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trip to the 9 - photo added

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/14/2007 : 23:41:19

Sailed to the 9 mile bank. Saw squid jumping, and humpback whales feeding within 5 feet of the boat. Saw the killer whales within 100 feet. Photos to come.

Seas 2 to 4, winds 15 knots in the late day. Sailed 25 miles in about 5 hours. Listened to the Chargers put a whopping on the Raiders.

Truly great day on the water. My daughter wants to get out there next Sunday and see if the whales are still around.

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - JimB517 on 10/20/2007 13:51:00

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 10/15/2007 : 08:16:30

pictures? ............

Edited by - on

Scumbucket
1st Mate

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USA
53 Posts

Response Posted - 10/15/2007 : 15:43:41

Sounds like a great sail.

I agree pictures please :)

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/16/2007 : 11:32:30

I have some photos, I'll have them on line in a couple of days. The best part of the report was that my oldest daughter wants to go out this weekend and try again to find them. Getting the family sailing is always a challenge and its great to get her excited about being on the water.

Edited by - on

zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Response Posted - 10/16/2007 : 12:09:49

Jim: Try having her do the skippering for the day...

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 10/16/2007 : 14:38:19

>"... and humpback whales feeding within 5 feet of the boat ..."

Until the last couple years Humpbacks were rarely seen up here in extreme Northern California. I had my first 'close encounter' with them this summer while out Salmon fishing.

For those of you who haven't experienced Humpback whales up close and in person, it's pretty darn impressive, even for a jaded old fart like me. Very different from what you see on tee-vee. If you get a chance to see them up close, take it.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/16/2007 : 15:16:39

It was frightening at first. One came up right alongside and breathed. I almost fell over, it was a shock. I sailed away a few feet, but soon hove too. There were 2 whales feeding. They seemed interested in the boat. I was hove to and quiet. I turned off my depthfinder and radio. They swam right alongside. I could see them underwater. The boat scared schools of squid about 6 inches long. These schools took to the air. They could fly about 10 feet. I never saw that before, at first I thought they were flying fish but those fly a lot farther. The humpbacks stayed right around me for several minutes, they were not swimming in one direction but sort of "boxing" the area, I believe they were feeding on the squid. The whales seemed to be about 45 feet long.

In the distance, I could see Orca fins. These are really unusual in our waters. I gave up on the humpbacks and sailed for the Orcas. They dissapeared. I changed course and continued sailing on a close reach onto the 9 mile bank. I thought it could only get better. At halftime in the Chargers game I turned back, a 180 in my course.

I saw a sword fishing boat and another boat drifting about a mile upwind. I decided to sail towards them, see what was going on. Both power boats skedaddled, but I ran across the humpbacks again. Once again, they swam all around my boat - it is possible the squid were trying to hide underneath as I offered the only cover for quite a few miles.

I was now a good 10 to 11 miles offshore, it was windy and bumpy, dark and grey skies. I put the boat on a beam reach for home and literally flew back, most of the time over 6 knots.

I had some big waves hit the boat which, when combined with gusts, radically slew me to windward, almost into a broach or roundup. (I was flying full main, 135, and winds were around 15). It was a similar experience to a thread last week about rounding up when off the wind. In this case I just yelled "whoo hoo!" let the boat go up part way, and then pulled her back on course after the gust was over, it was a ton of fun and reinforced what I have learned over the last 5000 miles in a C25 - when the boat wants to go up, let her go up. There is little you can do during the gust except put a few tons of strain on the rudder.

All in all I was back to the Mission Bay jetties before the end of the game.

This was much better way to watch the game than sitting in front of the TV.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 10/16/2007 : 19:34:41

As humpback shows go, we were lucky enough to be treated to the 'full Monty'.

Breaching... a 20 ton whale coming down from 20' or so in the air makes a big splash. It sounds like a thunderclap and throws a 4' wake. Fin-slapping... a 16' long pectoral fin slapped in the water as the whale barrel rolls on the surface. Sounds pretty much like a pistol shot. Not as flashy but still pretty cool is the 'spying'. They silently and slowly come vertically straight up out of the water... probably 1/3 their body length, then slide back under. Thye put on a real show compared to the Californa Grey whales I'm used to. Dunno if I'd want to be as close as you were when they are doing their 'stuff'.

Orcas have also appeared off Northern California in the last few years. Lots of Great Whites up here too... critters everywhere.

Edited by - on

sterngucker
Navigator

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USA
169 Posts

Response Posted - 10/16/2007 : 20:47:14

Jim: I should have checked in with the forum before I came down last weekend, looks I missed the boat

. You were gone when I got there and returned before I did. Tried to hail you on 16 but no reply. What coordinates did you see the whales at? From the charts it looks like 9 mile bank runs from about 32d38.9m 117d26.2m on the north end to 32d31.4m 117d20.6m on the south end, or about... nine miles, go figure. Do I have the right general location?

We went out around 2pm and came back in around 5pm. It was fairly choppy and blowing about 15 when we left. I put a reef in the main and partially furled the 135 to maintain a comfortable ride, and it was actually quite smooth. Let's plan that Fleet 7 get together for next month!

Edited by - sterngucker on 10/16/2007 20:47:44

sterngucker
Navigator

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USA
169 Posts

Response Posted - 10/16/2007 : 21:20:33

Found 9 mile bank! This site is just too cool.

See lots more at the [url="http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/coastal/coastal.html"]National Geophysical Data Center[/url]

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2007 : 09:48:45

Sail out of Mission Bay on a course of 240 10 miles or until the Coronado Islands line up.

We're going again Sunday if the weather co-operates. With this Northern CA low dipping down, a small craft advisory off shore, last night the seas were as rough as I've ever seen. About 4 to 5 foot seas coming into MB and a big tidal current going out made for about 6 foot vertical, breaking, walls at the mouth. 6 foot at about 1 or 2 seconds, not a day for the timid.

Once out in about 100 feet of water it was do-able.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2007 : 10:51:12

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JimB517
 ...About 4 to 5 foot seas coming into MB and a big tidal current going out made for about 6 foot vertical, breaking, walls at the mouth. 6 foot at about 1 or 2 seconds,... Once out in about 100 feet of water it was do-able.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2007 : 13:25:26

In 5000 miles I have never slammed the bow of Indiscipline so hard as last night. I hit the first totally vertical, breaking, 6 foot wall at 6 knots under power on a bright, sunny, light wind afternoon. The buoys were reading 4 feet at 4 seconds, but the harbor mouth was deadly to small craft. I was dodging about 10 kayakers who were surfing the waves in the channel. I also had a 85 foot charter fishing boat coming in at full speed with its 4 foot wake. My jib halyard was tangled around the spreaders due to the pitching. After the 1st wave I shut down the engine because we were pitching so hard. I never thought the bow would climb over the wave - I thought we would punch through (I had the sliding hatch open), but climb over we did. The bow did not go under in the trough, but almost. Then the next wave hit. We popped over that one, too (keep your bow light). Memo to self - check keel bolts. The bow never went under (I have had that happen only a few times in all my miles).

I tacked a 180 under main alone or tried to because I had to get the jib up to get out of there. There were surfing kayakers everywhere. I ended up beam on to the swells, down wind, with no way on. The boat was almost rolling under mostly due to the fishing boat wake on top of the swells. I still had to go forward and untangle the halyard. I did so with one hand while clamped on the rail with the other.

Once the jib was up I had a little steerage and I headed towards the deadly south jetty, still beam onto the waves, and weaving through the surfing kayakers. I gybed, headed back across the channel, then tacked and tried to exit again under full sail. I got the sliding hatch closed. Motor, autopilot were useless in these conditions.

The waves were not as bad the 2nd time and with a 3 knot tidal current I was soon outside. I have seen bigger waves but never such a short period.

Once I was in 100 feet the waves were more regular but it was still a very tough interval. When I gybed for home at dark, the boat was on a broad reach in light air making 3 knots and rolling through 40 degrees. We had a real good surf into the harbor, I got the sails down, motored back to the slip, hopefully there is more wind tonight! With 15 knots it would have been fun. With 3 it was tough.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2007 : 18:06:21

Jim, I can tell you what it's like to have waves come over not just the bow, but also the cabintop--dumping water into the cockpit and down the companionway, and dousing my crew and me. It was after we went literally airborne on the first wave of a tugboat wake and slammed nose-down into the second one, with a deafening BANG. The bow stayed down just long enough for the third to go over us, too. The waves were just about vertical and probably 4-5'--I could only theorize it was because the tug was pushing at max throttle against its hull-speed, with a bow wave almost going over his bow. I might have chosen a better angle to the wake, but I was concerned about being rolled by it. Anyway, the little C-25 took it with no real problem--just a lot of noise and a little green water.

That said, the conditions you're talking about were CRAZY!

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2007 : 18:31:52

Conditions tonight should be just about the same but with more wind. I'll be hitting it soon. There is a small craft advisory in the 30 - 60 nm offshore range but calm inshore. That is bringing in rough, short interval, wind waves against a 3 knot new moon tidal ebb. Right now its 10 knots at the harbor. I am leaving the office now and should be sailing out the harbor mouth within 45 minutes.

I spend one night per week onboard, and tonight is the night. I'll sail till well past dark then anchor out. I have carne asada in the cooler for dinner.

Tomorrow my morning commute will be getting the anchor up, motoring across the harbor while drinking a coffee and eating a muffin, docking, and driving 5 miles to the office. I have a locker and shower here.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2007 : 23:25:41

nice

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