John Pasmore's Occassional Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Sailing’

Bagged….

I’ve had some pretty not so great bags over the course of a variety of years. And some good ones. Lately I’ve been looking to find a one that could do double duty; work + outdoor would be ideal but is a long shot.

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Class Sailing

A North U (university) sailing seminar looks something like this picture. Less than riveting. Looks aside the time spent was solid. It’s hard to learn sailing in a classroom or by reading a book.

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Going Down in Panama

Going down to Panama

My first international sailing adventure ended as pictured above. I was crewing. That was in 2003. Well before this unhappy ending I had a bad feeling. As our sail progressed from St Lucia deep in the Caribbean to Panama I felt there were too many factors starting to work against our success. And after two weeks of mishaps, I got off the boat in the San Blas Islands two days prior to this picture (and flew back from Por Venir Island (Youtube video of “airport” not mine). Learned a lot.

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the Office…

multitasking

I wouldn’t recommend not watching where you’re going. But it’s hard to get away from the office — especially with a start-up like Voyage.tv — or any start-up for that matter. But I try to find a balance even if tied to a Blackberry (and an IPhone).

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Out on Shields 30

oyster-bay-halloween

First time out this weekend on a Shields 30. Pretty exciting on a windy day. 4 boats (all Shields), 12 or so crew (one down for stitches after a boom/accident). Stepping on a boat you don’t know (especially for a race) is always a little nervy. You get about 10 minutes of instruction, given while you’re getting underway, over the noise of the wind,  and then you’re off.

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Turks & Caicos

l1000555Getting to Turks was a little tough. I wouldn’t recommend waiting until the last minute as those “lift” reductions are no joke – basically fewer planes equals fewer seats and higher prices. Toss in the two year old and the desire NOT to have any major connections and you come up with limited and expensive options. But we went.

With both my parents from the Caribbean (Trinidad and Jamaica) I’ve probably spent more time there than many. But Turks is different and great. For me. Small and manageable with beautiful water and great diving (DIDN’T make it this trip). So this was one for the family — no diving or sailing or anything that required more than flip flops.

And if you want to slow down, Turks is perfect — we got there the week before Labor Day so the height of both the off season and  hurricane season as well. Sure there were a couple of suspicious systems that could have developed, but the family was oblivious as I checked NOAA daily. I would def recommend the island and the hotel — Gansevoort. Great service and beautiful property. Rented a car for a couple of days just to see the place, and my minimal left-hand side driving skills were sufficient.

The island sports the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world so I will be back. Do want to hop on a boat as it’s pretty close to lots of interesting places. I posted a bunch of pictures on Flickr, and they tell just a part of the story. Consider the destination and the property highly recommended.


Curtain Closing on Summer

CaptreeCombination of events have colluded in keeping me closer to the desk this summer than the beach. Have taken the time with the bum leg to overdose on gear (iPhone, iPhone Apps, GPS, solar, etc). Now just need to put them to use. My wife (often) wonders (aloud) why the dive equipment can’t be put in storage so I’m sure the parade of Amazon-ordered gear has only added fuel to that smoldering fire.

I have road tested the iNavx iPhone nav app in both a 400+ mile sailing trip from Ft Lauderdale, and weekly out on the Hudson — pretty impressive what you can do with a GPS-enabled iPhone. Hoping to do get a bit further off the grid though. At least for a few days.

Voyage.tv is still so early stage that I’m not so enamored with leaving the development to whoever is next in line. As with most start-ups there really is no next in line as everyone is fully embroiled and slightly overwhelmed in their own efforts. And vacations. We are a travel/experience video-enabled platform, so here’s to testing some product before the streets ice over.

Took the boy (2 years old) to the Beach to see the big waves today, but he slept through them. They were impressive — to me. We made it out to Captree – a place that conjurs foggy memories ( a growing category for me). But I grew up on Long Island and some of the less-known beaches like Gilgo and Tobay were more a mainstay than Jones Beach or Robert Moses. And Captree. Can’t say I would recommend it if you don’t share the nostalgia.

Rehabbing the leg for the Nike Human Race in October and anything else I can find time for. I the meanwhile will be at my desk.


Taking the Tayana

Sailing TayanaSomehow squeezed in a trip from Ft Lauderdale to Savannah Georgia on 52 foot Tayana. Got to test iPhone navigation app by INavx. The navigation charts downloaded to the phone so you don’t need a cell signal to navaigate, just the GPS.

And there is just so much to know, and Tayana Captain (friend) is a fantastic sailor. There’s so much to know on a boat and any time with someone who’s sailed probably 35,000+ miles is really like Gold.

INavx worked well — hard to keep an iPhone on deck in wet environment though Aquapack can help. Still need a bigger electronic chart on the computer and ideally the same as what’s on the iPhone. Again ideally you’d want to plot waypoints on the bigger screen of laptop and upload them to iPhone, but can do on phone with patience. In any case, good to have another chart on board (and GPS). Just took ASA 105 which is kind of a throwback Navigation class — lots of pencils and erasers….but it all helps…especially blue water…harbors too.

Trip was 400 miles — did 10 knots with the help of the Gulf Stream and was back at desk on Wednesday.


Bransons Billions vs The Atlantic

branson.jpg

Short story. I could say the Atlantic wins, but that would imply Branson loses. And sailing is complicated. He demonstrated the judgment that has helped him amass a fortune; sure you take risks, but you have to know when to fold. And with two of his adult children on board the boat I’m sure his risk aversion was only heightened.

Still, the thought that the Atlantic ocean can send a world-class yacht back to port is on one level amazing. That they lost a life raft and a sail can be said of many a long sailing trip — something always breaks. Chalk up one more of many for the Atlantic. Reassuring, for me, to know that adventure is still just as close as the beach.