MBR Yolo 2018

Clip from MBR 2018

SENIORS RACE 6 April 2019

An event which we always enjoy, albeit numbers were really down. Sieger Yolo's trusty and long running crew member was delegated as skipper.

Getting a good start but light fickle conditions that followed, Sieger held his own, nice rounding at Paarden Island and managed to catch the windline as the SE started to push through. eventually caught in a hole with those behind catching the breeze. With a couple of good manouveres to avoid all collisions with those that don't abide by the riles at the leeward mark. Around the mark and then some really nice sailing... later in the race while approaching the weather mark on Starboard a Port tacker forced Yolo to tack in order to avoid a collision... later this same boat on the downwind caught up and overlapped to weather, in order to clear air Yolo started to head up.. but this boat was adamant, their overlap gave them rights.. no amount of telling them that it is a simple case of they are the weather boat and needed to keep clean made any sense to them. Dale even offered them to come to the boat afterwards to go through a rule book together. As this was a fun race, the protest flag was below.. In future the flag will be ready and deployed.. fun race or not... It is not fair to stand down, purely because there would have been a collision.

Well done to Sieger on sailing a good race. Unfortunately there was another hole at the finish line and we ended up wrong side of it... Still coming in 19th overall and 5th in age category(over 70).

Aboard were: Sieger, Dale, Ian, Antonio

Double Handed Race 30th March 2019

Possibly the start of the season which had the potential of allowing Yolo to pull a nice distance ahead... but soon after the start there was commercial shipping where tugs were about to begin pilotage on a ship.. although we could have cleared it, we fell in line with the Colreg rules and bore away and had to sail around it, putting us behind out competition.(Begs the question, should we be racing along shipping lanes) notwithstanding this, it gave us the challenge to try and make up the distance.. we worked the upwind leg, looking for puffs and shifts, round the weather mark second and a few seconds ahead of Tin Tin.. a nice reach in light conditions with us making initial ground till Tin Tin got going which had them closing the gap... Landfall was the leeward mark which was in fog.. with us neck and neck with Ballyhoo, with us getting the inside and gybing the kite.. they opted not to kite. Te next leg was very tight and mostly in the fog.. with the boat fully powered up, going neck and neck with Ballyhoo, Tin Tin struggled to hold a lane and lost out.. with Yolo finishing a few seconds behind the first boat an first by a comfortable margin under handicap. Aboard were: Dale and Ian.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RACE 13th March 2019

This was the last race of the season. It was supposed to be the Flag Officers race, but it seemed to have turned out to be a Fun race. Yolo decided to do spinnaker class for a change.
Getting a good start, but called over so had to sail back and restart.. then sailing into a convergence zone, before getting to the breeze having lost out a bit, worked the breeze and shift to pull back a bit, around the laid mark to weather, kite up, gybe and worked the shifts downwind gybing again having made up good ground at the leeward mark there was no wind.. so worked through this zone till eventually into the SE and then a nice sail to the finish.. Finishing first in our class. Aboard were: Dale, Ian, Sieger and Antoinio

Wednesday Night Social Sail 20 February 2019

As we have missed all the Wednesday night races in the series to date.. with he boat being shipped back... Albeit we did some sailing on other boats.. it was decided that Yolo won't enter the last few races.. which could effect other boats overall results...
So we opted to go social sailing instead... with a SE of around 22knots.. we had some good sailing on the bay with flat water and enjoyed watching others race for a change...
Aboard were: Dale, Sieger, Cath, Antoinio, Arran And aa newby aboard Gavin.

Social Sail with Daniel and Friends.. 17 February 2019

Daniel chose not the have a party to celebrate his birthday, so instead opted to take a few friends out for a sail.. All wearing lifejackets and a basic safety

briefing, off for a sail, working to SE corner with winds in the early twenties a sail down the coast and then a reach to the centre of the bay where a light NW was blowing.. we spend the rest of the time sailing in the NW while viewing dolphins, seals, penguins and other sea birds. Everyone enjoyed. Aboard were: Dale and Antonio, plus Daniel(Dale's son) and friends, Finn, Michael, Sam and Jed.

Double Handed Race 16 February 2019

An early meet at the boat to give the deck a high pressure clean with salt walter… the South Easters have left a lot of fall out on the deck.. which will eventually require a polish.

Conditions were a NW, flat sea with winds in the early teens.. Getting a fair start but unable to tack as a Class B boat chose to over stand holding us off a bit, then a good fetch to first mark, a nice reach to Milnerton, a good beat back playing the shifts.. round landfall and a tight kite reach to Woodbridge followed by another bear which had wind fluctuations which we worked and around Number 8 with a fetch to the finish..
Overall we came first in our class. Aboard: Dale and Ian.

9 February 2019 Social Sail

SOCIAL SAIL 2 Feb 2019

Wednesday evening sail on the 30/01/2019

Crew on board : Sieger, Wilhelm, Antonio, Aaron and Ian ( as skipper).

The crew gathered on Yolo, just back from her solo Cape to St Helena race, in which Dale did very well to get a 4^th place overall, in his solo entry.

We put the racing black sail back on the boom at the club, before proceeding out to Table Bay. The wind was averaging between 18 -30knts, though the wind speed indicator only showed 9 – 11knts!

We used the J4 upfront for good balance. We decided it was not worth it to enter the race, as we had already missed all the proceeding races for the series. So we reached off towards the Milnerton mark and sailed around, waiting for the big class 1 boats to arrive. And they did so in style. The powerful Cape Fling always impresses at 25+ knots and the more pedestrian Nitro was not too bad either as she screamed pass us. Not far behind three C31’s with Windpower hot on their heels.

After all the gybe action at the Milnerton mark, we reached off to Granger Bay for some more sedate sailing conditions. The dropped sails in the shelter of the V& A mall, and headed back the RCYC mariner, for some after action beers and a chat.

A great evening on the water. Good to be back on board Yolo…

Interview by Sail MAg with Dale

Check out the interview with Sail Mag:

http://sailing.co.za/interview-with-dale-kushner/

Cape to St Helena 2018

Clip from last day at sea.

Cape to St Helena-More start pics

Cape to StHelena -more pics

Pics of the boat at her mooring.. note sporting her SA flag on the backstay and the StHelena courtesy flag on the spreader.. all proper... sails packed away...  this pic was taken soon after finishing.

Cape to St Helena - more pics

Pic taken of Dale, jut after finishing.. he had assistance from another yacht to moor.. Dale immediately went into boat pack mode... after which the pic was taken with the cliffs of the island in the background...

Cape to St Helena - More pics

More pics from the race

Cape to St Helana Race Yolo

Some pics during the race

Cape to StHelana Race 2018 Start Pics Yolo

A few pics of the race start. More to follow.

Cape to St Helena Race YOLO

RESULTS

FINISH - 6 January 2019

The past 24 hours have been very slow with light wind and wind switches requiring lots of attention. Kite up all the time. 

The eta getting later and later. Closer to the island the wind filled in then a gybe around the island into its lee and a final drift to the finish line. 

Finished at 07h28 SA time. A really great race. Boat is now moored in james bay. 

Dale to fly out on the 8th and the yacht should load onto the ship on the 22nd. Now to see the results. 

Many thanks to all for all the moral support. Dale

5 January 2019 - 23h00 SA time

It has been a pleasant day on the water today only thing is that the wind is fickle making progress slow and likely to be the slowest day's run so far. 

With the evening there is now a bit of breeze which i hope will last around ten knots.

 Fortunately i an on a slight reaching angle which helps a bit. 

The sailing is pleasant though but the eta has been moved out quite a bit. Around 40nm left as at 11pm sa time. All good.

5 January 2019 - Day 10

Yolo position as follows:. S17.27.920 by. W4.33.011 

All going well my last position report at sea. 

Hopefully this time tomorrow will be at Annes place eating breakfast on the island if the weather allows. Right now very light. Thanks for all the support. Dale

The past 24 hours has been in downwind trade conditions. With variable strength and osccilations. Becoming light at times. Requiring constant attention particularly during the night hours. 

Other then that not much to report. Currently happy with the trajectory to the island.

Will try keep posted later in the day or when the island is sighted.

4 January 2019 - day 9

10am reported position:

Yolo position. S19.21.060 by. W2.25.690 all good.

Yesterday was typical trade wind sailing. 

The bonus is that the trades seem good this year. Usual sea state one expects. So besides monitoring it and where required change kite when the wind strength changes. 

It does get a bit rolly though night was similar. But with cloud cover and movement there were lots of oscillations in the wind that required regular course changes. 

Cleared a few flying fish off the deck this am. Deck wet with the humidity from the evening. Other then that not too much to report. 

Leaderboard as of 10am:

crossing the meridian!!!

Early this morning YOLO crossed the meridian - entering the western hemisphere. 
To put into practical sense the local time for YOLO is exactly gmt.[greenwich mean time] all good aboard.

January 3 2019 - day 8

Hi all,

I received the following info from Dale at 10am..

Yolo position report. S21.34.480 by. W0.17.390 all good aboard. Dale

"Yesterday The barometer settled as expected. Breeze was light for most of the day 8-11 knots. Not good for vmg but pleasant sailing.

 As the evening came the breeze increased again and the usual clouds started to build. Not wanted to be caught out two nights in a row the conservative option was taken. Albeit it ended up not blowing that strong in the end. But it still had its moments. 

Between the clouds there is an incredible star studded sky to enjoy. After this settled down kite up again. This morning nice breeze and overcast sky. Very humid. Otherwise all good. Dale"

Leaderboard as of 10am:

January 2 2019 - Day 7

YOLO position as of 10am today :

S23.22.670 by. E1.41.797.

All well aboard. 

Yesterday as expected the barometer rose slightly giving for some lighter winds so a gybe to in a bit further north. 

By late afternoon the barometer was looking good again so another gybe. So a fairly slow day. 

The sea is azurite in colour best understood by those who have sailed in these areas. Since the second day no shipping or boats have been sighted, but then we are out of the shipping lanes. 

In the first few days there was a lot of sea birds. An albatross, shearwaters and some brown terns. Since then mainly flying fish. Last night the wind picked up quite strongly at around 2.15am while charging the batteries. The kite was up and things were getting squirrelly so it needed to come down fast. Not so easy if you want to risk a poor drop. First to the foredeck to drop and puny the antiwrap then connect the jib all while working on a foredeck that is awash all this while being limited in movement by your harness. Then back to the cockpit hoist the jib set it all up and execute a great drop.

So satisfying. 

Not over get coat tidied sold sorted for next sail and all sails trimmed then downstairs to pack the kite and drink water. 

Today i should be crossing the meridian. Barometer has climbed. Lets see what today's weather brings. Best dale

Day 6 - Happy New Year - 1 January 2019

Hi all..

10am:

Yolo position. S24.48.066 by. E3.58.193 all well aboard. Dale

Blog entry 10am :

Yesterday was good sailing in good conditions with good progress.

 As night bore on it shifted and dropped a bit but the barometer held. 

At nights cloud often forms as the water temp is high so there is a lot of humidity.

 During the day the sun normally melts it off. That together with a very late moon rising makes it a inky dark where you struggle to see the horizon. 

By early morning the barometer had risen as the high has come north. This hopefully wont last long.

Game plan is to be near or even west of rhumb line to place well pop the easterlies as one gets closer to the island. I will still be doing the odd gybe today to try keep moving. All well aboard. Happy new year to all. Dale

Blog entry received 3.35pm:

More blog. Sometime yesterday we[dale and yolo] sailed through valdiva banks. This is a very small area where the seas become shallow causing the seas to build vs. Known to be good fishing ground. Always an interesting area to transit. 

The water depth it the south atlantic can be 5000m plus in some parts. Currently the water temp is 22.5deg with the temp inside the boat at 28.5deg as interior is ventilated. Outside a lot more. The highest speed on the log is 15.5knots. Likely done in the early hours of the third day.Dale

leader board 10am 1 January 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019 from the South Atlantic ocean

Just a short note from aboard YOLO in the South Atlantic.

I will already be off your time zone but to wish you a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2019.

Happy sailing.
Dale

31 December - day 5

Position report from YOLO this morning 10am..

"S26.10.386 BY E6.21.904 ALL GOOD "

and then a wonderful newsy message..YAY!!

"Yesterday was one of those perfect days in the south atlantic. 

Clear water and sky.

 Enough breeze with it doing the normal thing of increasing during the day as the temp cools slightly in the afternoon. 

The flying fish i saw were the biggest i have seen yet in the south atlantic similar size to what i have seen in the indian ocean.

 Last night cloud cover but fair sailing. This morning nice conditions with light breeze which should increase a bit during the day. 

Will do a small sail repair on the jib today. 

Sailing along under spinnaker in the south atlantic aah.

 Last night clicked over to less then a 1000nm to go and later today hopefully over the halfway mark. 

Best to all. Dale"

Day 4 - 30 December 2018

Hi all,

Position reporting as of 10am this morning of YOLO:

"

Yolo position. S27.41.487 by e8.45.028 all well aboard."

and some news..

"The past 24 hours has been good. A freshening breeze yesterday  and a few gybes to make more northing. In the evening the sea state was up and very confused. The best way was to two sailreach but not at optimal course. In the early hours this morning gybed back again on a good vmg. Winds are light at the moment but it should pick up as the day progresses. I am still sailing in conservative mode. Completing this challenge is my goal. Any result is a bonus. One cannot drive as hard or do the same amount of sail changes as a crewed boat. All good aboard. Dale"

leader board as of 10am today:

Day 3 - 29 December 2019 - positions and report

Hi all.

Dale is a man of few words..and probably less at the moment doing the race solo..

I received the following SMS from YOLO this morning for publication:

"Yolo position : S29.44.600 E11.13.147; all well aboard.

Day 2 - 28 December 2018 - position and update

Hi all,

I have received the following SMS from YOLO this morning

"Position as of 10am S31.36.781 E13.38.388; all good aboard. Wind has freed off."

Day 1 - 27 December 2018 - 10am position report and race standing

SMS recieved from YOLO at 10.14am today :

"Yolo S33.03.212 E16.47.781 All fine aboard. Wet and bumpy


postions as of 10am today :

Start of St Helena 2018 Race - 26 December 2018

Start of the race was in cold and grey conditions.
The Club was abuzz with anticipation.

Quite an emotional time for the Kushner family..boys now older and understanding that dad will be away for a while on the ocean.

But race start was good..and we wish YOLO a great race..

SAT PHONE DETAILS

This is the Sat Phone Number: +87 0776 769485 for YOLO

You are welcome to phone to say Hi, the phone might not always be on though and be aware that it is very expensive to phone a Sat Phone,  so suggest using the free SMS App which is called Satway

Or:

http://connect.inmarsat.com/services/land/isatphone/sms/sms.html

Please remember, I am not checking the phone all the time…

It is unlikely that you will receive a response during the course of the race.

Cape to StHelena Race 26 Dec

When the StHelena Race was announced, Ian advised that he would be unable to do it from a time perceptive. Dale then advised that he intended to do it single handed.  Over the past few months the boat has been prepared for this event, with a couple of mods for SingleHanded sailing....
Dale's goal is to first and foremost complete the passage in a safe and seamanlike manner..

The final items were loaded onto the boat today...with the help of the rest of the Kushner Family.