Wet & Wild

We hope we improved last night. We continue to have wind in the 28 knot range and high seas. Avg speed made good through the night was 10kts. Not able to use the . 6 oz spinnakers we have on board as the wind is mostly abeam and the seas quartering. We tried each of them when true wind speed was under 20kts but those moments lasted short before back to 28 and jib top. We are having a super time. having our halfway party this afternoon. (actually crossed halfway a while ago but had to try to pick a time where everyone was rested enough and waiting for flatter seas just wasn't happening.
Helena says hi to the family.
Terri says, Tom please get a new mast head bulb for the return crew (we just love sailing out here without seeing the windex :-) and I can't wait to see you. Thanks for the SSB reminder.
All the crew sends love to family and especially friends that will be there for us at the dock.
Betsy says to Coco love you and miss you Buggy,very busy, wet, and wild.
Judy Rae says to Haylen Happy Bday. She says she's lost 25 lbs haha
Nauti Chicas

Let's cheer them on!

As you will see from the second message below from the boat, the Chicas have been experiencing strong winds and big seas. It has had a toll on the sail inventory but they are still hanging in there. While the leader board is showing them currently in 6th Place, I am sure if they get the wind conditions that will allow them to get another spinnaker up they will improve that position. I am obviously assuming they are not flying a spinnaker currently due to heavy winds and the loss of their heaviest spinnaker.

If you have a note that you want to send to the girls, just send it to me and I will batch them and send on to the boat. Let's cheer them on!

John
for the Nauti Chicas

Going like gangbusters

We have been going like gangbusters at lots of 10kts speed in 20 kts wind. But our computer got a little wet and flaky so we let it dry out for and it seems to be working, this is a test. We are all doing swell - haha - 10 foot crossing seasthis whole trip, as much as 70 miles off shore at on point. Hope you get this messageNauti Chica's

Spinnaker blow-out

I guess they had an exciting night.
They are currently 6th in class and 23rd in fleet. They are 514 mi from the finish with a predicted finish time 4/2 22:38, about 40 behind 5th place. 5th place is 466 mi from finish.

I didn't like that North Sails spinnaker anyway.
Tom

Sunday morning update

Well it's been a crazy day/night. If you saw our detailed track on iboat you mave noticed a big loop we did around midnight. It wasn't a manover board, or retrieving favorite hat, but we blew up to shreds ourstrongest spinaker in our inventory,while running deep in 25 kts . Of course some of it was our fault, as we were running quarterly swells invertigo-inducing pitch darkness and had just a couple of round ups which puts a lot of stress on the thing. So anyway, we got all 3 corners of the sail on deck, saved the gear, and let the kite go out for burial at sea. That and a new headsail up and a jibe all in less than an hour. You could imagine all hands on deck, tethers on, flashlights and knives at the ready. That was a first for any of us I think.

http://charthorizon.com/races/2008_corona_sanlucas/htdocs/

We are following the predicted weather and our planned course pretty much as expected, with more wind outside. We have not been able to copy the race committee ssb transitions of place in class and fleet, we are only able to receive their daily lat/long reports. We hope to get into better communications range with them soon.

Go girlfriends! ..... Go Girlfriends!

Well the Nauti Chicas aboard Predator are off and running. They started the Cabo Race today at noon. While it is still very early on in the race, they look like they are moving well and are positioned very nicely in their class. Time will tell.

Wind conditions so far have been normal Southern California winds, strength wise but not direction. The wind has been out of the SW at about 8.5 knots. This has the girls on a Southerly course at about 4.3 kts. I am sure they are looking for the winds to clock towards the West so they can use their spinnaker.

They're off!

The crew is ready...

New member

Hi from Su.

Go Nauti Chicas!

A shot of J/35 PREDATOR from the Around-Catalina Race.

Nauti Chicas have their game faces on for Cabo

REPRINTED FROM BYC WEBSITE:

CORONA DEL MAR, Calif.---The boat’s name---Predator---is intimidating enough, but wait till you see the crew lined up to sail it in Balboa Yacht Club's biennial race from Corona del Mar to Cabo San Lucas starting March 28 and 29.

Six determined members of the Nauti Chicas women’s sailing team are on an ambitious mission that will take them through seven events climaxing with next year’s Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii, and this is the first big step.

“We have a tremendous amount of experience on the boat,” says co-skipper Terri Manok, who owns the J/35 with her husband Tom. “Gender is not a factor. We probably have more experience than some of the other boats. It’s not anything we can’t handle.”

The smaller boats, including Predator in Class D, will start the 800-nautical mile race to the tip of Baja California, Mexico on Friday the 28th, the larger ones a day later. The starts will be at noon directly off the end of the Balboa Pier in front of the Original Ruby’s restaurant. Spectators are welcome.

Manok, vice commodore of Oceanside Yacht Club in Southern California, and co-skipper Sue Senescu, a staff (former) commodore of Dana Point YC, have selected their crew from the 18 Nauti Chicas members. The others are Denise Eldrige, Dana Point; Helena Cannady, San Francisco; Judy Rae Karlsen, Long Beach; and Betsy Crowfoot, Carpinteria.

These aren’t teeny boppers on a lark. Their ages run from 39 to 50 (;-D ), and among them they have completed seven Transpacs. Senescu and Crowfoot have raced on two and three all-woman Transpac teams, respectively, and Senescu has done two other Transpacs on coed crews. Otherwise, the crew’s collective résumés as sailing instructors and competitors are impressive but too long to list here.

“Let’s just say we’re mature in sailing years, as well,” Senescu said, dryly.

They’re approaching this race very seriously with new sails from VGM in Dana Point, new running rigging, a new boat bottom from the Villalva boat yard in Ensenada . . . and lots of practice.

Senescu said, “We’ve done some offshore practices in winds of 22 knots gusting to 33 . . . thunder and lightning and big black walls of squalls.”

Manok: “It was great experience. I’m totally confident we can handle anything at that level.”

Other events they plan to do are women’s one-design regattas at Puerto Vallarta in May and Long Beach in October, next month’s Newport-to-Ensenada race with two boats, Santa Barbara to King Harbor in August and Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas next February.

“All of us have significant others who have been very supportive,” Manok said. “My husband has given up the boat for this year and most of next year.”

Their only problem is a shortage of sleeping berths on the J/35, the second smallest boat in the fleet, even rotating two to a bunk. An all-male crew would normally sail with five.

“We could sleep four un-comfortably,” Senescu said, “but I’ll probably just have to find someplace on the sails.”

The race is being conducted under PHRF, ORR and IRC handicap systems.Each boat will be tracked by iBoat, which has provided satellite positioning on the Internet for last year's Long Beach-to-Cabo race, the 2006 Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii and several East Coast races to Bermuda and elsewhere since 2005.

A sendoff party promising "Mexican buffet, cheap drinks and good company" is scheduled the evening of March 27 at Balboa YC. The Old Hacienda Hotel will host a poolside party late on the afternoon of Thursday, Aril 3, and trophies will be presented Friday, April, 4 at Tesoro Los Cabos. -- Rich Roberts

FOR MORE NEWS & TO TRACK THE RACE PLEASE GO TO THE BYC WEBSITE

We are livin' the dream!

Be Nauti!

Anyone can 'Be Nauti' with an authentic Nauti Chica or Chica Chaser team shirt! Long sleeve, white quick dry mesh chica chaser ($30) or periwinkle women's form-fitting v-neck ($25). Contact your favorite Nauti Chica or email me at crazeemermaid@gmail.com. Click on image for details.

Team Pix March 16

We will be taking a team photo March 16, at the boat (Oceanside) at 10AM. Wear the periwinkle 'Nauti Chica' top and black shorts.