Delicate Balance's Story

As you know, Delicate Balance has withdrawn from the Vic-Maui race due to high winds and equipment failure.

The paparazzi have been following us at bluebookofboats.com/blog

We are not great bloggers, and during the gale communications were limited.

We got off to a good start, and were ahead of Red Sheilla and Starlight Express at Cape Flattery. For the first 2 days we sailed fast and made excellent progress. A tactical error was that we sailed 15 degrees south of the rhumb line, which took us into a gale which the more northerly boats skirted.

By day 3 we were in 30 knots of wind with gusts a high as 40 and seas had built.  We were sailing fast under reefed main and full jib when the first of many waves swept right over us, dousing the lee berths. We dropped the main and sailed on with just the blade. During the night we were doused several more times, and the furling line on the jib broke, allowing the jib to unfurl. Russ fought it down and called for the storm jib.

The morning of day 4 had us running under just the storm jib, still sailing at 9 to 10 knots with the odd surge much higher. We switched off all instruments to conserve power as the engine would not start and the house batteries were getting low. We were nor worried about hitting anything, there was literally nothing out there except waves.

Delicate Balance has no dodger or cockpit shelter. The companionway opens directly into the sleeping area (pipe berths in the quarters and the settees). The cockpit has an open transom.  in 35+ years of sailing I have only been pooped once before, but in DB (now renamed Diabolic Bastard by the crew) we were pooped so many times we lost count.   The first time it happened I was sitting in the floor of the cockpit sheltering from the wind when a huge wave broke over the side, filling the cockpit up to my neck, and totally soaking the inside of my foulies. The companionway was closed so not much went inside, but later we were hit in similar manner with hatch open as crew members went in or out.

By day 4 every birth was wet. Pierre (le Capitan) made a valiant effort to dry them with towels, flip the cushions, and wipe off the sleeping bags.  Just moments after he announced we would all have a dry bunk to sleep in, another wave entered the hatch, and all the berths were wet again.

On the morning of Day 5 the winds were slightly reduced, but the seas just as big, and Pierre had run out of options for dry berths.  I was in my second set of foul weather gear, which were damp inside. There were no dry clothes to change to.  Pierre held a crew conference and we decided that on the current course we would never dry out. The winds were lighter ahead -- hundreds of miles ahead.  Our best bet to get into better conditions was to turn to port and head for Calfornia. We made the difficult decision to withdraw from the race and sail to San Francisco.

The biggest difference from racing was that we could use the autopilot. DB has tiller steering and the big rudder makes the helmsman work very hard, sometimes jerking him across the cockpit. The autopilot dramatically reduced the strain on the crew, and did a pretty good job of steering even in high seas. Thank you Raymarine.

I still took us another day and a half to sail out of the rough conditions and we were pooped several more times. We deployed our Aquair towed generator, but the connection sparked and smoked and we had to retrieve it. It connects through an opening port in the cockpit. The port has a rain shield, but green water gushed through moments after I opened it. Bill Trant, our engineer rewired the connection so the wire ran down the companionway and we got it going to recharge the batteries. It charged a 2 to 5 amps, so it still took quite a while to get back to using our instruments.

Conditions moderated on Day 6 and we went back to full sail, making 7.5 to 8 knots broad reaching. We even brought out a chute, but never used it. Bill opened the engine electrical panel and found it full of green paste, with several wires corroded off. We came up with a plan to reactivate the engine by bypassing the electrical panel completely. This was successful, and we got the engine to run, but shut it down as we were still sailing fast.

On day 7 the wind lightened to 8 - 12 knots and DB was in here element sailing at 7+ with an easy motion, no more green water and very little spray.  By the next morning the wind dropped to nothing and we started the engine and motor sailed toward the Golden Gate. On Saturday morning, the 8th day out of Victoria we sighted land, Point Reyes. After not seeing an AIS target since Cape Flattery, the screen began to light up. Pierre sa a basking shark, Terry made and emergency turn to avoid to whales directly in our path. Later he said they might have been sea lions.  Pierre said they were narwhals.

There were now many sea birds, small fishing boats, dolphins. There was a feeling of euphoria on board as we actually felt some warm sunshine. Finally we sighted the Golden Gate. Although we still had the main up,  it was strapped in tight. There was little wind outside the gate but as we approached the bridge the wind suddenly increased to around 30 knots.  We let the sheets out and began sailing. Moments later the engine quit. Out of fuel. We sailed into Sausalito, dropping the main and deploying just a scrap of jib.

Bill and Pierre poured a jerry jug of diesel into the tank, and then went below to bleed the injectors. They got it running in time to tie up a Schoonmaker Point Marina.  The marina was closed but they had told us on the phone where to tie up.

Nobody actually kissed the ground, but there were certainly expressions of affection for land. Unfortunately it wouldn't stay still but heaved up and down like the sea. Earthquake? No, just "sea legs".

Because is was Saturday customs would not come to the boat and insisted we must all got to their office in Oakland, an $80 cab ride from the marina. Each way.  Advice to others: arrive in San Fran 8 to 4 Monday to Friday.

After customs we met our wives at the Larkspur hotel in Mill Valley and had a real cooked meal. The next day cleanup began.

After meeting with a delivery captain we have decide the trip north under sail is a bit much right now, so we will ship the boat to Bellingham by truck. Russ and Terry have flown home, and Bill, Grahame and Pierre remain to prepare DB for shipping. The Vic Maui transponder is still on board, I wonder if it will show DB heading north at 50 knots?

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