Washburn Boys Sailing Log

Gypsy is being sold--

2010-05-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

A bittersweet weekend as we conducted a sea trial with the new owner on Saturday. All went very well and I am gratified to see that Gypsy will be in good hands for years to come.

This will be one of the last posts on this blog as it is time to move on to the next chapter in life. I still own, sail and race a Tim Kernan designed 32 foot sport/sprit boat named Pacific High. I set up a new blog where I will post up our sailing adventures there. The URL is www.pacifichighracing.blogspot.com

Onward!!!!!!!

Audi / Melges 20 Winter Series #1 - Biscayne Bay, Miami, FL - Decmeber 12 - 13, 2009

2009-12-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

I am working on the RC as spotter on the Signal Boat this weekend in Miami, FL.

Click for Pictures

Happy Birthday to my dear Paul

2009-12-12T14:28:00.001-08:00

Proud Dad Category

2009-10-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Photo of my son Steve on the Washington University Crew Team:

Click Here

(Second from the bow)

Seal Beach to Dana Point Race - Pacific High

2009-07-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 11, 2009, my son Steve and I entered and raced our Columbia/Kernan 32 in the 40th Annual Seal Beach to Dana Point Race. This race is a 28 nautical mile race that starts off the Seal Beach Pier and finishes near the Dana Point harbor Entrance. 66 boats made the trip this year on a pleasant Southern California summer day where the Westerly winds filled in at 8 - 11 knots for a nice slide down the coast.

A treat about two-thirds of the way down the race course was a pod of at least 200 dolphin that played with us for several minutes. Very special stuff!

It was a great day of sailing where Steve and I had a fun time handling our boat with just the two of us. We pulled off a first in the Sport Boat Class and first in fleet.

Results Link

Good times!

Alfa Romeo arrives Long Beach, CA

2009-05-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Australian Super Yacht Alfa Romeo (30 meters) arrives in Long Beach, CA for the 2009 TransPacific Yacht Race.

My Son Christopher turns 18 today!!

2009-04-03T10:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Christopher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Dad

Key West 2009 Race Week to Start Monday

2009-01-17T17:01:00.001-08:00

I am down in Key West working on the Division 1 Signal Boat for the 2009 Premiere Racing production of Acura Key West. A sailboat racing event that draws top notch competitors for some exciting sailing in the waters off Key West, Florida. Our Division 1 team is led by Ken Legler. We are setting and managing the course on our circle for the Farr 30s and Farr 40s, the Swan 42s as well as IRC Classes 1and 2.

The weather is shaping up to give us great conditions through Wednesday. Thursday looks to be light and dicey with the wind coming back for Friday.

I will be making daily reports of the events on our division as well as posting pictures up of the daily action.

Check here Monday through Friday for live updates:
Acura Key West 2009 - Race Course Blogs

More information on this event is located at www.premiere-racing.com.

Gypsy moves to a new home today---

2009-01-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

After 5 years in Alamitos Bay watching the marina deteriorate to simply unacceptable and dangerous conditions I made the move to the Long Beach Shoreline Marina where the facilities are just outstanding. Alamitos Bay is on the fast track to becoming the next Ala Wai marina. The docks are rotten beyond belief, basically broken and rat infested. Nails sticking out all over the place, planks that are broken and jagged, floats that are compromised and sinking. Just a state of severe disrepair with no solution in sight. So sad to see.

In contrast, the LBSM (Long Beach Shoreline Marina) has state of the art facilities and upbeat, enthusiastic management. Very refreshing.

Gypsy's new slip is fabulous with a great view of the downtown skyline from her fantail. The cement docks are well built with all the bells and whistles (Cable hookups, modern electricity and water hookups and an efficient design). And her new digs are within walking distance of the LB Aquarium, numerous shops and restaurants.

Thanks to my good friends Bob and Carol Hickman for helping me ferry cars and get Gypsy re-located today. A brilliant clear winter SoCal day with Santa Ana conditions.

I look forward to many weekends hanging out in a comfortable chair on Gypsy's transom reading and relaxing!

Good Times. :0)

The SS Catalina is now officially toast.

2009-01-09T18:37:00.001-08:00

Click on the title for the news article.

SoCal Winter Day Sail on Gypsy

2009-01-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

Special stuff--- My son Steve is home for winter break from Wash U. (St. Louis) . We took Gypsy out for a brilliant sail on a SoCal winter day with three of Steve's close friends. We really enjoyed a "3 hour tour" around Long Beach Harbor. Setting Gypsy's A2 for a nice slide from Long Beach Entrance to Sunset Beach was very cool.

From the post below Steve had this day planned out-- He deserves the credit for making sure it was a success!

Gypsy gets a bath----

2009-01-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

Stevie and I had an awesome day today spending time together- We are taking his friends out sailing Tuesday and he wanted Gypsy to look spotless-- he volunteered to scrub her down and that he did! She looks great----

We had lunch at Schooner or Later and had a nice walk around the marina enjoying a SoCal fresh winter day. Ran into good friend Stan Gibbs who was working on his newly acquired Cal 36. Another classic from the 1960s that he is restoring that we checked out.

Good Times.

New 2009 Racing Rules of Sailing

2009-01-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

PDF versions can be accessed by clicking on the title of this post.

SPW

A nostalgic post from SA by Sleddog on 1950's SoCal Sailing---

2008-12-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

I grew up in these special times in SoCal thanks to Dad Washburn who commissioned and had built a 50' Sloop in Sweden that I sailed on since birth. Sleddog sums up 99.9% of the players of this era-- special stuff--

Read on:

For those who remember, S.Cal had a vigorous ocean racing fleet in the 1950's. For your nostalgic pleasure I include some of their names I remember. These were the days of varnished spinnaker poles, overhangs, South Coast winches, red lead bottom paint, kenyons, RDF's, and NALU II's chickens. HILARIA never had an engine, and SALLY was the prettiest 10 meter in the world. Feel free to add to the list:

ALTAMAR, ANTIGUA, AKAHI, ATTORANTE (go Burke!), ANDALE, AMORITA, TEMPEST, KITTEN, ESCAPADE, CHOLITA, VALENTINE, CHUBBY, CAROUSEL, COTTON BLOSSOM, BUTCHER BOY, BARLOVENTO, CHERRIO

Alex Irving, Barney Huber, George Griffith, Ash Bown, Peggy Slater, George Fleitz, Clark Sweet, Chuck Ullman,

DASHER, DANCER, VIXEN, MADCAP, MARA, CASSANDRA, HOLIDAY, COQUILLE, CALIFIA, GALATEA, JINKER, GAMIN, KIRAWAN, GOOD NEWS, BONNIE DOONE, KELPIE, FREEDOM, HILARIA, JADA, KIALOA, KAMALII, BAGATELLE, LEGEND, FLYING SCOTCHMAN (Lapworth's first design), LEDA, MORNING STAR, NAM SANG, NOVIA DEL MAR,

Gene Wells, Fred Smales, Willard Bell, Gabe Giannini, Jack Hedden, George Sturgis, Prent Fulmour, Dick Steele, Peter Grant,

ODYSSEY, NALU II, FLYING CLOUD, MARIE AMELIE, ORIENT, QUEEN MAB, HUSSY, REBEL, STARLIGHT, SEA DRIFT, SANTANA, SERENA, SOLILIQUY, SERENADE, STAGHOUND,, ISLANDER, SIRIUS, SPARKLE, SALLY, WINDWARD, WHITE CAPS, WESTWARD HO, LANDFALL, PIONEER, DOUBLE EAGLE, PURITAN, SILOUETTE, TANTALUS, L'APACHE, SEA WITCH, WOOLHARA (honorary powerboat), BRANTA

Not a spade rudder yet to be seen.

ALERT, MICKEY, LARK, FLAMBOUYANT, SALUDA, QUEST, VIXEN, NARRAGANSETT, SUNDA, CRITERION, ROLAND VON BREMEN, BONGO, DEBRA, CHIRIQUI, DIABLO, CELEBES, NORDLYS, QUEST, FAIR WEATHER, MAI TAI, SKYLARK, GULLMAR, TYPEE, GROOTE BEER, SANDPIPER,

K-38's, PCC's, K-40's, L/36's, Cal 32's, Newporter Ketches, PBY's, Ohlson 35's, Owens Cutters

Skip Caulkins, Carl Chapman, Rolly Kalayjian, Bill Lapworth, Bob Barneson, Gordon Curtis. Paul Cook, Gerry Driscoll, Bob Dickson.

Marina del Rey hadn't been dug, and Dana Point was still the best point break on the Coast.

For all those beautiful bows, and stern wakes that went before, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

~sleddog

Happy Holidays from the Washburn Boys!

2008-12-17T14:59:00.000-08:00

Click here to view our holiday card!

My Angel Paul is celebrating his Birthday Today!

2008-12-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday brother
Today is your big day
Another year older, another year wiser
I think is what they say

I didn't make you a cake this year
Or find you an amazing gift
I didn't give you a big bear hug
Or even a tiny kiss

It's not that I didn't try to find something
It's not that I don't hold you dear
It's just the only thing that came to mind was
I wish that you were here

Fathers Day

2008-06-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

My sons Steve and Chris and I got together this past Sunday to spend the day together to celebrate Fathers Day. And what a fine day it was! We agreed to have lunch at ABYC (Alamitos Bay Yacht Club) to feast on the traditional burgers/dogs and "curly" fries menu and then take Gypsy out for a romp around Long Beach Harbor for a couple of hours. And what a great sail it was! The Westerly Breeze that makes Long Beach famous for sailors was in fine form blowing 15 - 18 knots for the afternoon as we reached around the harbor at 9+ knots with big smiles on all our faces. :0)

Good times!

For a change of pace in Alamitos Bay I asked my son Steve to take on the responsibility of docking Gypsy for the first time-- he accepted and did a great job as son Chris handled the lines and dad Wash watched proudly as they got our boat home without a hitch. So gratifying to see them handle it seriously and with care.

We put our gal away to go home--- watch the final coverage of the US Open Golf Tournament where Tiger holed an 18th hole putt to go to a playoff, order pizza and the then watch the Lakers beat the Celtics to go to game 6 of the NBA Finals. We really enjoyed our time together.

Good Times------------------ Paul- We Love You

:0)

Too much fun!

2008-06-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Late this week I entered Pacific High (my Tim Kernan designed 32' ULDB) in the remaining races of Catalina Island Series. A 10 race/5 weekend series of stop over events that transit from Long Beach, CA to Catalina Island and back from April to October sponsored by the Long Beach Yacht Club. LBYC has been hosting these races since the early 1960's and I have been participating all this time over the years starting on my dad's boat Tarentella, a 50' Enderlein designed sloop built in Sweden and launched in San Pedro in 1955.

To continue the tradition of the Washburn Boys sailing in this event my oldest son Steve joined us today as he is home now for the summer from his freshman year at the Washington University in St. Louis. We motored over this morning to Catalina to race home in the 26 NM race from Emerald Cove, Catalina to Long Beach, CA. Something we have done many times over the years as when the SoCal Westerly fills in the sailing is fabulous from Catalina back to the mainland---- (See a few posts below for a similar story from last summer of our sprint from Ship Rock back to Long Beach) Also joining us for this day of fun was Bob Kwansy, a friend of mine who I met earlier this year who has been sailing with us since last January in various events and is a pleasure to have on board.

The weather forecast promised a 10 - 15 knot westerly and even though the fleet got off to a slow start the wind did fill in for a great afternoon of sailing. But let's back up a little---

The day started by getting up at 4:30am and getting organized----- Picking up Steve, grabbing Starbuck's coffee in the thermos, icing down the waters and Gatorades and getting some deli sandwiches at the 24 hour Albertsons. Steve, Bob and I then met at Pac High at 6am for the 4 hour motor to the island. An uneventful pleasant trip where on arrival we picked up a mooring and enjoyed a 90 minute break in paradise rigging the boat, talking and relaxing.

It was one of those mornings where the westerly was not going to fill in for real until well after 1pm. The LBYC RC had their starting line set at 11am for the noon starts and got the fleet off in no winds at all with all the competitors drifting and working towards where each competitor thought best. We were extremely patient and hung tough working the rhumb line with our Code 0 sail (an upwind spinnaker) as most of the fleet sailed extra miles to the west to get the breeze first. And even though they did get the wind first the extra distance sailed was too much to overcome. Pac High was launched down low and as as the breeze filled in to her strengths we had much less distance to cover to the finish line sailing faster to boot.

But nothing in sailboat racing is a a given----- instead of an easy sail to the finish we were challenged on several levels-- shipping traffic into Long Beach Harbor made for some tactical decisions that were make or break to win the race as we had to gybe clear of a big tanker in a breeze------ and gybing Pac High in a breeze with her big Ayso in a big swell and shipping wakes is no easy task------ but Bob and my son Steve were awesome sailing mates that stepped up to the task and recovered from a wrapped Ayso 2 times and then executed a brilliant take down to a tight reach to the finish around the east end of the Long Beach Breakwater. Pac High was the 4th boat in fleet to finish behind a Santa Cruz 70. an Andrew 45 and a Farr 40. We also got home in front of a Santa Cruz 52 and a new Alan Andrews 40 foot sport boat among many other larger boats---

A treat for us was that Magic Light, a well known turboed Hobie 33 that has been very tough to beat over the years and a very well sailed boat also motored over for the race home. We hooked up side by side and exchanged the usual "hey what do you rate" pleasantries a few minutes before the start -- It looks like Pac High got the best of this race as we were fortunate to get across the finish line 3 minutes or so in front of them. Good for us as the venerable Hobie 33 has been a tough boat to beat and was a hard decision for me as an alternative when I decided to go for Tim Kernan's design to rip it up in SoCal offwind point to point racing----

Race Results

Time to get back on the water!

2008-05-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

After a year long plus of reflecting and dealing with the challenges of what life throws at us---- it is time to get back into participating in life rather than isolating from it-------

Things are coming together for a great summer of racing on our pocket rocket Pacific High------

My son Steve is returning home for the summer from a successful first year at Washington University in St. Louis in a few days------ some long time sailing buddies and new friends are committed to joining up for some good racing-- And in addition my son Christopher who is not enamored with sailing in general has also expressed interest in joining us for some selected races- :0) Icing on the cake!!!!

We are entered in the 16 race Thursday evening Pop-Tops out of Seal Beach Yacht Club and were out there two nights ago for our first appearance in a 20 boat fleet. My shorthanded crew did a great job on a short notice getting a high performance high demanding boat with a rusty skipper around the course with no practice to speak of ---- I was really happy to be out there after a long time out--------

Stay tuned for reports and pictures of our racing experiences of the popular off wind point to point races this summer in So-Cal-

Key West / Premiere Racing creates new perpetual award in Paul Washburn's honor.

2008-01-31T17:10:00.000-08:00

The Paul Washburn Award.
For the Love of the Sport.

I traveled to Key West again having just returned last week for a very special sailing event as the spotter on the signal boat on the big boat division circle. I have been doing this for many years and am never disappointed. The event producer, chairman and friend Peter Craig created a special new perpetual award in Paul’s honor “For the Love of the Sport”. My good friend Bruce Golison working with Peter getting this memory of Paul created gets big credit as well. Bruce Ayers won the award this year and Paul’s trophy is now displayed prominently at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club for the rest of this year.

Click here to see the newspaper article.

ABYC Boxing Day Pursuit Race

2007-12-31T19:38:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, December 29, 2007, 65 boats entered the popular ABYC Boxing Day Pursuit race held inside Alamitos Bay. Entries were diverse and ranged from the Naples Sabots, Lido 14's, Snipes, Cal 20's and 25's, Mercuries, Snowbirds and various keelboats and catamarans. ABYC sailor and PRO Mark Townsend has built this casual day race into quite the annual event! Using the Portsmouth rating system the boats all started at their assigned time LeMans style off the ABYC long dock.

We entered our Tim Kernan designed Columbia 30M for a fun sail around the bay and to see how many of the fleet we could track down being the last monohull to start . My son Steve was on board along with my close friends and accomplished sailors that included Bruce Golison, Steve Brown, Scot Atwood and Pat McCormick. Scot's friend Tom joined us as well and did a great job. The course took us around Alamitos Bay for a few laps of busy sailhandling for us. These guys all did a great job getting the sails up and down in the cramped quarters for Pacific High inside Alamitos Bay! We managed to pick off all but 9 boats and finished 10th overall and second in the keelboat class--- not a bad finish for having to maneuver in such close quarters at low tide with no room for error!

Results

Photos

Happy Holidays from the WB Boys!

2007-12-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

Our Holiday Greeting Card

My son Steve's thoughts to our Angel Paul on his birthday today---

2007-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

LBYC Catalina Island Series Race- Isthmus to Long Beach

2007-09-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

This past Friday and Saturday the westerly breeze was on in the Catalina Channel (16 - 18 kts) so I asked my good friends Steve Brown and Amy Ray to join me on Pacific High to motor over early Sunday morning to the Isthmus in Catalina Island and race home in a probable 25 mile sprint from Catalina back to Long Beach. They both agreed to and the fun was on.

We met at the boat at 0630 and started the 4+ hour motor to Catalina. The highlight of the trip was seeing a CA Grey Whale less than a quarter mile from us heading south for the winter. Quite a sight. We enjoyed pleasant conversation, coffee and Ames' breakfast sandwiches. We arrived at the island with an hour to prepare for the start. We picked up a mooring in Cherry Cove to prepare and rig the boat. Steve and I donned our bathing suits and enjoyed a swim cleaning Pac Highs' bottom while Ames rigged the Jib and Main. The Westerly filled in at 10 kts at 0800 and continued to build all day. At the start we had 14 kts and for the last 7 NM the breeze was 19 - 21.

Needless to say, perfect conditions for us. Our PHRF Class B had several good boats, among them a FT 10, Farr 40, J 145, 2 Tripp 40's, and a ID 35. We took the port tack committee boat end start and headed off to Long Beach on a jib reach getting our reaching AYSO up within ten minutes.

The ensuing 2 1/2+ hour romp is what Pac High is all about. The FT 10 took the westerly above rhumb line route and we took the east of rhumb line route with the Farr 40 in the middle. The breeze piped up and moved aft allowing us to surf up to speeds of 16.9 knots. At the East End of the Long Beach Breakwater 3/4's of a NM from the finish the FT10 was 4 boat lengths in front of us on starboard tack with a jibe and take down to pull off in a breeze to get to the finish and the Farr 40 was a few minutes back with the rest of the fleet safely tucked away. All we had to do was take the AYSO down and jib reach to the finish. (Easier said than done but Steve Brown was on the boat!) Steve Brown who is big, strong and talented simply sucked our chute into the cabin like a vacuum cleaner. The FT10 had problems and lost a lot of time in her maneuver and the die was cast.

Of note:
During the 5 miles before the Long Beach Breakwater East End a Santa Cruz 52 who started 5 minutes behind us finally passed us. But when the breeze really came on above 20 Pac High turned on the afterburners and we passed the SC 52 back and beat her by minutes. Amazing stuff. Anyway, it looks like we won our class- good times.

All in all, Pac High performed most admirably and the day was awesome. Thank you Steve and Ames!

A link to the results: Results

TransPac 2007 Start #1 Report

2007-07-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

Just got home from taking the Brown Sugar (my good friend Steve Brown's Express 37) supporters out on Gypsy to watch the start and first hour of the race. Until 1230 the wind was about 8 kts at 160 - 180. In the ensuing 5 minutes the westerly filled in at but 240 at 8 - 9 knots.

The start was uneventful with the fleet behaving and with the exception of 3 boats (Caulkins 50, Ariadne and one of the Cal 40's) everyone set out on starboard tack towards the west end of Catalina Island.

We were able to sneak in to leeward of Brown Sugar for a final Bon Voyage and pictures one hour into the race.

For updates on the Brown Sugar adventure go to
Team Brown Sugar

ABYC Fourth of July Pursuit Race and BBQ

2007-07-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today, Saturday July 7th we entered Pacific High in the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club 4th of July Regatta pursuit race--- followed by a BBQ get together on the club lawn with good conversation among friends.

The Westerly filled in very early and it promised to be another of those famous Long Beach consistent 15 -17 knot afternoons -- which it was.

Joining me were long time friends and talented sailors, Bruce and Margo Golison and (ABYC PRO Extraordinaire) Mark Townsend. Mark had a rare free weekend day so jumped at the chance to actually go sailing! It was lucky we snagged him as the breeze really filled in and he knows his way around a boat.

In the monohull fleet Pac High was the scratch boat and had to cool her heels as the rest of the 25+ boat fleet took off on their respective start times . (Cal 20's, Etchell 22's, Tempests, Finns, Lasers, Laser Radials, Snipes, Coronado 15's, Capri 25, Schock 35 among others). There was a fleet of A Class Cats entered but inexplicably they started only three minutes behind us--- so scoring them in our fleet was an obvious error as they passed everyone within 25 minutes (us in 8 minutes) into a 1 1/2 hour to 2 1/2 hour race depending on the boat you were on. The A Class Machines that did not capsize finished the race in 1 hour or less. But who cares (and know one did) as the point of the day was to have a great day on the water and enjoy each others company ashore.

By the time we started the fleet was gone!----- We had no idea what was to transpire but patience, conservative and good sailhandling along with going the right way up both beats on the 10 mile 2 lap W/L course paid off. We passed the last 2 boats (a Cal 20 and a Laser Radial) with about 3/4's of a mile to go to take the race, finishing in front of the club after sailing down the Long Beach Jetty Channel.

Bruce, Margo and Mark really hustled and we all had a great time. I am most pleased with our little pocket rocket. We hit 14 knots in a solid knot puff on on the last downwind leg and grins were all around.

Nest Saturday is the Seal Beach to Dana Point Race-- Good times.

Memorial Day Weekend Sunday Gypsy Sail- Yeah!

2007-05-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

My close friend Bob Hickman decided earlier this week to insist we take Gypsy out for a daysail today with some of our special friends. He and his wife Carol said they would take care of lunch for the crew--- "Wash-- Just get the boat ready!" Yes--- It was time to crawl out of my cave - and Dr. Bob was taking control! I was looking forward to today and spent all day Saturday cleaning Gypsy up to make her presentable. :)

My son Stevie and I both are in about the same place regarding Paul, and Stevie was excited also about today's sail as well to just get out there. Stevie invited 2 of his high school buddies George and Alex to sail with us as well.

Filling out the crew were Camille Daniels, her friend Jim, and John, Kathi and Savannah Robinson.

And to top off the afternoon my good friend Steve Steinberg met us at the dock just having flown in from Egypt for a few days in between jobs captaining major league yachts in the Med to give me a hug as he was unable to be there for Paul's services last January.

Tomorrow we take Pac High out for a sail to Newport Beach if the breeze is up.

Life goes on------

A Poem to Remember Paul

2007-05-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

A Parable of Immortality

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" "Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and
spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me,
not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"

Henry Van Dyke

My son Stevie's (17year old HS Senior) tribute to Paul

2007-05-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

“Cast off!” cried He,
The Captain to his crew.
“Today we leave,”
“And sail into the blue.”

So off they went,
Enchanted by the breeze;
A marvelous journey,
It surely was to be.

Merely ten days out,
A cry was uttered by the crew.
They happened upon a hidden reef,
Which tore the ship in two.

Down she went without a fight,
Into the deep blue sea.
A shame, the journey had just begun,
How marvelous it was supposed to be.

The 60th Newport Beach to Ensenada Race is set for a week from this Friday!

2007-04-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

www.nosa.org

Pacific High is entered and this will be a nice shake down sail for us to get the kinks out. This will by my 26th time in the race and my son Steve's 3rd. Eric Witte (TransPac Watch Captain) is flying out from CT to get some time on the boat as well.

The 120 mile Newport Beach to Ensenada Race has been an annual event since 1947-- this is the 60th running of the race. It has quite a history of famous sailors and stories that are so special. My dad raced in it in 1954, 1961 and 1963. I never got the pleasure of sailing with him in this event as he was too old when I was ready to participate. But what a gift that he introduced me to the sailing life, a lifestyle that is just incredible. He taught me to be a real sailor, not just a racing skipper. He is with me always along with my dear son Paul out there on the open sea. I am sure Paul is cracking his grandfather up daily, up in Heaven.

Stay tuned for updates as we splash Pac High in a few days and get her set up.

I commssioned an oil portrait of Paul by noted marine artist Jim DeWitt

2007-03-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Jim is one of my favorite artists- aka Jim DeWitt of San Francisco-- former sailmaker now full time artist in his retirement years. (www.jimdewitt.com) For those of you who have children, or anything else that you would like painted in his style I highly recommend him.

Anyway---- I am typing through the tears but feel so much gratitude for what people can give. Jim was pretty emotional and I could hear it in his voice when we chatted about the project.

He has produced a masterpiece -------------

Paul's Favorite Song

2007-02-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

I like to Move it!

A New Star is Shining

2007-01-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

God has a new star in the sky, and even though it is a little one, when I sail out on the open ocean Paul will be the brightest shining gem upon the sea for me.

Godspeed Paul--- Your old man loves you!

Key West 2007

2007-01-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

I just returned from an escape to Key West spending last week aboard the Division 2 Signal Boat as navigator and back up to my friend Bruce Golison who was the PRO. It was a nice week for me seeing old friends, making new ones and enjoying the experience of "Key West".

I also was an embedded reporter on the Sailing Anarchy website where we dedicated the weeks action to my recently deceased son Paul. We made history by reporting the event virtually live, with commentary and pics posted as things were happening. The on-line sailors who could not attend gobbled up the content. Good times.

Here are links to some pictures of the action on our course:
Key West 2007

Key West 2007 Day 3

Key West 2007 Day 4

Paul Washburn Donations Request

2007-01-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

The outpouring of support, prayers and affection has been truly touching. Many have asked where donations in Paul's name can be made. I would be most appreciative if donations were made in Paul Washburn's name to CHOC, the wonderful children's hospital that helped him last Monday and Tuesday.

Choc Hospital Donation Link

Thank you all who have checked in for your kind words, friendship and support during this sorrowful time.

Wash

Thank you all for your prayers for Paul and the rest of us Washburn Boys

2007-01-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you all so much for your prayers and condolences.

There are two services that are open to anyone who wants to celebrate Paul's too short but happy life.--
One is tomorrow Monday at the Pacific View Cemetery in Corona del Mar, CA at noon.

We will also be spreading Paul's ashes at sea the last week of January with another celebration of his short but happy life to follow at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach. Check my sailing blog for exact date and time. www.gypsylog.blogspot.com If you would like to join us at sea I can make arrangements to get you on an escort vessel. I will post a contact person that will be handling those arrangements.

Regards,

Steve Washburn

From Sailing Anarchy

2007-01-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sail On, Son

These are hard things to write and I'm hesitant to even do so, but I felt that many of you may wish to pass along your thoughts. Anarchist Steve Washburn's (Wash) precious 10 year-old son Paul passed away from natural causes suddenly and unexpectedly earlier this week. As a father it is impossible to imagine such a tragedy, and yet Steve and his family are sadly being forced to live it.
Wash has been a friend of mine for 20 years, and a regular and insightful contributor here in the SA forums - who can forget his awesome Key West live play by play reporting? More than that, Steve was a dedicated and loving father who brought his sons into the world of sailing in a way that most of us can only dream. Take a look at their blog - you'll get a feel for the love. It is not often that I feel another's pain, but I do here and am quite saddened by their loss. Life can be so swiftly and unfairly cruel.

It is in situations like this that our community, without fail, always shines so bright. Please take a moment to pass along your condolences to the Washburns.

01/05/07

2006 ABYC Boxing Day Pursuit Race

2006-12-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

Paul, Stevie and Dad Washburn traveled to our yacht club (Alamitos Bay Yacht Club) today December 30th to race in the annual ABYC Boxing Day Pursuit Race, managed and produced by UK transplant Mark Townsend. This annual event is run on the first Saturday after Boxing Day. This year set a new record for entries with 65 boats signed up and racing. The weather was one of those fantastic SoCal winter days-- clear, sunny with light winds. Entries ranged in size from the Naples Sabots (7'11") to a Santana 37.

Paul entered and raced his Naples Sabot Penguin in the C3 class, Stevie and Dad raced Zingaro, our Lido 14 in the A Class. A pursuit race is one where the handicaps are taken at the start, the slowest rating boats starting first and the faster boats starting later as the ratings get faster.

Paul sailed very well, challenged by all the faster larger boats coming up from behind and had a great time. He finished third in the C3 class. Stevie and Dad had a good day as well, being the first Lido to finish and sixth in fleet.

A fun after race party ensued, with a trophy presentation using the past year's unclaimed trophies from various regattas being passed out to a happy crowd of sailors.

It was great to see all our special sailing friends and enjoy a beautiful day on the water.

Race Results

Merry Christmas All -- And Best Wishes for the New Year!!!

2006-12-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

To view the Washburn Boys Holiday Greetings click on the link below, then start the music player and then the slideshow- Enjoy!

Washburn Boys Holiday Greetings Card

2005 Gypsy Cabo Race AV Presentation

2006-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

2005 Gypsy Cabo Race

Courtesy of Gypsy Sailor and long time friend Hank O' Brien.

Maiden Voyage of Paul Washburn's new Naples Sabot "Penguin"

2006-08-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

Paul just completed the ABYC Jr. Sailing 2006 Summer Sailing Program --- Enjoying it immensely-- He wants to continue on and learn how to race- telling me that he wants to be a better sailor than I am---- Good times!!!!! I look forward to turning over the helm someday--- :)

I can see it now--- Paul on the helm and Stevie on the wire of a 49r or 505---- with their proud pop watching---- :)

Jessica Uniack Memorial Beach to Bay Race

2006-07-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Paul Washburn competed in LBYC's Beach to Bay Race.

In just under two hours, 117 sailors made their way from the beach by Downtown Long Beach Marina through the two jetties that divide Long Beach and Seal Beach to the Long Beach Yacht.

Competing for his first time, Paul Washburn finished in the top 25, quite an accomplishment!

For all the pics go to: Beach to Bay

ABYC Catalina Cruise July 2006

2006-07-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

The WB Boys sailed Gypsy over to Catalina in a 20 knot westerly last Saturday July the 22nd to meet up with fellow ABYC members for a beach BBQ and get together. Good times. It was fun to meet up with long time friends and their families and catch up.

We were treated to an impressive lightning show Saturday night on the beach and then from the decks of Gypsy-- we were not in any real danger- other than sitting on a boat with a 70 foot aluminum stick pointing into the sky! Rain, wind, thunder and lightning--- in July!

From the OC Register:

Fire crews struggled in searing heat Sunday to corral wildfires across Santa Catalina Island and other areas of Southern California, where flames prompted the evacuation of dozens of homes.

The largest fire charred nearly 1,200 acres – or about 2 square miles – of brush on Santa Catalina Island. It was 10 percent contained Sunday afternoon.

Hundreds of firefighters and at least 20 fire engines were shuttled late Saturday to the island on boats and military hovercraft from Camp Pendleton because lightning made helicopters too dangerous.

The fire continues on today Monday and they do not expect to have it contained until tomorrow.

Sunday morning while the WB Boys teenagers slept until noon, :) , Dad and 9 year old Paul Washburn snuck ashore for a hearty breakfast, good conversations, skipping rocks, a visit to the Isthmus playground and 2 vigorous hikes.

Gypsy is a special boat for us-- All the WB Boys activley participate now in handling her, treating her as their own-- so gratifying to see. We had a fabulous sail over, only 3 hours and 15 minutes from the Long Beach Jetty to Ship Rock. Had to motor home Sunday though as there was not a breath of air. But we were treated to a pod of dolphin and then a 50' blue whale surfacing only 100 yards from us--- blowing several times and then sounding along with a display of its huge tail. We were also treated to an air show slash mock dogfight above the Victory Lane again- Chris got some great pics when the WWII fighter planes buzzed us in a mock battle with the old WWII restored supply ship. Will get some pics posted as soon as Chris downloads them.

Long Beach Race Week - June 2006

2006-06-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Our B-25 T-Rex competed on Charlie Course in the 2006 LBRW in Long Beach, CA. We were entered in the PHRF 4 class. Steve, Steve and Paul Washburn were on board along with Bruce Golison and Robin Durnin.

He we are heading upwind on Saturday in the fresh breeze:

This shot is from race 5 on Sunday:

Race Start Line Shot:

We brought the boat to this regatta in her offwind point to point set up instead of a buoy race configuration as the weather forecasts were for light air and we encountered just the opposite. We paid for that decision and placed mid-fleet. Oh well! We will do better next time. Most importantly a good time was had by all.

Results and much more is located at www.lbrw.org

Delta Ditch Run - June 10, 2006

2006-06-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Steve, Steve and Paul Washburn along with long time friend and sailor Bruce Golison made the trek from SoCal up to San Francisco Bay trailering our B-25 T-Rex for the Delta Ditch Run. This is a 70 mile race starting off Pt. Richmond taking a course under the San Rafael Bridge through San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay, then up the San Joaquin River to the finish off the Stockton Sailing Club. The weather report promised some excitement and an exciting race it was!
SAN FRANCISCO SAN PABLO SUISUN BAY AND THE WEST DELTA-
234 AM PDT SAT JUN 10 2006
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH
LATE TONIGHT.. .TODAY...W WINDS 5 TO 15 KT...WITH LOCAL GUSTS TO 20 KT THIS MORNING.
W WINDS INCREASING TO 15 TO 30 KT BY AFTERNOON WITH LOCAL GALE FORCE
GUSTS TO 35 KT POSSIBLE.
There were 112 entrants in total. T-Rex was placed in Light Division 3 for this event. First boat to finish was the D Class catamaran and the first monohull in was the Melges 32 Yabsolutely.
T-Rex was scratch boat in her division and finished first and held her time for the win. But the bigger story is the experience of the race and the event in entirety. A fantastic sail in great conditions from SF Bay through the Delta and then the river. There is a lot of planning, preparation and logistics to pull off participating in this event. And the Stockton Sailing Club reception and organization is top notch, yet low key. We will be back next year!

For Pictures: Delta Ditch T-Rex Pictures

For Complete Results: Stockton Sailing Club

Catalina Island Series 2006 Long Point Race - April 22 and 23

2006-04-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

Start-- Out Long Beach Entrance-- Pt. Fermin to port-- Finish off Long Point, Catalina Island.

The WB Boys took our 33 year old family boat Gypsy (Columbia 52 Tall Rig- 44,000#) out for a fun weekend on the water. What a great weekend! Stevie (my oldest) and I were basically laying on the deck about ready to pass out after semi short tacking Gypsy up the Long Beach Breakwater up to Point Fermin in 15 - 18 knots of breeze- Taking turns driving and grinding Christopher my 15 year old was asleep down below and little Paul was trimming main. Cannot wait until he gets bigger!! But we were in the hunt at Pt. Fermin--- Rounded within striking distance of a Tripp 40 (Colt 45) with the Olson 40 Live Wire a little farther in front-- Several other boats followed-- Farr 55, Farr 38, J-35, J-109, Olson 30 etc etc -- surprised us!

We actually held our own upwind-- but when the waterline rule came into effect for the 18 mile straight line beam reach from Pt. Fermin to Long Point Gypsy was happy. Except for the last 1/4 mile of negotiating a fickle breeze to the finish it was a grand time for me and my boys. Good times. And thanks to the Sparta boys and girls for providing the entertainment for us Washburn Boys on the Shoreboat ride to shore! And thanks to Motrin for making sure I was able to wake up refreshed on Sunday for the trip home. We retired as the breeze never really filled in and none of us were game to get home late.

My compliments to all of you who stuck it out and finished.

View from our mooring in Descanso Bay.

LBYC Spring Invitational / T-Rex / March 12, 2006

2006-03-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

The WB Boys (Dad, Steve and Paul) along with Steve Steinberg and Jenny Paul enjoyed a pristine SoCal winter day on T-Rex participating in a 6.6 mile race on Long Beach Harbor. We all met at ABYC for breakfast and to get our B-25 set up, headed out for the race and returned for cheeseburgers and fries for a late lunch. It was fun just to get together and have a nice sail. The participation was low as we were racing between storms on a weekend with unsettled weather. With the combination of the wind out of the southeast and a random leg course given to us we port tacked the start and never looked back. We were able to win our class with everyone doing a great job and enjoying a fine day on the water.

Results are posted at:
LBYC Race Results

SoCal at its Winter Finest

2006-02-19T18:16:00.001-08:00

Today Dad, Steve and Paul Washburn along with Steve's friend Chris took Gypsy out for a sail on an absolutely stunning, clear, brisk winter day. The conditions were brought about by a winter storm clearing out the LA Basin giving us views from Catalina and San Clemente Islands to the snow capped local mountains. A 15 - 18 knot Westerly breeze brought Gypsy alive in conditions she loves, providing us with a 8 - 9 knot, 20 mile daysail.

Just a beautiful way to experience and enjoy a gorgeous day!

Midwinter Tune Up Race - Saturday February 11, 2006

2006-02-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

Steve, Steve and Paul Washburn headed out for a beautiful day of racing and sailing on Long Beach Harbor in Seal Beach YC's Midwinter Tune Up Race. The conditions were light to moderate with an 8 -11 knot south westerly and smooth water. It was a nice opportunity to fit and set our new weapons-- An Ullman Fiberpath Mainsail and Ullman Masthead spinnaker. And it was great to get out on the water again to start the 2006 sailing season. The race committee sent our Division 2 fleet on a 7.5 mile windward leeward course. We were not disappointed in our speed and we were able to take the gun at the finish line, also correcting out in first place.

The boat handling was fun as there were just 3 of us, with 9 year old Paul fully involved and his 16 year old brother Steve covering cockpit and foredeck , and Dad driving and trimming main.

Acura Key West 2006 is in the books!

2006-01-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

Acura Key West 2006

January 16 - 20, 2006
I just returned from Key West having worked with my good friend Bruce Golison on the Division 2 Signal Boat. Bruce was PRO and I filled the Spotter position running 9 races over 5 days for the TransPac 52, IRC 1&2, Melges 32 and PHRF 1, 2 & 3 Classes. It was a windy week that produced more than its fair share of breakdowns and injuries. Check out the above link for results, stories and pictures.

Two of my best pictures from the windy Wednesday races:

2006 Gypsy Sailing Season Kick Off

2006-01-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Gypsy traveled up to Marina del Rey for a weekend of boating and an attempt at the annual Malibu and Return race sponsored by Del Rey Yacht Club (www.dryc.org). I say attempt as many times this race turns out to a light air sloppy seas affair and this year was no different. The turnout though is usually over 100 boats and this year had 106. Sometimes though it can be a beautiful sail up the Malibu Coast and back so worth the effort to make the trip. The weather for the weekend was shaping up as a summer weekend in dead winter (Which it did). So Dad with sons Steve and Paul (Chris elected to hang out on land) took off for some good times on our boat. The delivery up Friday was stunning as the air was clear and temps were mid 70's on the water. Visibility was great with views from the snow capped mountains of SoCal out to Catalina and up to Pt. Dume. We arranged for a guest slip at DRYC and had a great afternoon/evening there enjoying the facilities and a nice dinner in the dining room.

Saturday brought the same weather to enjoy with Steve Steinberg, Jenny Paul, Chris and Karena joining us for what turned out to be a nice day on the water but the race was not to be for us. The wind never really filled in so we started the race and sailed only 5 miles made good in two hours and elected to spend the next two hours lazily sailing back to the harbor. The conditions (Sloppy seas and light air work to windward) were not Gypsy's strong suit. Our position at the time of withdrawing was well in the back of our pack with no potential of any improvement. The fact that this could easily be a 10 or 12 hour race for us on a 22 mile course was not really an option for us!

We then dropped off the folks who drove up to MDR to sail with us and the Washburn Boys proceeded to deliver Gypsy home to Long Beach. This 4 hour motorsail was the highlight of the weekend and what owning Gypsy is all about. Dad, Steve and Paul spend the time on deck having fun, talking, answering questions and looking up stuff we could not figure out. We had the pleasure of a fellow boater on his Hunter 46 motoring out the channel asking if Gypsy was brand new!! When we said she was 33 years old we got the thumbs up. A great feeling. We watched in amazement as the sled Magnitude 82 motored by us 40 feet away going 10-12 knots with no wake off Pt Vincente. Steve commented that we must have looked good ourselves as they were taking pictures of us. We enjoyed a stunning sunset and red sky with a tiny green flash. And when the stars came out Paul dove below for the star charts identifying constellations for us. He insists that Leo looks more like a mouse than a lion, who am I to argue!!! The traffic in and out of LA Entrance was busy so the Washburn Boys got a lesson in running light and range light interpretation.

We arrived back in the slip safe, did a quick put away and headed home for dinner and relaxation.

Happy Holidays to All!

2005-12-10T17:46:00.000-08:00

And Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Steve, Christopher, Paul and Dad Washburn

2006 SCSSA Schedule Announced

2005-11-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SHORTHANDED SAILING ASSOCIATION
Steve Washburn and son Stevie will be campaigning T-Rex Double Handed in 2006 shooting for the SCSSA Championship.

2006 Racing Schedule

Whitney Around Catalina March 4
66 Series Random Leg March 18
DPYC Ensenada Tune Up April 3
NOSA Ensenada April 22
BCYC Random Leg May 13*
CBYC Around Catalina May 27/28
LBYC Island Series June 10/11
DPYC Seal Beach July 15*
SSYC Around Catalina July 22
BYC Long Point Aug 25
DPYC San Clemente Sept. 2-3
BCYC Series Sept 16, Oct 7, Nov5 *

Three throw outs. All points are awarded to class results.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this association shall be to encourage shorthanded sailing, manage the SCSSA sailing series and award a Southern California Shorthanded Sailing Champion. To promote the start of a shorthanded sailing one design class.

Nov. 6, 2005Sunday Series Race 5 - Fall Invitational - Results Posted

2005-11-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

The Washburn Boys (Steve, Stevie, Paul and Tim) took T-Rex out Sunday November 6th and raced in LBYC's Sunday Series Race 5 - Fall Invitational. The 8.1 mile 2 lap Windward-Leeward course was sailed in a light air Southerly (6-8 knots),with smooth water and under gray skies. The "boys" did a fine job of sail handling and finding the marks. It was a fun, successful day for all of us with plenty to do. After putting the boat away we headed over to LBYC to enjoy the Roy Rogers and Taquitos and visit with our sailing mates.

Race Results

Sept 25, 2005Yacht Clubs of Long Beach Charity RegattaT-Rex Wins in a Tie-Breaker!

2005-09-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

T-Rex ventured out in her first buoy race regatta with Steve, Stevie and Paul Washburn teaming up with long time friend and sailing buddy (Uncle)Bruce Golison. Two races around the Long Beach Inner Harbor Marks were sailed on a sunny, absolutely beautiful fall Sunday afternoon. We scored a 2-1 to tie for first and win the tie breaker for a win in PHRF B. (A good year tie breaker wise as we are 2 for 2 in tie breakers- see below story on our Mini-Me adventures on the Gorge in Oregon this past summer). The Santana 30-30 we tied with was well sailed and handled well around the corners. Our corrected time difference was less than 30 seconds in the second race-- a fair test for our relative ratings.

Being our first regatta to go around the buoys presented challenges as we were sorting out and learning the boat around the corners on the fly. We have a definite list of re-rigging improvements to clean things up. Turns out that the S-20 set up is a well refined one that is transportable to T-Rex. Other challenges were several PHRF A boats sailing an entirely different course that were surprisingly amateurish on boat handling and tactics as far as course placement when our classes overlapped. Two boats in particular based on race results from past regattas that should have known better. Lesson learned for Dad Washburn. Also noteworthy for the day was how involved 8 year old Paul Washburn was-- Pointing out what the competition was doing and where it was, using all the correct sailing lingo, keeping Dad and Bruce totally up to date on our course positioning. Needless to say Dad was speechless and proud. Paul was also observant with lots of questions on sail trim; for instance, blowing Bruce and Dad away with the question on why the boat heeled less when the main traveler was eased out in the puffs. Putting that cause and effect together really was a stunner- OK-- I am proud of Paul! And of all my sons! Good times indeed. Stevie, as usual, was practicing his quiet, patient and efficient foredeck handling on an unfamiliar platform. He is a real pleasure to sail with. Dad Washburn is a blessed and lucky man. Of course Bruce was at his usual best; calmly handling the middle of the boat, coaching Stevie and calling perfect tactics all at the same time.

The B-25 design is an absolute delight to sail and race, a great platform to work on and nimble and quick on the course. Dad and Stevie are really looking forward to the DH Races that are on the 2006 calendar, as well as a couple of others: One we are really looking forward to with Bruce, Dad and Stevie on board is the Delta Ditch Run, a 60+ mile race up the Stockton River from San Francisco Bay. The Trans-Tahoe Race is the other one we are excited about.

Gipsy Moth IV has been "Re-Launched"- Fabulous Story I want to preserve from the 9/25/2005 Scuttlebutt

2005-09-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

From Skip Allan: Wonderful news Gypsy Moth IV sails again! In our age
of Ellens and V-70's, sponsored circumnavigations and live satellite feed,
it is fun to remember that warm August day in London, 1966. I was a kid,
hitchhiking around Europe, and wandered down to the Thames . There at a
backwater dock was a large, narrow, nameless ketch with a monster
windvane hanging on tiny transom. On deck was an older, bespectacled gentleman,
alone loading from a mound of sails, line, and gear. I asked if I could
help, as he seemed rather frail, with a gimpy leg. We spent the afternoon
together, loading and lashing.

After helping, the gentleman showed me the crowded confines of a gadget
filled cabin. He was especially keen on his "invention" of large chart
table drawers filled with sprouts in various stages of development. The
bilge was lined with metal kegs of Guinness Stout. I asked him the
designer. "Illingworth." I asked his plans, and he replied, "Oh, I'm
sailing around the world," but he was hesitant to describe his route,
saying only "bad luck to have firm plans." I said, "where's all your
food?" He said, "Oh, I live on sprouts and stout, healthiest diet you can
imagine." I shook my head in wonder and wished this lone individual all
the best. Didn't catch his name, but realized nine months later when
Francis Chichester returned to the accolades of millions of his countrymen,
that I had serendipitously been shore crew for a day aboard Gypsy Moth IV.

SlBYC "Night" Point Fermin Race / T-REX

2005-09-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Steve, Steve, Christopher and Paul sailed our first race with our newly acquired T-REX (a B-25) on this late summer sunny and pleasant Saturday afternoon. Nowadays this race is actually the "Afternoon" Pt. Fermin Race.
The 21 mile course from Long Beach up to Pt. Fermin and back starts at 1530 now. In the old days this race started at 1800 and when the wind would invariably quit after dark the fleet would spend hours drifting back to the finish line after a great sail up to Pt. Fermin. The earlier start really makes for a great sail and a fairer test overall in the reliable afternoon breeze.

This year was a lighter air affair with a 10-12 knot breeze at the start that held until sunset when it absolutely gave up the ghost and went to nothing. We got a great start at the pin end (PHRF B) and tacked to cross the fleet to head up the harbor to LA Entrance. Our little 25 footer hung in there better than we all thought with the WB Boys hiking hard and Dad driving. We were first boat for boat several times crossing tacks with the two larger Santana 3030's all the way out through LA Entrance. Paul really liked the old light house. At the Pt. Fermin Buoy we rounded 3rd boat for boat, about 2 minutes behind the 3030's who gave us 9.6 minutes for the entire course. We had our little battles with lots of loose kelp all over the course and spent a lot of time with the kelp stick and even backed down once off Long Beach Entrance to rid ourselves of "a big piece of kelp" as Chris described it from his view through our kelp window.
Stevie drove downwind from LA Light to LB Light as well as handling the foredeck on the numerous jibes we did to stay in phase with the shifts and puffs.

At the East End of the LB Breakwater we were treated to a beautiful sunset and the wind dying down dramatically until at the point of the Alamitos Bay entrance it was blowing about 2-4 knots. Needless to say our position on corrected time slipped away and pending results we are looking at second or third we think. We finished at 1910. All in all a very enjoyable sail where we all had a lot of fun.

We drifted into the dock with an incredible full moon rising, did a quick put away and got home by 2030 for cheeseburgers and fries George Foreman style!

Update-- We did indeed correct out to third in class missing second by 2 seconds!

Labor Day Weekend 2005 - Moonstone/White's Landing, Catalina Island

2005-09-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Gypsy spent Labor Day weekend in Catalina-- with Steve Washburn, Steve Steinberg and Jenny Paul on board. We anchored in a great spot just on the west edge of Moonstone 100 yards off the beach. The water was extremely clear and a warm (for Catalina) 69.5 degrees.

Several friends were over on their boats- Among them were Greg and Ellen Heath on their Columbia 43 Heather, Steve and Jennifer Brown and friends on their Express 37 Brown Sugar (Just back from the TransPac).

The motorsail home (no wind) treated us to several visits from dolphin that played all around us. All in all a very relaxing laid back weekend at the island!

2005 Santana 20 Nationals / Mini-Me

2005-08-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Steve and Steve Washburn, along with partner Bruce Golison and local talent Anika Olsen traveled to Cascade Locks, OR to race our Santana 20 Mini-Me on the Columbia River Gorge the week of August 8-12, 2005. We had a fabulous time, successfuly defending our 2004 championship win. The conditions were awesome and the sailing venue was beautiful. For a complete recap and pictures click on this link: Santana 20 Class

Ship Rock Return Race - July 10, 2005 - Catalina Island Series

2005-07-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

Steve, Steve and Paul Washburn raced Gypsy home from Catalina Island on Sunday, July 10th, 2005 in just over 3 hours from Ship Rock to Long Beach. The LBYC RC wisely postponed the starting sequence until the Westerly filled in at about 1pm, allowing for a for a fair test and wonderful sail home in 10 - 16 knots of wind.

We got the AYSO set about 15 minutes into the race and proceeded to the LB Entrance, then a few jibes to get to the finish line. Our hands were full, brothers Steve and Paul were busy! Gypsy placed first in class, second in fleet.

Race Results

Spring 2006 Racing Possibility - Cabo San Lucas Race

2005-07-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

Balboa Yacht Club

Check out the above link for more info and the competitors entered to date. Gypsy is considering entering.

WB Boys Catalina Cruise/Race WeekendEmerald Bay Race HomeJune 11&12, 2005

2005-06-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Steve, Steve, Christopher and Paul

The Washburn Boys spent a wonderful weekend at Catalina Island combining cruising, fishing, kayaking, swimming, relaxing and racing. Something for everyone! Paul won the fishing contest logging 12 catches in two days.

Steve spent his time reading, fishing and relaxing with his Ipod. Christopher kayaked along with Paul with the new Sevylors. We concluded the day Saturday with a nice dinner at the Harbor Reef Restaurant.

For the sail home on Sunday we entered and raced in LBYC's Catalina Island Series Race #4 from Emerald Bay to Long Beach in PHRF Class B. It was a very pleasant reach home in a 9 -14 knot westerly. We pulled off a port tack start at the committee boat end of a starting line (placed way to close to the Island) just west of Emerald Bay. To make things interesting a cargo ship cruised through the course blaring a collision course warning on its horn on its 10 mile approach all the way in. About 7 miles from the finish we had to change course making things interesting as we had to avoid it.

This forced us into 2 jibes with the AYSO in the last 1/2 mile which we pulled off to get around the East End of the Long Beach Breakwater. Standouts of the trip were Christopher doing a masterful job of handing the helm while Steve and Dad handled the sail changes. Steve was just great on the AYSO spin sheets horsing them around in the jibes, working the foredeck and trimming in general. Paul trimmed main and tended the AYSO sheet and was most attentive to the tasks. Dad was most proud! We placed 1st in class and 2nd in fleet. Good times indeed!

Race Results

Memorial Day Weekend 200525th Annual CBYC to DPYC Around Catalina Island Race

2005-05-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday May 28, 2005 The Washburn Boys (Steve, Steve, Christopher, Paul and Nephew Tim) along with Tim's schoolmate Sean Wasko raced Gypsy in the short course option of the Around Catalina Race on Memorial Day Weekend. The course of 34 NM took all 26 boats entered in the "Cruising Division" from the start in LA Harbor, out the LA Entrance then down to Dana Point for the finish. It was smooth sailing in an 8 - 10 knot South Westerly for the entire course.

Gypsy took the committee boat end at the start and sailed the light air beat out the entrance where we set the .6 Ayso and took off from the fleet, finishing first on elapsed time a little after 6 in the evening well ahead of the rest of the fleet. We corrected out for a clean sweep of class A and fleet. The Gypsy crew celebrated with a cook your own BBQ Dinner at DPYC followed up the next morning by a huge brunch where the boys took 3+ trips to the buffet! Uncle David came down later on Sunday to pick up Tim, Sean and Chris. Steve, Steve and Paul stayed for the trophy presentation and delivered the boat home ealy Monday morning. All in all a very pleasant and fun weekend out on the waters of Southern California.

Complete Race Results

Washburn Boys Catalina TripMay 21-224th of July Cove

2005-05-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Departed Alamitos Bay @ 1100 on Saturday. Had a very pleasant sail over to Ship Rock in a 10 knot Westerly via LA Light. Moored at 4th of July Cove and had dinner at the Harbor Reef Restaurant. Hit the sack to Steve's reading of Edgar Allen Poe short stories. Arose to a completely fogged in day. Went ashore for breakfast and a "walkabout" to wait for some clearing. We departed for home at 1400 where we experienced zero wind and 1/2 mile average visibility until 5 miles from the East End of the Long Beach Breakwater where it cleared up considerably. Motored back the entire way.

Paul Washburn on a break!

Steve, Steve, Christopher and Paul Washburn

First You Have to Row a Little Boat

2005-05-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Sent to me by Chisulo sailor Jenny Paul

"For the truth is that I already know as much about my fate as I need to know. The day will come when I will die. So the only matter of consequence before me is what I will do with my allotted time. I can remain on shore, paralyzed with fear, or I can raise my sails and dip and soar in the breeze."

- Richard Bode

NHYC Opening Day Race 4/30/2005

2005-04-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Course: Start- Long Beach Inner Harbor Through LA Entrance to the finish @ Newport Beach Pier. 20.5 N.M.

Crew: Steve, Steve and Tim Washburn-- Bruce, Margo and Travis Golison-- Steve Steinberg and Jenny Paul

Weather: Partly Cloudy, Wind West 9 - 14 Knots

Results: PHRF. 19 Boats. 2nd Class C, 3rd in Fleet Details: www.nhyc.org

We had a great day overall- Starting off by tacking up the inner harbor in smooth water up to LA Light. Stevie and Tim Washburn were on the coffee grinder and did a fantastic job. Then a nice downwind slide down the coast with our new Doyle Full Sized AYSO to the finish. We then brought the boat back to Long Beach right after the finish. Good Times!

Christopher Washburn

March 2005Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas Race

2005-03-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Course: Newport Beach, CA USA to Cabo San Lucas, B.C. Mexico 792 N.M.

Weather: Breezy Spring Conditions

Crew: Steve Washburn, Tom Burton, Greg Heath, Chuck Losness, Seth Morrell, Hank O'Brien, Steve Steinberg, Marty Vogel

Quite an adventurous race down-- blew too hard for us to get a place on the podium but a fabulous sail nontheless--- the newer designs simply plane and surf at 2 to 3 times the speed Gypsy can sail in 20to 30 knots of breeze-- we did hit 15.1 knots- Not too much gear breakage for us but quite a bit of carnage on other boats--- We were well prepared and simply had a great trip down. The AYSO running chute is just great in the breeze-- no more rocking and rolling from boom to pole-- still a handful to steer the boat but a very comfortable ride as opposed to the old days. Our elapsed time was 4 1/4 days.Saw lots of sealife-- Whales, birds, dolphin---- The moon was out every night and lots of breeze-- A spectacular trip!

Courtesy of crewmember (and long time friend) Hank O'Brien:
2005 Gypsy Cabo Race AV Presentation

Results: 44 Boats. Americap/Transpac Rule. 6th in Class E, 20th in Fleet
Details: www.nhyc.org

April 2004NOSA Ensenada Race

2004-04-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ensenada Race Results

1st in Class, 3rd in Fleet

Great conditions for the race as the Westerly breeze lasted for the entire trip for those that stayed offshore.

Crew: Steve & Steve Washburn, Seth Morrell, Mary Anderson, Dave Wolfe, Irene Burdy, Neale and Marc Hickerson

Trophy Presentation - Steve and Steve Washburn

April 2003Ensenada Race

2003-04-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

GYPSY - 2nd in Class

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Steve and Steve Washburn

Marc and Neale Hickerson

Finish Approach

April 2002Ensenada Race

2002-04-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

GYPSY

Crew: Steve and Steve Washburn, Marty Vogel, Greg Heath, Chuck Rickershauser, Bob Hickman, Jeff Busche, Steve Brown, Jim Robinson

A fabulous 5 hour sail for us until the steering cable failed. We were forced to return to Dana Point. We did get some great aerial shots of Gypsy though!
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