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Sly McFly, Sly McFly, this is Sarge on 0-9

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/08/2010 : 12:20:16

Updates Jim??

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2010 : 18:37:37

Hi everyone, I have not visited this forum in a while, frankly I;ve been too busy working on Sly. As you may know, I sold Indiscipline on Craigslist, so I got the idea to put an ad on the Craigslist Boats for Sale pages "Want to Sail? Race Crew Wanted". This worked far in excess of my expectations and I now have far too many crew in the pool and have narrowed down to a dedicated group of about 7 guys that are coming to all the practices, and even showing up on boat work days.

I've updated the website www.indiscipline.org with photos.

Here is the status:

Completed a TON of work. Boat is now in very good condition. I've spent about $5K on top of the $6K the boat was purchased for. My boat partner has spent about $10K. The goal was to be fully race ready for $20K.

Boat is now berthed in San Diego Bay.

New North 3DL Carbon fiber main, #1 jib, 700 airex asym, and 600 airex sym spinnaker expected delivery Dec. 15 (have the spin).

New Simrad autopilot, Chartplotter installed.

New Garmin GMI 10 NEMA 2000 wind instruments have arrived, with 2 displays, and integrated depth/speed have arrived and are waiting for installation.

New batteries, new 1-2-both switch, new dual bank charger. Lots of wiring upgrades.

All new running rigging.

To do: install instruments in Navpod over companionway, install new outer jib track (between inner track and rail). Learn how to fly asym, continue crew training. We are building a table.

As to performance, we are normally sailing with the knotmeter, which goes to 8, totally pegged (and it is accurate compared to GPS). I had the boat out in Small Craft Advisory the other weekend, seas 5 to 8 feet, winds 20 knots forecast higher. We had the main reefed and #3 jib on. Upwind we could not point all the way up and had to fall off a little but saw boat speeds in the 7.5s. Downwind we shook out the reef and pulled off some full on surfs with boat speeds in the 10s, never below 8. This without spinnakers. This is what I bought her for. The first big surf was SO MUCH FUN.

The boat is wet. With that much power there is a lot of spray and she is wet up front.

We did our first race with the dacron sails. We went right to the front, passed everyone and dualed with a boat that rates 96 fully race set up with race sails (and lost to them). But the Catalina fleet was never even in sight after the start. Crew LOVED it.

January has our first ocean races. Jan 1 is the New Years Day race and Jan 8 is the first ocean race around the Coronado Islands.

"Friend" me on Facebook and also check the insiscipline web pages. jbaumgart at starrstuff.com

So far I absolutely LOVE it. Always something great about making your DREAMS COME TRUE.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 12/08/2010 : 21:25:12

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JimB517
 So far I absolutely LOVE it. Always something great about making your DREAMS COME TRUE.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">How great is THAT?!

Lost to a 96? Before or after correction? Wait'll you get your sails!

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 12/08/2010 21:28:14

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2010 : 17:03:13

Lost to the boat rating 96 both in actual time and corrected. Lost to a boat rating 150 totally race prepped both in actual time and corrected. Finished 3rd with crew first time ever racing and dacron sails.

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bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1778 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2011 : 20:34:50

Jim:

You are a hero! For us of much less ability reading about your success has been inspiring. You committed to a boat, have a crew and REALLY race! And to think that a C25 was part of the inspiration! When I'm next at the Marriott looking down on the harbor I hope to maybe see you in full spinnaker regalia . . . .

Cheers!

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2011 : 23:11:20

Hi everyone, I thought I would give a brief update. Sly now has all new North 3DL sails, new North Airex 700 asym, rebuilt Hood 0.75 oz symmetrical spin, an old 0.5 oz spin. #1, #2, #3 jibs. Practice 0.75 oz symmetrical. Windfinder. She has fully integrated NEMA 2000 instruments from Garmin. Wind meter showing apparant and true wind speed and direction, depth, and boat speed. Chart plotter. Fixed VHF. Backup VHF and GPS. New autopilot. Liferaft. On board computer and Internet. She is fully equipped to Cat 2 offshore ISAF racing rules. Cat 1 can be achieved pretty simply with rented Sat Phone and rented EPIRB (also would require changing the lifelines). Kelp cutters on keel and rudder.

If you want to see the boat, the videos, the crew, the results, the practices, the races, you need to see Sly McFly Racing on Facebook.

I've put in new jib tracks, new clutches, all new running rigging. New turning blocks. Rebedded all deck hardware and windows. I've rebuilt part of the inside and wired a 110 V AC system. New dual bank charger. 3 batteries (new house bank and dedicated starting battery). New gimballed stove. I did ALL the work.

I am now about $25K into the boat. Sounds like a lot but it is less than a car. No debt, all cash.

I've built a dedicated crew from the ground up and have 6 regulars and 4 backups. The boat races best with 6 on board. 5 is doable. Running this program is like being a CEO, CFO, and CIO.

Getting on the the trophy stand has been far more difficult than I imagined. We've been going from dead last finishes now to middle of the pack. I tell the guys the key is preparation, crew team work, and my head. My head is the weak part. I have not learned as much racing Indiscipline from so far behind the pack its not funny to be leading the pack and trying to keep the slower boats from correcting over us as I thought.

I've got a lot more experience ocean racing than Bay/Buoy racing so we've been doing better in the ocean, but are improving in the Bay. We've been placing in the top 3 but correcting out to the lower third of the fleet, but that is improving.

Last weekend we had a real big storm. We had 3, 10 mile, Bay races in one day. A squall blew through in each race. We had winds to 25 knots to dead calm and everything in between. We had torrential rain, then sun and no wind. We would have spinnaker up to a mark, round it, and have spinnaker still up after turning 180 degrees. We made many jib and spinnaker changes, and flew the #1 jib, the #3 jib, the #1 spinnaker, the #2 spinnaker, and the asym at various times.

We were racing 4 boats, including a J30 that is well sailed, well equipped, and that we owe 6 seconds per mile to. He took 3 bullets and beat us in every race. However, in each race the margin of victory was cut in half, going from about 2.5 minutes to 50 seconds. So he is staying the same and we are getting better.

In the last race, last leg, we had 25 knots of wind on the nose, the main was dumped, the jib was dumped, we were totally overpowered. Everyone was hiking. It was raining and hailing. The committee boat was dragging anchor so the finish line was coming to us, fast. I could barely control the boat, and then we finished, dropped jib, dropped main, fired up the engine in a raging winter squall with 0 visibility. Then it was over and we motored back to the slip in the sun.

We finished 2nd in every race and corrected to 4,4,3. We were all in foulies and everyone was wet and tired. We knew we didn't win. 3, 10 mile races in a day in those conditions and we were all exhausted.

We motored back to the slip, tied up, put everything away. Dried out. I had a cup of rum. No one else wanted anything.

The guys all cheered. "This was the best sailing day ever!" They said. "That was fun! Let's do that again!" I literally heard from every guy on board.

I was so f'ing proud of them I can't even express it.

We went to the party and I shook the hand of the J30 skipper and told them what a great race they sailed. I am getting mucho attention for getting this old neglected boat back to the front of the fleet!

Tomorrow morning they may get their wish because it is forecast to be 15 to 20 gusting 30 with rain all day and high temperature 45 F. We are going. This is an ocean racing boat. We are the toughest sailors in San Diego.

Next weekend is a 40 mile race to Baja and back and we are racing the J30 and all the boats we've been seeing all season in the ocean races. We can still win this 4 ocean race series with 2 bullets and if the J30 falters.

After that is a Bay race every weekend. Then a windward/leeward ocean race.

I didn't spend $25K to sit in the slip.

I have the boat entered in Newport - Ensenada April 14 - 18 and that is going to be a real test (125 mile coastal ocean race).

I am thinking a lot about the 500 mile single handed Guadalupe Island race, and the single or double handed Transpac. I now have the tool to take these kind of events on. Maybe in a year or two. I have a lead on a Wind Vane.

This is just so cool it has taken over mostly every waking moment of my life right now.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2011 : 23:20:15

Oh, at 6000 lbs and with a SA/D of 22.5 (compared to a Cat 25 Standard Rig Sail Area / Dispalcement of 15.5) I thought we would be a light air killer.

What Sly wants is Wind. She comes alive in 9 knots apparant upwind. She is totally overpowered in 17 knots apparant upwind with 6 guys on the rail and #1 jib.

Off the wind Sly want 20 or 25 knots and waves. She will fully plane. We've been in the teens of boat speed. The fleet disappears sternward in these conditions.

In less than that Sly wants to REACH. In 15 knots apparant and AWA of 110 degrees Sly will easily see 8 knots.

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2011 : 11:55:14

Great story--thanks Jim! You've got that J worrying...

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2011 : 20:13:55

Well, Saturday was just too much for us. I cancelled with wind, rain, very heavy, and thunderstorms forecast. About 70% of the fleet stayed home. We went into the weekend in 7th place and came out of it in 7th.

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bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1778 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2011 : 20:41:57

Jim -- fantastic! I still say you are a hero -- sailing for the love of it with a competitive spirit on a tried and true platform. Now you are in a league of dedicated racers I have full confidence that you will soon be the one that J30 is following!

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 03/03/2011 : 10:51:03

Jim,

That is really cool! It sure is unusual to hear you say you couldn't sail because of some rain!

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