started having fun with some of the kids who are on board and telling them when they go downstairs, “Make sure not to splash any water out of the hot tub” or “Don’t jump on the pool table”. Obviously the kids then go running to find the hot tub or the pool table…

So for us, we know we are participating in something special. Renaud set a fantastic goal of trying to get as many people out to experience this incredible machine and Ryan set the tone of our interaction with the guests with his generous and inclusive character. It’s been a special program.


PD With all those trips, the crew must be able to sail the boat in their sleep, so getting the boat down the track in the Transpac should be a walk in the park, yet you will still be pushing her harder than you might with guests on board, what's your guess at the top 24 hour run the crew might achieve if conditions allow?

SM We have been laughing at the thought that in the last two months this crew and the boat have probably at least doubled the amount of maneuvers the boat had done in the previous 10 years of existence. The crew is dialed and ready to rock and keeping fingers crossed for favorable winds. The boat is capable of some incredible distances but it’s going to take some good luck from the wind gods. The N2B record was 23 hours for 635 miles. We did 558 miles at 80% polars during the delivery, so those are really my only frames of reference. I think our whole outlook is to not expect anything, push the boat as hard as we can push it, make smart, informed decisions, and the boat will take care of the rest.