 |
| Mom loves spending time with you even if your hat is crooked |
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| A nice lake is a good choice; preferably one with fresh new docks. |
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| Add fair winds for relaxed cruising. Fold in a picnic lunch. |
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| And there's your happy Mom. Enjoy. |
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Happy Mother's Day
Should you take your mom sailing on Mother's Day weekend? Yes! She'll love it.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Spring Sailing and RunningMouth, too
Spring is here and spring sailing has begun. It's time to catch up with friends on the water.
Yesterday SOS posted a trip report from aboard his new charge, the Core Sound 17 Southbound built by Ken Potts who is now in Australia. According to SOS, after sailing Saturday there was camping onboard Saturday night, and a 13-boat race with the Carolina Sailing Club on Sunday.
Surprise! RunningMouth (Jonathan Coble) was there, day-sailing his Sea Pearl 21. Jon finished the WaterTribe Ultimate Florida Challenge of 2010 in an impressive 27days, 14hrs, and 35mins paddling and sailing his Kruger Sea Wind. We missed him at this year's EC 2011. Perhaps we will see him in the WaterTribe 2011 NC Challenge in September.
Jordan Lake is a good place to catch up with sailing friends. Check it out.
 |
| Southbound on Jordan Lake |
 |
| Photo by SOS. Taylor onboard. A fast boat with a tent for camping. Cruise it. Race it. |
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| Carolina Sailing Club, Sunday regatta |
Surprise! RunningMouth (Jonathan Coble) was there, day-sailing his Sea Pearl 21. Jon finished the WaterTribe Ultimate Florida Challenge of 2010 in an impressive 27days, 14hrs, and 35mins paddling and sailing his Kruger Sea Wind. We missed him at this year's EC 2011. Perhaps we will see him in the WaterTribe 2011 NC Challenge in September.
 |
| RunningMouth and crew aboard his Sea Pearl 21 |
Jordan Lake is a good place to catch up with sailing friends. Check it out.
Monday, March 21, 2011
EC 2011: photo sharing
Photos from the Everglades Challenge 2011 are being shared. Videos are being posted on the WaterTribe website and on YouTube. I'll have time to add to that soon, I hope.
The start and the finish were popular places for snapshots. Here for example, Jarhead captured the arrival of battle-warn sea kayakers Sundance and Hammerstroke at the finish in Key Largo.
 |
Jarhead (Bill Fite) welcomes Sundance (James Connell) and Hammerstroke (Will Schaet) |
Evey challenger looks better after a hot shower, some sleep, and a good meal. Jarhead kindly sent us the following photos of our own well-rested smiling faces. (Thanks again, Bill.) We in turn sent Bill a few photos for his collection.
 |
DWSB, SOS, SandyBottom in Key Largo |
Here are a few of those photos sent to Jarhead ---who happens to be a WaterTribe legend, a tough competitor, an outstanding role model on and off the water, and a pretty good party person.
 |
Jarhead and Kiwibird at the finish line |
 |
Moon Shadow (with tan tent) |
We are hoping Jarhead will give us a Class4-Doubles rematch in the WaterTribe's North Carolina Challenge 2011. Here's a view of the long sleeve t-shirt that goes with participation in the NCC.
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KiwiBird and Jarhead |
Friday, March 18, 2011
EC 2011: Brief Summary
The EC 2011 was a wonderful adventure aboard the Dawn Patrol. Alan (SOS) and I (DancesWithSandyBottom) were delighted to finish the EC in 2days 18hours 35minutes. In the EC record book this is the fourth fastest time for Class4 (monohull sailboats). The record in Class4 is 2days 8hrs 56min, set in 2007 by Graham Byrnes and Randy Marshall aboard the EC22 Southern Skimmer.
While we were sailing, Steve Earley covered our progress via photos and reports on his outstanding blog, logofspartina.blogspot.com. Thanks, Steve!
Our new asymmetric spinnaker, bowsprit, and running backstays proved useful by adding 1-2 knots on two downwind runs. We took the opportunity to explore the limits of application of the new spinnaker. (More on that later.) Thanks to Inner Banks Sails and Canvas in Oriental, NC, for making our Doyle APC spinnaker just-in-time for the EC.
Our B-and-B mizzen stays'l from Graham Byrnes also played an important role --as a jib! Yes, a jib! It's a bit flat for a spinnaker but the stays'l has many uses and we tried them all. We also used it wing-on-wing-on-wing.
I could just hear the stays'l saying, "Hey wait! I'm a mizzen stays'l! What are you doing to me now? This... doesn't... look... good......"
We sailed in the company of some world-class sailors in this year's EC and I am convinced there was also one aboard the Dawn Patrol; namely, Alan Stewart (SOS) who is a creative talented sailor, a great sailing companion, and the best son. His experience in off-shore racing was important. Add that to the other advantages we had: a good boat design, good sails, good oars, a dry cabin for naps on-the-go, and non-stop forward movement. We stopped for only 5-10 minutes at each of the three checkpoints.
Our greatest advantage was that we kept the boat moving forward all the time. The result was our 66.5 hour finish,
7 hours ahead of the 40-year-old 19' Lightning Hare on Fire (crew of two),
18 hours ahead of the brand new I-550 Hot Canary (crew of two),
42 hours ahead of the 19' Sea Pearl Moon Shadow (single-handed!),
61 hours ahead of the 14' Blue Jay Mullet (single-handed!).
The Lightning. Going upwind, the Lightning Hare on Fire was the fasted Class4 boat. However, we took the 30 knot headwinds on day2 inside the protection of Pine Island Sound while they were being battered by the same front out in the big waves of the Gulf of Mexico. At CP2 they stopped to sleep. We never stopped to sleep, kept the boat moving except for a few minutes at each checkpoint, and took turns at the helm to allow 1-2 hour naps. The great crew of Hare on Fire, Per Lorentzen (DonKeyHoTey) and Tom Dyll (MicroTom), said it reminded them of the fable of the tortoise and the hare. Tom said, "I realized we were the hare." We had a great time sharing stories with Per and Tom in Key Largo.
The I-550. In strong headwinds the tender I-550 had a reef in when we did not need any reefs. In that case we sailed past the Goudgeon brothers' I-550 Hot Canary. The Dawn Patrol also had the advantage when rowing and in quickly lowering/raising masts for bridges at CP1. We lowered/raised our masts and sails in 5-10 minutes, whereas the I-550 requires much longer. Also, Mead and Jan anchored Hot Canary sometimes for rest/sleep. Look out! They'll be back next year for a perfect run.
The Sea Pearl. Bill Fite (Jarhead) single-handed Moon Shadow this year in the EC. In the 2010 EC, Bill and Jonathan Arthur aboard Moon Shadow finished first in Class4 with 2days 10 hrs 27 min. Also, he and William Denton finished first in Class4 aboard Moon Shadow in the 2010 WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge.
The Blue Jay. This was Channing (DancesWithMullet) Boswell's third EC fnish. Channing has certainly proven his ability to single-hand and succeed in a very small sailboat.
The Class 5 Multi-Hulls. Overall, the Dawn Patrol was the third boat to finish the EC. The overall fastest boat this year was Randy Smyth's (SewSew's) unique speed machine Sizzor finishing in 1day 16hrs 14 mins. Randy describes Sizzor as being a home-built, self-designed trimaran 21' x 20' x Fun. Again this year, he had two Subway sandwiches strapped to the boom. That's all he needed. The tornado catamaran flown by Jamie Livingston (Bumpy) and Kenny Pierce (Machoman) finished a mere 20 minutes after Randy. Those two boats were neck-and-neck the whole way. Last year Jamie and Kenny set the all-time overall record at 1day 2hrs 12mins in EC2010. That record was not broken this year largely due to headwinds.
The other 7 boats in Class4 encountered problems and did not make it all the way to Key Largo.
Overall, only 30 of 71 starting boats finished EC2011 in Key Largo. The EC is unpredictable: parts break, electronics die, leaks appear, minor injuries occur, illness strikes, weather fronts roll through, etc. Most everyone was in need of anti-monkey butt powder. IronBob inhaled some nuts (he was quickly ok.) DogsLife was hit by pneumonia and fever. Things happen.
The faster a boat covers the distance, the less likely the boat is to be hit by multiple weather fronts and other problems.
On the Dawn Patrol we had to replace a broken downhaul line on our rudder while at CP2. And, the weather threw us a few curves: too much wind, too little wind, and even fog. Until we reached Florida Bay, staying warm was our biggest challenge. On the other hand the tidal currents we encountered this year were always flowing in a favorable direction. That was entirely unplanned unexpected good fortune.
The best part of the EC is gathering with kindred spirits in small boats to share the adventure.
The EC is also a wonderful adventure because the waters from Tampa to Key Largo are beautiful. Florida Bay stands out as unique, amazing, beautiful, mysterious and a little tricky. Some day I hope to slowly cruise the entire EC route. The Everglades National Park is so beautiful. Does it really make sense to race through it... offshore... at night?!
I am planning to post many further details, photos and videos here on this blog in the not-to-distant future. We have some excellent videos and photos. The EC is primarily a personal challenge; only secondarily is it a race. The most interesting stories are usually about the personal challenge.
The next WaterTribe event will be the 2011 NC Challenge in September -- looking forward to that!
--Paul
While we were sailing, Steve Earley covered our progress via photos and reports on his outstanding blog, logofspartina.blogspot.com. Thanks, Steve!
Our new asymmetric spinnaker, bowsprit, and running backstays proved useful by adding 1-2 knots on two downwind runs. We took the opportunity to explore the limits of application of the new spinnaker. (More on that later.) Thanks to Inner Banks Sails and Canvas in Oriental, NC, for making our Doyle APC spinnaker just-in-time for the EC.
Our B-and-B mizzen stays'l from Graham Byrnes also played an important role --as a jib! Yes, a jib! It's a bit flat for a spinnaker but the stays'l has many uses and we tried them all. We also used it wing-on-wing-on-wing.
 |
| Wing on Wing on Wing thanks to the Stays'l |
I could just hear the stays'l saying, "Hey wait! I'm a mizzen stays'l! What are you doing to me now? This... doesn't... look... good......"
We sailed in the company of some world-class sailors in this year's EC and I am convinced there was also one aboard the Dawn Patrol; namely, Alan Stewart (SOS) who is a creative talented sailor, a great sailing companion, and the best son. His experience in off-shore racing was important. Add that to the other advantages we had: a good boat design, good sails, good oars, a dry cabin for naps on-the-go, and non-stop forward movement. We stopped for only 5-10 minutes at each of the three checkpoints.
Our greatest advantage was that we kept the boat moving forward all the time. The result was our 66.5 hour finish,
7 hours ahead of the 40-year-old 19' Lightning Hare on Fire (crew of two),
18 hours ahead of the brand new I-550 Hot Canary (crew of two),
42 hours ahead of the 19' Sea Pearl Moon Shadow (single-handed!),
61 hours ahead of the 14' Blue Jay Mullet (single-handed!).
The Lightning. Going upwind, the Lightning Hare on Fire was the fasted Class4 boat. However, we took the 30 knot headwinds on day2 inside the protection of Pine Island Sound while they were being battered by the same front out in the big waves of the Gulf of Mexico. At CP2 they stopped to sleep. We never stopped to sleep, kept the boat moving except for a few minutes at each checkpoint, and took turns at the helm to allow 1-2 hour naps. The great crew of Hare on Fire, Per Lorentzen (DonKeyHoTey) and Tom Dyll (MicroTom), said it reminded them of the fable of the tortoise and the hare. Tom said, "I realized we were the hare." We had a great time sharing stories with Per and Tom in Key Largo.
The I-550. In strong headwinds the tender I-550 had a reef in when we did not need any reefs. In that case we sailed past the Goudgeon brothers' I-550 Hot Canary. The Dawn Patrol also had the advantage when rowing and in quickly lowering/raising masts for bridges at CP1. We lowered/raised our masts and sails in 5-10 minutes, whereas the I-550 requires much longer. Also, Mead and Jan anchored Hot Canary sometimes for rest/sleep. Look out! They'll be back next year for a perfect run.
The Sea Pearl. Bill Fite (Jarhead) single-handed Moon Shadow this year in the EC. In the 2010 EC, Bill and Jonathan Arthur aboard Moon Shadow finished first in Class4 with 2days 10 hrs 27 min. Also, he and William Denton finished first in Class4 aboard Moon Shadow in the 2010 WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge.
The Blue Jay. This was Channing (DancesWithMullet) Boswell's third EC fnish. Channing has certainly proven his ability to single-hand and succeed in a very small sailboat.
The Class 5 Multi-Hulls. Overall, the Dawn Patrol was the third boat to finish the EC. The overall fastest boat this year was Randy Smyth's (SewSew's) unique speed machine Sizzor finishing in 1day 16hrs 14 mins. Randy describes Sizzor as being a home-built, self-designed trimaran 21' x 20' x Fun. Again this year, he had two Subway sandwiches strapped to the boom. That's all he needed. The tornado catamaran flown by Jamie Livingston (Bumpy) and Kenny Pierce (Machoman) finished a mere 20 minutes after Randy. Those two boats were neck-and-neck the whole way. Last year Jamie and Kenny set the all-time overall record at 1day 2hrs 12mins in EC2010. That record was not broken this year largely due to headwinds.
The other 7 boats in Class4 encountered problems and did not make it all the way to Key Largo.
Overall, only 30 of 71 starting boats finished EC2011 in Key Largo. The EC is unpredictable: parts break, electronics die, leaks appear, minor injuries occur, illness strikes, weather fronts roll through, etc. Most everyone was in need of anti-monkey butt powder. IronBob inhaled some nuts (he was quickly ok.) DogsLife was hit by pneumonia and fever. Things happen.
The faster a boat covers the distance, the less likely the boat is to be hit by multiple weather fronts and other problems.
On the Dawn Patrol we had to replace a broken downhaul line on our rudder while at CP2. And, the weather threw us a few curves: too much wind, too little wind, and even fog. Until we reached Florida Bay, staying warm was our biggest challenge. On the other hand the tidal currents we encountered this year were always flowing in a favorable direction. That was entirely unplanned unexpected good fortune.
The best part of the EC is gathering with kindred spirits in small boats to share the adventure.
The EC is also a wonderful adventure because the waters from Tampa to Key Largo are beautiful. Florida Bay stands out as unique, amazing, beautiful, mysterious and a little tricky. Some day I hope to slowly cruise the entire EC route. The Everglades National Park is so beautiful. Does it really make sense to race through it... offshore... at night?!
I am planning to post many further details, photos and videos here on this blog in the not-to-distant future. We have some excellent videos and photos. The EC is primarily a personal challenge; only secondarily is it a race. The most interesting stories are usually about the personal challenge.
 |
| The Start on Tampa Bay at Ft. DeSoto |
 |
| Our GPS Track (left to right is north to south) |
 |
| SOS |
 |
| DancesWithSandyBottom |
 |
| Mizzen Stays'l used as a Jib |
 |
| Spinnaker run across Florida Bay: good winds, glassy water -- wow |
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| At the Finish Line in Key Largo |
The next WaterTribe event will be the 2011 NC Challenge in September -- looking forward to that!
--Paul
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A Spinnaker for the Dawn Patrol
The Dawn Patrol now has an asymmetrical spinnaker and removable bowsprit. The system was designed by SOS who built and installed the bowsprit. The new sail is a red and white, 138 sq. ft., Doyle "Asymmetrical Power Cruiser" spinnaker constructed by Mark Weinheimer at
Inner Banks Sail and Canvas in Oriental, NC.
Inner Banks Sail and Canvas in Oriental, NC.
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| Asymmetrical removable bowsprit |
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| Like Pinocchio |
Sunday, February 13, 2011
WaterTribe Everglades Challenge begins March 5, 2011
by DancesWithSandyBottom
Dawn Patrol in the EC
SOS and I (DWSB) are racing toward the starting line of the 2011 Everglades Challenge. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say March 5th is racing toward us at breakneck speed. Advanced preparation and training is essential. Some just-in-time preparation is unavoidable. Anyone who has ever paddled, rowed, sailed or paddle-sailed an EC will tell you that arriving at the starting line on the beach at Fort DeSoto always feels like a major accomplishment. The EC pits each challenger's preparations and training against the unpredictable weather and conditions of the race course from Tampa Bay to Key Largo.
SandyBottom in the EC
While we are sailing and rowing the Dawn Patrol toward Key Largo, SandyBottom will be taking on the much greater challenge of paddling the 300 miles in her NDK Explorer kayak. The prize for finishing an EC is a shark's tooth necklace. SandyBottom already has 7 shark's teeth as well as several alligator teeth awarded for going the additional distances through the Wilderness Waterway in Everglades National Park. These prizes are just tokens of the priceless rewards that keep us coming back to the EC.
SPOT Tracking
To follow the Dawn Patrol's SPOT track when we are sailing in the EC 2011, click here
(or copy and paste the following URL in your browser...
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lZP2hqcmVtqQT7eTXaqr6PUhrlUFDBC6 )
Onshore Contact: Steve Earley
The rules require us to report ("call home") to our onshore contact person at least once per each 24 hour period of the race. The contact person is required to relay the information to the WaterTribe's discussion forum webpage.
In previous years I served as SandyBottom's official onshore contact person, blogger and coach. In 2008 Mike Rhodes did a great job in that role for both SandyBottom and the Dawn Patrol crew. (Thanks again, Mike!)
This year we are very lucky to have Steve Earley on our teams as our onshore contact. Steve is an avid sailor and an award-winning photographer who has raised sail cruising to a fine art as communicated in his blog, The Log of Spartina. During the EC, Steve has generously offered to post on his blog reports about our progress --as he has already described in his posts here and here.
SandyBottom, SOS and I have promised to try our best to send him interesting news and cellphone photos during the EC.
Steve wrote on this blog...
"I also wrote my list of questions for Paul and Dawn when they call in their 24 hour reports from the Everglades Challenge. I plan on carrying a notebook with me during the race so I'll be ready to take down information when they call. The list of questions will be on the cover of the notebook. There are the basic questions I have to ask - How far to the next checkpoint? What is your ETA to the next checkpoint? What are your plans? - that sort of thing. But I'll also ask about their energy level, the food, who they are with, the best thing that happened that day, the biggest challenge of the day. It will help with the required report and it should help make a nice blog post too."
Wow. Talk about being on-the-ball... As usual, we can only aspire to get our act together as well as Steve does. Thanks for the inspiration, Steve!
This is Going to Be....
I want to say "This is going to be a lot of fun!" But I have learned from our role model, SandyBottom, that it is more accurate to say "This is going to be a lot of adventure!" because the EC is unpredictable. The Dawn Patrol had a relatively easy time on her EC 2008 maiden voyage. That was a wonderful experience. But every EC is unique. The adventure ahead in EC 2011 is a big unknown. Lack of wind? Too much wind? No water in Florida Bay?
In the very first EC in 2001, I've been told the winds were howling at the starting line. When Chief said "GO!" very few were able to launch, there was mayhem in the surf, and many highly experienced challengers waited at the starting line for two days before the weather allowed launching.
What do we know about EC 2011? A record 72 boats will start. The Dawn Patrol will be racing with 11 other monohulls in Class4 --two of which are new S.C.A.M.P.s and one is a custom built I-550 skiff sailed by Meade and Jan Gougeon. Bill Fite ("Jarhead"), winner in Class4 of EC2010 and the NCC2010, will be back to defend in his Sea Pearl 21.
We also know we will start with a new moon, so sailing/rowing at night will be in pitch black darkness. Stump Pass is clogged with dredging equipment.
SPOT Tracking
Again this year, each boat is required to carry a SPOT in tracking mode, so that friends, family, and observers can follow the race. (Each challenger is also required to carry a VHF radio, a personal location beacon (PLB), and other safety equipment.) This week Chief is encouraging all challengers to practice reporting in via onshore contacts, and test their SPOTs' connection to the WaterTribe Challenge Mapper which will display the locations of the challengers in real time. Today the Challenge Mapper shows challengers recent test locations (paddling/sailing on lakes and rivers, or at home) all across the country...
Dawn Patrol in the EC
SOS and I (DWSB) are racing toward the starting line of the 2011 Everglades Challenge. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say March 5th is racing toward us at breakneck speed. Advanced preparation and training is essential. Some just-in-time preparation is unavoidable. Anyone who has ever paddled, rowed, sailed or paddle-sailed an EC will tell you that arriving at the starting line on the beach at Fort DeSoto always feels like a major accomplishment. The EC pits each challenger's preparations and training against the unpredictable weather and conditions of the race course from Tampa Bay to Key Largo.
SandyBottom in the EC
While we are sailing and rowing the Dawn Patrol toward Key Largo, SandyBottom will be taking on the much greater challenge of paddling the 300 miles in her NDK Explorer kayak. The prize for finishing an EC is a shark's tooth necklace. SandyBottom already has 7 shark's teeth as well as several alligator teeth awarded for going the additional distances through the Wilderness Waterway in Everglades National Park. These prizes are just tokens of the priceless rewards that keep us coming back to the EC.
SPOT Tracking
To follow the Dawn Patrol's SPOT track when we are sailing in the EC 2011, click here
 |
| SPOT in the bag |
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lZP2hqcmVtqQT7eTXaqr6PUhrlUFDBC6 )
Onshore Contact: Steve Earley
The rules require us to report ("call home") to our onshore contact person at least once per each 24 hour period of the race. The contact person is required to relay the information to the WaterTribe's discussion forum webpage.
In previous years I served as SandyBottom's official onshore contact person, blogger and coach. In 2008 Mike Rhodes did a great job in that role for both SandyBottom and the Dawn Patrol crew. (Thanks again, Mike!)
This year we are very lucky to have Steve Earley on our teams as our onshore contact. Steve is an avid sailor and an award-winning photographer who has raised sail cruising to a fine art as communicated in his blog, The Log of Spartina. During the EC, Steve has generously offered to post on his blog reports about our progress --as he has already described in his posts here and here.
SandyBottom, SOS and I have promised to try our best to send him interesting news and cellphone photos during the EC.
Steve wrote on this blog...
"I also wrote my list of questions for Paul and Dawn when they call in their 24 hour reports from the Everglades Challenge. I plan on carrying a notebook with me during the race so I'll be ready to take down information when they call. The list of questions will be on the cover of the notebook. There are the basic questions I have to ask - How far to the next checkpoint? What is your ETA to the next checkpoint? What are your plans? - that sort of thing. But I'll also ask about their energy level, the food, who they are with, the best thing that happened that day, the biggest challenge of the day. It will help with the required report and it should help make a nice blog post too."
Wow. Talk about being on-the-ball... As usual, we can only aspire to get our act together as well as Steve does. Thanks for the inspiration, Steve!
This is Going to Be....
I want to say "This is going to be a lot of fun!" But I have learned from our role model, SandyBottom, that it is more accurate to say "This is going to be a lot of adventure!" because the EC is unpredictable. The Dawn Patrol had a relatively easy time on her EC 2008 maiden voyage. That was a wonderful experience. But every EC is unique. The adventure ahead in EC 2011 is a big unknown. Lack of wind? Too much wind? No water in Florida Bay?
In the very first EC in 2001, I've been told the winds were howling at the starting line. When Chief said "GO!" very few were able to launch, there was mayhem in the surf, and many highly experienced challengers waited at the starting line for two days before the weather allowed launching.
What do we know about EC 2011? A record 72 boats will start. The Dawn Patrol will be racing with 11 other monohulls in Class4 --two of which are new S.C.A.M.P.s and one is a custom built I-550 skiff sailed by Meade and Jan Gougeon. Bill Fite ("Jarhead"), winner in Class4 of EC2010 and the NCC2010, will be back to defend in his Sea Pearl 21.
We also know we will start with a new moon, so sailing/rowing at night will be in pitch black darkness. Stump Pass is clogged with dredging equipment.
 |
| EC starts at 7:00 AM on March 5, 2011 |
SPOT Tracking
Again this year, each boat is required to carry a SPOT in tracking mode, so that friends, family, and observers can follow the race. (Each challenger is also required to carry a VHF radio, a personal location beacon (PLB), and other safety equipment.) This week Chief is encouraging all challengers to practice reporting in via onshore contacts, and test their SPOTs' connection to the WaterTribe Challenge Mapper which will display the locations of the challengers in real time. Today the Challenge Mapper shows challengers recent test locations (paddling/sailing on lakes and rivers, or at home) all across the country...
 |
| Challenge Mapper: many EC challengers testing their SPOT tracking |
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Let There Be Light
by DancesWithSandyBottom
Sailing at night is to be expected in the Everglades Challenge. This is one of the features of EC racing that distinguishes it from cruising. With minimal moonlight to help us this year, we will need to "keep a strong spot light handy". That's a quote from Steve Isaac ("Chief") found here. We need a good spot light for the 11th annual EC and for future cruises.
We have recently upgraded the Dawn Patrol's standard equipment to include a dive light: the C8 eLED by Underwater Kinetics which was a much appreciated birthday present. (Thank you Dawn.)
Beam distance is 577 ft using 8 fresh alkaline C batteries. The grip has a locking rotary switch for high (up to 250 lumens), low (up to 160 lumens), and off. A small heat-sink in the middle of the lens efficiently cools the LED source and consequently the light is brighter underwater than when used onboard. The trade-off is shorter battery life underwater. The charts below indicate good performance out to about 14 hours of use onboard. Underwater Kinetics also makes a smaller 4-battery version, the C4 eLED.
UK's C8 eLED seems like a solid performer. We'll see.
Sailing at night is to be expected in the Everglades Challenge. This is one of the features of EC racing that distinguishes it from cruising. With minimal moonlight to help us this year, we will need to "keep a strong spot light handy". That's a quote from Steve Isaac ("Chief") found here. We need a good spot light for the 11th annual EC and for future cruises.
We have recently upgraded the Dawn Patrol's standard equipment to include a dive light: the C8 eLED by Underwater Kinetics which was a much appreciated birthday present. (Thank you Dawn.)
 |
| C8 eLED from Underwater Kinetics. Includes a wrist strap and batteries. |
Beam distance is 577 ft using 8 fresh alkaline C batteries. The grip has a locking rotary switch for high (up to 250 lumens), low (up to 160 lumens), and off. A small heat-sink in the middle of the lens efficiently cools the LED source and consequently the light is brighter underwater than when used onboard. The trade-off is shorter battery life underwater. The charts below indicate good performance out to about 14 hours of use onboard. Underwater Kinetics also makes a smaller 4-battery version, the C4 eLED.
 |
| Performance: underwater (pale blue) versus in air (darker blue) |
 |
| Performance: with alkaline batteries (red) versus with rechargeable NiCad batteries (green) |
UK's C8 eLED seems like a solid performer. We'll see.
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